Best VPN for Asus Routers in 2024: Client & Server
Asus routers are some of the best out there with solid firmware out of the box and hardware that is powerful enough to handle some moderate VPN loads. With this in mind, we’re taking a look at the best VPNs for Asus routers to help you get the most out of your equipment and keep all of your devices protected.
Written by Brian Murray (Writer)
Reviewed by Jackie Leavitt (Co-Chief Editor)
Last Updated: 2024-10-04T10:55:07+00:00
All our content is written fully by humans; we do not publish AI writing. Learn more here.
Key Takeaways: Best VPN for Asus Routers
- NordVPN — Best VPN for Asus routers. A 73% discount is available for users who choose NordVPN’s extended subscription options.
- Surfshark — Cheap VPN for streaming. New Surfshark subscribers get up to 86% reduced rates on long-term commitments.
- ExpressVPN — Easy to use VPN for routers. Explore ExpressVPN’s features with a 30-day return policy, and grab extended plans at a 49% discount.
- VyprVPN — VPN provider with cutting-edge features
- CyberGhost — VPN with added router configuration options
Facts & Expert Analysis: ASUS Router VPNs
- Asus routers are versatile right out of the box and can be used with a wide variety of VPN services without the need for new firmware.
- There are a few providers, such as ExpressVPN and VyprVPN, that still opt to provide their own router firmware, which usually provides more functionality than the standard Asus firmware.
- Setting up a VPN provider on your router is a simple and quick way to ensure all the devices in your home are using a protected connection.
Setting up a virtual private network (VPN) on your router has a number of benefits, and we’ve already looked at the best VPN for routers, but a big part of what you’ll be able to get out of your router comes down to what kind of router it is. For that reason, today we’re specifically looking for the best VPN for Asus routers.
Asus routers are actually some of the best for running a VPN right out of the box. Unlike Netgear routers or other routers, many VPN providers support the stock Asus router firmware, so it won’t be necessary to upgrade to something like DD-WRT or Tomato. We do have a guide to the best VPN for DD-WRT routers and best VPN for Netgear routers, though.
While there are dedicated VPN routers, such as the one we looked at in our Vilfo router review, many of the most popular Asus router models that are already widely in use in many homes can be used to provide a protected connection to every device on your network.
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10/01/2024 Facts checked
We updated the list to reflect the latest advancements in VPN technology and usability.
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What Makes the Best VPN for Asus Router
Each of the VPNs on this list will not only work well on your router, but they will also provide reasonably good speed, security and privacy. However, each VPN offers some kind of stand-out benefit as well.
Achieve Online Privacy and Security Even as a VPN Novice
- Comprehend the essential role a VPN plays in safeguarding your digital life
- Gain a deep understanding of how VPNs function under the hood
- Develop the ability to distinguish fact from fiction in VPN promotions
All of the VPN services we look at here cover the same basics we expect to see from every VPN — things like a kill switch, OpenVPN protocol and a solid privacy policy. In addition, they support Asus routers or (in the case of CyberGhost) DD-WRT firmware routers, which you can learn more about in our how to install DD-WRT article.
Because of the sheer number of VPN reviews we’ve done, there were a lot of contenders to look at, and competition was especially fierce for the lower spots. For this reason, each VPN provider also had to stand out in some way from the crowd of other options, and we’ll highlight the key features that really drew us to the options we picked.
The 5 Best VPNs for Asus Router
Now that it’s clear what we’re looking for in an Asus router VPN, let’s dive in and look at the best VPN services to help you turn your ordinary Asus router into a VPN router.
1. NordVPN — Best VPN for Asus Routers
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NordVPN often tops our lists of the best VPNs. NordVPN is one of the fastest VPNs, especially when looking at long-range speeds. No matter how distant the server is, you should barely see a dip in your connection speeds.
Additionally, while NordVPN doesn’t have custom firmware, it does provide configuration files and guides to help you easily set up a VPN on an ASUS router.
A Slew of Specialty Servers
NordVPN offers a few different types of specialty servers. It has torrenting servers set up to improve the security and speed of P2P connections, obfuscated servers that hide your VPN use, double VPN servers that route your connection through two servers, and onion over VPN servers that run your connection through the Tor network.
Another area where NordVPN is very compelling is pricing. Although not as cheap as Surfshark, NordVPN’s long-term pricing is still very affordable. Plus, the VPN provider also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- *The prices are charged in the first billing cycle only. Renewal prices vary.
