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Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center vs MikroTik Routers and Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
15th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
23
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
MikroTik Routers and Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
6th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
65
Ranking in other categories
Routers (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is 1.6%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MikroTik Routers and Switches is 4.1%, down from 5.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Rias Majeed - PeerSpot reviewer
Enables easy management of traffic and enhances security
FortiSwitch Data Center allows for centralized management of both Fortinet switches and firewalls from a single interface. This integration makes network management streamlined and secure. Additionally, the controllers are built into the firewall, which enables easy management of traffic and enhances security. Unlike some solutions, a Fortinet firewall is not just a firewall; it also acts as a full-fledged router.
AnikIslam - PeerSpot reviewer
Cost-effective protocol support and a straightforward setup with room for login enhancements
In the network operations center, I manage our client's bandwidth. We connect with our clients through BGP and OSPF based on client demands. We also manage routing protocols, policies, internal firewalls, and other details like QE bandwidth, client manage bandwidth management, PoE, PPPoE, and DNS…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Based on my use cases, Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center was a great product that was easy to manage and work with while being a powerful tool."
"The product is stable."
"I like the solution's technical support. I rate the technical support a ten out of ten."
"When configuring FortiSwitch with a FortiGate firewall, I can consider all FortiSwitch's ports as a part of the FortiGate firewall."
"SD-WAN and the security fabric are essential features of the product."
"All the features are necessary, like tracking evidence and IPS. However, I appreciate the ability to connect the logs and the dashboard functionality."
"The interface is very straightforward."
"Using Fortinet's whole range, including FortiSwitches, is cost-effective compared to Cisco and beneficial for network security."
"It is a stable solution. I have been using the solution for a while, and I don't face any outages or trouble while using the solution."
"It's pretty stable."
"It's very user-friendly."
"This equipment is resilient and available at a good price."
"We're very happy with what we are getting out of the solution in general. The features are good. They're comparable to other brands such as Cisco and HP."
"The solution is stable."
"What I like best about MikroTik Routers and Switches is its easy handling. The product also has a significantly good interface."
"The most valuable feature is the price because it's highly cost-effective concerning the functionalities provided within the box. The solution is stable. The solution is scalable. The initial setup is straightforward. I would recommend the solution because it provides value for money."
 

Cons

"The product must improve the latency in the management center."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center needs to improve its UI and stability."
"When there are many switches being used, the speed declines noticeably."
"Does not have as many features as other solutions, such as segmentation and analytics engines."
"The FortiSwitch product was initially quite complex."
"Cisco is better in terms of price, scalability, and ease of management. Regarding resources, they are available in Pakistan to manage these systems."
"The stability of the solution is impacted when integrating parts from different vendors such as Cisco, which can lead to performance problems and disconnections."
"The solution can improve by upgrading QSFP+, it is very limited and must be supported more than it is now. If we need FortiSwitches to support all the QSFP ports our budgets would have to be very large."
"I think the documentation of specific features could probably be improved. Especially if you want to try a new feature, sometimes you must test it thoroughly before implementing it with the client because the documentation doesn't give you the full background."
"It would be very good if these products are accessible via different kinds of shells and GUI. It will make these solutions very usable."
"f they can improve the OpenVPN, to make that a bit more straightforward, that would be ideal."
"The solution should improve the features of Wi-Fi 6 a little bit."
"We'd like for them to improve the UI and improve on speed."
"The solution needs to be more robust. In case of power fluctuations, MikroTik routers are more vulnerable to malfunctioning."
"If the reporting functionality of the solution is considered, I think it is not good."
"The solution is a complicated device."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The tool's pricing is lower than Cisco's."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is expensive."
"The product is less expensive than one of its competitors."
"The product has a mid-range price."
"Cost-wise, Fortinet solutions are cheaper than those offered by Cisco."
"The solution's pricing is a little high. The solution deserves the current price it receives from its users."
"The solution is not expensive."
"We pay a yearly licensing fee for the solution, which is expensive."
"There is a one-time license fee for the use of this solution and it is less expensive than Cisco products."
"When you buy a license, it is for life and you don't need to buy another one every year."
"Here in Bangladesh, MikroTik Routers and Switches cost 90,000 Taka, or converting that figure to dollars is $1,000."
"MikroTik's equipment is very cheap compared to Cisco and Huawei."
"It's reasonably priced. It's not the most cheap solution, but also, it's not the most expensive one."
"The tool has a low price."
"The product is cheap compared to Cisco."
"The tool's pricing is competitive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
20%
Government
10%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Computer Software Company
16%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center?
The Fortinet switches come with no additional cost as they are open source, with only hardware warranties applicable.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center?
Compatibility with infrastructure from other vendors like Cisco and Sophos can be further improved. Sometimes there are bugs when integrating with Sophos and other products.
How do Cisco Enterprise routers compare with Mikrotik routers and switches?
Cisco Enterprise Routers are very stable and easy to use. They offer a very solid performance and are very secure. They also have a very good, long lifespan. We feel the command configuration is ve...
Which are better - Ubiquiti UniFi switches or MikroTik routers and switches?
Ubiquiti Unifi is a great solution. For starters, it is easy to configure and implement, and doesn’t require a learning curve because it is easy to use. It is also simple to reconfigure an AP or ga...
What do you like most about MikroTik Routers and Switches?
The price is a big factor. They are very affordable, and the quality is high.
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
ABB, Boingo Wireless, JPL, HP, Allied Telesis, iPass, Mips Technologies, MicroAge, Matsushita, Telia, undp, WFP, NASA
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center vs. MikroTik Routers and Switches and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
831,158 professionals have used our research since 2012.