The Best VPNs for Routers

You can find a selection of our test results and findings in the comparison table below:

Overview of Our Router VPN Recommendations

Using our unique testing methodology, we’ve identified the best VPNs for routers, including an excellent free option.

Our recommendations focus specifically on how easy the VPN is to set up on different router models, how easy it is to use the VPN once it’s installed, and how the VPN performs in both speed and streaming testing.

The very best router VPNs are quick to install, compatible with most router models, and encrypt the traffic leaving all of our devices without any issues.

See how our four recommendations compare in terms of router compatibility in the table below:

Below is a more detailed analysis of the four best router VPNs and why we recommend them.

We’ve reviewed 61 VPN services and applied our testing methodology to all of them.

Many of them lacked the features, performance, or usability necessary to qualify as a top VPN for routers.

Some VPN services simply aren’t safe enough to use on your router, either. They might carry dangerous malware or fail to properly encrypt your internet traffic.

Below we’ve listed four popular VPNs that performed poorly in our router testing and should be avoided:

Router VPNs and VPN routers are mistakenly used synonymously.

A router VPN is any VPN service that can be used on a router. This can be done through manually installing the VPN’s software onto a router, by downloading a dedicated router app, or by purchasing a pre-flashed router that supports the VPN’s software.

By contrast, VPN routers are WiFi routers with VPN software installed on it. They are routers with the necessary firmware to support VPN software, and often cost in excess of $300.

While it’s easier to set up and use a VPN on computers and mobile devices, installing a VPN on your router provides some unique benefits:

• Continuous VPN protection.
• Protect devices that VPN services don’t provide custom apps for.
• Protect multiple devices under one VPN account.

1Always-on VPN

As long as you keep your router switched on, the VPN connection will always be in place to encrypt your home’s internet traffic.

That means that you don’t have to wait for your computer to boot up fully before you benefit from VPN protection.

It also means once you only have to activate your VPN once (unless you want to change geo-location.

2Protects All Types of Internet-enabled Devices

You can’t install a VPN directly onto LG Smart TVs, games consoles, and many other popular devices.

But with a VPN at router level, you can cover all of your connected devices that don’t support native VPN software.

Your VPN automatically encrypts the traffic of every device that connects to your router. This also means that your real IP address will be hidden on all devices, as long as you connect to the internet via your router.

This protection also extends to Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as doorbell cameras, Amazon Alexa, and smart home appliances.

3Bypasses Simultaneous Connection Limits

VPN services usually limit the number of devices that can run the VPN at any given time to encourage users to upgrade to a more expensive package or buy a second VPN subscription.

Even top VPN services like ExpressVPN limit users to eight simultaneous connections, despite a substantial monthly fee.

Installing a VPN at router level allows you to protect multiple devices while only counting as ‘one’ VPN connection.

The user experience of using a VPN on your router can vary by method of VPN setup and the complexity of the VPN service’s interface.

In general, a VPN at router level functions in the same way as a basic VPN app on desktop or mobile. This includes being able to spoof your geo-location, encrypt your internet traffic, and connect to a secure remote VPN server.

You can use a VPN service on your router to:

• Circumvent simultaneous connection limits.
• Unblock geo-restricted content in a specific location.
• Create a Double VPN connection.
• Protect all of your devices 24/7.

We’ve developed an in-house methodology for testing router VPNs, covering several key parameters.

Primarily, we evaluate how easy it is to install and use the VPN on a WiFi router.

Additional consideration is given to the VPN’s overall performance and quality, including its average connection speeds, spread of server locations, and whether it can unblock geo-restricted streaming platforms.

Use the table below to see how each router VPN performed in our key testing categories:

Below is a more detailed breakdown of each of the areas we rate a router VPN on.

1. Router Compatibility: 30%

As a bare minimum, you should be able to access an interface to connect and disconnect your VPN connection. It should integrate seamlessly into your router settings and be easy to use.

For the best router VPNs, we expect an app specifically designed for routers. Whether that’s through a third-party, like FlashRouters, or through the VPN’s own software.

The app should be fully-featured with options to change VPN servers, enable a VPN kill switch, and configure split tunneling.

We also reward router apps that are easy to use, ideally its user experience and graphical interface should be identical to that of a desktop or mobile app.

2. Router Setup Difficulty: 25%

VPN router setup can be a long and difficult process that can risk breaking your router if performed incorrectly.

We look for VPN services that provide well-written and easy to understand installation guides for a variety of router brands. The best VPNs go a step further and write instructions tailored to specific router models for each brand.

We also factor in the quality and availability of a VPN’s customer support as part of the setup difficulty score. The top-rated router VPNs provide multiple channels of support to assist every step of the setup process.

3. Security: 15%

Without sufficient encryption, your VPN router would function in the exact same way as a standard router or Smart DNS service.

Your VPN should use AES-256 or equivalent ciphers to encrypt the traffic of all devices connected to your router.

This protection extends to devices that can’t support native VPN software such as video game consoles, Smart TVs, and IoT devices.

4. Speed: 15%

A VPN service installed at router-level affects the download speed of every connected device.

Therefore, it’s essential you use a VPN service with the necessary infrastructure and performance to provide fast connection speeds and accommodate multiple devices.

A poorly-built VPN won’t be able to handle the demand of multiple devices which can impact your connection speeds.

5. Server Locations: 10%

We reward VPN services that make their entire server network compatible with router software.

Widespread server coverage ensures that you’ll always have a server nearby to connect to. This guarantees the fastest possible connection speeds by mitigating any speed loss caused by distance.

Having a greater number of server locations also increases your options for unblocking geo-restricted content. For example, having access to a single VPN server in the US means you can, in theory, unblock US Netflix, HBO Max, and Hulu.

6. Streaming: 5%

Every device connected to your router is assigned the IP address and geo-location of your VPN’s server.

This means any streaming service your router-level VPN can unblock is also accessible by your connected devices, too.

The very best VPNs for routers can unblock multiple Netflix libraries (including US Netflix), HBO Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and more.

We also take into account how consistently a VPN can unblock a specific streaming platform over time to assess its reliability.

Lastly, we consider the time taken to load the video content and its overall picture quality.