Juniper Session Smart Router vs Meraki SD-WAN comparison

The compared Juniper and Cisco solutions aren't in the same category. Juniper is ranked #7 in R , with an average rating of 9.0, and holds a 1.7% mindshare in the category. Cisco is ranked #1 in SDN , with an average rating of 8.7, and holds a 15.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Juniper users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 97% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

Juniper Session Smart Router

Read 4 Juniper Session Smart Router reviews

1,282 Views
115 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Meraki SD-WAN

Read 80 Meraki SD-WAN reviews

2,980 Views
1,341 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

Juniper Session Smart Router

Meraki SD-WAN

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Juniper Session Smart Router and Meraki SD-WAN based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

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February 2026

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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 Session Smart Router

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Routers (7th), Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (12th)

Meraki SD-WAN

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Software Defined Networking (SDN) (1st)

Mindshare comparison

While both are Enterprise Networking solutions, they serve different purposes. Juniper Session Smart Router is designed for Routers and holds a mindshare of 1.7%, up 0.6% compared to last year.
Meraki SD-WAN, on the other hand, focuses on Software Defined Networking (SDN), holds 15.5% mindshare, down 24.0% since last year.

Routers Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Juniper Session Smart Router	1.7%
MikroTik Routers and Switches	20.7%
Cisco Enterprise Routers	15.8%
Other	61.8%

Routers

Software Defined Networking (SDN) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Meraki SD-WAN	15.5%
Cisco ACI	11.8%
Juniper Contrail Networking	7.7%
Other	65.0%

Software Defined Networking (SDN)

Featured Reviews

SRI GANESH PHANIYAPPA

Sub Divisional Engineer NOC Bangalore at Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited

Delivered tailored features and meets requirements effectively

We are using it as a DNG. This means all subscriber PPPoE sessions or ILS Smart VPN connections are terminated through the access network to this BNG, Uniphore BNG. From there, they are managed Everything has been fine. Although we did not explore much about the solution, they provided us with a…

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Mageshwaran S

Solution Architect at airtel

Experienced streamlined network management with enhanced usability and room for improved security features

On the security features, when compared to Fortinet, they have more patterns and AI-generated ones. Meraki SD-WAN is slowly implementing AI, but it is not yet full-fledged. If AI comes into the picture, it will be helpful. I work with Fortinet where with a single command you can deploy the entire SD-WAN along with FortiGuard within minutes. For AI, it can discover and connect, but currently, we are doing it manually. In Meraki SD-WAN, some features require additional licenses and subscriptions. If these were bundled together, such as 10 or 20 licenses, it would be very helpful for a mini branch or small campus area coverage.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"As compared to the other major vendors in the SD-WAN market, such as VeloCloud, Cisco, and others, the tunnel-free and secure vector routing technology is its major USP, which gives plenty of room to discuss with the customer why IPSec from 1998 is a bit outdated."

"The most valuable feature of Juniper Session Smart Router is its unique SDR channel."

"Customer service is very prompt."

"The solution is especially Session's smart, application-aware, AI-based."

"They provided us with a customized product according to our requirements."

"The most valuable feature of Meraki SD-WAN is its user-friendly interface."

"The product does have a variety of features we can work with."

"The most valuable feature of Meraki SD-WAN is the Auto VPN."

"What I found most valuable in Meraki SD-WAN is its simplicity. I also like its manageability."

"SD-WAN is a complete enterprise solution for securing traffic."

"The Meraki SD-WAN solution is simple to deploy."

"The most valuable feature is the firewall capability. It's also got a very good graphical user interface and is very easy to manage."

"t is very stable based on our experience and the application performance has been superb."

More Meraki SD-WAN pros

Cons

"Juniper Session Smart Router can improve the integration for Wi-Fi devices and add additional Sassy deployments."

"Regarding improvement, we still need to see what it can do."

"Juniper Session Smart Router could be better in terms of software performance."

"The UI of the SSR conductor is the main part where improvements can be done. Today, for every configuration step, you have to do a series of clicks. What we are missing there are wizards. For example, I have two applications, and I want one application to be prioritized against the other. In such a case, a wizard for assigning policies to a service without configuring each step by hand would be very helpful. There should be an overhaul of the GUI of the conductor. The functionality they have got in the Mist portal should be baked into the conductor itself. It would be really great, but as we all know, that won't happen."

"The solution needs to enact more advanced protections."

"Sometimes we face issues with VPN connections when someone connects from a different time zone, like from Georgia to the Middle East."

"Some of the on-premise security features of Meraki SD-WAN are on the cloud and some of my customers do not want to use the cloud. They should have on-premise security features for those that do not want to use the cloud."

