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Quick answer
NordVPN is the best MikroTik router VPN for most users, particularly if you want to route an entire home or small-office network through a fast WireGuard-based tunnel without installing VPN software on every endpoint. Surfshark is the more interesting choice when many devices share the MikroTik connection, while ProtonVPN stands out when you want straightforward WireGuard configuration and tighter control over which MikroTik subnets use the tunnel.
At a glance
See the full comparisonBest overall
NordVPN
Fast router tunneling with WireGuard-compatible manual configurations and strong performance on capable MikroTik hardware
Many devices
Surfshark
Well suited to MikroTik networks where phones, TVs, laptops, consoles, and IoT devices share one VPN gateway
WireGuard configuration
ProtonVPN
Useful when building explicit WireGuard interfaces, peers, routes, and policy-routing rules in RouterOS
The important limitation is that MikroTik RouterOS does not behave like a consumer router with a provider-specific VPN app. You normally configure the tunnel yourself using RouterOS interfaces, peers, routes, DNS, firewall rules, NAT, and optionally policy routing. That gives MikroTik far more control than most home routers, but it also means the best VPN for MikroTik depends heavily on protocol compatibility and whether the provider exposes configuration details that RouterOS can actually use.
On this page 18 sections
Best VPNs for MikroTik routers compared
| VPN | Best MikroTik use case | What makes it relevant | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| NordVPN | Best overall | Fast router tunneling with WireGuard-compatible manual configurations and strong performance on capable MikroTik hardware | #1 |
| Surfshark | Many devices | Well suited to MikroTik networks where phones, TVs, laptops, consoles, and IoT devices share one VPN gateway | #2 |
| ProtonVPN | WireGuard configuration | Useful when building explicit WireGuard interfaces, peers, routes, and policy-routing rules in RouterOS | #3 |
| Private Internet Access | Advanced routing | A strong fit for administrators who want MikroTik policy routing, multiple subnets, or selective VPN egress | #4 |
| ExpressVPN | Simple remote endpoint selection | Relevant when you want a mainstream provider but are comfortable configuring MikroTik manually rather than using ExpressVPN router firmware | #5 |
| CyberGhost | Single-location tunnel | Works best for straightforward MikroTik deployments where one subnet exits through one fixed VPN profile | #6 |
| IPVanish | Mixed-device networks | Suitable when the MikroTik router is the VPN gateway for many devices that cannot run their own VPN clients | #7 |
Why MikroTik is different from a normal VPN router
Most consumer VPN routers reduce configuration to choosing a country and clicking Connect. MikroTik exposes the underlying networking components instead.
A typical RouterOS VPN deployment can involve:
- VPN interface: for example a WireGuard interface created directly in RouterOS.
- Peer configuration: the provider endpoint, public key, allowed addresses, and keepalive behavior.
- Routing: deciding whether the default route, a VLAN, a subnet, or selected clients use the VPN.
- Source NAT: translating LAN traffic before it leaves through the tunnel where required.
- DNS: choosing whether clients continue using local DNS or resolve through servers associated with the VPN path.
- Firewall: preventing traffic from escaping through the normal WAN when the tunnel is unavailable.
That flexibility is precisely why MikroTik works well as a VPN gateway. You can send one VLAN through Stockholm, another subnet directly through your ISP, and leave management traffic outside the tunnel entirely.
It also means provider selection should be based on usable configuration parameters rather than whether the provider has an attractive Windows or iPhone app.
1. NordVPN – best MikroTik router VPN overall
NordVPN takes first place because MikroTik hardware benefits substantially from a lightweight tunnel when the router is expected to encrypt traffic for an entire network rather than one device.
Router throughput matters much more here than on a normal VPN app. A laptop running the provider’s client uses the laptop CPU for encryption. With MikroTik, the router itself becomes responsible for encrypting and forwarding traffic from every client that uses the VPN route.
That makes protocol efficiency particularly important on smaller MikroTik models. A configuration that performs well on a CCR or RB5009 can behave very differently on lower-powered RouterBOARD hardware.
For a MikroTik deployment, we would normally prioritize a WireGuard-compatible configuration rather than building the network around OpenVPN unless hardware, RouterOS version, or provider configuration requirements make that necessary.
Once the tunnel is active, MikroTik can determine which traffic actually uses it. A dedicated routing table can send selected clients through NordVPN while the ordinary main table continues using the ISP gateway.
