Looking for the VPNs that are compatible with Tomato, the open-source software (also known as firmware) designed to replace the stock software that comes with commercial routers? You came to the right place!
Using Tomato, you can load a VPN directly onto your router and secure all the devices in your home automatically. We'll walk you through the entire process in this article, and list our five top Tomato VPNs that can unlock your router's full potential.
The best Tomato routers VPNs, a quick rundown
If you're in a rush, or want to get right to the good stuff, here's our shortlist of the best Tomato router VPNs. For a more detailed look at each service, keep scrolling.
- ExpressVPN - The best Tomato router VPN. One of the fastest VPNs we test, with detailed Tomato setup guides and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- IPVanish - An all-round Tomato router VPN. Trustworthy, with its own server network, strict no-logs policy, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Surfshark - The best value-for-money Tomato router VPN. Superb privacy features, cheap plans, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- CyberGhost VPN - The cheapest Tomato router VPN. It offers an impressive server network, advanced features, and a 45-day money-back guarantee.
- VyprVPN - A secure Tomato router VPN. Independently audited no-logs policy, proprietary infrastructure, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Not every VPN is a valid option for running on a Tomato router. And, many routers are not capable of handling a stable VPN connection. For this reason, it is essential that you get the right combination of a reliable router and the best VPN service.
We perform regular, and in-depth, VPN tests to ensure you can pick out the perfect VPN for your Tomato router. In fact, we've made sure that all of the providers in this article offer:
- Robust encryption with cutting-edge protocols (OpenVPN, WireGuard, etc.)
- Customizable privacy features, such as a kill-switch to prevent data leaks
- Excellent cross-platform compatibility – apps for all your OS and devices
- A wide server network with worldwide coverage
- Fast servers, suitable for data-intensive tasks
- Exceptional geo-spoofing capabilities
- A strict zero-logs or no-logs policy, preferably audited
- Great value for money, with a money-back guarantee
Top 5 VPNs for Tomato routers, in-depth analysis
Here's a more in-depth analysis of the top five VPNs for Tomato routers. If you'll need more info about any of these services, check our detailed VPN reviews.
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Tomato router. It offers blazing servers in 94 countries, watertight privacy features, a Tomato setup guide, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. ExpressVPN Demo Connection speeds on this VPN are incredible throughout its massive network. ExpressVPN has servers in 94 countries
, so consumers are spoiled for choice when it comes to unblocking websites and services. Subscribers also get 24/7 live chat support, so you can troubleshoot issues as and when they crop up. The VPN software itself is fantastic, too, and provides the very best encryption around (implemented at the highest levels). ExpressVPN also imposes a super-secure privacy policy. It does keep some connection logs, but these are aggregated, so none of the data can ever be pinned to an individual user. All in all, an amazing VPN for Tomato routers. IPVanish is a trustworthy VPN that keeps no logs and owns its entire server network. Dedicated support for Tomato routers, unlimited connections, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. IPVanish Demo IPVanish is a US-based VPN. It works well with Tomato routers, and it's even possible to buy a pre-flashed Tomato router with IPVanish installed on it! The service also provides lightning-fast speeds across its server network - which spans 75
locations. IPVanish supports OpenVPN encryption, though it isn't implemented as strongly as it is on some of the VPNs above. It is for this reason that the VPN can provide such good speeds for streaming. All in all, a fantastic VPN for Tomato routers and good value for money. Surfshark is a great value-for-money VPN for Tomato routers. It's jam-packed with features, offers unlimited simultaneous connections, cheap plans, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Surfshark Demo This VPN service offers great value for money, being fully-featured but also reasonably priced (especially if you purchase a longer-term plan). The simple VPN client found on Tomato firmware inherently limits the features available when using VPN through the router, unfortunately, but on other devices Surfshark offers split tunneling, DNS ad-blocking, multi-hop VPN, and more. A full smart DNS service can be configured in Tomato, and static IP addresses are also useable on your router. Surfshark offers 24/7 live chat support in case you run into problems, and a 30-day money-back guarantee allows users to take the service for a test run before committing to a subscription. CyberGhost is the cheapest VPN for Tomato routers. Nonetheless, it comes with servers in over 90 countries, full Tomato setup guide, and a very generous 45-day money-back guarantee. CyberGhost Demo Romania-based CyberGhost is another no-logs VPN service that always impresses us with the amount of value it offers – especially when you consider its budget-friendly asking price. It boasts thousands of servers in 91 countries
