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Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches vs Meraki MS Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 9, 2025

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

Juniper EX Series Ethernet ...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
13th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
68
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Meraki MS Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
8th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
95
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches is 2.7%, down from 4.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Meraki MS Switches is 3.9%, down from 4.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

PRADIPJOSHI - PeerSpot reviewer
Virtual chassis technology enhances connectivity and simplifies management
Juniper EX series switches offer great technology, particularly their Virtual Chassis technology, which is an excellent feature for stacking switches and functions like a single virtual switch. The EX series provides a separation of control, management, and data planes, reducing the attack surface area, ensuring a lesser extent of vulnerability. The PoE budget is commendable, and they manage connectivity effectively.
MajidKhan - PeerSpot reviewer
Remote access enhances troubleshooting with potential for more intuitive interface
We are working with Citrix and router, but in Cisco for Cisco vendor only. We are taking from them since 2015.  The main use case involves some small business customers needing one router, one switch, and two to three access points. It is easy to handle the devices with just a small knowledge of…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"As far as technology and WAN assurance are concerned, I rate Juniper switch ten out of ten."
"The campus switches and access switches are the most valuable and simple to deploy for Virtual Chassis."
"The scalability is excellent. It's one of the aspects of the solution that is quite good."
"I like that it's fairly easy to implement these ethernet switches."
"Compared to Cisco, Juniper offers better stability and low prices."
"The Virtual Chassis, because you have a centralized administration of a set of switches which makes the operation more efficient.​"
"The ease of management through the command line interface is very good."
"It has features that allow us to go back to previous configurations."
"It is easy to set up and easy to monitor. It is also easy to check the status of the switch."
"This is a sophisticated product with easy configuration that can save time and effort."
"The most beneficial features of Meraki MS Switches are the visibility and convenience they provide."
"The product is reasonably priced."
"The solution has been very stable so far."
"I found the cloud-managed dashboard most valuable in Meraki MS Switches."
"The technical support is quite good."
"The solution is efficient and easy to run."
 

Cons

"Has a steep learning curve."
"I would like the ability to operate with other operating systems."
"The updates are constantly breaking."
"The stability of this solution should be improved."
"Their web GUI interface needs to be a lot better, especially when compared to HP. The command line is good, but you have to know how to get around it. The GUI is clunky and very slow."
"The operating system could be better."
"There are multiple areas of improvement in Juniper EX series switches. In terms of speed and pricing, while Juniper provides good quality services, some clients still find the price very high compared to other competitors. Also there is a need for certain features to be enhanced like clear our configuration process which will help to make Juniper switches more stronger. However, there are also multiple challenges including understanding and configuration of certain aspects difficult without assistance. Despite these kinds of challenges, there have been multiple solutions and huge potential of improvement in Juniper."
"The interface could be better. It needs improvement."
"The cameras should be better integrated."
"The troubleshooting could be better."
"They're definitely missing some of the higher end data center Cisco features."
"In terms of troubleshooting, if we get more tools there is an issue."
"Mandatory maintenance is an area that needs improvement."
"The prices are a little higher than other vendors."
"The product has no CLI."
"The pricing of the solution can be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I think the tool's prices are competitive with the vendors."
"They offer a more competitive pricing structure compared to one of the competitors."
"Juniper Ethernet Switches are a less expensive solution than Cisco Ethernet Switches. There is only a one-time purchase for Juniper Ethernet Switches."
"You don't need to license every switch. We only chose to cover support on core/key equipment and keep a cold spare available when needed."
"There is a need to make a payment towards the perpetual licensing model offered by the product and also towards the subscription-based model for hardware replacement."
"The maintenance cost is approximately €2,000 ($2,200 USD) per year, including support, for our entire fleet."
"The solution's pricing is cheaper than that of Cisco."
"Juniper costs less than the competition. As a comparison, Cisco is 33% more."
"Securing licenses and devices for more than a year can make the product expensive. In general, the product is expensive."
"We have an annual subscription for licensing and it is expensive."
"We don't use standard licensing. Most of the time, we use the advanced security model. If there is a drawback to Meraki, it is the cost, but you also have to evaluate it based upon the other factors that you do get. Their support is really good; their hardware is really good. The ease of configuration and deployment is really good, but it is more expensive than most."
"The price of Meraki MS Switches is less expensive than other similar solutions."
"It would be better if they had a one-time purchase option instead of a subscription model."
"It's $150 per year for licensing on each 250 switch. The 425 switches are about $500 a year for the enhanced enterprise licenses."
"Its price is definitely competitive."
"This product is more than the competition, but you get what you pay for."
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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%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Educational Organization
8%
University
7%
Computer Software Company
18%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
6%
Educational Organization
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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 advice do you have for others considering Juniper Ethernet Switches?
Juniper EX model is ok for the campus network as the ex4300 is EOL in a few years and the new ex4400 is the standard. Now for the QFX model, 5k/10k in CRB mode IP fabric Ethernet switching is horri...
What is your primary use case for Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches?
Throughout my experience, I've deployed Juniper EX switches in various environments, from small enterprise networks to large-scale data centers. In every instance, they have consistently delivered ...
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?
Meraki MS Switches, including their licensing, are somewhat expensive, particularly when compared with competitor solutions like HP.
What needs improvement with Meraki MS Switches?
The prices are a little higher than other vendors. However, within the Cisco customer segment, customers mostly recommend it because they are existing users, and they are satisfied with their curre...
 

Also Known As

Juniper Ethernet Switches
MS220, MS320, MS420
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

BlackLotus, Staminus, Community Bank, BAS Group, Cloud Dynamics, Privalia, Fluidata, and Tesla Motors.
Cisco Live Milan, Hyatt
Find out what your peers are saying about Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches vs. Meraki MS Switches and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
845,040 professionals have used our research since 2012.