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VPN FOR ROUTERS: 10 tested services (2024)


How to create secure, confidential Internet access right away for all your devices? That's right - set up a VPN on your router. It doesn’t matter if you use a DSL or PON router, it’s easy to do it on any model. But some restrictions are often not talked about, which is why the result is unsatisfactory. After reading this article, you’ll be able to configure the best VPN on your router.

As opposed to conventional devices, such as a computer or smartphone, routers are used to access the Internet through 100% of the time. Thus, when using a VPN router, we do not turn on or turn off the secure connection when we feel like it, but configure it for a long time.

No wonder, we expect three main characteristics from a VPN service we select:

  1. Server connection stability
  2. High speed
  3. Maximum efficiency (bypassing all possible restrictions and maximum traffic protection).

Alright, but is this enough for daily operation?

Not always. There are also hidden characteristics that directly affect the result.

Read on and you will find out which VPN services are the best ones to use with a router and what nuances you need to consider for efficient and easy VPN use.

Firstly, I will share my experience in setting up VPNs on routers (DD-WRT, Asus, Tomato, OpenWrt, pfSense and others), and then we will look at the top 10 VPN services that combine the necessary technical characteristics with parameters which are important for routers. 5 of them are paid, and 5 others are free or have a free trial period (5 completely free VPNs weren't found).

The five best VPNs for Routers

  1. ExpressVPN: The most stable and fast VPN service with many features, including bypassing the geo-restrictions of video services. Uses the latest diskless servers.
  2. NordVPN: One of the largest providers optimized for routers. High speed and proven safety. Also uses diskless servers.
  3. Surfshark: An excellent provider with which you can save money without losing the stability of the connection and capabilities. Not as fast as the two above, but much cheaper.
  4. PIA: First of all, it is interesting because of the port forwarding feature for torrenting from a secure network, but it also suits all router models.
  5. Mullvad: Ability to configure the WireGuard productive protocol on routers with OpenWrt.
  1. ProtonVPN: The best combination of speed and router support among the free services.
  2. Hide.me: Good speed and no registration needed, 10GB per month, 3 countries. Connection failures.
  3. GooseVPN: 30 days for free.
  4. ZenMate: 7 days for free.
  5. HMA: 7 days for free.
Recommendation

Since the most important parameters of the Virtual Private Network used through the router are stability and speed, I strongly advise against using free VPNs. Even the best free provider is significantly inferior to paid ones in terms of these parameters. If for some reason you don’t like the service, you can simply refund your money. All paid VPN services presented in this review have a 30 day money-back guarantee.

What important characteristics should a VPN service for a router have?

As I said, a suitable VPN service should provide a stable connection and high speed. But these are not the only parameters to consider. The practice has shown that most services do not provide settings for routers. Besides, many VPNs do not have their own DNS servers, which is fraught with a leak of information about the resources you visit.

Here is a complete list of the obvious and non-obvious features that a VPN should have for routers:

  1. Router support
  2. Connection stability (no frequent shutdowns, stable speed, fast connection)
  3. High speed (sufficient to ensure that all devices connected to this network do not experience speed problems)
  4. Own DNS servers (for maximum security)
  5. Torrenting support
  6. Streaming support (unblocking geo-restricted content of Netflix and other popular services)
  7. Online service support (some router models may not work correctly with VPN, in which case the support service can help)
  8. Money-back guarantee (if all of the above fails).

As you can see, choosing a VPN is not as easy as it might seem at first glance.

Free providers are an especially tough case. Yes, yes, I already said that it’s better not to use them, but the demand is great and I did everything I could to find the least unstable providers (more precisely, their free versions).

Keep reading and you will find out which VPNs more closely match the criteria listed. I will briefly describe their pros and cons, as well as the features of their settings on routers.

Best VPN for routers based on 2024 test results

Due to all parameters, ExpressVPN became the best VPN. It is at the same time one of the fastest services, the most stable one, and it provides an unprecedented level of privacy. It uses diskless servers for a 100% lack of logs and is based offshore in BVI to minimize possible pressure on the company.

