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Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access 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 - Secu...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
5th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
47
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 February 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is 5.5%, down from 5.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MikroTik Routers and Switches is 5.5%, up from 4.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

SherifAbdelrahman - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficient integration allows streamlined network management with a straightforward setup
I use it for retail business. We are using the FortiSwitch solution for our voice switches and access points as well It has helped us by providing easy management from a single platform through the firewall interface. It's very easy to manage and provides all the insights and vulnerabilities,…
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

"The most valuable feature would be network management, separating the network management component from security. It can do both but we promote it on its own. It's a good solution to do network management."
"The integration with the whole platform, so there's one dashboard for everything. It is one of the most valuable features."
"Having a single dashboard to manage everything simplifies the process."
"You can hook all the other components to be monitored. You can create policies and block certain people from accessing the Internet."
"The most valuable feature is that I can completely isolate devices that are compromising the network."
"What I really love in FortiSwitch: its usability, the graphical user interface, and the ability to be managed by FortiGate."
"The most valuable feature of FortiSwitch is its user-friendly interface, which facilitates easy management and propagation of rules throughout the network."
"The policies are very good."
"The most valuable feature is the ease of use."
"The deployment process of MikroTik routers and switches is very convenient since it is not command-driven and comes with a graphical user interface, making it much easier to operate."
"We use the product for VPN."
"The best part about MikroTik Routers is the price."
"The MikroTik Hotspot is great."
"MikroTik routers are very user-friendly and easy to manage"
"I have seen a return on investment since we didn't have to pay a licensing fee."
"They have amazing speed and reliability, and they also provide value for money. They are pretty powerful."
 

Cons

"The solution doesn't support other switches."
"The product's pricing needs improvement for small and medium businesses."
"I would rate technical support at eight. It's a potential area for improvement, possibly in terms of response time or quality."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is confusing with too many add-ons."
"It is always nice when something is cheaper."
"The installation is not difficult. However, some features have to be activated from the CLI."
"I believe that stacking, a feature that is available in Huawei and Cisco, is not available in Fortinet products."
"The product could use more security related features."
"The solution should improve the features of Wi-Fi 6 a little bit."
"I would like to see some content filtering with MikroTik Routers and Switches."
"It is slow, old and unfriendly."
"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."
"They lack the extended warranty for the equipment. They only provide a warranty for one year as compared to the other vendors who offer a warranty for three years, five years, and lifetime, etc."
"The login process needs improvement."
"The solution needs to be more robust. In case of power fluctuations, MikroTik routers are more vulnerable to malfunctioning."
"They should improve technical support and make direct access available to the customers."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Licensing is easy: FortiCare and that's it."
"The product's pricing is less compared to other enterprise solutions."
"The product pricing seems to be mid-range."
"Licensing is billed annually and contracts are either one or three years in length."
"The product's pricing is good."
"The pricing is quite high."
"We have to renew and pay for the licenses."
"We have to pay for the solution's subscription."
"The price-performance is great."
"They are very cheap and not at all expensive."
"There is a one-time license fee for the use of this solution and it is less expensive than Cisco products."
"Here in Bangladesh, MikroTik Routers and Switches cost 90,000 Taka, or converting that figure to dollars is $1,000."
"The tool is cheap."
"The pricing of the solution is significantly lower than other solutions. There are no additional costs involved."
"A license is not required."
"In our last project, we used two hundred units and the price was approximately 500 Shekels ($140 USD)."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Computer Software Company
16%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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...
What do you like most about Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access?
With FortiSwitch, you can easily identify who is connected to each port, disable ports as needed, and retrieve configurations from FortiGate when required.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access?
Currently, I don't have an opinion about the price as I focus on implementation and am not informed about pricing in comparison to other vendors.
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.
 

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 - Secure Access vs. MikroTik Routers and Switches and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
838,713 professionals have used our research since 2012.