, allows torrenting on all these servers, uses excellent encryption, operates 24/7 live chat support service, and has easy-to-use apps for all major platforms. Some of its more advanced features, such as DNS ad and malware filtering, split tunneling, and kill switches are only available in its apps, but CyberGhost provides a detailed OpenVPN setup guide for Tomato. VyprVPN is a very secure VPN for Tomato router. It comes with a publicly audited no-logs policy, its own network of servers, a Tomato setup guide, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. VYPR Demo Once best known for owning its own server network and or its Chameleon stealth technology, VyprVPN recently reinvented itself by moving to privacy-friendly Switzerland and instituting a strict no-logs policy which paid a third-party firm to publically audit. VyprVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, features 24/7 customer support, and proved a full OpenVPN setup guide for Tomato. 1. ExpressVPN
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5. VyprVPN
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What are the advantages of Tomato routers?
Flashed routers with specialist firmware can run more software than regular commercial routers. This allows consumers to install a VPN directly onto their router. Tomato firmware is a community-developed firmware that provides the best available speeds for running a VPN on a router. However, the technical specifications of the router (how much CPU power it has, and what bands it is capable of using) are also going to affect the speeds that the router can provide.
Using a VPN that is installed directly onto a Tomato router is a massive advantage because it means that the VPN connection is automatically applied to every device in your home. This stops you from having to connect each device separately, and it means that your digital privacy is always protected. As a result, all the data from all your devices is encrypted, your ISP can't track your web browsing, and the websites you visit never get to see your real IP address.
With a Tomato VPN installed directly onto a router, you can also make use of geo-spoofing on all your devices. As a result of which you can access US Netflix on all your devices, use your VPN on a smart TV, a games console, or a connected set-top box.
If you're new to VPNs, get up to speed with our handy guides:
New to VPNs?
If you are new to the world of VPNs and you want to learn more, check out the guides listed below.
Why do I need a Tomato VPN server?
Not every VPN is a valid option for running on a Tomato router. And, many routers are not capable of handling a stable VPN connection. For this reason, it is essential that you get the right combination of router and VPN service.
This article can help you by providing advice on the best possible routers for the job, and a detailed look at the five best VPNs for Tomato routers. Our recommended Tomato VPNs are trusted, reliable, and secure.
They all have watertight privacy policies and fantastic customer care. And because they all provide lightning fast connection speeds you will be able to use any of these VPNs for Tomato routers to stream in HD or do other data-intensive tasks.
The main benefits of using a VPN on a tomato router are:
- It is optimized for VPN, meaning that it can achieve better speeds.
- Multiple clients can be set up at the same time (just in case you want to use more than one VPN).
- Control and monitoring of the VPN is simple and affects all devices simultaneously.
Many routers come already set up, however, you don't have to buy a pre-flashed router: you could just buy a normal one and flash it yourself. This is a bit tougher, but for techies, it is an option. If you do not want the challenge of flashing your own router then you can buy a pre-flashed Tomato router from FlashRouters.
How to set up a Tomato router?
Below we list the steps of how to set up shibby openvpn on a tomato router and how to install a VPN on your new tomato router. Please be careful when doing this as you can brick your Tomato router if this isn't done correctly.
The issue with flashing your own router
If the process is done correctly the process should have been successful and you will be able to use the Tomato firmware from now on. Please bear in mind that getting the process wrong may result in your router being "bricked." So before embarking on flashing the router, do your research and find a detailed guide that clearly expands on the steps mentioned above.
