Nokia Virtualized Service Router vs MikroTik Cloud Hosted Router (CHR)

Nokia Virtualized Service Router7.7Visit MikroTik Cloud Hosted Router (CHR)7.0Visit

Higher score Nokia Virtualized Service Router #3 in Virtual Routers Software 7.7/10 Pricing on request ✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Nokia

vs

MikroTik Cloud Hosted Router (CHR) #5 in Virtual Routers Software 7.0/10 Free plan · paid from $45 · 60-day trial Free plan✓ 2 of 2 features Visit MikroTik CHR

• Nokia Virtualized Service Router fits best

  Operators needing virtualized service-provider functions

• MikroTik Cloud Hosted Router (CHR) fits best

  Budget-conscious teams wanting a feature-rich virtual router

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Side by side

Feature	Nokia Virtualized Service Router 7.7/10 Visit ↗	MikroTik Cloud Hosted Router (CHR) 7.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	7.7	7.0
Ranking	#3 in Virtual Routers Software	#5 in Virtual Routers Software
Best for	Operators needing virtualized service-provider functions	Budget-conscious teams wanting a feature-rich virtual router
Pricing model	Paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Not published	Not published
Free plan	Not published	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Linux	Linux, Windows, macOS
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Nokia Virtualized Service Router 2/2 · MikroTik Cloud Hosted Router (CHR) 2/2
VPN support	✓	✓
High availability	✓	✓
Specs
Deployment type	Not published	Virtual machine
Routing protocols	BGP, OSPF, IS-IS, RIP	RIP v1/v2, OSPFv2, BGP v4, RIPng, OSPFv3, BGP, BFD
Max throughput	Not published	1000 Mbps
Cloud platforms	Not published	AWS, Hetzner Cloud, Linode, Google Compute Engine, Vultr
Our review
Pros	Supports IP/MPLS edge services across business, residential and mobile networks. Combines BNG, L2TP, residential gateway, NAT and IPsec functions. Offers VM or container deployment with multi-node resiliency options.	Supports static, VRF, policy-based, ECMP and dynamic routing Includes IPsec, WireGuard, OpenVPN and other tunnel protocols Runs on major hypervisors and documented cloud environments
Cons	Pricing is handled through contact sales. Scaling depends on adding CPU and memory resources. Its focus on service-provider functions may not suit simpler routing needs.	Free tier limits upload to 1 Mbps per interface Deployment requires importing or launching a virtual machine image Throughput depends on the selected speed tier and license
Our verdict	Nokia Virtualized Service Router is IP edge routing software based on Nokia’s Service Router Operating System. It is aimed at service providers, cloud providers and mission-critical enterprise environments that need virtualized network… Read the review →	MikroTik Cloud Hosted Router (CHR) is a virtualized edition of RouterOS for x86-64 virtual machines. It brings routing, firewall, VPN and network-management capabilities to local or cloud deployments, with images for common hypervisors and… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Nokia Virtualized Service Router — where it wins

  • Supports IP/MPLS edge services across business, residential and mobile networks.
  • Combines BNG, L2TP, residential gateway, NAT and IPsec functions.
  • Offers VM or container deployment with multi-node resiliency options.

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing is handled through contact sales.
  • Scaling depends on adding CPU and memory resources.
  • Its focus on service-provider functions may not suit simpler routing needs.

• MikroTik Cloud Hosted Router (CHR) — where it wins

  • Supports static, VRF, policy-based, ECMP and dynamic routing
  • Includes IPsec, WireGuard, OpenVPN and other tunnel protocols
  • Runs on major hypervisors and documented cloud environments

  Where it doesn't

  • Free tier limits upload to 1 Mbps per interface
  • Deployment requires importing or launching a virtual machine image
  • Throughput depends on the selected speed tier and license

• Nokia Virtualized Service Router7.7/10 · Pricing on request

  A service-provider-focused virtual router spanning IP/MPLS, broadband, NAT and IPsec functions.

  Visit NokiaFull verdict →
• MikroTik Cloud Hosted Router (CHR)7.0/10 · Free plan · paid from $45 · 60-day trial

  A perpetual-license virtual RouterOS with extensive routing, VPN, firewall and cloud options.

  Visit MikroTik CHRFull verdict →