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- *The prices are charged in the first billing cycle only. Renewal prices vary.
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- *The prices are charged in the first billing cycle only. Renewal prices vary.
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- Yes
NordVPN’s specialized servers will certainly draw some people in. The torrenting servers are the most impressive, but you can find out about the other kinds of dedicated servers offered in our NordVPN review.
2. Surfshark — Best Budget VPN for Asus Routers
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Surfshark might be one of the most under-appreciated VPN providers available today. As we saw in our Surfshark review, it offers a variety of features — including the coveted split tunneling — as well as impressive speeds and a large server network with locations all around the globe.
Where Surfshark really excels, though, is its value. Although the month-to-month pricing is the same as more expensive providers, the longer subscriptions come with steep discounts that make it a great budget-friendly VPN for streaming.
Value for Streaming
In our testing, Surfshark was able to get us access to every streaming service we tried including Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. It even managed to land itself a spot on our best VPN for BBC iPlayer list. While it isn’t the fastest VPN out there, the speeds are good enough to stream HD content without any issues.
Surfshark’s monthly pricing isn’t anything to write home about. However, the six-month and two-year options bring the price down considerably and make Surfshark a hard deal to beat. Add to this the unlimited connections allowed on each account, the seven-day free trial on mobile devices and the 30-day money-back guarantee, and you can see why we consider Surfshark a pretty good value.
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More plans
- Includes 3 Users, $99 per year per additional user, Multiple User Management. Global Business Servers, Dedicated Account Manager
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- Includes 3 Users $99 per year per additional user, Multiple User Management, Your own dedicated server, Fast and easy deployment
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Surfshark isn’t fast enough to land itself a spot at the top of this list, but it’s got enough going for it to manage a respectable second place. For the price, Surfshark’s streaming performance is hard to beat, and for the many people looking for a VPN for that exact purpose, this could be a great option.
3. ExpressVPN — Beginner-Friendly VPN for Asus Routers
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Unsurprisingly, ExpressVPN has secured a top spot on this list. For a number of reasons, ExpressVPN ranks highly in practically all of our “best of” articles, including our best VPN for routers article. It’s one of the best all-around VPNs available today and provides ample security, access to geoblocked content, tons of features and insane speeds.
On top of that, one thing that especially makes ExpressVPN stand out among its peers when it comes to router performance is that it is the only VPN service that provides its own custom firmware for a number of router models — including the widely used RT-AC68U.
Easy & Fuss-Free Setup
On its website, ExpressVPN provides guides on how to use its configuration files to manually set up the VPN on your ASUS router, or you can download the ExpressVPN firmware that corresponds to your model of router and flash that onto your hardware to protect your entire home network even more easily.
Pricing is arguably ExpressVPN’s biggest weakness, and is what keeps it at third place in this ranking. While it isn’t necessarily overpriced, it’s not priced to draw people in with its affordability, either. ExpressVPN knows that it offers a top-shelf VPN provider and prices itself accordingly. However, you can try it out and make sure you like it with the VPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee.
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ExpressVPN is a mainstay in any of our “best of” VPN articles because it simply nails everything we look for. It’s fast, secure, user-friendly and even offers its own VPN firmware for numerous router models, including about a half-dozen ASUS options. Be sure to check out our ExpressVPN review for the full details on what we love about the service.
4. VyprVPN — Decent VPN With Dedicated Asus Router Firmware
The foundation of any VPN’s security comes from the protocol and encryption that it uses. Most VPNs use OpenVPN, which is widely considered to be very secure, as you can read about in our VPN protocol breakdown. Many VPNs are now adopting a newer protocol called WireGuard that shows promise for security and very high speeds.
VyprVPN stands out from the crowd thanks to its proprietary protocol called Chameleon. This protocol is based on OpenVPN but adds a layer of obfuscation to the data, making it much more difficult for someone looking at your connection to know that it’s a VPN connection. This can help in places with tight censorship that might block connections, such as in China.
Advanced Protocols and Router Firmware
In addition to the custom protocol, VyprVPN provides custom firmware for Asus routers. This allows you to use the Chameleon protocol as well as a few other features, such as controlling the VPN connection on a per-device basis. Configuration files are also available for OpenVPN and PPTP protocols if you want to set up the VPN to run on the router’s standard Asus firmware.