How to flash a router with Tomato firmware (Shibby mod)
If you are one of those people who have experience with computers – or you are generally techy minded – you may want to purchase a compatible router and flash it yourself. This guide will walk you through the process of flashing a router with Tomato firmware (Shibby Mod). This guide is a basic outline of the process to give you an idea, but you can find detailed guides online.
- Download recovery software for your router model from the router's manufacturer.
- Download the Tomato firmware you require for your router from the Shibby website.
- Open the router recovery software and prepare to install the firmware by browsing for the software you downloaded and setting the pathway. Do not install it yet.
- Put the modem into recovery mode (every router differs so look yours up to find the method)
- Upload the tomato firmware to the router and install it. This step must be done quickly, which is why you prepared to do so in step three.
- Clear the NVRAM to remove any remaining settings from the old firmware.
- Connect to your router by entering the IP address of your router into your browser's address bar.
- Log in to the Tomato firmware using the default username and password (both are "admin").
How to set up a VPN on a Tomato router
Once you have flashed a router with Tomato firmware (or you have purchased a ready flashed router) you are ready to set up a VPN connection on the router. If you haven't done so yet, this will require you to select a VPN provider from this article. Once you have an active VPN subscription, you are ready to proceed.
- Start by downloading the OpenVPN configuration files from your VPN provider's website. Not all VPNs provide access to these .ovpn files which is why it is essential you subscribe to a VPN that does!
- Use your browser to log in to your router and access the router's Tomato firmware (Default address is 192.168.1.1, unless changed). In the Tomato router's control panel, select VPN Tunneling, and then click OpenVPN Client.
- Fill in the information in the Basic tab. This data will be available to you via your VPN provider, so ask them for it. For the Advanced settings, you will again need to ask your VPN provider for the specific settings for your VPN.
- In the Keys tab, copy and paste the text from the .ovpn configuration file into the correct fields. Ask your VPN's customer support for help if you have any problems (it is easy and all you need to do is open the .ovpn file using notepad to see the data).
- Copy and paste all the text in between and into the Static Key field.
- Copy and paste the text in between and block into the Certificate Authority field.
- Copy and paste the text in between and into the Client Certificate field.
- Copy and paste the text in between and into the Client Key field.
- Click Save. The OpenVPN connections should now be setup and you should be able to connect the router to the VPN server you selected.
- Click Start Now to establish the connection, this may take a few minutes. Click Status to check on the connection.
Final thoughts
Whatever router you plan on using, a reliable VPN is the best way to secure your internet connection. Here's a quick reminder of our top VPNs for Tomato routers:
From $6.67/month
The best Tomato router VPN. One of the fastest VPNs we test, with detailed Tomato setup guides and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- ProPrivacy TrustScore:
- 10 out of 10
- Simultaneous connections
- 5
- Server locations
- 160
- Free trial
- No
From $2.99/month
An all-round Tomato router VPN. Trustworthy, with its own server network, strict no-logs policy, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- ProPrivacy TrustScore:
- 9.9 out of 10
- Simultaneous connections
- Unlimited
- Server locations
- 75
- Free trial
- No
From $2.30/month
The best value-for-money Tomato router VPN. Superb privacy features, cheap plans, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- ProPrivacy TrustScore:
- 9.8 out of 10
- Simultaneous connections
- Unlimited
- Server locations
- 100
- Free trial
- Yes
From $2.11/month
The cheapest Tomato router VPN. It offers an impressive server network, advanced features, and a 45-day money-back guarantee.
- ProPrivacy TrustScore:
- 9.7 out of 10
- Simultaneous connections
- 7
- Server locations
- 117
- Free trial
- Yes
From $5.00/month
A secure Tomato router VPN. Independently audited no-logs policy, proprietary infrastructure, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- ProPrivacy TrustScore:
- 9.6 out of 10
- Simultaneous connections
- 10
- Server locations
- 70
- Free trial
- No