Mellanox Switches vs Meraki MS Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

Mellanox Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
18th
Average Rating
7.8
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Meraki MS Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
5th
Average Rating
8.4
Number of Reviews
89
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Market share comparison

As of June 2024, in the Ethernet Switches category, the market share of Mellanox Switches is 1.4% and it decreased by 25.2% compared to the previous year. The market share of Meraki MS Switches is 6.2% and it increased by 51.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
Unique Categories:
No other categories found
No other categories found
 

Featured Reviews

Anil Ergunsah - PeerSpot reviewer
Jul 20, 2022
Powerful hardware, reliable performance, and advantageous open-source OS
Mellanox Switches are used for spine-and-leaf topology in data center networks for top-of-rack devices, core devices for infinite bands at speed, and EVPN wasteland solutions. They're very good The most valuable features of Mellanox Switches are the powerful hardware and the software is open.…
PP
Oct 24, 2023
Simplifies the management process and allows the granular control of devices
Meraki MS switches are great for pretty much all SMB networks and most enterprise networks. However, there are some higher-end functions that larger enterprise networks with full access, distribution, and core switch stack may find limiting. One of the most challenging things to get used to is the delay in the time it takes for changes to be implemented. With a locally managed switch, you make a change and it is pretty much immediate. With the nature of cloud management, you make a change and it may take one to three minutes before that change makes its way to the device and takes effect. It's not a problem once you get used to it but when we first started working with Meraki, I found myself making a change and immediately assuming it didn't work so I would change it again. A little patience is your friend when making changes. They have a field on the dashboard that lets you know when the config is up to date so that makes it easy to know when you can start testing your change(s). I'm not sure if this delay could be reduced or not by prioritizing communication but it is by no means a show-stopper. They warn you when you are about to make changes to the uplink path of a device so you can double-check to make certain your change will not break the Internet access for the device.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"From what I've been told, a valuable feature of Mellanox switches is they're quite user-friendly."
"The most valuable features of this solution are its functionality."
"The most valuable features of Mellanox Switches are the size, power consumption, and the vast amount of features."
"The tool is very configurable because it runs on a Linux operating system."
"The most valuable features of Mellanox Switches are the powerful hardware and the software is open. They're using Linux operating system. You can do and install many things, and it performs well."
"It is a very easy-to-use product."
"The technical support is quite good."
"Meraki's site-to-site VPN function is phenomenal, and the VLAN is simple to use and set up. If you need the VLAN to sort the networks out, that works very well. The performance is also excellent."
"The solution is very stable."
"The dashboard and the interface, in general, are good features."
"This product has QoS, decent visibility of what's going on, and it's a managed switch."
"The initial setup is straightforward. You only need two people for deployment and maintenance."
"Meraki MS Switches have a very user-friendly dashboard and the policies are straightforward for sending them to the devices and blocking sites."
"Easy to set up, stable switches with good accessibility that makes it quicker to identify problems, find solutions, and fix problems."
 

Cons

"The scalability is working fine at the moment, but there's always room for improvement. As of right now, I don't know of any improvements to suggest."
"The configuration is a bit different from Cisco, and therefore, for me at least, there's a bit of a learning curve."
"If you compare this solution with Cisco, utilization in Cisco is more popular and it is more friendly."
"Mellanox Switches could improve by adding some features that can make it easier for integrating the switches in some managing and monitoring platforms, such as Elastic or similar software for monitoring data with the data center in a more holistic way."
"Mellanox Switches were easier before Nvidia bought Mellanox and then their new version of the operating system changed. They started with Ennui, and now they only use Linux. If they returned to their previous CLI it would be a good option for starters. The new CLI is more difficult to use but more powerful than the older one. It has its advantages."
"The solution needs to improve its ability to back up the auto-configuration."
"The pricing needs to be more competitive with other products on the market."
"When we do any changes to the core switch it causes the devices to reboot."
"This is quite an expensive solution."
"On the switches, I don't know a whole lot that I would change. Different levels of switches have different layer 2 and layer 3 functionality. It's always nice to have layer 3 functionality across the board if you can, but that drives up the cost. They've got different lines for different amounts of layer 3 functionality. However, on their models that do include full layer 3 access, when you choose to use layer 3 on a switch, it doesn't have the full functioning routing capabilities of an MX firewall. It can be limiting in some of those aspects."
"It could be easier to use and easier to implement."
"The product has no CLI."
"The licensing model needs to be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is a license to use the switch ports of Mellanox Switches."
"The pricing is very competitive. The licensing costs are fine."
"It's an open-source solution."
"The price of Mellanox Switches is reasonable compared to other solutions. The price and quality ratio was very good. There is a one-time license purchase that is needed."
"My company pays for Meraki MS Switches yearly. Pricing-wise, the product is relatively inexpensive."
"It is very expensive so I want it to be cheaper."
"This product is more than the competition, but you get what you pay for."
"The price of Meraki MS Switches is high."
"We paid for our switches outright, at a cost of between $15,000 USD and $18,000 USD."
"This is not a cheap solution."
"If you buy a license for one switch, it will include the licensing for the device RMA, device failure warranty, technical support, and everything else. Also covered is support for software updates for future releases. It's a single license for everything and there's nothing that customers need to pay in addition to the license."
"The pricing is high and it is where we get the most pushback from customers."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
23%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Computer Software Company
19%
Retailer
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Educational Organization
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Mellanox Switches?
The most valuable features of Mellanox Switches are the powerful hardware and the software is open. They're using Linux operating system. You can do and install many things, and it performs well.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Mellanox Switches?
The solution is affordable. I rate the product’s pricing as two out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive.
What needs improvement with Mellanox Switches?
The response time of the support could be faster.
What do you like most about Meraki MS Switches?
The most valuable features of Meraki MS Switches are their reliability and simplicity.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Meraki MS Switches?
I would rate the costliness of Meraki MS Switches at around seven out of ten. They are not cheap, but I find them to be a good value for the money. However, I would prefer if the prices were a bit ...
What needs improvement with Meraki MS Switches?
One area where Meraki MS switches could improve is offering smaller switch sizes for distribution switches, as not all networks require the standard 24 or 48 ports. Having more compact options with...
 

Also Known As

Mellanox SN2700
MS220, MS320, MS420
 

Learn More

Video not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

CNPC, Korea Consumer Agency, Nutanix, Roxo Systems, StorPool, Atlantic.Net, INFN, StarWind, NYSE Technologies, Creative Consultants, ENKI
Cisco Live Milan, Hyatt
Find out what your peers are saying about Mellanox Switches vs. Meraki MS Switches and other solutions. Updated: May 2024.
787,061 professionals have used our research since 2012.