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There is no supported universal percentage for how much a post-quantum WireGuard setup slows a VPN. WireGuard is not post-quantum secure by default; adding a post-quantum handshake is an implementation-specific layer whose performance must be measured on the setup you actually use.
What “post-quantum WireGuard” means
WireGuard’s documentation says it is not post-quantum secure by default. It supports an optional pre-shared key (PSK) that adds symmetric key material to its public-key cryptography, but merely hashing public keys would not provide forward-secure post-quantum secrecy. The project describes a genuinely post-quantum handshake performed above WireGuard, with the resulting key placed in WireGuard’s PSK slot, as its best path. WireGuard’s Known Limitations page explains this distinction.
WireGuard uses the Noise_IK protocol and sends packets over UDP; its optional PSK is mixed into the public-key cryptography. These protocol features do not mean that every WireGuard app or VPN service has a post-quantum handshake. Any speed result therefore applies to the particular extension and configuration tested, not to all WireGuard connections. The protocol documentation describes the design.
What existing performance figures can—and cannot—show
The WireGuard project’s performance page warns that its published benchmarks are “old, crusty, and not super well conducted,” and says newer data is needed. Its historical test used iperf3, gigabit Ethernet cards, Linux 4.6.1, and a 30-minute average. That offers context about one benchmark, not a current measurement of post-quantum overhead or a prediction for your device and network. See the project’s performance page.
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A 2020 WireGuard technical paper reports the following results for its own test configuration. They are not measurements of an added post-quantum handshake:
| VPN configuration in the paper | Throughput | Ping time |
|---|---|---|
| WireGuard | 1,011 Mbps | 0.403 ms |
| IPsec with ChaCha20 and Poly1305 | 825 Mbps | 0.501 ms |
| IPsec with AES-GCM | 881 Mbps | 0.508 ms |
| OpenVPN in UDP mode | 258 Mbps | 1.541 ms |
The paper linked OpenVPN’s larger gap in that particular test partly to user-space overhead, scheduling, and copying packets between user and kernel space. It did not compare modern implementations with and without post-quantum key exchange. The paper’s figures should be read in that historical context.
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The project homepage identifies ChaCha20Poly1305 and a kernel implementation as performance-related design elements, but neither establishes how a particular post-quantum extension will perform on an individual device. Implementation, hardware, network path, and test conditions all matter. WireGuard’s homepage describes the project.
How to test speed and latency fairly
This is a practical comparison method, not an official WireGuard benchmark procedure. If your implementation supports it and it is safe to change, compare the same setup with the post-quantum exchange disabled and enabled.
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- Keep the comparison controlled. Use the same client device, server, network route, and test duration for both VPN conditions. Run a direct, non-VPN baseline as well, close in time to the VPN runs.
- Repeat each condition. Run several measurements rather than relying on one result. Compare the median and spread, not the best run; internet congestion and server load can obscure small differences.
- Measure more than download speed. Record upload and download throughput, unloaded round-trip latency, and round-trip latency while the connection is busy. The project’s Todo page identifies latency and bufferbloat tests as useful additions to its test infrastructure.
- Record the conditions. Note the device and operating system, WireGuard implementation and version, post-quantum extension and version, endpoint, transport or network type, MTU, test tool and duration, and whether CPU limits affected the run. Keep these consistent between conditions.
- Reduce local network variation where practical. A wired connection can help limit Wi-Fi variability. The historical project benchmark used gigabit Ethernet cards; a compatible gigabit adapter may help a device without an Ethernet port, but it is optional and does not measure VPN performance.
- Interpret each metric separately. Throughput may change while unloaded ping remains similar. A rise in latency under load can reflect congestion or bufferbloat rather than cryptographic work. A single run cannot establish the cause of a change.
What to compare beyond throughput
When evaluating two specific implementations, include handshake or connection setup time if it matters to your use, sustained upload and download throughput, unloaded latency, latency under load, CPU use and device heating on constrained hardware, and the security and maturity of each implementation. Keep the conditions equal and identify the post-quantum method being tested. The available WireGuard documentation does not establish that one extension is universally faster than another.
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What the evidence supports
- WireGuard is not post-quantum secure by default, and its optional PSK alone is not the same as a genuinely post-quantum handshake.
- The project’s recommended direction is to perform a post-quantum handshake above WireGuard and place the derived key in the PSK slot.
- The official material cited here does not quantify the performance impact of that added exchange. Historical baseline benchmarks cannot supply a slowdown estimate for it.
- A useful assessment measures repeated throughput and latency results under controlled conditions, including latency under load.
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