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Meraki MS Switches vs MikroTik Cloud Router Switch 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

Meraki MS Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
8th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
98
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
16th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
Routers (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Meraki MS Switches is 2.7%, down from 3.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is 1.9%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Meraki MS Switches2.7%
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch1.9%
Other95.4%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

JN
Ag Systems & Networks Head at UNBS
Central management and cloud dashboard streamline network monitoring while connectivity hiccups need addressing
I use Cisco products and Meraki MS Switches. I am a user on the user side. Network security is handled by our firewalls and other solutions. I have not explored the area of network management AI in Meraki MS Switches. For other switches, when you buy one, you can just start configuring, connect it to the network, and it works. With Meraki MS Switches, you have to first whitelist the MAC address, let it have internet, then you can manage it. They're deployed on-premises. They're quite acceptable, so I recommend them to those who want to use Meraki MS Switches. The biggest benefit that I see in Meraki MS Switches is central management and the cloud dashboard. I rate Meraki MS Switches 8 out of 10.
Andriejus Artamonovas - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Specialist at a outsourcing company with 501-1,000 employees
Has supported deeper configuration through traffic mirroring and advanced VLAN setup
The main reason why MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is usually chosen is its raw performance to price ratio. In comparison to UniFi switches, MikroTik Cloud Router Switch can mirror all ports for traffic inspection for further traffic analysis, which UniFi cannot do. VLANs in MikroTik Cloud Router Switch are always useful. The way MikroTik implements VLAN-aware switching at the bridge level is hidden in the configuration. Making CRS work as a simple VLAN-aware switch requires deeper configuration, which is not intuitive. VLANs support individual interfaces not part of the bridge, allowing for double VLANing. You can create a VLAN interface in the interfaces context and also create a bridge interface, add physical ports, create VLANs for that bridge interface, and assign tagged and untagged ports and VLANs. Load balancing is one of the key components. The feature itself is quite efficient and works reliably on MikroTik Cloud Router Switch. The very basic setup is one of my favorites because they have their protocol where I can connect through the MAC address right on Layer 2, and I don't lose connectivity to the switch if I mess up with bridging or IP addressing.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Switches wise, I'm really happy with the product, it is more user-friendly than competitors and I can do everything myself, which is why I prefer it."
"This is a solution that can be considered for starting a small environment to a large environment because it is easy to scale and it gives them the inbuilt visibility that comes with the solution."
"Setting up a Meraki switch is fairly simple; it can be done by one manager and a senior engineer developer."
"The solution is scalable and can accommodate as many devices as needed."
"It is easy to work with."
"The solution is scalable."
"The most valuable feature of the product is the console."
"It makes the management of SSIDs fairly easy."
"The best aspect is that it remains affordable."
"The router power is the most valuable aspect."
"The GUI is easy to use."
"It is user-friendly, reliable, and cheap."
"The router power is the most valuable aspect."
"Familiar RouterOS support, port isolation, flexible VLAN handling (tagging, untagging, rewriting, etc.)."
"A valuable aspect is its user-friendly configuration, making it accessible even for individuals with basic technical knowledge."
"The traffic monitoring capabilities are excellent."
 

Cons

"The licensing model needs to be improved."
"Licensing is the only thing I can complain about. It's expensive, but everything is these days."
"It could be more advanced and secure. Meraki MS Switches are ideal for a mid-sized enterprise. But you can't work with this appliance if you need more security or want to do complex or advanced things. Technical support could be better."
"Scalability is 60% because it doesn't have the core functionality required for aggregated interfaces and you can not use a virtual device context, so you can't scale easily."
"Less flexibility than in some other solutions."
"Better alerting capabilities are needed because they do not provide enough notification or detail about events."
"They could lower the price."
"It would be great if the switch can identify the IP address connected to the network port."
"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."
"Most of the time, the MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is stable. If I were to rate the stability on a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is the best, I would give it a 5."
"Improvements are needed with respect to some of the security, especially for VPN links between vendors other than Cisco."
"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."
"Technical support needs to be faster and more knowledgeable."
"The solution does not yet offer a SaaS version."
"MikroTik is mostly used by medium and small businesses, so the security is not as robust as Cisco."
"It happens that you may find your network is down, if you reboot the switch, they come up. However, sometimes, they reset themselves. That's a big issue."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We paid for our switches outright, at a cost of between $15,000 USD and $18,000 USD."
"It would be better if they had a one-time purchase option instead of a subscription model."
"Securing licenses and devices for more than a year can make the product expensive. In general, the product is expensive."
"The pricing is high and it is where we get the most pushback from customers."
"Meraki is not an expensive switch, like Cisco."
"The price of Meraki MS Switches is less expensive than other similar solutions."
"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."
"Extreme switches are more cost-effective than Cisco Meraki Switches."
"I believe the price of the tool is high, but it is okay for the services we get from it."
"The licensing for MikroTik is great. It's easy to enter, especially for small businesses. Their model is great."
"I consider it to be a cost-effective solution."
"They came with the licensing when we purchased them."
"In Pakistan, if you buy this cloud router, it's approximately $700 for the device."
"This product has a one-time cost and there is no licensing fee."
"The price is competitive."
"MikroTik is really cheap compared to the competitors."
report
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
7%
Construction Company
6%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Educational Organization
12%
Marketing Services Firm
7%
Computer Software Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business54
Midsize Enterprise20
Large Enterprise22
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise2
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Meraki MS Switches?
Meraki MS Switches are easy to manage, but I believe they are more suitable for use on the IT side because Meraki faces the internet, requiring an open connection through the internet for control. ...
What is your primary use case for Meraki MS Switches?
I have experience with Cisco products as I implement a lot of them. For example, I implemented switches and access points when I worked for infrastructure in a motorcycle company, and I implemented...
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 needs improvement with MikroTik Cloud Router Switch?
It can be difficult to identify key functions for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch. I experience functionality limitations, particularly when trying to find specific features. It would be beneficial to...
 

Also Known As

MS220, MS320, MS420
MikroTik CRS Series
 

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: April 2026.
886,664 professionals have used our research since 2012.