Router recommendations

Hey everyone, I am starting to experiment with some "smart home" ideas I have. Right now the main pain point I have is that my router is very limiting in terms of configuring and managing my network. Even the simplest port forward is a pain with it. I was wondering if you have any recommendations for a router that has a good user experience and allows for an extensive configuration. Preferably with easy mesh integration and a decent GUI.
I was looking into Google Nest but I don't really know if it's good.
Thanks!