When choosing a VPN protocol, two names dominate the conversation: WireGuard and OpenVPN. Both are excellent, open-source, and widely trusted — but they take very different approaches to securing your connection, and the right choice depends on what you value most: raw speed, battery life, or maximum compatibility.
OpenVPN has been the industry standard for nearly two decades. It's built on the OpenSSL library, supports a huge range of encryption ciphers, and can run over both UDP and TCP. Its biggest strength is flexibility — OpenVPN can be configured to run on almost any port, including port 443 (the same port used for regular HTTPS traffic), which makes it very effective at bypassing strict firewalls and network restrictions, such as those found in corporate networks or certain countries.
WireGuard, by contrast, is a much newer protocol designed from the ground up for simplicity and speed. Its codebase is roughly 4,000 lines, compared to OpenVPN's 100,000+, which makes it easier to audit for security vulnerabilities and far more efficient to run. In real-world tests, WireGuard consistently delivers faster connection speeds and lower latency, and because it's so lightweight, it uses significantly less battery on mobile devices.
When it comes to security, both protocols are considered highly secure when properly configured. OpenVPN uses configurable cipher suites (typically AES-256-GCM), while WireGuard uses a fixed, modern cryptographic suite (ChaCha20 for encryption, Poly1305 for authentication) that's both fast and resistant to known attacks.
So which should you choose? If your priority is maximum speed, lower battery drain on mobile, and quick reconnection after switching networks, WireGuard is the better choice for most people. If you're on a heavily restricted network — for example, behind a corporate firewall or in a region with aggressive VPN blocking — OpenVPN's ability to disguise itself as regular HTTPS traffic gives it an edge.
Which protocol for a static IP VPN?
BuyStaticIP uses both, one per plan. The Standard plan runs on OpenVPN — the most compatible choice for a single user who needs a fixed IP on a laptop or office PC, including networks with strict firewalls. The Premium High Speed plan runs on WireGuard for lower latency and faster reconnects, which matters for algo trading and for teams of up to 10 users sharing one IP.
Either way you get the same dedicated IP every time you connect. Compare both plans on the pricing page, or start with what a static IP VPN is.