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A VPN can be an effective tool for protecting your privacy and bypassing regional content blocks, but installing one on every device you use isn't always practical (or even possible). Using your router as a VPN client keeps things simple by covering your entire network at once, so every device gets the same protection without having to configure them individually. Better yet, because your router counts as a single device, you can avoid the extra fees some VPN providers charge for multiple connections. 

Depending on what you want your VPN router to accomplish, look for features like:

• A VPN client mode to encrypt every device on your home network at once, including devices like smart TVs and consoles that might not have standalone VPN apps of their own.
• VPN server functionality, so you can access your Network-Attached Storage (NAS), media servers (like Plex), or work resources from anywhere.
• A built-in kill switch to avoid data leaks if your VPN connection drops.
• Split tunneling, so you can choose which devices you want routed through the VPN.
• Support for common protocols like WireGuard and OpenVPN.
• Pre-configured VPN profiles, if you don't want to set yours up manually.

We've tested over 80 routers, evaluating their VPN capabilities, ease of setup, and overall value to find the best options for most people. Keep in mind that our test scores don't measure a router's speeds while connected to a VPN. 

If you're after more router recommendations, have a look at our picks for the best mesh routers and best routers for streaming. And if you haven't yet settled on a VPN provider to pair with your router, check out our guides to the best VPNs we've tested, both free and paid.