Eero Pro 7 vs Eero Max 7: Which Wi-Fi 7-powered eero mesh system should you buy?
This Wi-Fi 7-powered mesh kit balances price with performance and doesn’t leave out any of Wi-Fi 7’s best features like Multi-Link Operations and ultra-wide 320MHz data channels. It’s more compact but only has two instead of four Ethernet ports as a result. However, they’re both 5 Gigabit Ethernet ports.
For
- Compact size
- 5 Gbps networking ports
- Full tri-band Wi-Fi 7 features
- Excellent mid-range performance
Against
- Lacks USB port
- Only two Ethernet ports per device
This Wi-Fi 7-powered mesh kit is larger and more powerful but carries a premium price. Not only does it have twice as many antennas in each unit, they can also support an additional 50+ connected devices. The big draw with eero’s flagship mesh Wi-Fi system is that you get a total of four wired ports on each unit and two of them are 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports.
For
- 10 Gbps networking ports
- Full tri-band Wi-Fi 7 features
- Good close-up performance
- Supports more connected devices
Against
- Expensive
- Higher operating cost
If you’re considering upgrading to one of the best mesh Wi-Fi systems to say goodbye to Wi-Fi dead zones for good and are also in the market for one of the best Wi-Fi 7 routers, then the new eero Pro 7 or the eero Max 7 are both excellent options. Unlike with other mesh routers, eero’s are incredibly simple to set up and use with an intuitive app and plenty of extra features like built-in smart home hub functionality and automatic security updates.
While Netgear, TP-Link and other networking companies also make traditional Wi-Fi routers in addition to mesh ones, eero was founded back in 2014 with the goal of simplifying home Wi-Fi using mesh technology. It became an Amazon company in 2019 and its mesh router lineup has seen numerous improvements over the years. One big thing that sets eero apart from the competition is that every eero device — including the eero Pro 7 and the eero Max 7 — works with all of the company’s previous mesh routers.
The eero Max 7 was the company’s first mesh router with Wi-Fi 7 support and launched back in 2023. Now though, eero has released two new Wi-Fi 7-powered mesh kits in the form of the eero Pro 7 and the eero 7. However, as the eero 7 is a dual-band Wi-Fi 7 router, we’ll be comparing the new eero Pro 7 to the eero Max 7 to help you find the right eero mesh system with full Wi-Fi 7 support for your home.
Whether you want the faster speeds or new features like Multi-Link Operations, 4K QAM and ultra-wide 320MHz data channels that come with upgrading to Wi-Fi 7, the eero Pro 7 and the eero Max 7 both have you covered. However, deciding which one is a better fit for you and your household’s needs comes down to price, performance, features and design.
Here’s everything you need to know about the new eero Pro 7 and the eero Max 7 to help you decide between eero’s two most powerful mesh Wi-Fi systems.
Eero Pro 7 vs Eero Max 7: Specs
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Eero Pro 7 |
Eero Max 7 |
|---|---|---|
|
Price |
$299 (one-pack), $549 (two-pack), $699 (three-pack) |
$599 (one-pack), $1,149 (two-pack), $1,699 (three-pack) |
|
Release date |
February 26, 2025 |
October 26, 2023 |
|
Wi-Fi spec |
BE3900 (802.11be) |
BE4300 (802.11be) |
|
Wi-Fi spec |
2.4, 5 and 6 GHz |
2.4, 5 and 6 GHz |
|
Speed rating |
BE10800 |
BE20800 |
|
Ports |
2 x 5 Gbps |
2 x 2.5 Gbps, 2 x 10 Gbps |
|
Antennas |
5 |
10 |
|
Processor |
Quad-core Cortex A53 |
Quad-core Cortex A73 |
|
Memory/storage |
1GB/4GB |
2GB/4GB |
|
Connected devices |
200+ |
250+ |
|
Smart home connectivity |
Works with Alexa, Smart home hub, Thread, Bluetooth LE 5.0, Zigbee, Matter |
Works with Alexa, Smart home hub, Thread, Bluetooth LE 5.0, Zigbee, Matter |
|
Coverage |
2,000 square feet (per unit) |
2,500 square feet (per unit) |
|
Dimensions |
7.1 x 5.8 x 2.6 inches |
7.2 x 8.7 x 3.5 inches |
|
Warranty and support |
1-year limited, 7 days/week |
1-year limited, 7 days/week |
|
Estimated annual electricity cost |
$25 (two-pack) |
$52 (two-pack) |
Eero Pro 7 vs Eero Max 7: Pricing
As one of the first Wi-Fi 7 mesh kits available, the eero Max 7 carries a significantly higher price tag than the less powerful eero Pro 7. A single eero Max 7 costs $599 while a two-pack is available for $1,149 and there’s also a three-pack for $1,699. Meanwhile, the newer eero Pro 7 is priced more competitively. A single eero Pro 7 costs $299, a two-pack is available for $549 and a three-pack will set you back $699.
