Best VPNs for OpenWrt in 2024

Nord Demo

NordVPN is one of the leading VPN providers with a track record for customer service, boasting a 24/7 help desk coverage, email support, and a comprehensive article library. When connecting a router to a NordVPN network, you can rest assured they'll be there to provide support at every step of the way, whether you're a new user or seasoned professional.

Unbeatable support

If you already own a router with OpenWRT firmware, NordVPN offers clear and concise step-by-step support (based on community experience) to connect the two together. Additionally, the advice NordVPN provides also comes with several tips and tricks on implementing your own kill-switch and reconnection programs – assuming you're comfortable working with a command-line interface. If not, you may find yourself a bit lost.

Plenty of features

In addition to the plethora of innate advantages that come from implementing a VPN at the router level, Nord sweetens the deal by allowing you to connect as many devices to a router as it can handle. The NordVPN infrastructure only counts the router as a single slot in your six simultaneous connections limit.

You can be confident that everyone connecting to your router is covered by NordVPN's high-security VPN technology. Nord's team is also busy updating NordLynx, an implementation of WireGuard that includes protocols which mitigate potential security issues in the default implementation of WireGuard.

Watertight security

For the user who is particularly security conscious, Nord also offers additional services, including its firewall CyberSec service (for blocking malicious connections, viruses and ads), and its DoubleVPN service. DoubleVPN guarantees a higher level of security by ensuring that all traffic routed from your VPN is sent via a second VPN server to its final destination – double the encryption means double the protection! Nord also allows for Onion over VPN, giving NordVPN users access to the Tor network. However, these servers aren't always available when they're congested. Users who are at risk of targeted surveillance or who require absolute peace of mind should take advantage of NordVPN's additional privacy features.

Ultimately, NordVPN's commitment to security, its no-logging stance (backed for the second year in a row by an audit from PricewaterhouseCoopers), and their flexible device plan should reassure any user interested in connecting via OpenWRT, as well as a 24/7 support team who are standing by ready to assist you in your install process. You can even test the service for yourself, without risking your cash, thanks to its 30-day money-back guarantee.

ExpressVPN Demo

ExpressVPN is a consistently quality VPN provider that combines a high-speed service with wide network coverage. With servers in over 94 countries, ExpressVPN is well positioned to deliver content to you from whichever service you please at speeds that most other VPN services simply cannot compete with.

OpenWRT connectivity

ExpressVPN doesn't offer explicit support on connecting to its services through an OpenWRT router. There are no ExpressVPN pages that describe what the typical installation process might look like on an OpenWRT router. Although nowhere near as clearly signposted as our other VPN vendors, ExpressVPN does allow connections through OpenVPN over OpenWRT. As ExpressVPN does offer .ovpn files, a user could simply follow another vendor's guide on setting up a new VPN and replace the vendor's .ovpn with ExpressVPN's own. This does complicate the installation process slightly and it doesn't seem that their helpdesk offers support for connections made on routers running OpenWRT.

Customized protocols

ExpressVPN seems keen to onboard users with their custom router firmware wherever possible. Although there are guides to connecting through DD-WRT and Tomato routers, ExpressVPN warns its users that connecting through anything other than their own app degrades the security and privacy that ExpressVPN can provide, so users in countries with especially repressive governments may want to default to the ExpressVPN app. Once you consider how much ExpressVPN values an integrated approach, the reason for their semi-walled garden may become clear.

In addition to offering OpenVPN, IKEv2, ExpressVPN also offers their own custom VPN protocol, Lightway. The Lightway protocol is based on WireGuard but makes key improvements in areas where WireGuard falls short in delivering security to the user, such as disguising VPN traffic and randomly assigned IP addresses. The protocol source code is available to browse on GitHub and the code has been audited by cybersecurity firm Cure53. It remains to be seen if other providers will adopt Lightway in the future.

Endless choice

ExpressVPN also offers Device Groups, a service allowing users to let separate devices sitting behind a single ExpressVPN router to choose up to five different servers at any given time to use as endpoints. Combined with ExpressVPN's extremely wide choice of geo-located servers, Device Groups is an excellent way to access content from around the world. This means that while your TV is set up to tune into an American server to stream US Netflix, your phone could be sat behind a VPN in the UK to view local news, even if both devices are connected to the same router. However, it is unlikely that this service will ever be offered outside of ExpressVPN's own router firmware.

ExpressVPN might not be your first choice for a VPN provider if you're looking to use an OpenWRT router, but their unparalleled connection speeds and server distribution may factor more heavily into your decision-making. Even if you choose not to take advantage of the features built into ExpressVPN's custom app, their premium service is not one to overlook and you can check this out for yourself with their 30-day money-back guarantee.

Surfshark Demo

Surfshark is a relative newcomer to the VPN scene but promises big, offering an unlimited device policy at a very competitive pricing (especially compared to others on our list). In fact, Surfshark has several attractive features that will help you get the most from your OpenWRT router.

Dedicated support

Surfshark offers a similar level of support as NordVPN, giving the user a step-by-step guide on how to configure a OpenWRT router to connect to Surfshark's servers, courtesy of their user, ulmwind. Surfshark, like NordVPN, hosts their own DNS, which places your trust squarely on Surfshark's servers and minimizes the possibility of third parties being able to discern your IP. This is ideal you've already got an OpenWRT router prepared and aren't afraid of doing some setup on it.

Up-to-date features

Surfshark doesn't compromise on their quality of service in the pursuit of offering you a more affordable VPN. A no-logging policy and RAM-only servers mean your connection information is never permanently stored anywhere, it is deleted as soon as the server is turned off. Split-tunneling gives you exact control over which software is covered by your VPN and an in-app kill-switches ensures that if your connection to the VPN goes down, no traffic will be sent until your secure connection is re-established – great for browsing safely on the go! Surfshark also supports a range of trusted VPN protocols such as WireGuard, IKEv2, OpenVPN, and even Shadowsocks, which helps disguise your VPN traffic from nosey network admins and repressive regimes alike.

