Software Alternatives & Reviews

MikroTik RouterOS VS FreeRouter

Compare MikroTik RouterOS VS FreeRouter and see what are their differences

MikroTik RouterOS logo MikroTik RouterOS

The main product of MikroTik is a Linux-based operating system known as MikroTik RouterOS.

FreeRouter logo FreeRouter

freeRouter
  • MikroTik RouterOS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-25
  • FreeRouter Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-03

MikroTik RouterOS videos

MikroTik RouterOS security review

FreeRouter videos

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to MikroTik RouterOS and FreeRouter)
Operating Systems
92 92%
8% 8
Perimeter Security And Firewalls
Linux
88 88%
12% 12
Cyber Security
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare MikroTik RouterOS and FreeRouter

MikroTik RouterOS Reviews

  1. many bugs that block connections

    since 2 years they didn't fix bugs that block the router from the internet


The Best Open Source Router OS Software for Large or Small Networks
MikroTik RouterOS is an open-source router OS software that is designed to provide a powerful, customizable, and secure networking experience. It is based on the Linux kernel and offers a range of features and capabilities that make it a popular choice among network enthusiasts, developers, and IT professionals. The open-source nature of MikroTik RouterOS means that users...
11 Best pfsense Alternatives To Secure Your Network
Before acquiring licensed software, MikroTik enables you to test the MikroTik RouterOS technology. This is referred to as Trial Mode by MikroTik, and it allows you to try the whole MikroTik RouterOS features and functionality set for up to 24 hours.
10 Best pfSense Alternatives and Similar Firewalls
RouterOS has a stateful firewall, which conducts stateful inspection and maintains track of the state of network connections traversing it. It also includes Source and Destination Network Address Translation, NAT assistance for common applications, and UPnP compatibility.
5 Router OS Turns Old PC Into High Performance Router And Enterprise Network Switch
RouterOS is the operating system of RouterBOARD. It can also be installed on a PC and will turn it into a router with all the necessary features – routing, firewall, bandwidth management, wireless access point, backhaul link, hotspot gateway, VPN server and more.
A Feast of Linux-Based Routers
Though the code is not open and it is more of a commercial offering, RouterOS from MikroTik is Linux-based. It installs onto and turns regular PCs into a enterprise-level router. It gives you all the necessary features, including routing, firewall, bandwidth management, wireless access point, backhaul link, hotspot gateway, VPN server, and more.

FreeRouter Reviews

We have no reviews of FreeRouter yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, MikroTik RouterOS seems to be a lot more popular than FreeRouter. While we know about 23 links to MikroTik RouterOS, we've tracked only 2 mentions of FreeRouter. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

MikroTik RouterOS mentions (23)

  • Ubiquiti showing other users' consoles
    Anyone using Mikrotik these days? Been Mikro-curious for awhile and always see them thrown around as a Unifi alternative. Yet to hear of any firsthand implementations though. [0] https://mikrotik.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • Free - Self-hosted - WebRTC - alternative to Zoom, Teams, Google Meet - Real time video calls, chat, screen sharing, file sharing, collaborative whiteboard, dashboard, rooms scheduler and more!
    I keep reading it as the networking hardware company Mikrotik. Source: about 1 year ago
  • hap ax2 or ax3
    The "Buy" link at the top of mikrotik.com - this is how most hardware vendors with a distribution network have their site set up. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Germany ups reliance on Huawei for 5G despite security fears
    Or Mikrotik from Latvia, for switching/routing: Https://mikrotik.com/. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Management VLAN vs Native.
    There is way to get default to do whatewer you want (including preseted VLAN on some port): Get some config, which you'd like to use as default Login to mikrotik.com Use branding section to get packet, which can be installed on any RoS to change default config and some other things. Source: over 1 year ago
View more

FreeRouter mentions (2)

  • Disappointed about potentially alienating home users
    You should check out freertr.org, it is a free and open source routing process/forwarding plane that you can use for anything. The website looks like is from 1992 which I love and you can try it by telnetting or creating an SSH session to sandbox.freertr.org using any username and password combo. Source: about 1 year ago
  • announcement of freerouter for telco or enterprise use cases
    -if you still find it interesting, follow the "activate external forwarding" part right below the one-line installer from freertr.net ... it'll enable you the libpcap dataplane... it's exactly the same forwarder engine that dpdk uses but less performant... Source: over 2 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing MikroTik RouterOS and FreeRouter, you can also consider the following products

pfSense - pfSense is a free and open source firewall and router that also features unified threat management, load balancing, multi WAN, and more

Quagga - Quagga is a network routing software suite providing implementations of Open Shortest Path First...

OpenWrt - OpenWrt is an open-source firmware based on Linux for wireless routers

BIRD - Enjoy the ride - quick scooter hires for city commutes

OPNsense - OPNsense® you next open source firewall. Free Download. High-end Security Made Easy™. Offers Intrusion Prevention, Captive Portal, Traffic Shaping and more.

FRRouting - FRRouting (FRR) is an IP routing protocol suite for Linux and Unix platforms which