"If Meraki obtains the technology to provide network assistance, then it can implement it manually in Meraki SD-WAN."

"I would not recommend this tool to very large-scale organizations."

"We'd like features that provide more transparency when there are issues. Right now, it's hard to get clarity on problems. We need more visibility."

"The port density should be improved because this solution is limited to two."

"There could be more options for integration between other devices — sort of being able to more easily make everything integrated in one solution."

More Meraki SD-WAN cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We are currently renegotiating the offer for the licenses and the license bundle model. The license for an ISP has to be different from the license for an end customer. This is something we are currently renegotiating with Juniper, but, of course, the pricing for the licensing is always an issue when you want to get more customers."

"It is a simple bandwidth-based license and the orchestration comes bundled with the solution by default."

"The product's price falls under the mid-range category, especially if we consider the new licensing model. The tool is not cheap anymore."

"The licensing fees are approximately $1,000 USD annually."

"The solution's pricing is in line with what we expected."

"The product is not expensive."

"For a pure SD-WAN solution, the pricing is competitive. However, our clients are on the lower tier in terms of budget, viewing IT more as a necessary expense rather than integral to their business. While Meraki's solution might be pricey for them, there aren't many cheaper, reliable options."

"This solution is more expensive than competitors."

"Regarding pricing, Meraki SD-WAN is quite competitive, especially compared to solutions like Fortinet. However, it's essential to consider that Meraki requires cloud orchestration, which adds to the overall cost. Overall, it's one of the most competitive solutions from Cisco for SD-WAN."

"The license model may need improvement."

More Meraki SD-WAN pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

19%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	38
Midsize Enterprise	13
Large Enterprise	32

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Juniper Session Smart Router?

I did not find any problem with Juniper. Regarding improvement, we still need to see what it can do.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Juniper Session Smart Router?

We are using it as a DNG. This means all subscriber PPPoE sessions or ILS Smart VPN connections are terminated through the access network to this BNG, Uniphore BNG. From there, they are managed.

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Juniper Session Smart Router?

On a scale of one to ten, I rate the solution nine.

See all answers

What do you like most about Meraki SD-WAN?

The auto VPN feature is important because it automates many tasks, making things simpler and faster. It helps with setting up devices and changing configurations without manual effort.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Meraki SD-WAN?

When compared for the long run, it is reasonable, but for the short term, such as one year, it is costlier, especially compared to other OEMs such as FortiGate. If the license expires in FortiGate,...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Meraki SD-WAN?

The pricing of Meraki SD-WAN depends compared to which vendors, because it's a bit pricey, so not all retail would go for it unless it's a big retail company, but it depends on your comparison. I u...

See all answers

Comparisons

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Juniper Session Smart Router

Compared 13% of the time

VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN vs Juniper Session Smart Router

Compared 9% of the time

Aruba EdgeConnect SD-WAN Platform vs Juniper Session Smart Router

Compared 8% of the time

Prisma SD-WAN vs Juniper Session Smart Router

Compared 8% of the time

Peplink SpeedFusion vs Juniper Session Smart Router

Compared 4% of the time

More Juniper Session Smart Router Competitors

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Meraki SD-WAN

Compared 17% of the time

Omada Cloud SDN vs Meraki SD-WAN

Compared 16% of the time

VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN vs Meraki SD-WAN

Compared 12% of the time

Cradlepoint NetCloud vs Meraki SD-WAN

Compared 11% of the time

Versa Cloud Services Gateway vs Meraki SD-WAN

Compared 3% of the time

More Meraki SD-WAN Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Routers

February 2026

Download Juniper Session Smart Router product report

Buyer's Guide

Meraki SD-WAN

February 2026

Download Meraki SD-WAN product report

Also Known As

128T Networking Platform, 128 Technology SD-WAN, Juniper SSR Series

No data available

Overview

The 128T Networking Platform (128T) natively provides network-based security, control, and insight across data centers, wide-area networks (WAN), and edge locations for enterprises, service providers, and cloud companies alike. 128T is reshaping the way organizations design, deploy, and operate real-world networks by making them dramatically simpler, smarter, and more secure — it’s going to fix the router — and ultimately the network — as we know it.

Juniper

Software-defined WAN is a new approach to network connectivity that lowers operational costs and improves resource usage for multi-site deployments, allowing network administrators to use bandwidth more efficiently and ensure the highest possible level of performance for critical applications without sacrificing security or data privacy. For more information on deploying and configuring SD-WAN on the Meraki MX Security Appliance, see the Meraki SD-WAN Deployment Guide.

Cisco

Sample Customers

Revation Systems

École Jeannine Manuel

Find out what your peers are saying about MikroTik, Cisco, Huawei and others in Routers. Updated: February 2026.

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