hAP ax2

Mikrotik hap ax2. I connect to the isp via pppoe and it works great. It supports any kind of configuration and protocols you could imagine as long as the hw can handle it

I have the ax^(2), it's a fantastic little wifi router. I've never had a problem with the wifi - in fact it's the best wifi I've ever had at home. I live in a rural area so there's zero interference, so ymmv, but my own take is that if Mikrotik wifi was bad in the past, it's fine now. Performance/capability-wise it punches well above its weight. The only things I wish it had are better heat sinking (the CPU is limited to \~800MHz to prevent overheating) and a USB port - relevant to you as you mentioned wanting to run containers. While the ax^(2) has 1GB RAM and a good CPU, it has only 128MB onboard storage, and no USB port to provide an easy way to add more. 128MB is so small it's ridiculous, especially when you consider the CPU and RAM. You can still run containers but you'll need to configure network storage, which adds some complexity and fragility. If this is a big issue for you, consider the ax^(3). It adds a USB port and also has a larger heat sink, so the CPU is also unlocked. The ax^(2) has only 1Gb Ethernet. If you have an internet connection equal to/faster than 1Gb/s download or upload and want to be able to utilise all of it you should look at other brands or consider pairing a more power router with a separate wifi AP.

hAP ax2 or hAP ax3 would be my go to given your budget, the size of your home, and Internet speed. Just compare those and determine which you like more.

I'm in a small flat so I don't know how it'll do for range, but I'm running a mikrotik hap ax2. No joke I get 850mbit on the 5ghz band, and mikrotik routers have every feature you could ever want in a router 

You could take a look at the hAp ax S. Just be aware that this is going to be their first MediaTek wifi device, so some initial flakiness could be present... The ax2 on the other hand is an absolutely reliable tried and tested product, which I would have no trouble recommending. The ax2, however, doesn't have a usb port, which makes it kind of unsuitable for containers...

MikroTik RB5009UG+S+IN bar none, and a Ubiqiti access point. But if you don't need the SPF+ port, and will upgrade later (which is what I would do) the MikroTik HAP AX2 for the price is great and has wireless.

This. Mikrotik is always behind the curve and go more for stability and value than cutting edge. At the low price that an hAP AX² goes for, you can easily buy that then in two years buy whatever the new model is, and likely STILL come out cheaper than some crap Netgear spider antenna monstrosity.

I have my daughter the ac2 with version 7.18.2 and two wireguard vpn and it works great with the new wireless package, but if I had to buy again I would avoid it, better an ax2, the 4011 is too much for a home network, the same as the 5009, plus they are more expensive

Ac2. But this router slowly die because of lack of memory. Actually i dont think its good deal in 2025. Maybe you can buy ax2 instead? It has 1GB RAM instead 128MB and 128MB flash instead of 16MB. Latest version of routeros is problematic on ac2.

I'm on hAP ax² on 1:1gb with \~20 firewall rules, some ports forwarding, no issues at all.