Router firmware ratings
Open firmware for home routers.
5 router firmware are rated against 4 public criteria, and 5 have enough evidence for a letter grade. Of the 1 with a known jurisdiction, 0 are based in a Five Eyes country, and 0 in the wider Fourteen Eyes.
Open-source router firmware only · Criteria for this category · Suggest an addition · Markdown
| Name | Grade | Score | Data | Jurisdiction | Open source | No trackers or telemetry | No ads or data sales | Independent audit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Linux distribution for routers and embedded network devices, with a writable file system, a package manager with thousands of add-on packages, and a web interface. |
Grade B | 80 | 100% | – | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Linux-based replacement firmware for Broadcom-based routers, with a web interface for VPN, bandwidth monitoring, quality of service and access control. |
Grade C | 65 | 100% | – | Partial | Yes | Yes | No |
Router firmware based on OpenWrt with a web interface focused on ease of use, offering per-device bandwidth monitoring, quotas, quality of service, website blocking and VPN. |
Grade D | 50 | 100% | – | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Linux-based replacement firmware for wireless routers, with a web interface for VPN, access control, bandwidth monitoring and quality of service. |
Grade D | 40 | 100% | Switzerland Outside Eyes | Yes | No | Partial | No |
Customized version of the stock Asus router firmware that fixes known issues and adds features such as user scripts and extended VPN options, while keeping Asus features and hardware acceleration. |
Grade F | 35 | 100% | – | Partial | No | Yes | No |
Questions
What is the most private option among router firmware?
No pick has been made yet. The table above is sorted by score, based on public evidence.
How are router firmware rated?
Each entry answers 4 questions: open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales and independent audit. Answers need links to evidence. See the full criteria.
Does jurisdiction matter?
Jurisdiction decides which laws can compel a provider to hand over data. Each entry shows its country and whether it is in the Five, Nine or Fourteen Eyes. The data a provider can hand over depends mostly on what it stores and who holds the keys. Read about jurisdictions and the CLOUD Act.