Best VPNs for Secure Remote Work in 2024

The shift to remote work has made secure connectivity a business priority — but the old model of routing every employee through a corporate VPN gateway is showing its age. Today's distributed teams need solutions that balance airtight security with real-world performance. We compared four distinct approaches: modern Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), the industry-standard OpenVPN protocol, the lightning-fast WireGuard protocol, and an all-in-one security suite. Here's what we found.

Why the Old VPN Model Falls Short

Traditional "perimeter" VPNs — where every remote employee connects to a corporate gateway and gains broad network access — were designed for a world where most people worked in an office. That model creates a sprawling attack surface: if a single endpoint is compromised, the attacker can move laterally across the entire network.1 Modern remote work demands identity-aware access that grants only the specific resources each employee needs, not the whole corporate LAN.

Encryption remains non-negotiable — all four picks here use strong encryption standards — but the real differentiators today are speed, compatibility, and attack-surface reduction. We also looked at how well each solution integrates with multi-factor authentication (MFA), since a VPN without MFA is barely half a solution.2

The Best VPNs and Secure Access Solutions for Remote Work

1. Twingate — Best for Zero Trust Access

Twingate isn't a traditional VPN — it's a Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) platform that flips the old model on its head. Instead of granting every remote employee a virtual seat on the corporate network, Twingate creates direct, encrypted peer-to-peer connections to specific applications and resources.2

Why it wins for remote work: The attack surface is dramatically smaller. There's no exposed VPN gateway to probe, no broad network access to exploit. Each connection is authenticated individually and authorized by policy — meaning a compromised laptop can't pivot to the file server. Twingate also integrates natively with major identity providers (Okta, Azure AD, Google Workspace) for seamless MFA enforcement.2

The trade-off: it's not a general-purpose internet VPN. If you need to mask your IP for privacy while browsing, this isn't the tool. But for secure remote access to business apps — databases, internal tools, cloud consoles — it's the most modern approach available.

Best for: Teams that want to eliminate their VPN attack surface and enforce least-privilege access.

2. OpenVPN — Best for Compatibility

OpenVPN is the workhorse of the VPN world. It's been battle-tested for over two decades, runs on virtually every platform (Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, routers, and more), and supports a staggering range of configurations.1

Why it's still relevant: OpenVPN's open-source protocol has been audited extensively. It uses OpenSSL for encryption — the same library that secures most of the web — and supports both TCP and UDP transports, making it adaptable to restrictive networks. For organizations that need to support legacy systems or require deep customization (custom ports, certificate-based auth, advanced routing), OpenVPN remains the gold standard.1

The downside: performance. OpenVPN's encryption overhead and single-threaded architecture mean it's noticeably slower than modern alternatives like WireGuard, especially on high-bandwidth connections. Setup and configuration also require significant expertise.

Best for: Organizations that need maximum compatibility across diverse devices and operating systems.

3. WireGuard — Best for Speed

WireGuard is the new protocol on the block, and it's a genuine breakthrough. Where OpenVPN can feel sluggish on modern fiber connections, WireGuard achieves near line-rate speeds — often 2x to 4x faster — with a codebase so small (roughly 4,000 lines) that auditing for vulnerabilities is far simpler.3

Why speed matters for remote work: Slow VPNs kill productivity. Video calls stutter, large file transfers crawl, and employees start looking for workarounds. WireGuard's modern cryptographic primitives (ChaCha20, Poly1305, Curve25519) are not only more secure than older ciphers but also perform exceptionally well on both desktop and mobile CPUs.3

The catch: WireGuard is a protocol, not a full solution. You'll need to pair it with a management layer (like Tailscale, Netmaker, or a commercial VPN provider) for features like user management, logging, and access controls. It also doesn't natively support dynamic IP assignment or roaming as elegantly as some enterprise solutions.

Best for: Speed-sensitive teams and organizations upgrading from older VPN protocols.

4. Dashlane Business — Best Integrated Security Suite

Dashlane Business takes a different approach: instead of a standalone VPN, it bundles a password manager, dark-web monitoring, and a VPN into a single platform for remote employees.2

Why an integrated suite works: The biggest security risk for remote workers isn't the VPN protocol — it's password reuse, weak credentials, and phishing. Dashlane Business enforces strong password policies, enables single sign-on (SSO) integration, and includes a built-in VPN powered by Hotspot Shield for encrypting traffic on untrusted networks like coffee shop Wi-Fi.2

The VPN component is solid for general privacy but doesn't offer the granular access controls of Twingate or the configurability of OpenVPN. Think of it as a security baseline — excellent for small-to-midsize teams that want one dashboard for credential management, breach alerts, and basic traffic encryption.

Best for: SMBs that want an all-in-one security solution without managing separate tools.

How They Compare

The Bottom Line

There's no single "best" VPN for every remote-work scenario — and that's okay. If your priority is shrinking the attack surface and enforcing least-privilege access, Twingate is the most forward-looking choice. If you need to support a heterogeneous fleet of devices and legacy systems, OpenVPN remains the reliable standard. For teams that just want the fastest possible encrypted tunnel, WireGuard is a revelation. And if you're a small business looking for a single tool to handle passwords, monitoring, and basic VPN needs, Dashlane Business covers all the bases.

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