The second one is NordVPN. It is one of the largest services. It also uses diskless servers, is based in Panama, and has high speed and excellent stability. It’s in the second place only due to a slightly smaller choice of locations (supports 60 countries versus 105 for ExpressVPN).

Other VPNs also showed good test results on routers. All of them have their own DNS servers and generally attach great importance to protecting privacy.

Read on about the pros and cons of all services.

Comparison of the main characteristics of VPN services that are in demand for routers

ExpressVPNNordVPNSurfsharkCyberGhost
Mullvad
Rating12345
JurisdictionBritish Virgin IslandsPanamaThe NetherlandsRomaniaSweden
No-logs policyIndependently audited
Independently audited
Independently audited
Independently audited
Unaudited
Speed100+ Mbps 100+ Mbps 100+ Mbps 100+ Mbps 60-80 Mbps
Servers 3000+ servers in 105 countries5900+ servers in 60 countries3200+ servers in 100 countries10200+ servers in 100 countries+ servers in 38 countries
Simultaneous connections86UnlimitedUnlimited
Starting price$8.33/month
$2.99/month
$1.99/month$2.19/month$6.00/month
Torrenting+++++
Netflix+++-+
ReviewExpressVPN reviewNordVPN reviewSurfshark reviewCyberGhost reviewMullvad review
Discount-

Also read our review of the best VPNs for Windows

1. ExpressVPN

Overview

During the tests on routers, ExpressVPN showed the best results.

Firstly, it has an incredibly extensive database of guides for setting it up almost on any device model.

Secondly, the tests confirmed the real connection speed of above 150 Mbps.

And thirdly, it is the best provider to maintain confidentiality due to its policy, diskless servers and secure jurisdiction.

Tests also confirmed the safety of torrenting and the effectiveness in unblocking the content of popular streaming services for at least 20 popular regions of the world.

The provider offers a configuration based on the OpenVPN protocol.

Price

The table lists the ExpressVPN tariff plans

1 month1 year2 years
Price (monthly)$12.95
$8.32
-
Money-back garantee3030-

Functionality on a router or on other platforms does not depend on the duration of the subscription.

Conclusion

  • ExpressVPN has everything you need to use on your router.
  • Compatible with all models.

It supports all other platforms and allows you to connect up to 5 devices at the same time on one subscription.

I’ll also add that ExpressVPN is one of the leaders in the number of positive reviews (based on the analysis of Reddit activity).

2. NordVPN

Overview

NordVPN also has an incredibly wide range of router configuration guides, is fast, and supports almost all router models. A distinctive feature of the service is an incredibly large selection of servers. More than 5900 servers in 60 countries, and for each of them, there is a configuration for routers.

NordVPN consistently supports streaming, effectively protects the use of torrents and is suitable for daily use.

The provider offers a configuration based on the OpenVPN protocol.

Price

The table lists the NordVPN tariff plans.

1 month1 year2 years
Price (monthly)$12.99
$4.592.99
Money-back garantee303030

Functionality on a router or on other platforms does not depend on the duration of the subscription.

Conclusion

  • NordVPN is ideal for daily use (for any purpose).
  • Compatible with any type of router.
  • Suitable for watching videos in any quality.
  • Effectively protects the user's location and other personal data.

3. Surfshark

Overview

The third VPN service that has successfully passed our tests is Surfshark.

This relatively young provider (launched in 2018) managed to earn the trust of users and many professionals in a short time. Surfshark supports many innovative technologies and can even work in China, bypassing the Great Firewall of China.

Its main advantages are its low price (from $1.99 per month) and support for an unlimited number of devices per subscription (it may be useful if your router is too weak to handle the traffic of a large number of connected devices).

Surfshark offers a configuration based on the OpenVPN protocol.

Price

The table lists Surfshark VPN plans.

1 month1 year2 years
Price (monthly)15.45
$2.99
$1.99
Money-back garantee303030

Functionality on a router or on other platforms does not depend on the duration of the subscription.

