Is it safe to keep settings on a firmware upgrade if you have no extras enabled.
i.e. only Passwords for admin, wifi and isp setup. Wifi configured to ac/ax only on 5ghz band.
I have no adguard or vpn setups on the router.
Usually you would be ok, best is to make a backup before via luci.
When bugs happen like vpn not working then test with clean settings.
The only thing I advise to not keep settings is when you flash between major OpenWrt base versions, between MTK SDK and op24 or back, that one can be very tricky, for wireless the device namings are different in the config, so if GL-iNet doesn't have a migrate system, wifi can break.
I though backups via LUCI were only for downgrades to your previous firmware if something goes wrong?
People had success by upgrading between major versions, but failure on flashing back.
Imho, I would not recommend this at all and advise making a backup, usually when I don't trust it I manually review the files from backup vs the factory settings in the different firmware, it's 9/10 the wireless config.
Configs are found at path: /etc/config
Why does every other router manufacturer provide a safe option to keep settings after firmware upgrade. It cant be that hard.
Usually it shouldn't, but GL-iNet keeps wanting to use the mtk versions and make multiple versions out of op24, there might be migration scripts set in place but not for every situation.
I'm running a long time builds from OpenWrt from master (snapshots), and I don't have issues.
Recently they changed wifi-scripts that gave some issues for me but I could revert back to the old one not using ucode, it's mostly the experimental code what breaks not the configs, if they just keep it at full releases there shouldn't be a issue.
With configuration I have zero breakage.
If it’s such a simple setup then I would just ‘not keep settings’.
The setup is that simple it would literally take 5-10 minutes to setup.
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Thanks for the advice guys 
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So which Firmware versions of op24 use mtk ?
OP24 version doesn't use Mediatek SDK, but OpenWrts open source driver MT76, which interpretes the same calibration blobs of Mediatek SDK.
Mediatek SDK uses their own fork of OpenWrt which is ancient in version, and uses their own private wireless drivers.
Often vendor SDK like Mediatek are used on various of vendors, also typical non OpenWrt routers this is also where MTK SDK can be used in, hidden in the background, frankly alot of routers already be a form of OpenWrt under the hood of a vendor SDK to make more sense 
, developers can fix CVE's and such by backporting them.
So in your opinion latest op24 firmware has no issues with wifi drivers and mediatek hw?
I definitely prefer gl-inet gui over luci as I am not a power user. I have not been using op24 as I believed 4.8.2 (op21) was stable but I was hit with the slow web page bug, but will move to op24 if its better in your humble opinion.
the latest version of op24 should be stable in a lot of cases, though it isn't build on the most recent latest release of OpenWrt but it should work, note that the gl sdk which is the ui you mentoin and it's functions are often a lower version these do not walk parallel with the other mtk firmware, you will lose out on very new features.
only on very certain edge cases it will not work stable and therefor mtk sdk was advised, hw offloading will just work fine on op24, on MTK sdk this can be questionable on some routers.
tl;dr:
in my own opinion, I wish they already got rid of MTK SDK and just build against OP24, they already make it very complicated with the newer version of OpenWrt and a lower GL-SDK, but their toolchain also becomes a mess because often they share the same packages between such distinct different versions, this can result in alot of breakage because each project should just have it's own package chain.
of course, when Flint 2 just got out this was a fully different story and MT76 was performing very unstable this was the reason a version of MTK SDK got released, but I myself think it runs very good now.
they state on the download page, they will build against op24 when they think it is more stable, but because MTK SDK also includes hacks/patchsets which would 'boost' a router and would never reach on OpenWrt upstream, MTK SDK always have a step in front which is an unfair comparison, they also didn't say what the exact unstability issue was on OP24, maybe a really small group?
^ some things on MTK SDK aren't perfect like the support of the 2.5gb port, if the kernel is old but there is a bug with negotation issues affecting the kernel then you have to wonder if they have backported it themselves which you cannot find publicly because not opensource, you rather want to try OP24
I just don't like the finger pointing like OP24 is more bad as that text on the download page, it actually runs very stable for me
So 4.6.6 op24rc is the best firmware for GL gui and most up to date features or the latest 4.8.2 op24 if it has GL gui?
To me op24 is more stable it has a more recent kernel by OpenWrt and more upstream patches by OpenWrt, but not perse with the gl features, gl sdk doesn't walk parrelell with other firmware, and some code is different than on mtk sdk.
I cannot really compare apples with pears, it would be much easier if mtk sdk got dropped so also the developement on the gl sdk is more aimed to op24, because with the difference they also add a layer of extra failure for both versions.
So are you suggesting vanilla openwrt?
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