SoftEther VPN Client
Open sourceSoftEther VPN Project, University of Tsukuba
- Category
- Remote & VPN
- Version
- Checking
- Size
- Checking
- Licence terms
- Open source (Apache 2.0) · free for personal and business use
- Supported OS
- Windows 11 · 10
- Install method
- Manual install
- Developer
- SoftEther VPN Project, University of Tsukuba
- Downloads via this site
This links to SoftEther VPN Project, University of Tsukuba’s own download source. AfterFormat neither stores nor modifies installer files.
Check before installing
- You need a VPN server to connect to. Installing this on its own does not give you a VPN service.
- It can also reach VPN Gate, a free public relay network from the same lab. Those relays are volunteer-run and keep connection logs — not for sign-ins or payments.
- Using a VPN to get around regional blocks may breach the terms of the service you are reaching.
What it is
The client for an open-source VPN project that began at the University of Tsukuba. It speaks SSL-VPN, OpenVPN, L2TP/IPsec and MS-SSTP among others, so whichever protocol the server on the other end uses, this one program connects to it. The Apache 2.0 licence makes it free for individuals and companies alike.
When to pick this
When you have VPN details from work or school and want one client that speaks every protocol. If anonymity is the goal, Tor Browser is the right tool rather than a VPN; if you want to see another PC’s screen, a remote desktop tool like AnyDesk is what you are after.
Details
You need a server to connect to
This is the client half. Installing it does not hand you a VPN service — it is for when you have connection details from work or run a server yourself. Not knowing this is the usual reason people install it and find that nothing happens.
Designed to get through restrictive networks
It can travel over the same channel as HTTPS, so it often connects on networks that block VPN traffic. The project started as academic research and this was one of its design goals.
VPN Gate is a public relay network
The same lab runs VPN Gate, where volunteers open relays that route your traffic out to the internet. It is free, but you cannot know who operates a given relay, and the project states that connection logs are kept. Keep sign-ins and payments off it.
Distribution
- Redistribution policy
- Open source licence
- Official site
- https://www.softether.org/
