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Juniper MX Series Routers vs MikroTik Routers and Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 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 MX Series Routers
Ranking in Routers
5th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
34
Ranking in other categories
Carrier Grade Network Address Translation (CGNAT) (1st)
MikroTik Routers and Switches
Ranking in Routers
1st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
68
Ranking in other categories
Ethernet Switches (11th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Routers category, the mindshare of Juniper MX Series Routers is 13.4%, up from 12.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MikroTik Routers and Switches is 20.7%, down from 25.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Routers Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
MikroTik Routers and Switches20.7%
Juniper MX Series Routers13.4%
Other65.9%
Routers
 

Featured Reviews

Patrick Anaku - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network Engineer at Roke Telkom
Performance excels with reliable uptime and robust features
The best features of Juniper MX Series Routers include their performance, which is quite good for us in terms of hardware performance. The Junos OS, the software, is stable, and we don't have many issues with the Juniper system itself. They have numerous features that allow us to deliver services, be it Layer 2 connectivity to customers, Layer 3 connectivity, data center connectivity, or even security features. Hardware performance has been a top-notch reason why we chose Juniper in the beginning, especially the MX series, which performs well in terms of network uptime and we don't encounter many failures. We have had a bad experience here and there with the ACX series, and their network performance is not so great compared to MX, so we have mostly done away with the ACX and only use MX at some of the core sites. I have seen a return on investment from the solution. Initially, we deployed MX80s on the network, and since our company has been in operation since 2006, from that point we used MX80s until around 2016 when we upgraded most of them to MX204s. From our experience, once we buy an MX204, we don't have issues with it; we have never had to replace an MX204 on the network. Once we deploy it, it works until we decide to upgrade the capacity. The return on investment is significant, as once we buy it, we have no worries about performance.
Rivka Alexander - PeerSpot reviewer
Content Specialist at PeerSpot
Routers and switches enhance network security and adaptability
We use MikroTik Routers and Switches for IT business, software development, networking, and tower infrastructure, although some areas are still in progress MikroTik Routers and Switches are some of the best routers around, security-wise, followed by Cisco. They are very accommodating with their…

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 features for us were related to our transition into MPLS technology, specifically for BPN and VPN services."
"The product is easy to use."
"In our company, we are integrators who create solutions for our customers. I find Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches to be suitable as it allows for easy configuration and offers features like SNMP. Personally, I find it convenient to switch from Cisco to Juniper EX because of my experience with various vendors like Huawei and Cisco. It's easy for me to read configurations from Cisco and transfer them to Juniper. Mainly, we work with customers who want to change or upgrade their network infrastructure, moving from vendors like Cisco, Aruba, or Huawei to Juniper for modernization. Juniper's features are more advanced, and it helps us meet the diverse needs of our customers. My role involves helping with the deployment and configuration of switching, access points, and Wi-Fi, for building robust and modern networks."
"Juniper's custom Trio chipset drives their MX routers, offering superior performance. Juniper's design separates the control plane and the forwarding plane, which is a key aspect of their architecture. This separation provides high throughput, maintaining line-rate performance across the MX platform."
"The most valuable feature is the standard routing protocol."
"Juniper Switches is stable, easy to use, flexible, and has good performance. Also, the technology is good. It has a lifetime warranty and the prices are also very good."
"The functionality and stability are great."
"I have found the most useful features to be layered VPNs, IPsec, VPLS, and firewall filters."
"The features of the equipment fit all the needs of the customers."
"The product is simple to use."
"It's pretty stable."
"The routing is nice and straightforward."
"I use the tool to block external attempts."
"We have use cases like providing power over ethernet, as an access controller for Wi-Fi, and normal networking."
"I have found one of the most valuable features to be the hotspot network."
"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."
 