VyprVPN’s pricing is very high, costing more than ExpressVPN. The one-year plan is a better option, but it’s worth pointing out that VyprVPN has pretty poor speeds.
However, as we looked at in our VyprVPN review, there is a 30-day money-back guarantee that allows you to try the VPN service out risk free. If it’s too slow for your purposes, you can still get a refund.
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More plans
- Includes 3 Users, $99 per year per additional user, Multiple User Management. Global Business Servers, Dedicated Account Manager
- Unlimited GB
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- Includes 3 Users $99 per year per additional user, Multiple User Management, Your own dedicated server, Fast and easy deployment
- Unlimited GB
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VyprVPN sets itself apart from the VPN competition thanks to its unique protocol that cuts through censorship as well as its impressive custom firmware for Asus routers. While the VPN’s speeds are lackluster and hold it back from reaching a higher spot on this list, it still manages to carve out a distinct niche for itself.
5. CyberGhost — Affordable VPN With Unique Router Config Features
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CyberGhost used to be one of our top VPN picks when it came to a lot of things, but in our recent CyberGhost review, we found that it seems to have declined somewhat. Despite having dedicated servers for a number of different streaming platforms, we could only get Netflix to work. Hulu, Amazon and BBC iPlayer all locked us out while using CyberGhost.
Aside from the poor streaming performance, CyberGhost still manages to perform well in most other categories. The VPN provides a user-friendly experience, keeps the speeds up and has dedicated torrenting servers that seem to work better than the streaming ones.
Added Configuration Options
A large reason CyberGhost still managed to secure itself a spot on this list is that the VPN gives users a few extra options when setting up their configuration files. These options include things like ad- and tracker-blocking and protection against malicious websites — all done from your router, so every device on your home network can be protected.
CyberGhost’s pricing is very similar to a lot of the other options we’ve looked at. The monthly option is not a great bargain, but the value increases with longer subscriptions. CyberGhost’s longest option brings the price down to just a few dollars a month. The VPN also offers a generous 45-day money-back guarantee on longer plans (though it drops to 14 days on the monthly plan).
CyberGhost has certainly experienced a fall from grace in our most recent review of the VPN service. Its inability to access most streaming content is a pretty big letdown, but its overall performance and its unique features still secure it a spot on this list — albeit the lowest one.
The Best Free VPN for Asus Router
ProtonVPN — Best VPN for Asus Routers With a Free Plan
Not many VPNs offer free plans anymore, and even fewer let you put the free version of the VPN on your router. While ProtonVPN isn’t the best free VPN we’ve ever looked at, a couple of things make this VPN stand out here and put it well ahead of the other free VPNs we’ve seen for use on an Asus router.
First, ProtonVPN lets you use an unlimited amount of data. You’re limited in which VPN servers you can use, but the total bandwidth is uncapped, making this VPN ideal for protecting multiple devices through a router. Additionally, most free VPNs don’t let you set the service up on a router. ProtonVPN graciously lets you use the service for a VPN router — even with the free plan.
Final Thoughts
Not all VPNs are created equal, and although a VPN service like NordVPN will cover the router needs of a vast majority of people, there are people looking for more specific features.
For that reason, we made sure that every VPN we looked at here has something that distinguishes it from the rest — besides being able to work on routers. This way, we hope we’ve provided at least one VPN option that will meet your needs.
Curious about NordVPN? Its 30-day refund policy means you can explore all its features worry-free and decide if it’s the right fit for you.
Did we cover your favorite pick for an Asus router VPN? Have you used one of our VPN picks in the past? Did you find setting a VPN up on your router to be difficult or easy? Let us know in the comments below and, as always, thanks for reading.
FAQ
Using a VPN on an Asus router offers the same benefits as using a VPN in general, but with the added benefit of protecting all of your devices at once. A VPN will improve the security and privacy of your home network via your router.
NordVPN is consistently the fastest VPN provider out there in our testing, making it a great fit for Asus routers. The VPN has excellent performance so it’s no problem to stream, torrent and transfer large files and it can be done quickly from practically anywhere in the world, including your home router.
Not many free VPNs allow you to set it up on your router without paying. However, ProtonVPN is a great option that gives you unlimited data and you can use it on your Asus router without having to pay for a subscription.