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Cisco Catalyst Switches vs MikroTik Routers and Switches 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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
4.9
Cisco Catalyst Switches are praised for durability, offering long-term reliability and cost efficiency despite a higher initial investment.
Sentiment score
7.1
MikroTik devices are cost-effective, reliable, and offer an impressive 80% return on investment with no licensing fees.
I can say in terms of money saved because up until now, in the previous places where I have worked and also now, we still use the older model, the 2960 model Cisco Catalyst Switches, which has been in existence for almost 20 years and up until now it still functions very well.
Electrical control system engineer at Dangote petroleum refinery and petrol chemicals
From an investment standpoint, deploying Cisco Catalyst Switches offers tangible benefits, including cost reductions.
Unit Nos at Orange
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.7
Opinions on Cisco Catalyst Switches' support are mixed; strong advanced support but initial tier may be slow or repetitive.
Sentiment score
4.3
MikroTik support receives mixed reviews; while knowledgeable, users face access challenges and documentation limitations compared to Cisco.
When requesting an RMA, they replace defective items in just one day.
Network Engineer at General Authority OF ZAKAT & TAX
On a scale from one to 10, I would rate the technical support of Cisco at 10 out of 10.
student at St. Joseph's College of Engineering
TAC really depends on the engineer; you could end up with a three, but then we can reach out to our account team and ask for help, or re-queue the case.
Senior Network Analyst at a university with 5,001-10,000 employees
Their support team knows their product very well.
Community Director at PeerSpot
I sometimes need technical support from my ISP company, or else I gather information from YouTube.
IT Manager at ERL
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.4
Cisco Catalyst Switches provide high scalability, seamlessly integrating with existing infrastructure despite cost and configuration complexities.
Sentiment score
7.1
MikroTik Routers are seen as scalable, though some note hardware and security limitations in larger deployments.
The scalability of Cisco Catalyst Switches is very much scalable, as it supports the stacking feature and growth; for instance, with 94K modular switches, based on the requirement, we can even increase modules for more bandwidth.
Unit Nos at Orange
Unlike Meraki, where I can bring a switch online, join it to the portal, and it becomes operational immediately.
Software Developer/ IT Analyst Individual Contributor at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
The auto-scaling and zero-touch provisioning kind of support for Nexus switches is lacking.
Network Security Engineer at a healthcare company with 11-50 employees
Even in a big enterprise, MikroTik Routers and Switches can scale very well.
Community Director at PeerSpot
It's easy to scale MikroTik Routers and Switches; you can add more and have a cluster.
IT Consultant at M-COM s.r.o
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
Cisco Catalyst Switches are highly reliable, long-lasting, and efficient, with occasional minor glitches but strong user praise and support.
Sentiment score
7.4
MikroTik Routers and Switches are generally stable, but newer OS versions and the power system can cause issues.
The stability of Cisco Catalyst Switches in my environment is somewhat problematic: legacy Cisco Catalyst Switches, even though they have licenses and support, present many hardware-related issues, such as interfaces going down very repeatedly, SFP modules failing in most cases, and hardware ports becoming faulty.
Network Security Engineer at a healthcare company with 11-50 employees
What you tell it to do is exactly what it does.
Electrical control system engineer at Dangote petroleum refinery and petrol chemicals
Since we operate medical infrastructure, we try to avoid downtime as much as possible.
Enterprise Network Architect at UCLA
MikroTik Routers and Switches are very stable.
IT Manager at ERL
MikroTik Routers and Switches have very high stability.
Community Director at PeerSpot
 

Room For Improvement

Cisco Catalyst Switches receive criticism for high prices, complex licensing, outdated interfaces, and insufficient compatibility and support features.
MikroTik Routers and Switches need better interface, security, documentation, compatibility, advanced features, and support for improved user experience.
Cisco should provide some level of software that I can bring on-premise where I can add all my Catalyst switches for central management.
Software Developer/ IT Analyst Individual Contributor at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Support and vulnerabilities are the biggest issues regarding Cisco Catalyst Switches.
Network Architect at a retailer with 5,001-10,000 employees
Currently, I don't see much AI integration with Cisco Catalyst Switches; though they've started, it still needs improvement.
Unit Nos at Orange
It would be better for me if I could establish filter rules within MikroTik.
IT Manager at ERL
The most important thing is maintaining and enhancing their strong security features.
Community Director at PeerSpot
 

