5 Best VPNs for MikroTik in 2024 (That Actually Works)
We live in the “internet-age,” and this highlights the importance of security and privacy when it comes to our digital data.
Thankfully, Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) help us remain private and stay secure. They do this by encrypting traffic, thereby preventing users from falling victims to hackers and other cybercriminals.
Fortunately, VPNs can be configured on routers. This makes them excellent for MikroTik, one of the most popular router and wireless ISP developers.
In this article, we’ll highlight the most suitable VPNs for MikroTik routers and the several benefits that come with using them.
ExpressVPN
Features
- Number of servers: More than 3,000
- Speeds: Unlimited
- Server locations: 160 in 105 countries
- Maximum devices supported: 5
- 24 live chat: Yes
- 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
Pros/Cons
- Fastest VPN out there
- Strict no logs policy
- 256-bit AES encryption
- Few discounts
ExpressVPN tops our list, and it is an excellent choice for MikroTik routers, thanks to its high-value services. This VPN also offers a clear and detailed guide that should help you set up and use its services on MikroTik.
ExpressVPN also provides you with its custom firmware. This makes the process of installing and connecting your router to its servers straight-forward, and you can safeguard all your services in one swoop.
This VPN is remarkable when it comes to equipping your router with the required security. Its 256-bit AES encryption ensures that your traffic is inaccessible to unwanted parties like hackers. Also, ExpressVPN maintains a zero-knowledge Domain Name Server (DNS) and no-logs policy, which guarantees that your activities are untraceable on the web.
In terms of performance, ExpressVPN is doing exceedingly well. It has over 3000 servers located across 94 countries. These servers offer you excellent connection speeds. Also, ExpressVPN is among the top VPNs that support P2P sharing. This makes it a fantastic choice for heavy downloaders and torrent users.
ExpressVPN has three affordable subscription plans. You can pay $6.67/m for 12 months or $9.99/month for six months. However, it also has a monthly plan that costs $12.95 every month. The 12-months package is an exclusive deal, and it comes with an additional three months of free usage.
ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on all its plans.
- Pros: Fastest VPN out there; Strict no logs policy; 256-bit AES encryption;
- Lowest price: $6.67
NordVPN
Features
- Cryptocurrency accepted? Yes
- Simultaneous connections: 6
- Dedicated IP-addresses? Yes
- Servers: 5342 in 58 countries
Pros/Cons
- Lots of pricing options
- Netflix support kept up to date
- 256-bit AES encryption
- Slow app
If there’s a VPN you can count on to keep you safe on your MikroTik router, then it would be NordVPN. The VPN allows your router to connect to its servers using PPTP, L2PT, and OpenVPN protocols.
Also, NordVPN allows you to protect your personal information whenever you’re online through its world-class features. These include its military-grade 256-bit AES encryption, and its CyberSec and Double VPN features.
CyberSec is a convenient tool that ensures you do not fall victim to malicious websites on the Internet. The feature also protects you from DDoS attacks and blocks unsolicited ads while you browse the web. So, you can expect to significantly improve your browsing experience on all your Mikrotik devices with NordVPN.
The Double VPN feature, on the other hand, directs your router traffic through two NordVPN servers instead of one. This makes your traffic more secure without compromising your connection speed. Like other top VPNs, NordVPN maintains a no-logs policy and protects your data against DNS leaks.
NordVPN ranks far from regular VPNs in terms of its performance. The VPN provides you with excellent connection strength and speed as it has an intriguing number of 5796 servers worldwide. These servers are spread across 59 countries, thereby giving NordVPN a more-than-fair coverage.
NordVPN subscription plans include $3.49/month for three years and $4.99/month for two years. However, you could also pay $6.99/month for one year, and $11.95 for a one-time monthly subscription. All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee (free trial).
