MikroTik RouterOS

mikrotik.com

From $45/mo Free plan WebWindowsiOSAndroidAPISelf-hosted

Spec score 8.9 #2 of 34 in Network Management Software

What it is

MikroTik RouterOS is networking software with VPN access, site-to-site networking, audit logs and advanced administrative controls. It supports WebFig, Windows WinBox, Android, iOS, command line, API, MikroTik hardware, x86 PCs and virtual machines. The Free Demo costs nothing and operates in 24-hour trial mode before licensing. Level 4 WISP costs $45 a month and allows 200 PPPoE, PPTP, L2TP and OVPN tunnels each. Level 5 WISP costs $95, paid once, with 500 PPPoE, PPTP and L2TP tunnels and unlimited OVPN tunnels. Level 6 Controller costs $250 a month and allows unlimited tunnels for all four types. RouterOS is listed as having a free plan and a free trial. SSO/SCIM and device posture are not supported. MikroTik is headquartered in Riga, Latvia.

Spec sheet

What it does: RouterOS is a Linux-kernel network operating system for MikroTik routers, switches and wireless devices, and can turn a PC into a router.Read 15 Oct 2026 · mikrotik.com
Free plan: NoRead 22 Sep 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com
API: The API lets custom programs read information, change configuration and manage routers using syntax closely related to the command line.Read 15 Oct 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com
Headquarters: Riga, LatviaRead 28 Sep 2026 · mikrotik.com
Access model: vpnRead 22 Sep 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com
Admin control level: advancedRead 22 Sep 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com
API security: API-SSL uses TLS on port 8729, REST supports HTTPS and Basic authentication, and the documentation recommends least-privilege users and VPN protection.Read 15 Oct 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com
Audit logs: YesRead 22 Sep 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com
Company distribution: MikroTik says it has more than 800 distributors and resellers in 130 countries and more than 250 current products.Read 15 Oct 2026 · mikrotik.com
Company founding: MikroTik states that the company was founded in 1996 and develops its products through a full EU-based production cycle.Read 15 Oct 2026 · mikrotik.com
Company legal identity: The maker identifies itself as SIA Mikrotīkls, registration number LV40003286799, with offices and legal address in Riga, Latvia.Read 15 Oct 2026 · mikrotik.com
Company size: LinkedIn lists MikroTik as privately held, headquartered in Riga, founded in 1996 and employing 201–500 people.Read 15 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
Configuration tools: Administration is available through WinBox, WebFig, Android and iOS apps, terminal, serial console, Telnet, SSH and API.Read 15 Oct 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com
Core networking: The platform combines routing, firewalling, VPN, wireless management, quality of service, automation and monitoring.Read 15 Oct 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com
Device posture: NoRead 22 Sep 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com
Documentation depth: The manual covers installation, licensing, diagnostics, switching, wireless, routing, firewall, VPN, AAA, high availability, IoT, storage, containers, scripting and an automatically generated CLI reference.Read 15 Oct 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com
Firewall: Its firewall provides stateful filtering, NAT, address lists, Layer7 matching, IPv6 filtering, packet marks and raw rules.Read 15 Oct 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com
Latest download: The x86 download page lists RouterOS long-term release v7.23.8 and packages including container, Dude, GPS, IoT, OpenFlow, storage, TR-069, UPS, User Manager and wireless.Read 15 Oct 2026 · mikrotik.com
Licensing model: RouterOS is proprietary software licensed for use rather than sold; the EULA restricts copying, modification, reverse engineering and multiple installations.Read 15 Oct 2026 · mikrotik.com
Limit: documentation and support: Reviewers report outdated or incomplete wiki material, difficult troubleshooting examples and limited direct support channels.Read 15 Oct 2026 · trustradius.com
Limit: learning curve: Independent reviewers repeatedly describe RouterOS administration and its interface as difficult for beginners or requiring advanced networking knowledge.Read 15 Oct 2026 · trustradius.com
Limit: reliability issues: TrustRadius reviewers report occasional ARM-device reboots or lockups and wireless performance problems in some deployments.Read 15 Oct 2026 · trustradius.com
Limit: security-suite gaps: Reviewers cite the absence of a full unified-threat-management, antivirus or IPS capability and request stronger secure-DNS and VPN features.Read 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
Management integrations: Official product material lists API, TR-069, customizable client interfaces and automatic email or SMS trigger notifications.Read 15 Oct 2026 · mikrotik.com
Mobile-app limitation: Apple App Store reviewers complain that the iOS app lacks a terminal, bulk hotspot-user deletion and some connected-device information available in the web interface.Read 15 Oct 2026 · apps.apple.com
Open-source components: The distribution contains separately licensed GPL, LGPL, BSD, MPL and other components, but the EULA expressly excludes those components from the proprietary RouterOS software definition.Read 15 Oct 2026 · mikrotik.com
Praise: flexibility: TrustRadius reviewers repeatedly praise scripting, flexible configurations, traffic shaping, bandwidth statistics and the same feature set across inexpensive and higher-end devices.Read 15 Oct 2026 · trustradius.com
Praise: value and capability: G2 reviewers repeatedly praise RouterOS for delivering extensive routing, firewall and bandwidth features at low hardware cost.Read 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
Rating on Apple App Store: 3.9 out of 5 from 281 ratingsRead 15 Oct 2026 · apps.apple.com
Rating on G2: 4.6 out of 5 from 30 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
Rating on Google Play: 4.2 out of 5 from 14.1K reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · play.google.com
Rating on Trustpilot: 2.9 out of 5 from 3 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · uk.trustpilot.com
Rating on TrustRadius: 9 out of 10 from 28 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · trustradius.com
REST API: The REST interface exposes RouterOS menus over HTTP with JSON GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE and POST operations, so ordinary HTTP clients can automate it.Read 15 Oct 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com
Routing: Routing support includes static, policy-based, VRF, ECMP, RIP, OSPF, BGP and BFD for IPv4 and IPv6.Read 15 Oct 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com
Security guidance: MikroTik recommends updates, changing default credentials, least-privilege administrators, keeping management services off the internet and using VPN access.Read 15 Oct 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com
Security incident: BleepingComputer reported on September 7, 2026 that attackers were exploiting an SSH authentication-bypass and privilege-escalation chain against internet-exposed RouterOS devices.Read 15 Oct 2026 · bleepingcomputer.com
Security vulnerability: BleepingComputer reported on September 30, 2026 that CISA warned CVE-2026-84411 could allow unauthenticated root code execution or denial of service through the web-management service.Read 15 Oct 2026 · bleepingcomputer.com
Self-hosting: x86 RouterOS can be installed from ISO or Netinstall, while CHR is a virtual-machine image usable locally or in cloud environments.Read 15 Oct 2026 · mikrotik.com
Site-to-site networking: YesRead 22 Sep 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com
SSO / SCIM: NoRead 22 Sep 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com
Supported platforms: WebFig,Windows WinBox,Android,iOS,CLI,API,MikroTik hardware,x86 PCs,and virtual machinesRead 22 Sep 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com
System requirements: Third-party installations require x86 or Ampere ARM, at least 64 MB RAM, at least 64 MB storage and Linux-kernel-supported network cards; RouterOS 7 needs 32 MB RAM at minimum for defaults.Read 15 Oct 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com
VPN: Supported tunnels and VPN technologies include IPsec, IKEv2, OpenVPN, L2TP, SSTP, PPTP, WireGuard, ZeroTier, IPIP and EoIP.Read 15 Oct 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com
Wireless and VLANs: RouterOS supports wireless access-point features, virtual access points, roaming, VLAN and Q-in-Q configurations.Read 15 Oct 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com

