Software Alternatives & Reviews

MikroTik RouterOS VS ZeroShell

Compare MikroTik RouterOS VS ZeroShell 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.

ZeroShell logo ZeroShell

Zeroshell is a Linux distribution for servers and embedded devices aimed at providing the main...
  • MikroTik RouterOS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-25
  • ZeroShell Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-04-19

MikroTik RouterOS videos

MikroTik RouterOS security review

ZeroShell videos

ZeroShell Webinar

More videos:

  • Review - Zeroshell Router Easy Setup

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to MikroTik RouterOS and ZeroShell)
Operating Systems
91 91%
9% 9
Perimeter Security And Firewalls
Linux
100 100%
0% 0
Cyber Security
88 88%
12% 12

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 ZeroShell

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.

ZeroShell Reviews

Best free Linux router and firewall distributions of 2023
Although Zeroshell never reached the point of being good enough to be recommended, we had high hopes for it in 2019 when we started maintaining this list of recommendations because it was developed from scratch rather than based on another system and had some innovative features. Unfortunately, the system got officially abandoned in September 2021. No longer maintained and...
Source: teklager.se
5 Router OS Turns Old PC Into High Performance Router And Enterprise Network Switch
Zeroshell is a Linux distribution for servers and embedded devices aimed at providing the main network services a LAN requires. It is available in the form of Live CD or Compact Flash image and you can configure and administer it using your web browser.
A Feast of Linux-Based Routers
I've also done tutorials on ZeroShell for LinuxPlanet, covering several topics: introduction and setup, setting up RADIUS server for Enterprise Wi-Fi encryption, configuring captive portal, Internet gateway and router, and creating bonded VPNs for higher throughput and failover.
The Hunt For the Ultimate Free Open Source Firewall Distro
Any chance for an overview/update of the top contenders? Your last update was 2015 and we are closing fast on 2020. I'd like to see a revisit of top contenders only - ideally free but feel free to include a commercial version or two if it is really that much better. In particular I'd appreciate more drill down on pfsense vs zeroshell. I've begun playing with zeroshell but...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, MikroTik RouterOS seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 23 times since March 2021. 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 / 4 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

ZeroShell mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of ZeroShell yet. Tracking of ZeroShell recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing MikroTik RouterOS and ZeroShell, 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

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

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

Emsisoft Online Armor Firewall - Emsisoft Online Armor Firewall is a freemium online firewall protection system by the Emsisoft that is based on the own independent protection technology of the Emsisoft.

VyOS - VyOS in an open source Linux-based operating system sold and distributed by Sentrium corporations. It is geared toward IT specialists and network administrators for the purpose of securing network and company data... read more.

IPFire - IPFire is a server distribution with intended to use as a firewall.