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Cisco Enterprise Routers vs MikroTik Routers and Switches comparison

Why PeerSpot?
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 8, 2026

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
3.8
Cisco Enterprise Routers offer indirect ROI benefits, including high availability and reliability, with users appreciating significant long-term value.
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.
Head of Cyber Defense Department and Network Technologies Department at Verso Altima
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
4.4
Cisco technical support is often praised for professionalism, though response times and access to experts can sometimes be challenging.
Sentiment score
4.3
MikroTik support receives mixed reviews; while knowledgeable, users face access challenges and documentation limitations compared to Cisco.
When we have any issue, they replace it within twenty-four hours.
Network Engineer at General Authority OF ZAKAT & TAX
Cisco's support for routers, especially Cisco Enterprise Routers, is above the competition for sure.
Head of Cyber Defense Department and Network Technologies Department at Verso Altima
When you get a ticket and connect with the right person, the support is excellent, helping from beginning to end.
Technical Manager at Network Security and Crypto
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
7.1
Cisco Enterprise Routers offer scalability and modularity, suitable for diverse business needs, but face cost and integration challenges.
Sentiment score
7.1
MikroTik Routers are seen as scalable, though some note hardware and security limitations in larger deployments.
Cisco Enterprise Routers are modular routers that are beneficial for scaling or expanding, allowing us to add additional modules to serve various purposes, such as additional ports or links, and they even provide additional switching modules for local connectivity.
Unit Nos at Orange
The modular design helps us especially in scalability since when we have any expansion requirement, it allows us to plug and play some modules for extended reach to other networks and sub-networks.
CISO at a insurance company with 501-1,000 employees
Cisco Enterprise Routers are scalable.
Head of Information Technology at NCBA Group
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
8.0
Cisco Enterprise Routers are praised for their stability and reliability, with high performance and durability despite minor issues.
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.
Network Engineer at Equine World
They can work with dust and everything on top of them, with no issues.
Head of Information Technology at NCBA Group
We have not seen any major hardware failure or issue with Cisco Enterprise Routers.
CISO at a insurance company with 501-1,000 employees
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 routers need simpler licensing, enhanced security, better scalability, easier UI, improved support, and features for smaller businesses.
MikroTik Routers and Switches need better interface, security, documentation, compatibility, advanced features, and support for improved user experience.
People often opt for Ubiquiti, not because of their features, but because of the Wi-Fi signal stability.
Technical Manager at Network Security and Crypto
In terms of improvement, Cisco Enterprise Routers are already stable and that's quite good; however, I see an improvement that could be made in product availability where we face some challenges, such as raising a request and the product not being available locally.
Unit Nos at Orange
Security product configuration and integration are considered complex compared to FortiGate, Check Point, Sophos, and Palo Alto.
Pre-Sales Technical Specialist at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
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 routers are costly, with licensing fees impacting smaller businesses, but some users value their quality and reliability.
MikroTik offers cost-effective routers with lifetime licenses, appealing to enterprises seeking affordable high-performance alternatives without hidden charges.
If Cisco would come with pricing in terms of what features you are going to enable, the price could have been a bit cheaper because you may be paying for features that you do not use.
Head of Information Technology at NCBA Group
We are willing to pay a high cost to avoid downtime or issues with critical devices in our environment.
CISO at a insurance company with 501-1,000 employees
The pricing and licensing of Cisco Enterprise Routers is high, but the quality justifies the cost.
President at www.virtualtechsolutionsusa.com
MikroTik Routers and Switches are expensive, but they are the best products in terms of quality.
Community Director at PeerSpot
 

Valuable Features

Cisco Enterprise Routers are favored for security, scalability, ease of use, and high performance with extensive VPN support.
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.
Head of Cyber Defense Department and Network Technologies Department at Verso Altima
Cisco Meraki has a single platform to manage network and security products.
Pre-Sales Technical Specialist at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
The key benefits that Cisco provides to the end-user with Cisco Enterprise Routers include support, especially for those who paid for the support, the Smart Net.
CEO at a tech services company with 1-10 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 Enterprise Routers
Ranking in Routers
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.9
Number of Reviews
115
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
MikroTik Routers and Switches
Ranking in Routers
2nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
68
Ranking in other categories
Ethernet Switches (10th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Routers category, the mindshare of Cisco Enterprise Routers is 14.7%, down from 19.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MikroTik Routers and Switches is 17.2%, down from 23.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Routers Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Enterprise Routers14.7%
MikroTik Routers and Switches17.2%
Other68.1%
Routers
 

Q&A Highlights

NC
Content Manager at PeerSpot
Nov 22, 2021
 

Featured Reviews

Muhammad IrfanGhauri - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Solutions at Comtech Associate
Enterprise routing has delivered advanced security integration and supported AI data centers
The licensing part of Cisco Enterprise Routers is a bit tricky nowadays. With DNA, they have introduced DNA licensing. If they make it more simplistic with respect to customer understanding, I think it would be a good selling point for them. The licensing model could be a bit too high or a bit too complex. They need to make it simplified. It would be good for their business. With respect to enterprise routing, I would like to see additional features in the future to make it closer to a ten. Previously, Cisco has integrated many technologies into their router and multiple security features. However, since they have created a separate firewall product line, Firepower, I still want them to integrate more security features into their enterprise-grade router as well. Content filtering, application control, and website filtering are features that should be integrated into the router. They have multiple options, so with respect to technology, I am expecting that they integrate security more and Voice over IP features more easily into the router. For the customer, this makes their life easier in the sense that a single box can give them multiple solutions. I think they are already providing 5G interfaces, and there are options available.
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…
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Answers from the Community

NC
Content Manager at PeerSpot
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
Ingeniería de Preventa at TECNORED SA
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
Outsourcing Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Marketing Services Firm
8%
Healthcare Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
18%
Outsourcing Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business49
Midsize Enterprise24
Large Enterprise45
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business43
Midsize Enterprise16
Large Enterprise9
 

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 is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Enterprise Routers?
Regarding the pricing for Cisco Enterprise Routers, I would say it might be a little bit too high because for large companies, it does not matter since they prefer Cisco, but smaller companies ofte...
What needs improvement with Cisco Enterprise Routers?
Utilizing Cisco's integrated security protocols is the area where I wish to get into in the coming days, but currently, I am not working on the security portfolio.
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.
What needs improvement with MikroTik Routers and Switches?
There are many options available in MikroTik Routers and Switches, which might be overwhelming; for a beginner, it takes time to learn the system. Simplifying the UI could solve this problem for Mi...
 

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: September 2026.
914,109 professionals have used our research since 2012.