March 2023

Routers: MetaRanking

This page highlights the aggregate summary of Router rankings posted by key online experts, as of March 2023.

Summary

Between 2 Mar 2023 and 4 Mar 2023, ReviewFinder team examined a total of 83 Router endorsements from 10 reputable publishers.

58 Routers were endorsed in total, only 13 made it into this month's ranking (ReviewFinder requires a minimum of 2 endorsements to be included).

As of 4 Mar 2023, TP-Link Archer AX50 takes the cake as the most critically-acclaimed router with 5 expert endorsements. It is followed by Asus RT-AX88U and Google Nest WiFi , with 4 and 5 expert endorsements respectively.

Brand breakdown
Show all brands

Price breakdown
As can be seen in the chart below, lowest high-ranking routers start at $34 (TP-Link AC750) and go up to $1471 (Netgear Orbi WiFi 6E (RBKE963)). Median router costs $199 (Motorola Q11).
$34
$1471

At a glance - March 2023 Ranking

Scroll horizontally to browse this ranking table
Rank Change Price Router
Lifewire
Digital Trends
Business Insider
Laptop Mag
Wirecutter
TechRadar
T3
How To Geek
PCMag
Tom's Guide
1
- $125
TP-Link Archer AX50
2
-
2
3
-
-
-
2
3
-
2
- $239
Asus RT-AX88U
3
-
-
9
2
-
-
1
-
-
3
- $72
Google Nest WiFi
8
-
5
2
-
4
-
-
-
6
4
- $270
Asus RT-AX86U
-
7
-
4
-
-
-
-
-
1
5
- $342
Asus Rapture GT-AX11000
5
-
-
-
-
-
6
4
-
5
6
- $399
Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300
-
1
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
7
- $350
Asus ZenWiFi AX XT8
-
-
-
-
-
1
-
5
-
-
8
- $170
TP-Link Archer AX11000
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
-
5
-
9
- $340
Netgear Nighthawk AX8
6
-
-
-
-
-
10
-
-
4
10
+1 $60
TP-Link Archer A8 AC1900
-
-
-
-
3
-
-
3
-
-
11
+1 Check price
TP-Link Archer AX6600 AX90
-
2
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
-
17
+1 $478
Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
-
-
7
18
-8 $50
TP-Link Archer A7
-
4
-
5
-
-
-
-
-
-

Sorted by price:

Position in ranking Price Router
#18 $49.94 TP-Link Archer A7 [buy] [more info]
#10 $59.99 TP-Link Archer A8 AC1900 [buy] [more info]
#3 $71.85 Google Nest WiFi [buy] [more info]
#1 $124.97 TP-Link Archer AX50 [buy] [more info]
#8 $169.75 TP-Link Archer AX11000 [buy] [more info]
#11 $207.50 TP-Link Archer AX6600 AX90 [buy] [more info]
#2 $238.99 Asus RT-AX88U [buy] [more info]
#4 $270.31 Asus RT-AX86U [buy] [more info]
#9 $339.99 Netgear Nighthawk AX8 [buy] [more info]
#5 $341.99 Asus Rapture GT-AX11000 [buy] [more info]
#7 $349.99 Asus ZenWiFi AX XT8 [buy] [more info]
#6 $399 Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 [buy] [more info]
#17 $477.99 Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 [buy] [more info]

We ranked Asus RT-AX88U #2 in March 2023 because:

  • 4 independent experts mentioned it in their “best Routers” rankings.
  • Out of those, 1 expert ranked Asus RT-AX88U as #1.
Critic endorsements:
Lifewire

Best Security

Pros
Advanced Wi-Fi 6 support
Advanced security features
Eight LAN ports

Cons
A bit pricey

Go to ranking

Laptop Mag

Best future-proof Wi-Fi 6 router

Pros
Fantastic Wi-Fi 6 performance
Solid built-in malware protection
Abundant ports
Easily configurable network options

Cons
Expensive
Limited Wi-Fi 6 devices still

Go to ranking

Wirecutter

Future-proofed, high speed, high price

Go to ranking

How To Geek

Best Wi-Fi Router

Pros
Wi-Fi 6 and future-proof hardware
Packed with features
6000 Mbps speeds

Cons
No Tri-Band
Not the fastest Wi-Fi 6 Router
Not the cheapest Wi-Fi 6 router

Go to ranking

Methodology: combine opinions of key experts

Identify Experts

We identify key publishers and experts that consistently review and recommend Routers.

Capture Rankings

For each publisher we find a currently recommended "top 10" list of Routers, it must be updated in the last 9 months.

