Most people never think about which protocol their VPN uses, until the day it refuses to connect. You are on hotel Wi-Fi, an office guest network or a mobile network that quietly blocks VPN traffic, and the app just spins. Websites load fine, but the VPN does not. That gap is the reason WorxVPN chose SoftEther, and it is worth understanding, because it decides whether your VPN works when you actually need it.

This guide explains what SoftEther VPN is, how running a VPN over HTTPS works, how it compares with WireGuard and OpenVPN, where its limits are, and why we built WorxVPN around it. We run our own servers in our own datacenter, so this is the engineering view, not a marketing summary.

What is SoftEther VPN?

SoftEther VPN is an open source, multi-protocol VPN system. It was developed at the University of Tsukuba in Japan and released as open source in 2014. The name comes from "software Ethernet": SoftEther creates a virtual network adapter and a virtual switch, so your device behaves as if it were plugged into a private network cable, even across the internet.

Because it is open source, anyone can read the code. That is important for a privacy tool: you are not trusting a secret, closed protocol that nobody outside the company has seen. SoftEther can also speak several other VPN protocols, but its own native protocol is the interesting one, because it runs over HTTPS.

What does "VPN over HTTPS" actually mean?

HTTPS is the encrypted version of HTTP. It is what puts the padlock in your browser, and it normally runs on TCP port 443. Online banking, email, shopping and social media all use it. A network that blocks HTTPS blocks most of the internet, so almost every network allows it.

SoftEther’s native protocol wraps the VPN tunnel inside a TLS encrypted connection on port 443, the same kind of connection a browser opens to a website. To a simple firewall or filter, a SoftEther connection looks very much like ordinary secure web traffic. Inside that encrypted connection, your device’s traffic travels through the tunnel to the VPN server, and then out to the internet.

Why do VPNs get blocked in the first place?

Networks block VPNs for many reasons. A hotel may want to limit bandwidth, a company guest network may only allow web browsing, a school may restrict anything that is not a website, and some mobile networks throttle or block VPN protocols. The easy way to do that is to block the ports and traffic patterns that common VPNs use.

WireGuard uses UDP on a configurable port, and many restrictive networks simply block UDP traffic they do not recognise. OpenVPN can run on UDP or TCP, and even on port 443, but its handshake has a recognisable pattern that filters can learn to spot. A tunnel that looks like normal HTTPS is much harder to block without also breaking the websites people need.

Illustrative comparison based on how each protocol travels. Real results depend on the network.

SoftEther vs WireGuard vs OpenVPN

There is no single "best" protocol for every situation. Each one makes different trade offs. Here is how they compare on the points that matter to most users:

The honest summary: on a fast, open home connection, WireGuard is usually the quickest. On networks that restrict VPN traffic, a tunnel that travels over HTTPS is far more likely to connect at all. We decided that a VPN which connects reliably is worth more to our users than a few extra megabits on a perfect network. If you are new to how tunnels and encryption work, our guide What Is a VPN and How Does It Work? covers the basics.

The scenario: the hotel network that blocked the VPN

Are there any downsides to running a VPN over HTTPS?

Yes, and it is better to be clear about them. Because the tunnel runs over TCP, it can be slower than a UDP protocol on networks with heavy packet loss, such as a weak mobile signal. TCP resends lost data, and when a TCP tunnel carries other TCP traffic, that recovery can stack up. On most everyday connections the difference is small, but it is real.

It is also important not to oversell it. Looking like HTTPS makes a VPN much harder to block with simple filters, but very advanced network inspection can sometimes still identify VPN traffic. No honest provider can promise that a VPN will connect on every network in the world. What we can say is this: if you can reach normal HTTPS websites, WorxVPN is designed to connect, and that covers the large majority of restrictive networks people run into.

Why did WorxVPN choose SoftEther?

Reliability first. Our users’ most common problem with other VPNs is simple: it would not connect. Building on SoftEther over HTTPS attacks that problem at the protocol level instead of with workarounds.

Mobile, not just desktop. SoftEther is well known on desktop and servers, but as far as we know, WorxVPN is the only VPN provider offering SoftEther in its own mobile app. Phones move between Wi-Fi and mobile data all day, and that is where blocked or unstable connections hurt most. Setting it up on a phone takes a couple of minutes, as our Android setup guide shows.

Open and checkable. SoftEther’s code is public. Combined with our published no logs proof, that means you are not asked to trust a black box.

What does WorxVPN log when you use SoftEther?

Very little, by design. WorxVPN keeps no traffic logs, no DNS logs and no record of the sites you visit or your connection history. SoftEther’s own server log is kept on a RAM disk and wiped every 24 hours, so it never builds up on a hard drive. Your account itself needs only a nickname, a username and a password. When you pay, the order record holds a nickname, an email and the payment details. We publish all of this, along with our warrant canary, on our transparency page.

We also run the servers in our own datacenter, so no third party hosting company has access to the machines your traffic passes through. That is a big part of why we can make these statements with confidence.

Frequently asked questions

What is SoftEther VPN?

SoftEther VPN is free, open source VPN software developed at the University of Tsukuba in Japan. It creates a virtual network connection over the internet and can carry the VPN tunnel inside HTTPS, which makes it look much like normal secure web traffic.

Is SoftEther VPN safe?

Yes. SoftEther uses strong TLS encryption, the same family of encryption that protects online banking, and its code is open source so it can be reviewed by anyone. As with any VPN, your privacy also depends on the provider, so check what they log and whether they publish it.

Is SoftEther better than WireGuard?

It depends on the network. WireGuard is usually faster on open, unrestricted connections. SoftEther over HTTPS is more likely to connect on networks that block VPN protocols, because its traffic looks like ordinary HTTPS on port 443.

Why does my VPN not connect on some Wi-Fi networks?

Many hotel, office, school and public networks block the ports or traffic patterns that common VPN protocols use, especially UDP. A VPN that runs over HTTPS on port 443, like WorxVPN, is much harder to block because the network has to allow HTTPS for websites to work.

Does WorxVPN keep logs with SoftEther?

WorxVPN keeps no traffic, DNS or browsing logs and no connection history. The SoftEther server log is held on a RAM disk and wiped every 24 hours. The full details are published on the WorxVPN transparency page.

The bottom line

SoftEther VPN is open source software that can run a full VPN tunnel inside HTTPS, the protocol that powers almost every website. That makes it far harder for restrictive networks to block than protocols that stand out, at the cost of a little speed on very poor connections. We built WorxVPN on it because a VPN only protects you if it actually connects.

Want a VPN built to connect wherever normal websites work? See WorxVPN plans, and read our VPN vs proxy vs Tor guide if you are still comparing privacy tools.