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Cisco Enterprise Routers vs MikroTik Routers and Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 27, 2025

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
5.8
Users report high ROI with Cisco routers due to low failure rates, strong partnerships, and excellent market recognition.
Sentiment score
7.1
MikroTik devices are cost-effective, reliable, and offer an impressive 80% return on investment with no licensing fees.
Our customers have seen return on investment and value for money since implementing Cisco Enterprise Routers.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
4.1
Cisco Enterprise Routers' customer service is praised but technical support receives mixed feedback due to occasional inefficiencies and slow responses.
Sentiment score
4.3
MikroTik support receives mixed reviews; while knowledgeable, users face access challenges and documentation limitations compared to Cisco.
Cisco's support for routers, especially Cisco Enterprise Routers, is above the competition for sure.
Their support team knows their product very well.
I sometimes need technical support from my ISP company, or else I gather information from YouTube.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.2
Cisco Enterprise Routers are scalable and adaptable for diverse users, though costs and integration with other brands may be challenging.
Sentiment score
7.1
MikroTik Routers are seen as scalable, though some note hardware and security limitations in larger deployments.
In terms of scalability, Cisco Enterprise Routers are easy to scale.
I would rate their scalability ten out of ten.
It's easy to scale MikroTik Routers and Switches; you can add more and have a cluster.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.3
Cisco Enterprise Routers are highly reliable, experiencing minimal interruptions, with users rating their stability eight to ten out of ten.
Sentiment score
7.4
MikroTik Routers and Switches are generally stable, but newer OS versions and the power system can cause issues.
Cisco Enterprise Routers are stable and reliable, with no significant glitches in performance.
MikroTik Routers and Switches have very high stability.
MikroTik Routers and Switches are very stable.
 

Room For Improvement

Cisco Enterprise Routers need better interfaces, cost efficiency, durability, security, support, integration, scalability, automation, and energy efficiency enhancements.
MikroTik Routers and Switches need better interface, security, documentation, compatibility, advanced features, and support for improved user experience.
The only complaint from customers about Cisco is price-wise; they tend to be on the higher side compared to some competition, making it hard to compete in today's market.
The most important thing is maintaining and enhancing their strong security features.
It would be better for me if I could establish filter rules within MikroTik.
 

Setup Cost

Cisco Enterprise Routers are quality devices but can be costly, impacting affordability, especially for small and medium businesses.
MikroTik offers cost-effective routers with lifetime licenses, appealing to enterprises seeking affordable high-performance alternatives without hidden charges.
The pricing and licensing of Cisco Enterprise Routers is high, but the quality justifies the cost.
But acquiring the actual equipment is more expensive.
MikroTik Routers and Switches are expensive, but they are the best products in terms of quality.
 

Valuable Features

Cisco Enterprise Routers offer high performance, robust security, and easy configuration, making them ideal for diverse organizational needs.
MikroTik devices combine affordability, scalability, and performance with features like flexible firewalls and user-friendly GUI for efficient networking.
Cisco has a long history of security built into the routers themselves, including virtualization options on the routers, the ability to implement managed access lists, tagging on the access level, and using these tags on Cisco firewalls.
MikroTik Routers and Switches are some of the best routers around, security-wise, followed by Cisco.
They simplify the process of creating access lists, allowing me to understand my network's activities effectively.
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Enterprise Routers
Ranking in Routers
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
105
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
MikroTik Routers and Switches
Ranking in Routers
1st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
68
Ranking in other categories
Ethernet Switches (6th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Routers category, the mindshare of Cisco Enterprise Routers is 19.7%, down from 24.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MikroTik Routers and Switches is 23.6%, down from 29.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Routers
 

Q&A Highlights

NC
Nov 22, 2021
 

Featured Reviews

Jos Badimo - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides reliable connectivity but setup and compatibility require improvement
Cisco Enterprise Routers can only integrate with standard equipment. If using something non-standard, it will not work. By non-standard, I mean the unknown brands that are not generally used. There is still room for improvement in performance, quality of service, and security in general. Cisco Enterprise Routers are not easy to set up. They require special skills and don't have plug-and-play capability.
AnikIslam - PeerSpot reviewer
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…
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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Routers solutions are best for your needs.
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Answers from the Community

NC
Nov 22, 2021
Nov 22, 2021
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 very intuitive and the command line interface is very simple to handle, at least for the tech-savvy crowd. Technical support is also very good. Cisco Enterprise routers can be very expensive. You do hav...
See 2 answers
Nov 2, 2021
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 very intuitive and the command line interface is very simple to handle, at least for the tech-savvy crowd. Technical support is also very good. Cisco Enterprise routers can be very expensive. You do have to have some knowledge to configure, and that can be a dissatisfaction for some. A graphical interface would be helpful for those with less expertise and would make setup, scaling, and overall management easier. They could also integrate better with other products and solutions. Their Firewall and VPN options should be improved to stay more competitive with other products. MikroTik Routers and Switches are very good with multi-routing, multi-dwelling, multi-tenant units. Their bandwidth is amazing - we have experienced zero downtime. We found the solution to be very stable and flexible. They deliver the same performance as the top brands for a significantly lower price. The initial setup can be tricky. The user interface is a bit dated and the support could use improvement. They only warranty their product for one year, where others offer three, five, or more. This could be a concern for some. We feel that this product is not suited for high-end projects. Conclusion MikroTik offers a very usable stable product for smaller organizations that are not looking to grow exponentially quickly. They do not scale beyond 3 gigs of traffic. For a smaller organization, they would be a very good fit. Cisco is the go-to solution for larger organizations. They have the brand recognition that clients like They offer a solid product that they will stand behind, and it performs well. They can easily meet the needs of large enterprises and growing organizations.
GG
Nov 22, 2021
Mikrotik, as Cisco is not for everyone ... While this popular OS-based router, is simple, it is not for all applications. When one wants complex results, MK is useful. it is an assistant to ADMs who do not have much knowledge.  But not everything is simple or can be solved with a single team. The particularity of its Agile and intuitive interface makes MK lose in the middle to high segment.  Cisco has years of experience, one may or may not agree with its pricing and especially licensing policy, but its products are made to last, its IOS, is powerful in many areas.  One turns on a Cisco and if the initial configuration is optimal, it does not turn off that router anymore.  MK is a team that must be seen, controlling and above all optimizing. The reasons for choosing one and the other are simple, money, knowledge and, above all, projection.  Cisco can be planned and completed, but it is not for everyone. MK plans to buy and update the HW sooner or later. His continuous releases are tedious but necessary. Cisco in the Enterprise range is clearly superior, as is Juniper or Huawei.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Educational Organization
7%
Government
7%
Comms Service Provider
16%
Computer Software Company
14%
Hospitality Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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...
What do you like most about Cisco Enterprise Routers?
The most valuable feature of the solution is that it makes it possible for users to use encryption and decryption since our company aims to achieve transparency, and without it, the other system on...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Enterprise Routers?
The pricing and licensing of Cisco Enterprise Routers is high, but the quality justifies the cost.
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 do you like most about MikroTik Routers and Switches?
The price is a big factor. They are very affordable, and the quality is high.
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.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Aegean Motorway, Boingo, Chartwell School, Children's Hospital of Orange County , Department of Justice, Explorer Pipeline, Linz AG, National Rugby League, New South Wales Rural Fire Service, Telecom Italia, Transwestern
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 Enterprise Routers vs. MikroTik Routers and Switches and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
865,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.