Cons

"In terms of improvement, I would like for it to effectively protect against the broadcast storms, multicast storms, and DDoS attacks."
"The security features could be better."
"In terms of what could be improved, they could extend the software warranty to be for its lifetime, as well. At the moment, the software warranty is limited, I think to one year."
"Currently, I don't have specific concerns or ideas for improvement. Regarding functionalities, I appreciate the user interface of Juniper Elite. Additionally, I'm exploring the use of Juniper Routers in a Parliament environment, particularly with Baragon, and so far, I find it to be a valuable feature. We're currently facing an issue as we're in the process of building and dealing with the software, specifically transitioning from R2 to RC. It's like when there is an update in the routers, and in the process, there are chances to end up losing some of your settings. The challenge arises because the recommended configurations for RC do not align with our features, necessitating a reevaluation of many features. It would have been more efficient if the initial recommendation had been for RC, avoiding the need to redo our research. This has resulted in a loss of time for us, and we've encountered this situation multiple times."
"Finding market expertise is hard."
"The only thing that might need improvement would be the occasional downtime."
"There are areas for improvement in Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches. One aspect that could be enhanced is the pricing; many clients acknowledge the quality of Juniper switches but find the pricing challenging, especially when compared to competitors like Huawei. Additionally, from a feature perspective, there's a desire for improved clarity and ease of configuration in Juniper switches. Some users find it difficult to understand and configure certain aspects, necessitating the use of external tools. This complexity, especially for Internet service providers, can be a barrier. Addressing these concerns could further strengthen the position of Juniper switches in the market."
"Better documentation to assist with implementation would be helpful."
"The ports could be improved, as certain areas may need to be terminated with a greater number of Ethernet ports. We initially faced challenges that hindered our network usage, especially with third-party applications that were not certified or supported. It took some time to streamline and resolve these issues."
"Better security is always better. If they can continue to improve in this area, that would be ideal."
"It would be better for me if I could establish filter rules within MikroTik. Also, there is no automatic backup option in the MikroTik setup, so adding it would be beneficial."
"The initial setup is a bit complex."
"The manageability of the web-based UI needs to be improved."
"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."
"Sometimes, when I need to reboot or change software, MikroTik crashes."
"Troubleshooting can be complex."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"$300 to $400 is the hardware cost and for licensing cost, it may be around, for support and all, $100 per year."
"The solution is more expensive compared to other solutions."
"I would rate it around a three. While I'm not deeply involved in pricing discussions, I believe it is comparatively more affordable than Cisco."
"The pricing of Juniper MX Series Routers is okay compared to other technologies."
"We have to pay for the device and licensing. The support service requires additional costs."
"I would rate the pricing model a seven out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive. It is not cheap."
"The prices for Juniper MX Series Routers are reasonable."
"The price of this solution is better than other competitors, such as Cisco. We receive a lot of discounts which make the price less expensive and attractive."
"When you buy a license, it is for life and you don't need to buy another one every year."
"A license is not required."
"MikroTik Routers and Switches' pricing is reasonable."
"This product is a one-time purchase."
"They are very cheap and not at all expensive."
"The solution is not expensive."
"When we purchase MikroTik devices, a certain level of the license is included in the price."
"The pricing is very reasonable and is one of the main selling points for MikroTik devices."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Computer Software Company
7%
Government
6%
Comms Service Provider
17%
Computer Software Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Hospitality Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise8
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business43
Midsize Enterprise16
Large Enterprise9
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Juniper MX Series Routers?
For the Juniper MX Series Routers, it plays a crucial role in our network. They offer numerous features, enabling multiple connections and handling various reports. The routers efficiently manage ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Juniper MX Series Routers?
I would rate it around a three. While I'm not deeply involved in pricing discussions, I believe it is comparatively more affordable than Cisco.
What needs improvement with Juniper MX Series Routers?
The areas of Juniper MX Series Routers that have room for improvement include the port count; for instance, the MX204 has only four 40G or 100G ports, which is quite limited. While I know there are...
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.
 

Also Known As

Juniper Enterprise Routers, MX Series, Junos Address Aware
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

AARNet Pty Ltd, Allegro Networks, Atlantech Online, Availity, Baloise Insurance, Black Lotus, CATV, Blue Box
ABB, Boingo Wireless, JPL, HP, Allied Telesis, iPass, Mips Technologies, MicroAge, Matsushita, Telia, undp, WFP, NASA
Find out what your peers are saying about Juniper MX Series Routers vs. MikroTik Routers and Switches and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.
881,515 professionals have used our research since 2012.