Unlimited devices

What really distinguishes Surfshark from the rest is their offer of unlimited devices tied to one account. Surfshark is one of the few VPN operators in our top five that explicitly allows unlimited connections, and while we've not tested the limits of its fair use policy to see how many devices you can truly cover under one account, we can assume that most (if not all) users will be more than covered by Surfshark's promise. If you're having second thoughts about setting up an OpenWRT router on another VPN provider just to add more devices, Surfshark may be the right choice for you.

Readers shouldn't be fooled into thinking Surfshark is a no-frills service merely because of the low price. Surfshark offers exceptional quality without breaking the bank, given the plethora of features Surfshark offers in addition to a fantastic unlimited devices offer. Surfshark even offers a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can compare it to the likes of Express and Nord, without losing a penny.

PIA Demo

Private Internet Access (PIA) is a provider that takes privacy seriously. Despite being based in the US, PIA can confidently claim a no-logs VPN service that won't leak your data, even if served a warrant or subpoenaed by the courts. In fact, this claim has been tested several times in court already, and each time PIA has been found to be a robust defender of personal privacy.

In-house support

PIA offers some external links on how to install OpenWRT on your router, but makes it clear this is entirely your responsibility: a bricked router is not PIA's responsibility, and they will not offer support if you accidentally destroy your router while flashing it with new firmware. That said, PIA offers a setup guide for connecting to their servers via OpenWRT, although this is somewhat confusingly marked "LEDE" in reference to the short-lived project split of several OpenWRT developers into "LEDE". PIA gives support for connecting via OpenWRT by directing you through several GUI tools, which may be easier for a less technical user.

Steadfast firewalls

PIA also make explicit which DNS services you can access over OpenVPN, including a vanilla service which provides purely DNS, a DNS with transparent forwarding for some streaming services that tend not to play nice with VPN connections, and PIA's own MACE DNS solution for blocking malicious content before it ever gets to the computer. By filtering ad and malware connections at the DNS level, resources are freed up at the computer level, as there' is less need to filter out bad connections to the firewall, or by an ad-blocker extension, leading to overall faster performance. Plus, if you're implementing MACE at the router level, you get peace of mind knowing that every device behind it benefits from its ad-blocking protection.

Dedicated privacy

Not all PIA features are available from an OpenWRT router, however. While PIA's combination of port-forwarding services and dedicated IPs may seem enticing to a user who wishes to handle their whole VPN infrastructure from OpenVPN, it seems that only users of PIA's dedicated app will have access to a dedicated IP. Although this is a blow to OpenWRT users, the security-conscious should take note that PIA have a strong reasoning for this: their method of tying to dedicated IPs to redeemable tokens instead of binding the feature to a user's payment details allows PIA to truly say "we don't know" when asked who is connecting through any given dedicated IP. Additionally, PIA offers comprehensive split-tunneling features on their app, further encouraging use of the app.

PIA cannot come recommended highly enough for their commitment to user privacy. This comes in addition to everything else you would expect from a high quality VPN, from thousands of dedicated servers and great speeds to dedicated support both in technology and service. If you would like to try out Private Internet Access, their 30-day money-back guarantee gives you the chance to work out whether the service is for you in your own time.

VYPR Demo

Founded in response to accusations of US domestic spying, VyprVPN pathed the way for high-trust VPN providers. Not only was it the first notable no-logs VPN network to be audited by a third party, but it continues to push the boundaries of VPN security to this day. Vypr remains one of the top picks for security-minded users and should definitely be considered if you're looking to use a router with OpenWRT.

24/7 support

VyperVPN has some advice hosted on their support board describing how to connect to their servers via OpenWRT. This help requires the user to have some knowledge of using a command-line interface to navigate through OpenWRT. VyprVPN's advice comes with no warranty or fitness for purpose, and indeed their setup advice has not been updated in over two years.

However, Vypr claims 24/7 support staff will be happy to help with any further inquiries into setup. Unfortunately, VyprVPN doesn't offer their DNS through OpenVPN, instead encouraging users to onboard their dedicated app in order to take advantage of some of VyprVPN's unique features.

Security first

VyprVPN offers WireGuard, IPSec, and OpenVPN as standard protocols. VyprVPN also offers Chameleon, a custom VPN protocol engineered to avoid Deep Packet Inspection. In practice, when traffic is encrypted over another protocol, such as OpenVPN, it's possible for an unfriendly entity (such as a government run ISP in a repressive regime) to observe that encrypted traffic is being sent and simply drop the connection completely.

Chameleon is a solution built off of OpenVPN that disguises the telltale marks of VPN traffic, allowing users to connect to VPNs even under the harshest of internet censorship. VyprVPN also guarantees a no-logs service which has been independently audited for full user assurance in their stance.

Uncensored streaming

VyprVPN is not only a provider that focuses on security, but also allows for P2P connections for torrenting and can access a variety of streaming services. With a completely uncapped usage policy, thirty simultaneous connections, a wealth of server locations to choose from, and typically fast servers, VyprVPN comfortably handles the media demands of most domestic users. VyprVPN's outstanding security policy also has your back if you're less into catching up with last night's Netflix and more into streaming foreign news channels in an oppressive regime.

VyprVPN combines ease of use with high-powered security to create a VPN package that won't disappoint. Whatever your use case is, you can trust VyprVPN to provide the cloaking you need to operate in secrecy – and with reassurance. You can take advantage of Vypr's 30-day money-back guarantee to give the service a test ride and see how it compares to the other providers on the list.