rt-merlin allows you explicitly to turn the TrendMicro stuff off, TrendMicro is only useful for QoS, and if you have a fat Internet pipe, you probably dont need it.
ASUS-merlin has DNS-over-TLS support, which, combined with NextDNS, will help you block trendmicro off if you really dont trust it.
Just so long as you don't mind giving Trend Micro access to all your information.