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Cisco Ethernet Switches vs MikroTik Cloud Router Switch comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
134
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
22nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
18
Ranking in other categories
Routers (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Cisco Ethernet Switches is 18.9%, down from 20.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is 1.1%, down from 1.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Ronald Van Rees - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers a power stacking feature and enhances port speed with impressive stability
The vendor is presently working with large digital network architectures and additional software, as it is now willing to become a software-focused company instead of a hardware one. Cisco Ethernet Switches presently provide two options, either the user can utilize the basic features or the advanced software. Previously, advanced features were included in the basic package, but now they are provided as add-ons that need to be purchased separately for an extensive period of three or five years. As part of the advanced features in the solution, there is Digital Network Architecture (DNA) that provides insights, multiple dashboards and monitoring capabilities over Nexus and Catalyst switches from Cisco. Sometimes, customers need to buy features for Cisco Ethernet Switches that they do not require or use. The basic switches like the C1000 from the vendor don't have the DNA feature, but advanced version switches like Cisco Ethernet Switches have made the add-on purchases mandatory to avail certain features, which makes it difficult for several users.
Josephat Magesa - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy to set up, user-friendly, and reliable
I'm also familiar with Cisco which I used at another company. Cisco is a little bit expensive to acquire. With MikroTik, came with the same solution and you can use so many features. In MikroTik, you can use maybe two routers or one router to cover all your requirements, which you can also do on Cisco. This product is also cheaper than Cisco. Cisco has a lot of complications even with the configurations. On the price issues or even support issues, you may need to have so many routers when using Cisco for a simple solution. If you can use only one switch to clear your solution, why don't you use MikroTik? You don't have to use Cisco to have more than one switch to solve your problem.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The product offers very good customer support. It's likely the best in the industry."
"You get good support for Cisco Ethernet Switches versus other products in the market."
"I'm satisfied with Cisco switches. It's stable and beautiful."
"Cisco Ethernet Switches is a very stable product."
"The most valuable feature is the complete functionality, but the most important thing is support."
"Cisco Ethernet Switches are pretty reliable, and I have rarely seen one of them break."
"Tech support has always been good."
"The solution is compatible with many brands, such as VMware."
"It is easy to set up the solution."
"This solution is very similar to the on-premises version making it easy to use for those who know the architect."
"Some of the most valuable features are the simplicity, cost, usability, and power. As a package, it's extremely effective."
"It's a well-rounded solution for routing."
"The GUI is easy to use."
"The wiki page that describes the scripting and other features is very good."
"The beauty of MikroTik is that you have flexibility with the routing parts."
"The initial setup is easy."
 

Cons

"It would be nice if they had higher wattage for PoE+."
"The user interface could be improved."
"The initial setup for on-prem versions is complex and requires a trained, certified engineer."
"Cisco's equipment is expensive, especially since it introduced the obligatory purchase of Cisco DNA."
"The platform's management features need improvement."
"The user interface, the UI, could be better."
"The solution needs to work on lowering the amount of bugs. We find them quite regularly."
"The cost is very prohibitive both for us as well as other organizations. It's very expensive to buy Cisco switches. Among our colleagues, we find that we're not alone in thinking it's too high. Everyone's complaining about this."
"Improvements are needed with respect to some of the security, especially for VPN links between vendors other than Cisco."
"Stuff that I'd like to be improved is really just training and documentation because I think the feature set is full. Another improvement I'd suggest is that their new, bigger releases should be a bit more stable."
"The port isolation and VLAN need to be improved."
"The packet filtering, user log data, and user access log could all be improved."
"MikroTik needs to add some features like IPS, mail security, or antivirus, et cetera."
"The user interface could improve and they should allow a license for IBS."
"The RAM capacity offered by the product needs to be increased, as it is one area where the tool currently has some shortcomings."
"It happens that you may find your network is down, if you reboot the switch, they come up. However, sometimes, they reset themselves. That's a big issue."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution has different prices depending on the features that you want to have."
"There are different licensing based on the model of the solution."
"The solution is highly expensive compared to other solutions. The prices get tripled when they arrived in my country of Angola."
"The price is very high though it is priced right for the level of quality."
"I pay a fixed price on it. I'm not the person on the pursing, so I don't really compare."
"It is expensive. There are additional costs besides the license cost."
"Cisco products are not cheap, which is something that can be improved."
"The price is on the higher side."
"In Pakistan, if you buy this cloud router, it's approximately $700 for the device."
"I believe the price of the tool is high, but it is okay for the services we get from it."
"This product has a one-time cost and there is no licensing fee."
"The licensing for MikroTik is great. It's easy to enter, especially for small businesses. Their model is great."
"I consider it to be a cost-effective solution."
"The price is competitive."
"MikroTik is really cheap compared to the competitors."
"They came with the licensing when we purchased them."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Ethernet Switches solutions are best for your needs.
825,661 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Comparison Review

it_user82779 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 29, 2014
Benefits of Juniper vs Cisco
Both are decent products. I prefer Juniper for the following reasons: 1) Cleaner separation of data plane from control plane. Higher end Cisco devices are better at this but most of the lower end products still seem to be more integrated than I like. 2) The Hierarchical config design means I can…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
8%
Computer Software Company
15%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Media Company
6%
University
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Would you recommend replacing a Cisco Catalyst Switch by a D-link one?
Hello Mesfin It depends on the real scenario, the cisco 2960 is a very good device and they usually have routing functions but there are many different models within the same 2960 line, and on the ...
Which would you choose - Fortinet Fortiswitch secure access or Cisco Ethernet Switches?
We researched Cisco but ultimately chose Fortinet FortiSwitch Secure Access, mostly because of the price. Fortinet FortiSwitch is an ethernet switch solution that provides security and performance...
In terms of ethernet switches, would you go with Cisco or Juniper?
Our organization ran comparison tests to determine whether Cisco or Juniper Ethernet switches were the better fit for us. We decided to go with Juniper. Juniper ethernet switches are a lesser-known...
What do you like most about MikroTik Cloud Router Switch?
The tool has impacted our company's network costs and productivity in a perfect manner and percentage-wise, I can say it is 120 percent.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch?
I believe the price of the tool is high, but it is okay for the services we get from it.
What needs improvement with MikroTik Cloud Router Switch?
The product might have room for improvement. I am satisfied with the product till now. The RAM capacity offered by the product needs to be increased, as it is one area where the tool currently has ...
 

Also Known As

Cisco Industrial Ethernet Switches
MikroTik CRS Series
 

Learn More

Video not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Linz AG
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. MikroTik Cloud Router Switch and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
825,661 professionals have used our research since 2012.