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Meraki MS Switches vs MikroTik Cloud Router Switch comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

Meraki MS Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
8th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
94
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
22nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
18
Ranking in other categories
Routers (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Meraki MS Switches is 4.6%, up from 4.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is 1.1%, down from 1.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Jóhann G. Thorarensen - PeerSpot reviewer
Reliable and easily accessible switches with a plug and play setup
We used Cisco switches, then we decided to go with Meraki MS Switches for several reasons. One reason was that the Cisco switches were originally set up by a company that was in charge of the whole system, which was run from a company outside the school. Then, we had someone come in to take charge here in our school, then we transferred that responsibility to an outsider. I then came in, and I started learning the system, so the outsider became the backup plan. It turned out, once we started digging into things, that the system was set up in a cumbersome and closed way, much like a banking system, rather than a setup that would be good for a school, that can rely on switches rather than closing the school into units. Another reason was that our switches were getting outdated, so we had to do something. We started looking at various solutions, and we had to decided whether to continue the way we were doing things, which we did not like because it was cumbersome and it had to be done on-site, or if we could do it in a way that would be more accessible both inside and outside the school, while having the level of security and stability we need. For example, we looked at Ubiquiti UniFi which was a cheaper system, but it was less stable, though I know that some schools were using that system. It was really just a question of stability and accessibility, and these were deciding factors in the system that we chose. Even though Meraki MS Switches were more expensive than the other solutions, we ended up with Meraki.
Josephat Magesa - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy to set up, user-friendly, and reliable
I'm also familiar with Cisco which I used at another company. Cisco is a little bit expensive to acquire. With MikroTik, came with the same solution and you can use so many features. In MikroTik, you can use maybe two routers or one router to cover all your requirements, which you can also do on Cisco. This product is also cheaper than Cisco. Cisco has a lot of complications even with the configurations. On the price issues or even support issues, you may need to have so many routers when using Cisco for a simple solution. If you can use only one switch to clear your solution, why don't you use MikroTik? You don't have to use Cisco to have more than one switch to solve your problem.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"You can connect from the dashboard itself. It is very easy to operate."
"You can access a single pane of glass and configure all the devices via the same access."
"I have found the solution to be stable."
"I like the flexibility of the Meraki firewall. It gives you the ability to lock things down. Having multiple VLANs is helpful for the switching infrastructure and firewall. It's crucial when you have a public-facing VLAN, a private-facing VLAN, and a secure VLAN."
"The most valuable features are the cloud and throughput visibility, the ease of configuration, and being able to implement them into our umbrella DNS solution."
"The solution is scalable and can accommodate as many devices as needed."
"The cloud part of Meraki Switches is very good. They also have a good GUI. It's a complete solution. I like the switching and the monitoring part."
"Meraki's site-to-site VPN function is phenomenal, and the VLAN is simple to use and set up. If you need the VLAN to sort the networks out, that works very well. The performance is also excellent."
"The performance has been good."
"The wiki page that describes the scripting and other features is very good."
"The interface management and the user access management is pretty good."
"The GUI is easy to use."
"Some of the most valuable features are the simplicity, cost, usability, and power. As a package, it's extremely effective."
"The initial setup is easy."
"The beauty of MikroTik is that you have flexibility with the routing parts."
"It's a well-rounded solution for routing."
 

Cons

"Better alerting capabilities are needed because they do not provide enough notification or detail about events."
"The solution could be simplified a bit."
"The documentation could be more extensive. For example, it could describe more scenarios. It would be great if they could incorporate AI engines into the switching infrastructure and firewall so you can configure it to prevent intrusion. They have intrusion prevention and detection, but they could enhance it by incorporating AI into their firewall."
"I would like to add a voice capability to Meraki, to make a call or receive a call."
"I don't think that the cost is a problem, but sometimes the price requires convincing the customer of the value."
"It would be good to include the command-line access someday."
"They could lower the price."
"It would be great if the switch can identify the IP address connected to the network port. It seems most of the switches cannot identify the IP address. They can identify the MAC address but not the IP address."
"MikroTik needs to add some features like IPS, mail security, or antivirus, et cetera."
"It would be even better with a centralized management platform."
"Stuff that I'd like to be improved is really just training and documentation because I think the feature set is full. Another improvement I'd suggest is that their new, bigger releases should be a bit more stable."
"If MikroTik had a marketing team and support team in India then it would be much easier for us to get the product, as well as support."
"The port isolation and VLAN need to be improved."
"The RAM capacity offered by the product needs to be increased, as it is one area where the tool currently has some shortcomings."
"The packet filtering, user log data, and user access log could all be improved."
"Technical support could be better."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The yearly maintenance fee is $100 and you can purchase the switches used for about $200 each."
"The solution is a bit on the pricey side."
"Meraki MS Switches is a pricey product. You have to get a license for each product annually. It would have been perfect if there were product bundles."
"This is not a cheap solution."
"Meraki is a little bit expensive, but when you compare the pricing with others, Meraki is a good option."
"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 product's licensing cost is about 30% to 40% of the hardware cost."
"The licensing is purchased on a one, three, five, and seven year basis."
"The licensing for MikroTik is great. It's easy to enter, especially for small businesses. Their model is great."
"I believe the price of the tool is high, but it is okay for the services we get from it."
"The price of the solution is fair and there is a one-time license purchase only."
"I consider it to be a cost-effective solution."
"MikroTik is really cheap compared to the competitors."
"In Pakistan, if you buy this cloud router, it's approximately $700 for the device."
"The price is competitive."
"This product has a one-time cost and there is no licensing fee."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
19%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Retailer
7%
Educational Organization
6%
Computer Software Company
15%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Media Company
6%
Manufacturing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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?
The solution is a bit expensive as it is on the high end. The cost depends on the model and the number of years of usage.
What needs improvement with Meraki MS Switches?
There are compatibility issues with certain Power over Ethernet (PoE) devices, which we would like to see resolved.
What do you like most about MikroTik Cloud Router Switch?
The tool has impacted our company's network costs and productivity in a perfect manner and percentage-wise, I can say it is 120 percent.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch?
I believe the price of the tool is high, but it is okay for the services we get from it.
What needs improvement with MikroTik Cloud Router Switch?
The product might have room for improvement. I am satisfied with the product till now. The RAM capacity offered by the product needs to be increased, as it is one area where the tool currently has ...
 

Also Known As

MS220, MS320, MS420
MikroTik CRS Series
 

Learn More

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Overview

 

Sample Customers

Cisco Live Milan, Hyatt
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Meraki MS Switches vs. MikroTik Cloud Router Switch and other solutions. Updated: December 2024.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.