Best fit: users who want a high-performance MikroTik VPN gateway for an entire LAN, VLAN, or selected group of devices.
2. Surfshark – best for large MikroTik device networks
Surfshark makes particular sense when the MikroTik router is being used as a centralized VPN gateway for a large collection of devices.
This is one of the main reasons to place a VPN on RouterOS in the first place. Smart TVs, streaming boxes, printers, consoles, embedded devices, and other equipment may have no practical way to run a conventional VPN application.
Instead of treating every device separately, MikroTik can route an entire bridge, VLAN, IP range, or address list through the Surfshark tunnel.
For example, a dedicated VLAN for media devices could use the VPN while work computers continue using the ISP connection directly. Another common design is to create an address list containing only the LAN clients that should use Surfshark and apply routing rules to those addresses.
That approach is considerably more precise than forcing the complete MikroTik network through one VPN interface.
Best fit: households or small offices where MikroTik acts as the central VPN gateway for many different types of devices.
3. ProtonVPN – excellent for a WireGuard-focused MikroTik setup
ProtonVPN is particularly suitable when you want to treat the VPN as a conventional WireGuard interface inside RouterOS rather than depend on provider-specific router software.
That model fits MikroTik well. RouterOS can create the WireGuard interface, assign its tunnel address, define the provider peer, and then use that interface just like another routed network path.
The important configuration step comes after the tunnel itself is established. A functioning WireGuard handshake does not automatically mean your MikroTik clients are using the VPN.
Routes, routing rules, NAT, and firewall behavior still determine where the traffic actually goes.
For example, you can maintain the ISP as the main default route while creating a separate routing table whose default route points through ProtonVPN. Specific LAN source addresses can then be directed into that table.
This separation is useful because it prevents router-management traffic and unrelated services from being forced through the VPN unless you deliberately choose to do so.
Best fit: MikroTik users who want a clean WireGuard architecture with explicit control over the devices and networks that enter the tunnel.
4. Private Internet Access – best for advanced MikroTik policy routing
Private Internet Access is especially relevant when the reason for choosing MikroTik is its routing flexibility rather than simply wanting one encrypted default route.
A MikroTik network can separate clients using VLANs, subnets, DHCP assignments, firewall address lists, or other routing criteria. PIA can then become one available egress route among several.
A practical setup could look like this:
- 192.168.10.0/24 uses the ordinary ISP connection;
- 192.168.20.0/24 uses the PIA tunnel;
- a specific television uses PIA regardless of its VLAN;
- the MikroTik router’s own update and management traffic continues using the WAN.
This is more robust than repeatedly enabling and disabling a VPN globally.
It also makes troubleshooting much easier. If a service fails only for devices placed in the VPN routing table, you can test the tunnel, route, DNS behavior, and NAT rules without disturbing the rest of the network.
Best fit: experienced RouterOS users building selective routing, multiple VLANs, or dedicated VPN subnets.
5. ExpressVPN – useful when you want a mainstream provider on MikroTik
ExpressVPN can be relevant for MikroTik users, but the experience should not be confused with using ExpressVPN’s own router ecosystem.
MikroTik runs RouterOS, so you are working with the protocols and manual configuration methods available to RouterOS rather than installing ExpressVPN’s purpose-built router firmware.
That distinction matters because MikroTik users typically need to think in terms of tunnel interfaces and routes rather than provider-app features.
If you already use ExpressVPN on other devices and want the MikroTik router to cover equipment that cannot run the client directly, a router tunnel can still be useful. We would keep the MikroTik routing design simple initially: one test client, one VPN route, and one nearby endpoint.
Only after verifying that routing, DNS, and NAT behave correctly would we move an entire VLAN or LAN segment onto the VPN path.
Best fit: existing ExpressVPN users who want MikroTik to cover router-only devices and are comfortable with manual RouterOS networking.
6. CyberGhost – good for a simple MikroTik VPN subnet
CyberGhost is better suited to a relatively simple MikroTik deployment than a complicated multi-tunnel design.
One useful model is creating a separate VPN subnet or VLAN and routing everything inside that network through one CyberGhost endpoint.
This keeps the RouterOS configuration understandable:
- the normal LAN retains its existing ISP route;
- the VPN VLAN gets a separate routing policy;
- traffic from that VLAN is NATed toward the VPN interface;
- firewall rules determine whether fallback to the ISP is permitted.
That last point is important. A router VPN can fail in two very different ways. Traffic can stop completely, or RouterOS can simply find another valid route through the normal WAN.
