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Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Meraki SD-WAN comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
92
Ranking in other categories
Network Management Applications (6th), Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (2nd), WAN Edge (2nd)
Meraki SD-WAN
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
77
Ranking in other categories
Software Defined Networking (SDN) (1st)
 

Featured Reviews

Igor Van Den Ouden - PeerSpot reviewer
Enables secure and flexible branch connectivity with application-aware routing
The valuable features of Cisco SD-WAN include its security policies and zone-based firewall that are applied to every site, as well as application-aware routing. Security is standard compliant, eliminating config drift that was prevalent before manual configurations. Application-aware routing offers flexibility in using different lines for traffic, depending on the policy implemented.
Martyn Walker - PeerSpot reviewer
Enables productivity in terms of users and has ease of management
Scalability could be improved. Yes, you can add more than 300 or 400 sites onto it, but because it's not a true SD-WAN and, effectively, it's just a Multi-VRF, it's all hub and spoke at that point. That's the nature of the design, but that's what keeps it simple to administer. So, it's a trade off.

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 features are manageability, scalability, and simplicity."
"The most valuable feature is the application-level routing."
"The solution sufficiently provides ISPs."
"Cisco SD-WAN is a stable solution."
"The reliability is high and we have only had to restart it once or twice over the years."
"Troubleshooting is swift, allowing for fast turnaround times whenever we encounter an issue."
"Installation is easy."
"Load balancing is a feature that allows us to take the best of our links and distribute the load intelligently, always with an eye on the end-customer experience."
"The management system is one of the best available."
"If you have the technical knowledge, there is very little chance of making mistakes."
"The advantage you have with Cisco Meraki is that they take a lot of that complexity out of the backend."
"The solution operates via zero-touch configuration."
"The most valuable features of this solution are load balancing and the security possibilities you have."
"Meraki can react fast to emerging trends."
"The solution is a whole vertical solution, so it doesn't need any other components in order to provide basic features."
"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."
 

Cons

"Cisco needs to improve the technical support for this solution."
"I would like to see a better, web-based interface to make changes to the configuration or to view statistics."
"When it comes to adding more security features, you need to add more RAM."
"I would like them to add some more SD-WAN ports. We have seen one implementation where there were four ISPs. Currently, we have a maximum of two ports for ISP in this device. Therefore, we cannot connect directly, and we need other switches. There should be some option to have more than two ports for SD-WAN."
"They should enhance the reporting because, as it is today, they need more executive-level reports."
"The product needs to have more understanding staff in their support team. The tool needs to provide support in every stage of deployment. We did not get the expected support from their team. The product is also not easy to use."
"The solution could have a better web interface to simplify changing configurations."
"The product should improve its prices."
"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 configuration from the firewall side could be improved a little bit more."
"The security could improve in Meraki SD-WAN."
"Meraki is lagging behind in using a single pipe from service providers. That is, it would be good if they could use both the internet leased line and broadband connectivity."
"There is still some work to do when it comes to AI."
"The only area for improvement in Meraki SD-WAN is its licensing model, as well as its cost structure."
"A run optimization feature is needed to reduce the bandwidth for any uploaded content."
"The solution needs a multi-use provider portal."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Cisco is more expensive than FortiGate."
"We pay for the Cisco Customer Care support, which is a couple of hundred dollars."
"There is no license required for this solution."
"The price of Cisco SD-WAN is expensive. We pay approximately $50 monthly for the use of the solution."
"It is expensive."
"I give the price a seven out of ten."
"The pricing is fair, and it's on par with the market vendors. But based on the competition, Cisco could work on the pricing, go deep on discounts and provide more commercially viable solutions to customers."
"Cost-wise, Cisco SD-WAN is comparatively high."
"The licensing model is a fair one, although having the hardware means nothing without the license. You need to continue to pay licensing fees."
"The licenses cost a fortune."
"Any license you buy until January 2021 gets you an extra year for that purchase."
"The price of this solution is good, it is not expensive."
"From the perspective of the customer, the price is not terribly cost-effective."
"I don't have information on the exact cost of Meraki SD-WAN, but I'd rate it a three out of five just because the licensing model is very much associated with the Meraki solution."
"The solution's pricing is in line with what we expected."
"The tool is costly. I rate the tool's price as a ten out of ten since it is very expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
45%
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
4%
Computer Software Company
20%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Retailer
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco SD-WAN?
When considering the most valuable features of Cisco SD-WAN, the decoupling of self-monitoring stands out significantly.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco SD-WAN?
The pricing for Cisco SD-WAN is rated eight out of ten, with some variability depending on the reseller discounts and the size of the enterprise. It is also relatively cost-effective for smaller bu...
What needs improvement with Cisco SD-WAN?
The main area for improvement in Cisco SD-WAN is the lack of documentation, which often lags behind the software releases. This is especially notable since Cisco acquired the solution and is still ...
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.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Meraki SD-WAN?
The price is a little bit higher than local vendors, for example, Huawei ZTE or H3C. However, some customers require the best quality and performance, thus needing solutions and products from Cisco.
What needs improvement with Meraki SD-WAN?
They have to ask us many questions about configurations. It could be improved with some automation to trigger, for example, telemetry data, so we can determine the state of the deployment as of day...
 

Also Known As

Cisco SD-WAN
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Doyle Research, Ashton Metzler & Associates
École Jeannine Manuel
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, NetScaler and others in Network Management Applications. Updated: March 2025.
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