OpenVPN Connect is the “official” application developed by OpenVPN Inc. and is intended to be more user-friendly for VPN users with little technical knowledge. It’s not as feature-rich openvpn for Android, which is designed toward more advanced OpenVPN users.
Openvpn for Android is a free and open-source client created by Arne Schwabe that allows you to connect to any VPN service that supports the OpenVPN protocol. It’s a great choice when your device isn’t compatible with pre-configured “off the shelf” VPN apps that are available in the Google Play Store. The setup is fairly simple. It is necessary to import the VPN profile files. (The config files are named.ovpn). These can be downloaded from your VPN provider’s site or by contacting live chat support.
After you’ve created your profile, tap on the server to connect. Once connected, your Internet traffic is routed through a secure tunnel to the server you’ve selected in the app. The Status tab allows you to see your connection’s details as well as status. A kill switch is enabled by default, and it will shut down your Internet connections when the VPN tunnel stops.
The app also comes with per-app VPN and an on-demand feature that automatically starts the VPN connection when the app is in use and continues to run even after your device is shut down or switches networks. However, the latter feature requires Android 7.0 or higher and may drain your battery more than usual.