- Pros: Lots of pricing options; Netflix support kept up to date; 256-bit AES encryption;
- Lowest price: $3.71
Surfshark
Features
- Free trial? Yes
- Simultaneous connections: Unlimited
- Ad blocking? Yes
- Servers: 1000+ in 61 countries
Pros/Cons
- No footprints
- Allows torrenting
- 256-bit AES encryption
- Not the fastest
Surfshark is a top choice for MikroTik routers as it supports both OpenVPN and IKEv2 protocols. The reason for this is that these protocols guarantee leading encryption standards for your router and all devices connected to it.
In addition to its high-level privacy, Surfshark offers you special features that help you improve your internet experience. These include the MultiHop, Whitelister, CleanWeb, and Camouflage Mode.
Surfshark’s Multihop ensures that your router’s traffic gets an extra layer of protection by passing it through two severs. The Whitelister allows you to bypass VPN services for particular apps on your devices. On the other hand, its CleanWeb helps you block malware and ads as you surf the web. Lastly, Surfshark’s Camouflage Mode disguises your identity on the Internet.
Surfshark has over 1700 servers spread across the globe. This ensures that it is capable of providing its services to you at reasonable speeds and strengths. Also, Surfshark is a VPN that pays proper attention to customer satisfaction as it offers you a 24/7 live chat support.
The VPN offers affordable packages as its subscription rates go as low as $1.99/month. This is for its most extended duration plan, which is 24 months. Apart from that, Surfshark offers two other packages at $5.99/month for 12 months and $11.99/month.
Surfshark also provides a 30-day money-back guarantee for all its packages.
- Pros: No footprints; Allows torrenting; 256-bit AES encryption;
- Lowest Price: $2.49
UltraVPN
Features
- One click connect? Yes
- Servers: 100+ superfast servers
- Bandwidth cap? No
- Platforms: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android
Pros/Cons
- Firewall
- Apps for all devices
- 256-bit AES encryption
- Not as many servers as others
Although UltraVPN is not as old as most top VPNs, it has been remarkable in providing excellent services for internet users. UltraVPN has over 100 super-fast and 1000 high-speed servers that connect your router easily to the internet.
UltraVPN is among the few top VPNs that do not place a cap on your data bandwidth. So, you can browse the web endlessly with an enormous volume of data using your router.
It guarantees your security through its military-grade 256-bit encryption, as well as other high-standard protective features. These include its no-logs policy and an impeccable firewall.
UltraVPN is also among the few top VPNs that offer you unrestricted access to top social media platforms like Facebook. A situation where this tool is convenient is when you want to access local social media communities in a different region or country. Ordinarily, your ISP might block your access, but UltraVPN can help remove this restriction.
UltraVPN has a 12-month plan that costs $3.75/month and a 6-month plan that costs $5.99/month. However, you could opt for its monthly plan, which goes for $7.99/month.
You can also get a complete refund on any of its plans if you request one within the first 30 days of using the VPN.
- Pros: Firewall; Apps for all devices; 256-bit AES encryption;
- Lowest price: €2.99
CyberGhost
Features
- Connected devices at once: 7
- Automatic kill switch? Yes
- One click connect: Yes
- Servers: 5900 worldwide
Pros/Cons
- No logs policy
- 24/7 live chat
- Apps for mobile devices and routers
- No free option
CyberGhost is a budding VPN that offers impressive speeds and security. It also supports different firmware, thus, making it compatible with your MikroTik routers. CyberGhost provides you with 24/7 live chat from its customer support.
CyberGhost packs some of the most impressive security features you’ll find. It provides your router traffic with the world-class 256-bit AES encryption. But that’s not all. It also offers top-value protective features like DNS leak protection and a kill switch. CyberGhost is also among the few top VPNs that provide reliable protection for your devices when you’re connected to public networks like Wi-Fi.
The VPN has over 6000 servers across all accessible continents on the globe. This gives it an incredible coverage and confirms its reliability in guaranteeing super-fast connection speed and strengths. Also, CyberGhost is headquartered in Romania, a nation that’s out of the reach of the “14 eyes” surveillance countries.
CyberGhost offers a variety of subscription packages that suit your short-term and long-term needs. These include a 3-years plan at $2.75/month and a 2-years plan at $3.69/month. However, it also has a 1-year plan that costs $5.99/month, and a monthly plan that costs $12.99 every month.
