Which UniFi gateway for a home? Every Cloud Gateway, Dream Machine and Gateway in our catalog compared

The short version

• For most homes it comes down to three models. The UniFi Express 7 ($219) is a compact Wi-Fi 7 router for an apartment or small home. The Dream Router 7 ($307) adds three more 2.5 Gbps ports, a PoE port and camera recording. The Cloud Gateway Max ($219 without storage) is the lowest-priced Cloud Gateway without Wi-Fi that has 2.5 Gbps on every port, for a wired home with ceiling access points.
• Check the IDS/IPS figure against your plan. Ubiquiti lists how fast each gateway routes with intrusion prevention on: 1 Gbps for the Cloud Gateway Ultra, 2.3 Gbps for the Express 7, Dream Router 7 and Cloud Gateway Max, and 5 Gbps for the Cloud Gateway Fiber and Dream Machine Pro Max.
• "Gateway" without "Cloud" means no built-in controller. The Gateway Lite, Max and Fiber need a CloudKey, Ubiquiti's paid hosting, or the free UniFi OS Server on a computer you keep running, and they can't record cameras.
• The main caveat: on October 29, 2026 Ubiquiti's US store showed the original UniFi Express as sold out and the Dream Router, Dream Wall and Gateway Lite with no restock date. Prices are from our catalog (checked October 20, 2026) and include Ubiquiti's US store surcharge.

Three kinds of UniFi gateway

In UniFi, the gateway routes and firewalls your internet connection, and a controller (the UniFi Network application) configures every UniFi switch and access point. Ubiquiti's names tell you which jobs a box does:

• Cloud Gateways with Wi-Fi (UniFi Express, Express 7, Dream Router, Dream Router 7, Dream Router 5G Max, Dream Wall): gateway, controller and access point in one. These are what most people would call a router.
• Cloud Gateways without Wi-Fi (Cloud Gateway Ultra, Max and Fiber; Dream Machine Pro, SE and Pro Max): gateway and controller, often with storage for UniFi Protect, Ubiquiti's camera system. You add access points.
• Independent gateways (Gateway Lite, Max and Fiber, model numbers starting UXG): gateway only. Ubiquiti's store says each is "managed with a CloudKey, Official UniFi Hosting, or UniFi OS Server".

"Cloud" in the name doesn't mean the network depends on the internet. Ubiquiti's setup guide says creating a UI account is optional ("Though optional, we strongly recommend creating a UI Account"), and its local-management guide covers "a fully airgapped setup without any cloud management". For how UniFi compares with eero and ASUS as a whole system, see Ubiquiti vs eero vs ASUS.

What you can buy now

Our catalog has 15 UniFi gateways. On Ubiquiti's US store, checked October 29, 2026:

• UniFi Express: "Sold Out", and no longer in the store's Cloud Gateways list. Ubiquiti's spec page says it "will continue to receive updates on UniFi Network 9.0 including critical security updates and select feature enhancements. For UniFi Network 9.1 and higher, please see UniFi Express 7."
• Dream Router and Dream Wall: "No restock date yet", and neither is in the Cloud Gateways list.
• Gateway Lite: sold out October 26, "No restock date yet".
• Cloud Gateway Ultra: out of stock October 29 with an expected restock of November 13.

Ubiquiti also sells gateways our catalog doesn't cover: the Dream Machine Beast, the Cloud Gateway Industrial, the Gateway Pro and enterprise firewalls. The Beast, for example, is listed for 7,500+ clients, well beyond a home. This article sticks to the 15 catalog models so every price matches its product page.