Whether the second behavior is acceptable depends on why you created the VPN subnet.
Best fit: users who want a dedicated MikroTik VPN network with one uncomplicated VPN egress path.
7. IPVanish – useful when MikroTik protects devices without VPN apps
IPVanish makes the most sense when MikroTik is being used to provide VPN connectivity to devices where installing individual software would be inconvenient or impossible.
This is especially relevant for TVs, streaming devices, consoles, and appliances on a dedicated network segment.
The critical MikroTik consideration remains router capacity. One VPN tunnel may represent traffic from several simultaneous clients, so the router has to perform encryption, connection tracking, firewall processing, NAT, and routing for the combined workload.
If throughput is unexpectedly poor, the VPN server itself is only one possible bottleneck. Router CPU load, tunnel protocol, firewall complexity, MTU configuration, and FastTrack interaction can also affect the result.
Best fit: MikroTik installations where several non-PC devices need to share one router-level VPN connection.
WireGuard vs OpenVPN on MikroTik
For a modern RouterOS deployment, WireGuard is usually the first protocol worth evaluating when the VPN provider supports a usable manual configuration.
The architecture is comparatively direct:
| Characteristic | WireGuard on MikroTik | OpenVPN on MikroTik |
|---|---|---|
| RouterOS integration | Native WireGuard interface | Configured through RouterOS OpenVPN client functionality |
| Configuration model | Interface, peer, keys, routes | Client profile, certificates/credentials, routes |
| CPU efficiency | Typically preferable for router throughput | Can impose greater processing overhead depending on configuration |
| Policy routing | Excellent | Excellent once tunnel is established |
The key point is that tunnel establishment and traffic routing are separate problems.
You can have a perfectly healthy WireGuard peer with regular handshakes while every LAN client continues using the ISP because no applicable route sends its traffic through the WireGuard interface.
Why a MikroTik VPN can connect but pass no internet traffic
One of the most common RouterOS mistakes is verifying the VPN handshake and assuming the configuration is complete.
Several additional components can prevent LAN traffic from working:
- the VPN routing table has no usable default route;
- the routing rule does not match the intended source subnet;
- source NAT is missing where the tunnel design requires it;
- DNS requests are still being sent to an unreachable resolver;
- firewall rules block forwarding into the tunnel;
- the provider configuration uses an incorrect tunnel address or allowed-address range;
- MTU issues allow small packets but break larger connections.
A good diagnostic sequence is to test each layer separately. First verify the tunnel. Then verify the route. Then test an IP address from a client. Only after IP connectivity works should DNS become the primary suspect.
How policy routing works with a MikroTik VPN
Policy routing is one of the strongest reasons to use MikroTik instead of a basic VPN-capable router.
With RouterOS, the default route for the entire network does not have to point through the VPN.
Instead, you can create another routing table containing a VPN default route and then send selected sources into it.
For example:
Main routing table: normal ISP connection.
VPN routing table: default route through the WireGuard tunnel.
Routing rule: traffic from 192.168.50.0/24 uses the VPN table.
The result is effectively two different internet gateways operating on the same MikroTik router.
You can expand the model to several VLANs or multiple VPN tunnels, although route priorities, DNS behavior, firewall policy, and failover become progressively more important as the configuration grows.
FastTrack can affect MikroTik VPN routing
FastTrack deserves special attention because many MikroTik default configurations use it to accelerate established connections.
That optimization can conflict with configurations where packets must pass through routing marks, queues, IPsec processing, or other policy-dependent paths.
The practical symptom can be confusing: initial packets follow the intended VPN policy while established traffic behaves differently than expected.
If policy-routed VPN traffic behaves inconsistently, temporarily testing without the relevant FastTrack rule is more useful than immediately changing VPN servers.
Do not simply disable every optimization permanently. First determine whether FastTrack is actually bypassing processing required by your specific routing design.
MTU problems on MikroTik VPN tunnels
A VPN adds encapsulation overhead, which reduces the amount of original payload that can fit inside a packet without fragmentation.
When the effective MTU is wrong, the tunnel may appear partially functional:
- ping works;
- some websites load;
- other websites hang;
- large downloads stall;
- certain applications connect but transfer very little data.
This can easily be mistaken for a bad VPN server.
WireGuard commonly uses an interface MTU below the Ethernet default, and the ideal value depends on the underlying WAN path and encapsulation involved.
