OpenVPN Connect is the “official” application of OpenVPN Inc. and is intended to be more user-friendly for VPN users with no technical expertise. It’s not as feature-rich as openvpn for Android, which is targeted towards more advanced OpenVPN users.
Openvpn for Android is a no-cost open-source client developed by Arne Schwarzbe, allows users to connect to any VPN service that supports the OpenVPN protocol. If your device isn’t compatible with the pre-configured VPN applications that are available in the Google Play Store, this is a great alternative. The setup is pretty straightforward. You’ll need to import your VPN profile files (the configuration files have an extension of.ovpn) which you can download from the website of your provider or by calling their live chat support team.
If you’ve imported a profile, simply tap on one of the servers listed and connect to that server. Once connected, all Internet traffic is sent through a secure tunnel, and directed to the server that was selected by the app. The Status tab lets you check your connection’s details and the status. The kill switch is enabled by default. It will disable your internet connection when the VPN tunnel is dropped.
The application provides a per-app VPN as well as an always-on option that automatically creates a VPN connection every time the application is launched and continues running even after your device has gone to sleep or switched networks. However, the latter feature requires Android 7.0 or higher and could cause more battery drain than normal.