Models with built-in Wi-Fi

The table's LAN column shows the fastest port the catalog counts as LAN-only. On the Dream Router 7 and 5G Max, Ubiquiti lists two default internet ports (the 10G SFP+ and one of the four 2.5 GbE ports), which is why the catalog counts three 2.5 GbE LAN ports. Here's what the product table doesn't show, from Ubiquiti's spec pages:

Two store notes matter for the older models. The UniFi Express page warns "Performance may be degraded with advanced gateway features (e.g., Traffic Identification)." The Dream Router page says its gigabit WAN port supports "internet speeds up to 700 Mbps" and that "UniFi application support consists of UniFi Network plus two of Protect, Access, Talk, or Connect."

The Express 7 has no PoE or camera storage, but it's the model Ubiquiti sells for mesh: 2- and 3-packs labeled "Whole Home WiFi", with "effortless mesh expansion with additional nodes", and its spec page lists both gateway and access-point modes. Meshing is the fallback for homes you can't wire; with cable, the same units connect over Ethernet. See mesh with Ethernet backhaul for why the cable matters.

Models without Wi-Fi

The pairs are easy to confuse. The Gateway Max and Cloud Gateway Max share a port layout (five 2.5 GbE) and IDS/IPS figure, and the Gateway Fiber and Cloud Gateway Fiber share theirs. What the Cloud versions add is the controller and camera support; at the catalog's prices the Gateway Max costs the same as the Cloud Gateway Max without storage ($219), and the Gateway Fiber the same as the Cloud Gateway Fiber ($307).

Port details that change the answer

• Cloud Gateway Ultra: its one 2.5 GbE port is the default internet port, so everything on its four LAN ports is limited to 1 Gbps per port. That's fine for a gigabit plan; on a faster plan, the next step is the Cloud Gateway Max at $77 more (arithmetic on catalog prices), which our setups-by-budget article also flags.
• Which speeds a port supports: Ubiquiti lists the Express 7's 10 GbE port as "10G/5G/2.5G/1G/100M", but the Cloud Gateway Fiber's and Gateway Fiber's 10 GbE ports as "10G/2.5G/1G", with no 5G. By that spec, behind a provider gateway with a 5 Gbps port the Fiber models would link at 2.5 Gbps. See routers for multi-gig fiber.
• SFP+ ports on the Dream Router 7, 5G Max, Cloud Gateway Fiber and Dream Machines are listed as "10G/1G". Connecting a 10 GbE copper device or a fiber line needs the right module or cable; see the SFP+ section of our multi-gig guide.
• The Dream Machine Pro's copper internet port is 1 GbE; the SE and Pro Max have a 2.5 GbE one. All three Dream Machines also accept a 10G SFP+ internet connection.
• The Dream Router 5G Max adds a 5G modem. Ubiquiti's store says it's certified with AT&T and T-Mobile, needs a data-only plan ("T-Mobile Home Internet SIMs aren't supported"), and "Verizon is not supported at this time."

IDS/IPS throughput and your internet plan

UniFi's intrusion prevention (IPS) inspects traffic for known attack patterns and blocks matches. It's free; Ubiquiti's optional CyberSecure subscription adds a larger signature set (see router subscriptions compared). Ubiquiti says turning it on "increases CPU and memory utilization" and that "maximum routing performance may be reduced", which is why its spec pages list an "IDS/IPS Throughput" for most models. Ubiquiti doesn't state test conditions such as packet size or traffic direction, so treat the figures as the maker's ratings, not measurements.

The rule: if you'll run IPS, pick a gateway whose IDS/IPS figure is at or above your plan's speed. Our planner does the same, ruling out a gateway whose figure is more than 10% below your plan when you ask for IDS/IPS.

On a 2 Gbps plan the Cloud Gateway Max and Express 7 cost the same, but they're different builds: the Max has five 2.5 GbE ports and no Wi-Fi, so it pairs with ceiling access points; the Express 7 is the Wi-Fi. Above 5 Gbps with IPS on, no catalog UniFi gateway carries the full plan by Ubiquiti's figures. With IPS off, Ubiquiti publishes no routing figure for these models, so whether one carries 8 Gbps isn't documented. Ubiquiti's store does list larger gateways outside our catalog, such as the Dream Machine Beast at "25 Gbps IPS".