If only certain types of traffic fail, MTU and TCP MSS behavior should therefore be checked before rebuilding the entire configuration.
How to prevent MikroTik traffic from leaking to the normal WAN
A normal routing setup often treats the ISP default route as a fallback.
That is convenient for availability but undesirable when a VLAN is supposed to use the VPN exclusively.
Suppose a dedicated VPN routing table contains a route through WireGuard. If that route becomes unusable and RouterOS is allowed to resolve the traffic through the main routing table, clients may continue working through the ISP.
From the user’s perspective, the internet appears healthy even though the VPN protection has disappeared.
For an enforced VPN subnet, design the routing and firewall policy so that those clients either:
- use the VPN interface; or
- have no internet access.
This is the router-level equivalent of a kill switch.
What to do if your MikroTik VPN is slow
Check router CPU load
Run a throughput test while watching RouterOS CPU utilization. If one or more cores are saturated, changing VPN servers may accomplish very little because the MikroTik itself is the bottleneck.
Test a nearby endpoint
A remote VPN server adds latency and may reduce throughput. For ordinary encrypted routing, start with a geographically nearby server before testing distant locations.
Check the tunnel protocol
If the router supports a suitable WireGuard configuration and you are currently using a more CPU-intensive tunnel, protocol overhead can be a meaningful performance variable.
Inspect firewall and routing complexity
Large rule sets, extensive connection marking, queues, and complicated policy routing can increase packet-processing requirements. Compare performance with a minimal test client before assuming the VPN provider is responsible.
Check MTU
If speed tests work but particular sites or large transfers behave badly, investigate MTU and MSS rather than focusing only on raw bandwidth.
Which VPN should you choose for a MikroTik router?
For most MikroTik installations, NordVPN is the strongest overall choice because router-level performance, efficient tunneling, and the ability to integrate the VPN into RouterOS routing policies matter more than desktop application features.
Surfshark becomes particularly attractive when the MikroTik is responsible for a large network of phones, TVs, consoles, laptops, and other devices that should share one VPN gateway.
Choose ProtonVPN if you specifically want a WireGuard-focused RouterOS deployment, or Private Internet Access if selective routing across VLANs and subnets is central to your MikroTik design.
Frequently asked questions
Can I install a VPN app directly on a MikroTik router?
Not in the same way as on Windows, Android, or a consumer router running provider-specific firmware. MikroTik uses RouterOS networking components such as WireGuard, OpenVPN, IPsec, routes, firewall rules, and NAT. The provider must therefore supply configuration information compatible with a protocol RouterOS can use.
Is WireGuard the best VPN protocol for MikroTik?
It is usually the first protocol worth testing on current RouterOS systems when the VPN provider supports a suitable manual configuration. Its lightweight design is especially relevant because the MikroTik router may need to encrypt traffic for many clients simultaneously.
Why does my MikroTik WireGuard VPN show a handshake but no internet?
A handshake confirms communication with the peer, not that LAN traffic is routed correctly. Check the tunnel address, allowed addresses, routing table, routing rules, NAT, firewall forwarding, and DNS configuration.
Can only certain MikroTik devices use the VPN?
Yes. This is one of RouterOS’s major advantages. You can use separate routing tables and routing rules to send a subnet, VLAN, individual source address, or selected group of clients through the VPN while other devices continue using the normal WAN.
Can I make the MikroTik VPN behave like a kill switch?
Yes. The routing and firewall policy can be designed so that VPN-designated clients cannot fall back to the ordinary ISP route when the tunnel is unavailable. This must be configured deliberately rather than assumed from the existence of the VPN interface.
Why is my MikroTik VPN slower than the same VPN on my computer?
The router may have substantially less processing power than the computer. Router CPU performance, encryption workload, firewall processing, routing rules, MTU, queues, and tunnel protocol can all limit throughput before the VPN server itself becomes the bottleneck.
Does MikroTik FastTrack work with policy-routed VPN traffic?
FastTrack can interfere with traffic that depends on processing paths bypassed by FastTrack. If VPN policy routing behaves inconsistently, test the relevant traffic without FastTrack and verify whether the acceleration rule is bypassing routing or firewall logic required by your configuration.
Should I route the entire MikroTik network through the VPN?
Not necessarily. MikroTik is particularly useful because you can avoid an all-or-nothing design. A dedicated VLAN or subnet can use the VPN while workstations, servers, management traffic, or latency-sensitive devices continue using the normal ISP route.