Aggregate Rankings

We put all those lists together and aggregate them. The more frequently a product is recommended, the higher it is in our ranking

Experts chosen for March 2023 ranking

We ranked Google Nest WiFi #3 in March 2023 because:

  • 5 independent experts mentioned it in their “best Routers” rankings.
Critic endorsements:
Lifewire

Best for Smart Homes

Pros
Attractive and simple design
Integrates with Google Home
Point units double as smart speakers

Cons
No Ethernet ports on points
Lacks a dedicated backhaul channel

Go to ranking

Business Insider

The best budget mesh router

Pros
Easy to set up and manage
router
points are small and attractive
access points double as smart speakers
reliable performance at range
attractive pricing

Cons
Wi-Fi 6 upgrade is sorely needed

Go to ranking

Laptop Mag

Best mesh Wi-Fi router system for most people

Pros
Excellent, reliable coverage
Easy to set up
Built-in Google Home speaker
Smart home functionality

Cons
Limited ports
Lacks advanced configuration options

Go to ranking

TechRadar

The best mesh router if you want something affordable

Pros
Excellent design
Smart speaker(s) included
Even simpler controls

Cons
No major performance gains
Not worth replacing existing mesh

Go to ranking

Tom's Guide

A great mesh router with built-in smart speaker

Pros
Good performance
Google Assistant built in
Easy setup

Cons
Short range
Minimal configuration options

Go to ranking

We ranked Asus RT-AX86U #4 in March 2023 because:

  • 3 independent experts mentioned it in their “best Routers” rankings.
  • Out of those, 1 expert ranked Asus RT-AX86U as #1.
Critic endorsements:
Digital Trends

Best router for mobile gaming

Pros
Mobile gaming mode
Dedicated gaming port
Wi-Fi 6
Mesh and security software included

Cons
Not as useful if there aren't any gamers around

Go to ranking

Laptop Mag

Best Wi-Fi 6 router for gamers

Pros
Blazing fast speeds
Excellent performance at range
Extensive customization and optimization for gamers via software
Extremely low latency

Cons
Large footprint
Pricey

Go to ranking

Tom's Guide

Great for a full house,and for gaming

Pros
Excellent throughput and performance
Security software with lifetime updates
Multi-Gig input and port aggregation

Cons
Lacks advanced gaming features like geofencing and ping heat map

Go to ranking

We ranked Asus Rapture GT-AX11000 #5 in March 2023 because:

  • 4 independent experts mentioned it in their “best Routers” rankings.
Critic endorsements:
Lifewire

Best for Gaming

Pros
Advanced Wi-Fi 6 Support
Extremely Fast Performance
Cutting-edge game-centric QoS

Cons
Large footprint
Expensive
User interface can be a bit daunting

Go to ranking

T3

A top wireless router for power users and gamers

Pros
Support for Wi-Fi 6
Powerful software control
Eight Wi-Fi antennas

Cons
Expensive
Large

Go to ranking

How To Geek

Best Gaming Router

Pros
11000 Mbps speeds
Tri-band Wi-Fi
Packed with cutting-edge features

Cons
It's pricey

Go to ranking

Tom's Guide

The best Wi-Fi 6 gaming router

Pros
First Wi-Fi 6 (802.11AX) router
Performance improves with distance
Plenty of customization
Impressive 2.5Gbps wired connector

Cons
Very large in size compared to other routers

Go to ranking

We ranked Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 #6 in March 2023 because:

  • 2 independent experts mentioned it in their “best Routers” rankings.
  • Out of those, 1 expert ranked Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300 as #1.
Critic endorsements:
Digital Trends

The best wireless router

Pros
Wi-Fi 6E support
No unsightly antenna with futuristic design
Can be controlled with an app

Cons
Optional services require subscription
Still expensive

Go to ranking

TechRadar

The premium wireless router of the future

Pros
Super-fast Wi-Fi performance
Tri-band support (2.4/5.0/6.0GHz)
Easy to use and set up

Cons
Expensive
Parental controls require monthly subscription

Go to ranking

We ranked Asus ZenWiFi AX XT8 #7 in March 2023 because:

  • 2 independent experts mentioned it in their “best Routers” rankings.
  • Out of those, 1 expert ranked Asus ZenWiFi AX XT8 as #1.
Critic endorsements:
TechRadar

The best wireless router overall

Pros
Great Wi-Fi performance
Good security features

Cons
Expensive
Limited to two routers

Go to ranking

How To Geek

Best Mesh Router

Pros
Wi-Fi 6
5500 square feet of coverage
QoS for traffic prioritization

Cons
More expensive than mesh systems without Wi-Fi 6
Not as simple to configure as Google Nest Wifi

Go to ranking

We ranked Netgear Nighthawk AX8 #9 in March 2023 because:

  • 3 independent experts mentioned it in their “best Routers” rankings.
Critic endorsements:
Lifewire

Best Design

Pros
Sleek design
Wi-Fi 6 Support
8K streaming

Cons
Expensive
Design can make for awkward placement

Go to ranking

T3

Wi-Fi 6 support and much more besides

Pros
Support for Wi-Fi 6
Stunning design
Excellent traffic management

Cons
Very expensive

Go to ranking

Tom's Guide

A great router overall

Pros
Excellent performance
Includes anti-malware apps
Lots of configuration options

Cons
Throughput falls off quickly with distance

Go to ranking

We ranked Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 #12 in March 2023 because:

  • 2 independent experts mentioned it in their “best Routers” rankings.
Critic endorsements:
Business Insider

Best Wi-Fi 6E router

Pros
Supports Wi-Fi 6E
excellent Wi-Fi performance
performance holds up at range
as a 2.5 Gigabit LAN port

Cons
Large
could use more Gigabit LAN ports for its size

Go to ranking

Tom's Guide

The Wi-Fi 6e speed demon

Pros
Top speeds with 6GHz band
Very customizable
Security software built-in

Cons
Throughput declines quickly with distance

Go to ranking