Furthermore, you could get a dedicated IP server for $5 every month. Its long-term plans have a 45-day money-back guarantee, and you can use its short-term plan risk-free for 14 days.
- Pros: No logs policy; 24/7 live chat; Apps for mobile devices and routers;
- Lowest price: €2
Additional benefits of using VPNs for MikroTik
1. Access to geo-restricted platforms
Apart from guaranteeing your security by encrypting your MikroTik router traffic, VPNs also allow you to change your location. This is possible as VPNs usually have several servers located in different countries. By connecting to a particular server, your traffic is identified with the location of that server.
The function is handy when you want to access contents that are restricted to particular locations. This could be streaming platforms, websites, gaming networks, and so on. All you need to do is simply connect to a VPN server in the location you want to access, and voilà! You’re in.
2. Multi-device protection
Using a VPN with a router offers an additional advantage that isn’t available on other devices. That perk is the opportunity to enjoy VPN services on more devices.
Most VPNs allow you to connect multiple devices with a single subscription account. However, there’s usually a limit on the number of devices. Using a VPN on your router counts as one device, but considering your router links many devices, your VPN services are extended to them as well.
This only works if the VPN permits simultaneous connections to a single account.
How to get started with VPNs for MikroTik
VPNs provide their users with detailed guides on how to set up and use their services for routers such as those of MikroTik. These guides are usually available on their websites. However, we’ll run through the fundamentals of setting up VPNs for your Mikrotik router.
1. Purchase a VPN plan
The first step in enjoying VPN services on your router is to choose a VPN provider and subscribe to its services. We have listed five of the most suitable options for the Mikrotik router above.
2. Set up your router to work the VPN
To configure your routers to enjoy purchased VPN services, you will need to connect both using appropriate firmware. Fortunately, the top five VPNs listed above offer excellent compatibility in this sense.
Also, guides on the required configurations are usually available on the VPN websites. This makes setting them up with your MikroTik router an effortless task. If you’re having difficulties, top VPNs such as those listed above have readily available customer support to bail you out.
3. Establish your connection
Once the configuration settings are completed, you can begin to enjoy excellent VPN services on your router.
Can I use a free VPN instead?
You must have noticed that the best VPNs for MikroTik all require that you pay for a subscription plan. But should you jump over this loop by using a free VPN? Here are a couple of reasons we think doing this is a bad idea:
1. Most free VPNs do not have enough servers: One downside to using free VPNs is that many of them don’t have robust server bases to go around all their users. So, if you get a free VPN, you’d probably be sharing the server you connect to with many other people. Ultimately, this would lead to slow connection speeds.
2. Most free VPNs do not have the best security features: You shouldn’t expect to find many free VPNs that can offer you AES-256 encryption or state-of-the-art firewalls.
3. Most free VPNs do not operate a no-logging policy: Unlike paid VPNs, there’s no guarantee that your data and traffic are not being sold to the highest bidder in the market.
4. Most free VPNs do not allow simultaneous connections: You’d have to create a new account for each device you want to use the VPN on, which can be stressful.
5. Most free VPNs do not have reliable customer support platforms: If you run into any trouble, you might have to fix it all by yourself.
Are VPNs legal?
VPNs open up new worlds of possibilities on the internet. They are tools that guarantee your digital safety, so their use falls within the confines of the law in most countries. However, you should not use a VPN for criminal purposes.
Also, another exception is the case of countries that ban the use of VPNs entirely or partially. This includes nations like China, Iran, and Belarus, to mention a few.
In a nutshell, VPNs are legal, given they are not banned in your country, and you do not use them for criminal purposes.
In conclusion
MikroTik offers you the best in terms of hardware that keeps you connected to the internet. However, this could be risky, given that the internet has many hackers lurking around corners.
VPNs help mitigate that risk by providing you with adequate security, privacy, and a host of other benefits. We’ve listed five of the best options above. So, all that’s left is for you to take charge and get one for MikroTik.