The best router firmware, according to hackers
8 router firmware were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 5 earn the Hacker Approved badge.
Top picks
The three most recommended router firmware with the badge. Each figure is 10 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Extremely flexible and customizable
Open-source router firmware that is highly flexible and seen as more secure than vendor firmware, though upgrades and finding exactly supported hardware revisions can be a headache.
Runs on commodity PC hardware
Free FreeBSD-based firewall that people run for years with little maintenance. Common caveat: weaker hardware driver support than Linux, and a UI that can be maddening.
Replaces untrusted preinstalled vendor firmware
Free open-source router firmware people install on supported routers to replace vendor firmware, valued for stability and features. Critics say it is unstable on less popular routers and feels dated.
All 8 router firmware, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OpenWrt | 170 | 34 | 83% | 13 | 7 yrs9 owners | Approved |
| 2 | OPNsense | 71 | 15 | 83% | 13 | 5 yrs12 owners | Approved |
| 3 | pfSense | 26 | 17 | 60% | 8 | — | — |
| Tied 4 | DD-WRT | 17 | 7 | 71% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Tied 4 | MikroTik RouterOS | 17 | 7 | 71% | 6 | — | Approved |
| 6 | VyOS | 13 | 1 | 93% | 5 | — | Approved |
| 7 | Tomato firmware | 8 | 1 | 89% | 6 | — | — |
| 8 | Juniper Junos | 7 | 1 | 88% | 4 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same router firmware in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to router firmware that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.