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Cisco Catalyst Switches vs MikroTik Cloud Router Switch comparison

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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

Cisco Catalyst Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
3rd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
191
Ranking in other categories
LAN Switching (1st), Data Center Networking (1st), AV Over IP Switching (1st)
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
15th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
Routers (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Switches is 4.5%, up from 2.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is 1.9%, up from 1.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Catalyst Switches4.5%
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch1.9%
Other93.6%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

MS
Electrical control system engineer at Dangote petroleum refinery and petrol chemicals
Reliable switching has delivered long‑term uptime, strong PoE support, and predictable performance
Cisco Systems Catalyst Switches are highly regarded for their performance, reliability, and enterprise-grade capabilities. My main reservation, however, is the pricing. The cost of Cisco Catalyst Switches—and Cisco products in general—is relatively high, especially in many African markets where organizations often need to balance budget constraints with required functionality. There are alternative vendors that offer comparable features at a lower price point. While they may not always match Cisco’s ecosystem, stability, or full feature depth, many businesses still choose them because of the significant cost savings. Another consideration is licensing, which can add to the overall total cost of ownership depending on the deployment model and required features. Overall, Cisco Catalyst Switches remain premium enterprise solutions, but when compared with other OEMs, their higher acquisition and licensing costs can be a major deciding factor for cost-conscious organizations.
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

"The Cisco software ties all the hardware together better than the competition."
"They are extremely stable; we've been running them for 12 years, and we lost the uptime only due to power loss."
"The main feature is that you will get many more people trained on Cisco Catalyst Switches than other solutions in the market."
"The most valuable features of the solution are BGP, VPN, and spine-leaf architecture."
"The solution is durable."
"Cisco Catalyst Switches are valuable for their reliability and performance."
"All features are very strong. It is very easy to manage. It is also certified and popular. Cisco has come up with a new management console to manage the switches. I still haven't tried it, but in my opinion, this is the best way forward. You can use software to manage the switches instead of the common line configuration. You can manage it through software, which is very easy."
"The product is stable, and it performs well."
"It is easy to set up."
"The initial setup is easy."
"The traffic monitoring capabilities are excellent."
"The best aspect is that it remains affordable."
"Familiar RouterOS support, port isolation, flexible VLAN handling (tagging, untagging, rewriting, etc.)."
"MikroTik Cloud Router Switch stands out for its features, especially those available at that price point."
"Some of the most valuable features are the simplicity, cost, usability, and power. As a package, it's extremely effective."
"The router power is the most valuable aspect."
 

Cons

"It has too many options. Therefore, there is a reasonably high barrier to entry in terms of learning about this stuff."
"Cisco is the most expensive product."
"They need to implement sFlow."
"Pricing mainly is the only issue. For our company, IT is not a major investment, so it would be harder to convince management to invest in Cisco switches."
"The cost could be reduced. If they worked on lowering the price, they would be able to attract more customers."
"The configuration options on the Cisco Commerce website could be more efficient."
"The dashboard was difficult to manage."
"Pricing needs to improve. Competitors such as Arista, Aruba, and others are giving lifetime support."
"MikroTik needs to add some features like IPS, mail security, or antivirus, et cetera."
"MikroTik has a three to five year maximum lifespan."
"Technical support is not very good. It isn't comprehensive."
"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 bulk efficiencies and the control of traffic could be a bit better."
"It can be difficult to identify key functions for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch. I experience functionality limitations, particularly when trying to find specific features."
"The RAM capacity offered by the product needs to be increased, as it is one area where the tool currently has some shortcomings."
"MikroTik Cloud Router Switch needs improvement in the area of security, although the recent models are addressing this."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Pricing of Cisco equipment is high, but I think these switches are worth the price."
"The solution is probably the most expensive, but users who want the best need to pay the premium."
"It's overpriced and should be cheaper."
"It is reasonably priced because we have already conducted a tender, allowing Cisco and other vendors to compete for the best price."
"The price could be improved."
"I cannot say that the pricing is reasonable because it's a little above our expectations. If we consider the recent price increases, it is not acceptable anymore."
"I don't see any price issue with Cisco. Whenever you buy a quality product, you always have a mindset of paying the premium amount. For any good product, you pay a premium amount, but that also means you are going to recover that premium over a period of time in terms of performance."
"The price can definitely be lower."
"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 of the solution is fair and there is a one-time license purchase only."
"The licensing for MikroTik is great. It's easy to enter, especially for small businesses. Their model is great."
"MikroTik is really cheap compared to the competitors."
"The price is competitive."
"I believe the price of the tool is high, but it is okay for the services we get from it."
"I consider it to be a cost-effective solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Outsourcing Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Construction Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
13%
Educational Organization
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business84
Midsize Enterprise30
Large Enterprise87
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise2
 

Questions from the Community

Would you recommend replacing a Cisco Catalyst Switch by a D-link one?
Hello Mesfin It depends on the real scenario, the cisco 2960 is a very good device and they usually have routing functions but there are many different models within the same 2960 line, and on the ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Catalyst Switches?
The price is very high. Compared to others, I find the price a bit high when compared to Juniper and Allied Telesis.
What needs improvement with Cisco Catalyst Switches?
I cannot identify specific disadvantages with the product. However, the areas that have potential to be better are the timeline for the system and switch delivery. The delivery timelines for the pr...
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...
What is your primary use case for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch?
I mostly work with network equipment now, focusing mainly on routers. I work with FortiGates and MikroTik routers. When referring to FortiGate routers, I mean the firewalls, but not the enterprise-...
 

Also Known As

Cisco Catalyst, Catalyst
MikroTik CRS Series
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Afni, Anilana Hotels and Resorts, Baylor Scott & White Health, Beachbody, Bellevue, Del Papa Distributing, Explorer Pipeline, Mindtree, Omaha World Herald, Radio 538, Sony Corporation, Telecom Italia, Telenor Arena
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Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Catalyst Switches vs. MikroTik Cloud Router Switch and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
913,924 professionals have used our research since 2012.