Setup Cost

Cisco Catalyst Switches are costly but valued for reliability, though buyers seek competitive pricing and find licensing complex.
MikroTik offers cost-effective routers with lifetime licenses, appealing to enterprises seeking affordable high-performance alternatives without hidden charges.
Cisco provides unique features that justify their pricing.
Product Manager at Uop Ipl
Cisco Catalyst Switches are quite pricey.
Network Manager at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
Cisco usually is costly compared to other vendors.
Unit Nos at Orange
MikroTik Routers and Switches are expensive, but they are the best products in terms of quality.
Community Director at PeerSpot
 

Valuable Features

Cisco Catalyst Switches offer stability, PoE, robust security, scalability, and ease of configuration with high-speed performance and flexible management.
MikroTik devices combine affordability, scalability, and performance with features like flexible firewalls and user-friendly GUI for efficient networking.
Cisco Catalyst Switches are valuable for their reliability and performance.
Product Manager at Uop Ipl
With Meraki access points, I do not have to have a wireless controller for them. I can configure the wireless device directly from the switch, making the setup cleaner, and that is a major reason for my preference.
Software Developer/ IT Analyst Individual Contributor at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Cisco Catalyst Switches provide high performance and security features that stand out in my daily work, where they handle a high volume of traffic with low latency, making them suitable for bandwidth-intensive applications, web applications, VoIP applications, video streaming, and major data center workloads.
Network Security Engineer at a healthcare company with 11-50 employees
They simplify the process of creating access lists, allowing me to understand my network's activities effectively.
IT Manager at ERL
MikroTik Routers and Switches are some of the best routers around, security-wise, followed by Cisco.
Community Director at PeerSpot
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Catalyst Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
3rd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
187
Ranking in other categories
LAN Switching (1st), Data Center Networking (1st), AV Over IP Switching (1st)
MikroTik Routers and Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
8th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
68
Ranking in other categories
Routers (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Switches is 4.5%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MikroTik Routers and Switches is 4.6%, down from 6.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Catalyst Switches4.5%
MikroTik Routers and Switches4.6%
Other90.9%
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.
AnikIslam - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Executive at Lakdhanavi Limited
Cost-effective protocol support and a straightforward setup with room for login enhancements
In the network operations center, I manage our client's bandwidth. We connect with our clients through BGP and OSPF based on client demands. We also manage routing protocols, policies, internal firewalls, and other details like QE bandwidth, client manage bandwidth management, PoE, PPPoE, and DNS…
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Ethernet Switches solutions are best for your needs.
900,838 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Construction Company
9%
Computer Software Company
7%
Comms Service Provider
19%
Computer Software Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business83
Midsize Enterprise29
Large Enterprise85
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business43
Midsize Enterprise16
Large Enterprise9
 

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?
Those aspects regarding pricing, setup, cost, and licensing are managed by management, so I am not directly involved.
What needs improvement with Cisco Catalyst Switches?
I believe that Cisco Catalyst Switches could be improved by being given AI capability and advanced licensing, which would be beneficial.
How do Cisco Enterprise routers compare with Mikrotik routers and switches?
Cisco Enterprise Routers are very stable and easy to use. They offer a very solid performance and are very secure. They also have a very good, long lifespan. We feel the command configuration is ve...
Which are better - Ubiquiti UniFi switches or MikroTik routers and switches?
Ubiquiti Unifi is a great solution. For starters, it is easy to configure and implement, and doesn’t require a learning curve because it is easy to use. It is also simple to reconfigure an AP or ga...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for MikroTik Routers and Switches?
MikroTik Routers and Switches are expensive, but they are the best products in terms of quality. From my knowledge, their quality is also the best.
 

Also Known As

Cisco Catalyst, Catalyst
No data available
 

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
ABB, Boingo Wireless, JPL, HP, Allied Telesis, iPass, Mips Technologies, MicroAge, Matsushita, Telia, undp, WFP, NASA
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Catalyst Switches vs. MikroTik Routers and Switches and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
900,838 professionals have used our research since 2012.