OpenVPN Connect, the “official” OpenVPN Inc. app is designed to be more user friendly for VPN users with no technical understanding. It’s also less feature-rich than the openvpn android app which is designed for more advanced OpenVPN users.

Openvpn for Android is a no-cost and open source client developed by Arne Schwabe that lets you connect to any VPN service that is compatible with the OpenVPN protocol. If your device isn’t compatible the pre-configured VPN applications available on the Google Play Store, this is a great alternative. Setup is relatively easy. You will need to import the VPN profile files. (The config files are named.ovpn). They can be downloaded from your VPN provider’s website or via live chat support.

After you’ve imported a profile, you simply tap the server you want to connect to in order to connect to the server. Once connected all Internet traffic is sent through a secure tunnel and directed to the server selected by the application. The Status tab allows you to examine your connection’s information and the status of your connection. The kill switch is on by default. It will block your internet connection if the VPN tunnel is dropped.

The their website app offers a per-app VPN as well as an always-on option that automatically creates the VPN connection every time the app is launched and continues running even after your device has shut down or switched networks. However, the latter requires Android 7.0 or higher and could cause more battery drain than usual.