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Meraki MS Switches vs NVIDIA Mellanox 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
7.3
Number of Reviews
95
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
NVIDIA Mellanox
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
19th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Meraki MS Switches is 4.1%, up from 3.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NVIDIA Mellanox is 2.0%, up from 1.7% 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…
Anil Ergunsah - PeerSpot reviewer
Powerful hardware, reliable performance, and advantageous open-source OS
Mellanox Switches were easier before Nvidia bought Mellanox and then their new version of the operating system changed. They started with Ennui, and now they only use Linux. If they returned to their previous CLI it would be a good option for starters. The new CLI is more difficult to use but more powerful than the older one. It has its advantages.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The dashboard and the interface, in general, are good features."
"The most valuable feature is the cloud management architecture from Meraki."
"The product is very straightforward."
"Quality of Service is easy to deploy. The ease of deployment, in general, is valuable. It is easy to do port configuration and VLAN assignments."
"It is easy to configure and provides complete visibility of the graphic end point."
"The technical support is very good. They offer some of the best support on the market."
"Almost all of my functions perform very well."
"Its cloud feature and cloud management are great. They are the most valuable aspects."
"The most valuable features of Mellanox Switches are the powerful hardware and the software is open. They're using Linux operating system. You can do and install many things, and it performs well."
"The most valuable features of this solution are its functionality."
"It is a very easy-to-use product."
"From what I've been told, a valuable feature of Mellanox switches is they're quite user-friendly."
"The tool is very configurable because it runs on a Linux operating system."
"The most valuable features of Mellanox Switches are the size, power consumption, and the vast amount of features."
 

Cons

"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."
"There are compatibility issues with certain Power over Ethernet (PoE) devices, which we would like to see resolved."
"It might be perceived as more of a niche product, partly due to its name, as it's still not entirely recognized by the market."
"They're definitely missing some of the higher end data center Cisco features."
"Clients are very confused by technical support. They seem to have trouble reaching Meraki to get the assistance they need."
"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."
"It would be good to include the command-line access someday."
"Meraki MS Switches do not offer as many features as their competitors, so we are quite limited in what we can configure on the switches and firewalls."
"The scalability is working fine at the moment, but there's always room for improvement. As of right now, I don't know of any improvements to suggest."
"The configuration is a bit different from Cisco, and therefore, for me at least, there's a bit of a learning curve."
"If you compare this solution with Cisco, utilization in Cisco is more popular and it is more friendly."
"Mellanox Switches could improve by adding some features that can make it easier for integrating the switches in some managing and monitoring platforms, such as Elastic or similar software for monitoring data with the data center in a more holistic way."
"Mellanox Switches were easier before Nvidia bought Mellanox and then their new version of the operating system changed. They started with Ennui, and now they only use Linux. If they returned to their previous CLI it would be a good option for starters. The new CLI is more difficult to use but more powerful than the older one. It has its advantages."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"They can get the price down for small businesses. The way I bought it, I paid hardly anything, and I got all my licensing with it. The firewall appliance is around $900, and the switches are around $150. This is for the device itself. For licensing, I signed at $70 or something like that for the switch. Technical Support is included in this."
"Extreme switches are more cost-effective than Cisco Meraki Switches."
"It depends on what type of equipment you have and other things. We're about $17,000 a year."
"The only drawback is the cost — that's what kills them."
"The pricing is high and it is where we get the most pushback from customers."
"I rate the price of Meraki MS Switches a two out of ten."
"I don't have an issue with the price of this solution."
"The DNA subscription is a three-year minimum term."
"There is a license to use the switch ports of Mellanox Switches."
"The pricing is very competitive. The licensing costs are fine."
"The price of Mellanox Switches is reasonable compared to other solutions. The price and quality ratio was very good. There is a one-time license purchase that is needed."
"It's an open-source solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
19%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Educational Organization
7%
Government
6%
Computer Software Company
19%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Educational Organization
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

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 is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Mellanox Switches?
The solution is affordable. I rate the product’s pricing as two out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive.
What needs improvement with Mellanox Switches?
The response time of the support could be faster.
What is your primary use case for Mellanox Switches?
We use the solution to lock switches, storage switches, and border gate switches.
 

Also Known As

MS220, MS320, MS420
Mellanox Switches, Mellanox SN2700
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Cisco Live Milan, Hyatt
CNPC, Korea Consumer Agency, Nutanix, Roxo Systems, StorPool, Atlantic.Net, INFN, StarWind, NYSE Technologies, Creative Consultants, ENKI
Find out what your peers are saying about Meraki MS Switches vs. NVIDIA Mellanox and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
832,138 professionals have used our research since 2012.