Since you can buy individual units, you can always start with a two-pack and then purchase another eero Max 7 or eero Pro 7 later on if you need more coverage in your home.
Likewise, you can use an Echo Dot (4th or 5th gen) as a mesh extender with either of these mesh Wi-Fi kits for additional coverage in a pinch. However, when using an Echo Dot as a mesh extender, they only supports speeds of up to 100 megabits per second (Mbps). Still, this is a nice option to have, especially if you already own several of the best smart home devices from Amazon.
Eero Pro 7 vs Eero Max 7: Design
Up until the release of the Max 7, all of eero’s mesh routers featured a puck-like design and were significantly smaller. With more antennas and warmer components powering them, eero’s Wi-Fi 7 devices needed a taller design with better cooling.
At 7.2 x 8.7 x 3.5 inches, the Max 7 is eero’s largest mesh router yet but it’s by no means the most sizable Wi-Fi 7 mesh router.
The Netgear Orbi 970 series is the tallest at 11.4 inches, though the TP-Link BE85 and Asus ZenWifi BQ 16 Pro are both quite large too with the former also sporting a cylindrical design while the latter is one of the only rectangular Wi-Fi 7-powered mesh routers.
To really get a good idea of the size difference between these two mesh routers, you need to see them side by side. At 7.1 x 5.8 x 2.6 inches, the Pro 7 is almost two-thirds smaller than the Max 7. Size is definitely something you want to consider when upgrading to a mesh router as unlike with one of the best Wi-Fi routers, a mesh Wi-Fi system is comprised of multiple devices that need to be strategically placed around your home.
For instance, in my own home, I have our main mesh router in the game room with another satellite in the living room and a third one in the kitchen. The Pro 7 units will definitely be easier to hide on top of bookshelves or you could even place one on a desk. I’ve been using the Max 7 since November of last year and while it is larger than the TP-Link Deco XE75 I used previously, its larger size isn’t as big of a deal as I thought it would be at first.
Both the eero Pro 7 and Max 7 have plenty of ventilation throughout their respective designs. There are large openings on the top, at the rear and on the bottom of both mesh routers. The Pro 7 and Max 7 aren’t loud though as they are passively cooled and don’t have an internal fan. All of this extra ventilation does seem to do the trick and neither device got more than warm to the touch after running for days on end during our testing.
Eero Pro 7 vs Eero Max 7: Features
Besides the size difference between these two devices, the available ports on the back are the other big differentiator in terms of how they’ll fit into your home network. The Pro 7 has two 5 Gigabit Ethernet ports, a reset button and a USB-C port for power around back while the Max 7 has two 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports, two 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports and the same reset button and USB-C port for power.
If you’re plugging in the Pro 7 or Max 7 into one of the best cable modems or an Optical Network Terminal for those with fiber internet, you can use any of the available Ethernet ports to do so. However, if you have a multi-gig internet plan with speeds faster than 2.5 Gbps with the Max 7, then you’re going to want to use one of the 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports instead.
Out of all the mesh routers I’ve tried and the ones we’ve reviewed at Tom’s Guide, only eero’s have a USB-C port for power while the others use a barrel port connector. The great thing about this is that if one of the power adapters in your eero mesh kit breaks or say gets lost during a move, you don’t have to buy a replacement directly from eero. Instead, you can use any power adapter with USB-C like a GaN charger, granted it has the correct wattage.
