VPN Protocols

We know how valuable a customized experience can be. So even though our service automatically selects the best protocol for maximum speed and security, we also allow you to select your VPN protocol of choice.

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Here's some more about the different VPN protocols we support and how they differ from one another:

IKEv2

The most advanced and newest VPN protocol. It's known as the fastest of all the protocols and is secure, stable, and easy to setup. However, it's not supported on all platforms.

OpenVPN

The recommended protocol for all platforms. OpenVPN has the highest performance and security level overall.

L2TP

The Layer 2 Tunnel Protocol is available on all modern platforms and is easy to setup. This protocol is usually considered very secure. L2TP is a good option if OpenVPN or IKEv2 aren’t available. Its speed is a bit slower than the other protocols, but the connection it provides is highly secure.

PPTP

The Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol gives you a fast connection due to a very basic encryption. It is also very easy to set up.

	IKEv2	OpenVPN	L2TP/IPSec	PPTP
Info	Internet Key Exchange version 2 is the newest VPN protocol and based on IPSec tunneling protocol. Jointly developed by Microsoft and Cisco, it is baked into Windows 7+.	OpenVPN is an open source VPN solution that uses various technologies, including the OpenSSL library and SSLv3/TLSv1 encryption protocols. It is highly configurable and can be set to run on any port, although it runs best on a UDP port. It is considered difficult to block as it makes traffic on it impossible to differentiate from traffic using standard HTTPS over SSL.	Layer 2 Tunnel Protocol is a VPN protocol that provides encryption and confidentiality for traffic that passes through it when implemented with the IPsec encryption suite. L2TP over IPsec is as easy and quick to set up as PPTP and is built-in most modern operating systems.	Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol was developed by Microsoft for creating VPN over dial-up networks. It has long been the standard protocol for internal business VPN. PPTP is a VPN protocol only and has a quick implementation due to low computational overhead requirements.
Encryption that SaferVPN uses	AES - 256bit for Data and SHA256 for Control Messages	AES - 256bit for Data, SHA256 for Control Messages and 2048bit SSL/TLS Handshake Encryption	AES - 128bit for Data and SHA256 for Control Messages	MPPE - 128bit
Security	Newest VPN protocol, implemented over IPSec and considered highly secure.	OpenVPN can be considered truly secure when used with a strong cipher and ephemeral keys.	IPsec encryption has no major known vulnerabilities when properly implemented.	Several known security vulnerabilities found in PPTP implementation.
Speed	Faster than most VPN protocols. Support for the Mobility and Multihoming Protocol make it highly resilient and stable.	Even on connections with high latency and across great distances it still has great speed, making this the best performing protocol.	L2TP/IPsec has tunneling overhead but still fast due to because encryption/decryption efficiency.	Highest speed due to basic encryption, but can result in unstable connections.
Supported by	All platforms: iOS, Mac OS X, Windows, Android (Native application)	Most operating systems: Windows, Mac OSX, Linux, iOS, Android, DD-WRT	Most operating systems: Windows, Mac OSX, Linux, iOS, Android, DD-WRT	Most operating systems: Windows, Mac OSX, Linux, iOS, Android, DD-WRT
Pros	Fastest VPN protocol. Very stable in particular if switching network or reconnecting after losing your internet connection. Very secure. Easy to setup on user end.	Highly configurable. Very fast and secure. Gets past most firewalls and network/ISP restrictions.	Easy to setup Bypasses restrictions by networks or ISPs. Supported by the largest number of devices. Available on all modern platforms.	Easy to setup Client built-in most of platforms Good speeds Supported by the largest number of devices.
Cons	Limited in configuration (no UDP ports). Not supported on old platforms.	Setup can be trickier than other VPN protocols. Not supported by some mobile devices. Requires installation of third party software.	Can struggle with restrictive firewalls. May have a bit slower speed. More easily blocked.	Stability can vary depending on the network. Lower level of security. Can be blocked.
Conclusion	Using this method and IPSec gives support for strong authentication and encryption methods. Overall performance is very fast, secure and stable.	OpenVPN is fast, secure and reliable as well as supported by Android tablets and mobile devices. Therefore it is the protocol of choice for maximum security and speed.	Theoretically offers the best security in comparison to other protocols. Its ability to bypass network restrictions makes it a good alternative when OpenVPN is not supported.	PPTP is easy to setup and use with good speed. It runs with most desktops, tablets and mobile systems. While it may be less secure than other VPN protocols, it's a good choice if your device doesn't run with OpenVPN.

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