Conclusion

  • Surfshark VPN is well suited for the use on routers.
  • Compatible with most models.
  • Successfully circumvents geo-restrictions of Netflix and other video services.
  • Unlimited number of simultaneously used devices per subscription.
  • Low price.

4. Private Internet Access

Overview

Private Internet Access (or simply PIA) has one benefit and two drawbacks over the previous VPNs. It supports port forwarding, but it is not suitable for Netflix and its jurisdiction is the USA (5 eyes).

Port forwarding allows you to associate the port used by the torrent app or game console with the channel’s VPN port. These are some cases in which this can improve the speed and visibility of other members of p2p or the gaming network.

PIA offers a configuration based on the OpenVPN protocol.

Price

The table lists the plans for Private Internet Access.

1 month1 year2 years
Price (monthly)$11.95
$3.33
$2.03
Money-back garantee303030

Functionality on a router or on other platforms does not depend on the duration of the subscription.

Conclusion

  • Top-level VPN that is regularly tested
  • Good security
  • Port forwarding
  • Does not support Netflix

Full review of Private Internet Access

5. Mullvad

Overview

Mullvad is primarily interesting due to its support of the progressive VPN protocol called WireGuard. It allows you to achieve the same efficiency with the lowest computing costs as the popular OpenVPN.

Thanks to this, the use of WireGuard allows you to achieve high capacity even with low-power routers.

However, only a small fraction of them can support this protocol. To do this, you need OpenWrt support (a list of suitable router models).

Mullvad offers configurations based on the OpenVPN protocol and WireGuard. Supports 36 countries. Does not support Netflix.

Price

The service has a simple pricing policy and one tariff plan:

1 month
Price (monthly)€5
Money-back guarantee30

I should note that Mullvad has the most anonymous registration policy with no email required.

Conclusion

  • Mullvad is a great choice if your router supports OpenWrt.
  • Suitable for 1-month use.
  • Not suitable for streaming.

Mullvad full review

Best Free VPN for Routers

My research of more than 20 free VPN services led to disappointing results: only two of them really support routers.

To provide you with at least 5 free solutions, I had to add services with a free trial period here. There is, however, good news. GooseVPN, which has a record 30 days free trial, provides the configuration of OpenVPN.

Warning

All free VPNs have significant drawbacks. For routers, this is primarily low speed and an unstable connection. If you can easily reconfigure a computer or smartphone by changing the location or server, then on the router it is much more problematic to do this.

1. Free ProtonVPN

Overview

ProtonVPN is the most convenient free VPN available in 2024. More precisely, this is a free plan of a paid service. As on the other platforms, it provides the best conditions for users of routers.
First of all, it provides an OpenVPN configuration for configuring any devices. Secondly, it has detailed instructions for novice users. Thirdly, ProtonVPN is included in the top 10 VPN services according to CoolTechZone.com; therefore, if you wish, you can safely switch to the paid version.

ProtonVPN full review

2. Free hide.me

Overview

Hide.me lags far behind ProtonVPN in terms of technical parameters, but ranks second in our ranking of free providers as the only alternative to the leader.

The service offers access to 4 locations, does not support streaming even on the paid version, and has average connection stability.

The documentation on setting up a VPN on the router is also very scarce.

hide.me full review

3. Goose VPN

Overview

Goose VPN is a mid-range service, interesting only for the duration of the trial period. The speed of its servers is higher than that of free VPNs, but it is difficult to single out anything else.

The service offers an OpenVPN configuration for routers. The connection stability is medium.

4. ZenMate

Overview

ZenMate is stronger than Goose VPN, but has a significantly shorter period of free use. However, it is available without a credit card. You can also note the possibility of unblocking geo-limited content of video services and special servers for torrenting.

ZenMate full review

5. HMA

Overview

HMA, another professional-grade VPN service, will be of interest to those who need a very large selection of countries (more than 160).

The trial period is 7 days and is available only after you pay for a subscription.

Does it make sense to use it for free? Only if you need short-term Internet access through the IP address of some exotic country.

HMA full review


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