If you want cameras

UniFi Protect runs on the gateway itself only on Cloud Gateways with storage. Ubiquiti says "All video recordings are stored locally on your UniFi OS Console" and "There's no cloud backup of your video by default." From the spec pages:

• No camera recording: UniFi Express, Express 7 and Cloud Gateway Ultra (Network app only), and all three independent gateways.
• A few cameras: Dream Router 7 and 5G Max (64 GB microSD included; Ubiquiti rates them for 5 HD / 2 2K / 1 4K cameras).
• Up to 15 HD cameras on an SSD: Cloud Gateway Max and Fiber, with an NVMe SSD of up to 2 TB. Our catalog records the Cloud Gateway Max at $307 with its default SSD configuration ($279 before the surcharge), against $219 without one.
• Hard drives and more cameras: the rack-mount Dream Machine Pro and SE (one 3.5" bay; 24 HD cameras) and Pro Max (two bays; 50 HD cameras).

Ubiquiti lists camera counts per resolution (5 HD / 2 2K / 1 4K on the Dream Router 7) without saying how mixed resolutions combine, so read them as separate ceilings.

Gateway or Cloud Gateway: who runs the controller

An independent gateway (UXG) routes and firewalls but needs a controller somewhere else. Ubiquiti lists three hosts:

• UniFi OS Server, which Ubiquiti calls "the new standard for self-hosting UniFi, replacing the legacy UniFi Network Server". It's free ("completely license-free"), runs on Linux, Windows 10 or later or macOS, and needs at least an x86-64 processor, 2 GB of RAM and 10 GB of free storage; Ubiquiti's sizing guide suggests 2 cores and 2 GB for 25 devices and 250 clients.
• A CloudKey, Ubiquiti's small controller appliance (not in our catalog). On October 29, 2026 the store showed the CloudKey+ sold out with no restock date.
• Official UniFi Hosting, a cloud controller from $29 a month on Ubiquiti's store (checked October 29, 2026), built for managing up to 1,000 devices.

The trade-offs are in Ubiquiti's own FAQ. The server "must continue running at all times" to manage the network, though "if it goes offline, your devices will continue to run using the last available configuration." It hosts only the Network application: "all other UniFi applications must be hosted on a compatible UniFi Console", so no Protect cameras. And it can't take over a Cloud Gateway: "Cloud Gateways already include the UniFi Network application ... which means they cannot be managed by an external UniFi OS Server." Ubiquiti's setup guide adds that self-hosting "is only recommended for users proficient with network administration".

So the independent gateways make sense if you already run a home server that's on all the time, or manage several sites from one controller. For a single home, a Cloud Gateway is simpler and costs the same at the Max and Fiber tiers: Gateway Max and Cloud Gateway Max are both $219, Gateway Fiber and Cloud Gateway Fiber both $307. One more wrinkle if you self-host: CyberSecure's enhanced content filtering needs UniFi Network 9.3 or newer on UniFi OS Server; Ubiquiti says the older "UniFi Network Server is not supported."

Which one for your home

Whichever you pick, a wired UniFi home also needs access points and usually a PoE switch; our setups by budget prices complete builds, and mesh vs router plus access points explains when that design is worth it. For an office rather than a home, see choosing a small-office router.

Ongoing costs

None of these gateways needs a subscription for routing, Wi-Fi, VLANs, VPN servers or IPS. Ubiquiti sells CyberSecure (larger threat-signature sets and category content filtering) at $99 a year per gateway, checked October 29, 2026, for every catalog model except the Gateway Lite and the original Express (the Dream Router 5G Max's store page offers it, although Ubiquiti's CyberSecure model lists don't name that model); the subscription needs Remote Access turned on. Two hardware costs are easy to miss: storage for Protect (an SSD or hard drive where the model doesn't include one) and, for the independent gateways, a controller.