Since it is a larger device, the Max 7 has a 45W adapter while the smaller, less powerful Pro 7 uses a 27W one. Besides the Max 7’s higher overall price, it will also cost you more to run over time. For instance, if you pay that national average of 16 cents per kilowatt hour, a Max 7 two-pack will cost about $52 per year while a Pro 7 two-pack will cost around $25 per year.
One of the reasons you might be considering eero over other mesh routers is because of their features and simple set up process.
For starters, the company’s TrueMesh network intelligence helps limit interference while ensuring fast, reliable connections to all your devices. Then there’s TrueRoam which makes it easier for your devices to transition from one eero unit to another while you move around your house and finally there’s TrueChannel to intelligently choose which Wi-Fi channels your devices connect to. There’s a lot of proprietary technology and software powering eero’s mesh routers.
Setting up your eero devices and making changes to them is done entirely through the eero app. In the app itself, there’s a ton of information about your eero mesh kit, the devices connected to it and your internet connection.
If you’re willing to spend a bit more though, there’s also eero plus which costs $9.99 per month or $99 for the year. In addition to extra features like access to historical data, ad blocking, extra network security and eero Internet Backup, you also get antivirus software from Malwarebytes, a password manager from 1Password, a VPN from Guardian and VIP customer support.
Eero Pro 7 vs Eero Max 7: Performance
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Eero Pro 7 |
Eero Max 7 |
|---|---|---|
|
15 feet |
1.905 Gbps |
1.781 Gbps |
|
50 feet |
994.4 Mbps |
146.9 Mbps |
|
75 feet |
234.7 Mbps |
132.7 Mbps |
|
90 feet |
20.8 Mbps |
16.8 Mbps |
If you look at our testing data above, you might think that the Pro 7 is faster than the Max 7 at first glance. However, that’s definitely not the case. You see, we did our networking benchmarks for the Max 7 when it was first released in 2023. Over the past two years though, it’s received a ton of automatic updates (one of eero’s best features overall) and they have really had an impact on performance and overall network stability.
One thing that really surprised us with the Pro 7 though is how well it performed at mid-range distances. Also, keep in mind that these tests were carried out using a single eero device and this doesn’t really showcase the true power of a mesh network.
After upgrading to the Max 7 myself with a 10 gigabit Fiber connection, I consistently saw speeds of over a gigabit in my kitchen which is 38 feet away from the main eero unit that serves as my router in my game room. Also, there are several rooms between the two Max 7 units and I have a house filled with other connected devices using up bandwidth.
It’s also worth noting that if you have a very fast multi-gig internet connection, you can see even better speeds by hardwiring your computer to the Pro 7 or Max 7. The Pro 7 can get up to 5 Gbps down over its multi-gig Ethernet ports while the Max 7 can get up to 10 Gbps down.
Granted, you’ll likely see less than either of these numbers as even with a plan with the fastest internet speeds available, internet service providers offer speeds “up to” a certain amount of data. For example, your gigabit internet plan could drop down to 500 Mbps during peak periods where a lot of other people are using your ISP’s services at the same time.
Eero Pro 7 vs Eero Max 7: Which is best for you
The Pro 7 and Max 7 are both excellent mesh Wi-Fi systems with great features, fast speeds and best of all, a very simple set up and configuration process. You can’t go wrong with either mesh kit but the high price of the Max 7 and its 10 Gigabit Ethernet Ports means that it will likely appeal more to power users and early adopters. The Pro 7 on the other hand is a great mid-range option that doesn’t cut any corners like we’ve seen with other Wi-Fi 7 mesh routers. If $699 for an eero Pro 7 three-pack is too much for you, there’s always the very affordable Eero 7 mesh kit too. However, it doesn’t give you access to the faster 6GHz band which is one of the big draws of both Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7.
One thing that you can do with eero that you can’t do with other mesh routers is mix and match. For instance, you could buy a single Max 7 unit to serve as your main router and then pick up a pair of Pro 7 units to serve as the satellites around the rest of your house. If you want to have the same mesh devices for your whole network, you could also start off with a two-pack and then add an additional unit later on or use several Echo Dot smart speakers to fill out any gaps in your home network’s coverage.
At the end of the day though, the Pro 7 is likely the best Wi-Fi 7-powered eero mesh router for most people due to its features, performance and more affordable price. However, if you have the right internet plan and a lot of hardwired devices, the Max 7 is a great though more expensive option.
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