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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
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 January 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Meraki MS Switches is 4.6%, up from 4.1% 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

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…
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

"The most valuable feature is the cloud management architecture from Meraki."
"Easy to set up, stable switches with good accessibility that makes it quicker to identify problems, find solutions, and fix problems."
"Meraki MS Switches are amazing. Whoever built it is a genius. I like that it's a plug-and-play solution."
"It is easy to set up and easy to monitor. It is also easy to check the status of the switch."
"The solution's most valuable aspect is the ease of stacking. The configuration on the MS Switches is very good, as well as its ability to assign the LANs."
"I like the support, and basically, that's why I'm using Meraki by Cisco."
"The product provides a single-pane-of-glass in for management of wireless, security, and switching from multiple devices."
"Provides good statistics and it doesn't require teaching command lines."
"It's a well-rounded solution for routing."
"Some of the most valuable features are the simplicity, cost, usability, and power. As a package, it's extremely effective."
"The most valuable feature is that it has better throughput than its competitors."
"I like that it's quite flexible and addresses different issues. It's quite easy to use, and the pricing is great. We find them to be very capable switches."
"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."
"The GUI is easy to use."
"It is easy to set up the solution."
"This solution is very similar to the on-premises version making it easy to use for those who know the architect."
 

Cons

"In reference to an area of improvement sometimes the switch does not connect to the internet initially."
"The price for this product could be cheaper. For a low-budget school or institution, scaling up and implementing more switches could take longer because of budget constraints."
"Tracking native ports with IP addresses is not currently possible in Meraki. This is a potential area of improvement."
"The cameras should be better integrated."
"At times, we didn't know whether the switch was operating or not so we have to take the console and we have to do some troubleshooting."
"The stability of the solution isn't ideal. We've had a lot of problems with the switches. They are unstable and unreliable. We need to reboot them often."
"This solution is too simple for some cases, and there should be more configuration options."
"The throughputs, especially the throughput path, can be improved on the core switches. I think they should improve the throughput in the core switches to enable higher throughputs."
"The user interface could improve and they should allow a license for IBS."
"The port isolation and VLAN need to be improved."
"The solution does not yet offer a SaaS version."
"Improvements are needed with respect to some of the security, especially for VPN links between vendors other than Cisco."
"There has to be more development in the OS. It's complex for this switch as compared to others like Cisco. For NetGear and Cisco, it's easy to adapt the VLAN concept but it should be simplified for MikroTik."
"Technical support could be better."
"Antispam and antivirus features should be included in the future."
"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."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We have an annual subscription for licensing and it is expensive."
"One key challenge often encountered is the perception that strategic products like Cisco and Meraki tend to be more expensive than alternatives like Aruba."
"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 yearly maintenance fee is $100 and you can purchase the switches used for about $200 each."
"The pricing is high and it is where we get the most pushback from customers."
"The Layer 3 switch is the most expensive switch."
"The price of the solution has room for improvement."
"The pricing is overvalued in relation to the product's performance."
"I believe the price of the tool is high, but it is okay for the services we get from it."
"MikroTik is really cheap compared to the competitors."
"This product has a one-time cost and there is no licensing fee."
"The price of the solution is fair and there is a one-time license purchase only."
"They came with the licensing when we purchased them."
"The price is competitive."
"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."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
19%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Educational Organization
7%
Government
6%
Computer Software Company
14%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Media Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
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?
Meraki MS Switches, including their licensing, are somewhat expensive, particularly when compared with competitor solutions like HP.
What needs improvement with Meraki MS Switches?
Meraki MS Switches is a complete solution. I don't have specific feedback for improvement. However, there was an issue with the uplink when the port was removed and had to be reinstalled, which cau...
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
 

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: January 2025.
831,369 professionals have used our research since 2012.