--- title: Access Server on Azure, now billed by the hour description: Deploy OpenVPN Access Server from Azure Marketplace and pay hourly on your Azure bill. No PO or license contract. Built for dev/test, contractors, DR and CI. image: https://blog.openvpn.net/hubfs/79d41ade-2d8e-4654-bc54-867a1b4a2419.png --- - [Blog](https://blog.openvpn.net) - [Announcements](https://blog.openvpn.net/tag/announcements) - [Access Server](https://blog.openvpn.net/tag/access-server) - [Network Security Tools](https://blog.openvpn.net/tag/network-security-tools) # Access Server on Azure, Billed by the Hour Nov 10, 2026 • 4 min read ![a laptop on top of a platform that says Azure with a clock next to it openvpn](https://blog.openvpn.net/hubfs/79d41ade-2d8e-4654-bc54-867a1b4a2419.png) Share - - - - Access Server on Azure, now billed by the hour 4:46 By Krista Lyons ## Some access needs can't wait for a procurement cycle. A contractor starts Monday. A test environment needs to reach a private database this afternoon. A failover plan needs a VPN that's ready to go but isn't costing anything while it sits idle. That's where OpenVPN's hourly Marketplace listing comes in. OpenVPN Access Server is now available on Azure Marketplace with hourly billing. You deploy it in your own Azure virtual network, the software charge appears on your existing Azure bill, and when you stop the VM, the software charge stops too. There's no purchase order, no vendor onboarding and no separate contract to manage. [![banner-preview-desktophttps://marketplace.microsoft.com/en-us/product/openvpn.openvpn-as-app-tiered](https://blog.openvpn.net/hs-fs/hubfs/banner-preview-desktop.png?width=1624&height=326&name=banner-preview-desktop.png)](https://marketplace.microsoft.com/en-us/product/openvpn.openvpn-as-app-tiered) ### What's new Access Server already runs on Azure through two listings: a monthly or annual subscription billed through Azure Marketplace, and bring-your-own-license (BYOL). The new hourly listing adds a third option. It's the same Access Server, with the same features, priced by the hour in connection tiers so you can match the plan to the number of people or systems connecting. Hourly is a good fit when usage is short-term or varies week to week. If you need always-on remote access with a predictable annual cost, or you already hold an Access Server subscription, the monthly/annual and BYOL listings are still the better choice. All three are available, and you can pick the one that suits each deployment. ### Why pay hourly - **Start the same day.** Billing runs through your Azure subscription, so you can deploy as soon as you have permission to create a VM. No PO and no new vendor setup. - **Pay only while it runs.** The software is billed per hour while the VM is running. Stop the VM and the hourly software charge stops. Azure infrastructure, such as disks and public IPs, is billed by Microsoft as usual. - **Keep traffic in your network.** Access Server runs inside your own VNet, so traffic to your private resources stays in your environment rather than passing through a third-party cloud. - Zero trust access without joining the network. With [Zero Trust Application Broker](https://openvpn.net/access-server/features/zero-trust-app-broker/) access, remote users reach the applications they're allowed to use, and it limits users to only the resources they're allowed to reach. - **One bill.** Access Server shows up as a line on the Azure invoice your finance team already pays. ### Four ways teams use hourly Access Server Dev and test environments. Add a VPN when you spin up a test environment and tear it down with everything else. You pay for the hours the environment exists, not for a full year. Contractor and vendor access. Give an outside team secure, time-boxed access to specific private resources for the length of the engagement. When the work ends, shut the server down. Projects and migrations. Run Access Server in the project's own subscription so the cost lands on the project budget, then remove it when the migration is done. Disaster-recovery standby. Keep a configured Access Server ready in your recovery region and start it only during a failover or a DR test. Between events, the software doesn't bill. ### How to get started You can go from the Marketplace listing to a working VPN connection in a few minutes. Check out our [quick start guide here](https://openvpn.net/as-docs/v3/azure-tiered/). 1. Open the listing. Go to [Access Server on Azure Marketplace](https://marketplace.microsoft.com/en-us/product/openvpn.openvpn-as-app-tiered), select Get it now. 2. Configure your project details. Select the connection tier that fits your use case. You’ll select your Subscription and Resource group in the UI. 3. Azure provides the Admin Web UI URL and, when applicable, the generated temporary password in the deployment outputs. If you used the automatically generated password, record it for the first Admin Web UI session. 4. Select Review + create, then Create. 5. Follow the onboarding wizard. Select whether clients get internet access, access to your Azure private networks, or both. If you enable private access, keep only the subnets your users should reach. 6. Connect your first client. Install OpenVPN Connect on your device, connect with the included profile, and confirm the connection works. Then add users or connect an identity provider. When you're done, stop the VM to pause the hourly software charge, or delete the resource group to remove all Azure resources and their charges. For full setup information, use our [quick start guide here](https://openvpn.net/as-docs/v3/azure-tiered/). ### Which Azure listing should you choose? | | Hourly | Monthly/annual (SaaS) | BYOL | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Best for | Short-term or variable use: dev/test, contractors, DR, CI | Steady, always-on remote access | Teams with an existing Access Server subscription | | How you pay | Per hour, on your Azure bill | Monthly or annual, through Azure Marketplace | Directly to OpenVPN | | Commitment | None | Contract term | Your subscription term |   Not sure yet? Start hourly to test your setup. If you later move to a monthly/annual plan or BYOL, it's a one-time migration to a new VM using a configuration backup.   ## Get started on Azure Access Server hourly is available now on Azure Marketplace. Deploy it in your own VNet, connect your first user in minutes, and pay only for the hours it runs. [Deploy Access Server on Azure](https://marketplace.microsoft.com/en-us/product/openvpn.openvpn-as-app-tiered) ## Related posts from OpenVPN ### Subscribe for Blog Updates ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Krista Lyons", "url" : "https://blog.openvpn.net/author/krista-lyons" }, "dateModified" : "2026-11-10T19:49:44.145Z", "datePublished" : "2026-11-10T19:49:44.000Z", "headline" : "Access Server on Azure, now billed by the hour", "image" : [ "https://blog.openvpn.net/hubfs/79d41ade-2d8e-4654-bc54-867a1b4a2419.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.openvpn.net/access-server-azure-hourly", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.openvpn.net/hubfs/Dark=True%20Medium.png" }, "name" : "OpenVPN" } } ```