Plans and prices

Free Demo Free 24-hour trial mode before licensing Read 22 Sep 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com

Level 4 WISP $45 a month 200 PPPoE tunnels · 200 PPTP tunnels · 200 L2TP tunnels · 200 OVPN tunnels Read 22 Sep 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com

Level 4 WISP $45, paid once 200 PPPoE tunnels · 200 PPTP tunnels · 200 L2TP tunnels · 200 OVPN tunnels Read 21 Sep 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com

Level 5 WISP $95, paid once 500 PPPoE tunnels · 500 PPTP tunnels · 500 L2TP tunnels · Unlimited OVPN tunnels Read 21 Sep 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com

Level 5 WISP $95 a month 500 PPPoE tunnels · 500 PPTP tunnels · 500 L2TP tunnels · Unlimited OVPN tunnels Read 22 Sep 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com

Level 6 Controller $250, paid once Unlimited PPPoE tunnels · Unlimited PPTP tunnels · Unlimited L2TP tunnels · Unlimited OVPN tunnels Read 21 Sep 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com

Level 6 Controller $250 a month Unlimited PPPoE tunnels · Unlimited PPTP tunnels · Unlimited L2TP tunnels · Unlimited OVPN tunnels Read 22 Sep 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com

60-day Trial Free 60 days Trial of P1, P10 or P-Unlimited · MikroTik account required Read 15 Oct 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com

Free CHR Free perpetual 1 Mbps upload per interface · full features otherwise Read 15 Oct 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com

P1 $45, paid once perpetual 1 Gbps upload per interface · full features otherwise Read 15 Oct 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com

P10 $95, paid once perpetual 10 Gbps upload per interface · full features otherwise Read 15 Oct 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com

P-Unlimited $250, paid once perpetual No enforced speed limit Read 15 Oct 2026 · manual.mikrotik.com

Every MikroTik RouterOS plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

Supports site-to-site networking and VPN access.
Audit logs are available.
Runs across hardware, PCs, virtual machines and apps.
Free Demo provides a 24-hour trial mode.

Limits

SSO/SCIM is not supported.
Device posture is not supported.
Level 4 WISP costs $45 a month.
Level 6 Controller costs $250 a month.

Who it suits

RouterOS suits organizations that need VPN and site-to-site networking with advanced administration. Its tiered tunnel allowances can help match a license to tunnel requirements.

Verdict

RouterOS offers several access methods and licensing tiers with different tunnel limits. Check the listed allowance and billing term for each plan before choosing.