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Aruba Switches vs Meraki MS Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
7.3
Aruba Switches offer visibility, troubleshooting, and warranty benefits, with long-term savings despite high initial costs and challenging ROI assessment.
Sentiment score
6.2
Meraki MS Switches offer efficient management and reduced costs but ROI varies with cloud transition completeness and deployment strategy.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.9
Aruba Switches' customer service receives mixed reviews, with some praising responsiveness and others citing delays and varying support quality.
Sentiment score
8.5
Meraki MS Switches are praised for strong support and convenience, though some desire more senior engineers and improved communication.
I find that technical support is available, especially during the warranty period.
If the devices are licensed, the support team will assist you depending on the severity level of the case.
Cisco's tech support is pretty good, and I would rate it an eight out of ten.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.2
Aruba Switches are praised for their scalability, integration capabilities, and modular design, receiving high ratings from users.
Sentiment score
7.9
Meraki MS Switches offer scalability for SMBs and cloud environments but lack features and options for large enterprises.
I would rate the scalability of the product an eight out of ten.
The scalability, in my opinion, is around seven to eight out of ten.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.2
Aruba Switches are highly stable, reliable, and perform well with regular updates; proper power protection is recommended.
Sentiment score
8.6
Meraki MS Switches offer stable performance, reliability, and ease of use, with minor issues resolved quickly in complex environments.
I have sites that have been running for many years with no issues.
The stability of Aruba Switches is very good, and I would rate it between eight and nine out of ten.
If something happens to the device or hardware, Cisco will automatically change the device by the next business day.
We faced issues following firmware updates, which we now handle by performing updates outside of working hours.
 

Room For Improvement

Aruba Switches require improvements in usability, pricing, support, delivery, cooling, and data center expansion for better competitive standing.
Meraki MS Switches face pricing and cloud dependency issues, needing better licensing, scalability, security, and technical support features.
Improving the distribution network across regions would be beneficial.
Meraki should also consider improvements in stacking features, particularly in the lower-end models like NS130, where stacking isn't supported, unlike with Cisco traditional switching.
There are compatibility issues with certain Power over Ethernet (PoE) devices, which we would like to see resolved.
Most people are familiar with the Cisco commands, and it would be beneficial if the switch could be accessed by GUI configuration and by normally accessing the console.
 

Setup Cost

Aruba Switches offer cost-effective pricing and include basic features without extra licensing, generally cheaper than Cisco by 10-30%.
Meraki MS Switches are costly but valuable for features and support, with complex licensing. Some see it as competitive.
The pricing of some products, such as the 6300M switch, is considered a significant cost.
From my experience, the pricing of Aruba Switches is competitive.
Meraki pricing is a little premium compared to other vendor products.
Pricing is affordable, and licenses for the cloud need to be purchased every three to five years.
 

Valuable Features

Aruba Switches offer intuitive management, high performance, robust security, and cost-effective solutions with flexible on-premises and cloud options.
Meraki MS Switches offer centralized cloud management, robust security, and scalability, making them ideal for efficient, distributed network operations.
In the hotel sector, IGMP 3 is particularly valuable for IPTV.
Aruba Switches provide good security functionalities and quality of service.
The control plane is in the cloud, and the data plane is local, allowing manageability from anywhere.
The most valuable feature is the ability to access devices from anywhere in the world through the cloud.
One of the most valuable features of Meraki MS Switches is its precise traffic analytics capabilities, allowing us to query the system for any place at any time.
 

Categories and Ranking

Aruba Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
82
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Meraki MS Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
8th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
94
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Aruba Switches is 13.4%, up from 12.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Meraki MS Switches is 4.6%, up from 4.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Michael-Sugg - PeerSpot reviewer
As a managed service provider, it's important to have a solution that can manage everything from one console
There are some growing pains with Aruba Central. When you first launch the wireless access points or switches, a lot of updates are needed to get Aruba Central ready, especially on the access points, so the initial deployment time could improve. I would hope that I could just turn it on and leave the updates until later on. The switches themselves probably did okay. I'm primarily referring to the wireless access points. There was a lot of back and forth before everything was in sync. It took hours. I can't think of any missing features, but it would be nice if there were a free version of Aruba Central for my small business clients that doesn't have as many features.
Jóhann G. Thorarensen - PeerSpot reviewer
Reliable and easily accessible switches with a plug and play setup
We used Cisco switches, then we decided to go with Meraki MS Switches for several reasons. One reason was that the Cisco switches were originally set up by a company that was in charge of the whole system, which was run from a company outside the school. Then, we had someone come in to take charge here in our school, then we transferred that responsibility to an outsider. I then came in, and I started learning the system, so the outsider became the backup plan. It turned out, once we started digging into things, that the system was set up in a cumbersome and closed way, much like a banking system, rather than a setup that would be good for a school, that can rely on switches rather than closing the school into units. Another reason was that our switches were getting outdated, so we had to do something. We started looking at various solutions, and we had to decided whether to continue the way we were doing things, which we did not like because it was cumbersome and it had to be done on-site, or if we could do it in a way that would be more accessible both inside and outside the school, while having the level of security and stability we need. For example, we looked at Ubiquiti UniFi which was a cheaper system, but it was less stable, though I know that some schools were using that system. It was really just a question of stability and accessibility, and these were deciding factors in the system that we chose. Even though Meraki MS Switches were more expensive than the other solutions, we ended up with Meraki.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
Educational Organization
7%
Computer Software Company
19%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Retailer
7%
Educational Organization
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Aruba Switches?
Aruba lives up to the expectations of the tech giant hewlett packard enterprise providing excellent networking capabilities at a very affordable price compared to the equivalent from another tech g...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Switches?
Most Aruba Switches come with a one-time licensing fee, and we pay for support annually. The pricing of some products, such as the 6300M switch, is considered a significant cost.
What needs improvement with Aruba Switches?
There are issues with the distribution side of Aruba Switches. For instance, the distributor in our country cannot sell to neighboring countries, creating complications in project execution. Improv...
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?
The solution is a bit expensive as it is on the high end. The cost depends on the model and the number of years of usage.
What needs improvement with Meraki MS Switches?
There are compatibility issues with certain Power over Ethernet (PoE) devices, which we would like to see resolved.
 

Also Known As

8400 Series, 8320 Series, 5400R Series, 3810 Series, 2930M Series, 2930F Series, 2920 Series, 2540 Series, 2530 Series
MS220, MS320, MS420
 

Learn More

Video not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Purdue University
Cisco Live Milan, Hyatt
Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Switches vs. Meraki MS Switches and other solutions. Updated: December 2024.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.