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Cisco Ethernet Switches vs MikroTik Cloud Router Switch 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
134
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
18th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
21
Ranking in other categories
Routers (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Cisco Ethernet Switches is 14.7%, down from 18.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is 1.3%, down from 1.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Ronald Van Rees - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers a power stacking feature and enhances port speed with impressive stability
The vendor is presently working with large digital network architectures and additional software, as it is now willing to become a software-focused company instead of a hardware one. Cisco Ethernet Switches presently provide two options, either the user can utilize the basic features or the advanced software. Previously, advanced features were included in the basic package, but now they are provided as add-ons that need to be purchased separately for an extensive period of three or five years. As part of the advanced features in the solution, there is Digital Network Architecture (DNA) that provides insights, multiple dashboards and monitoring capabilities over Nexus and Catalyst switches from Cisco. Sometimes, customers need to buy features for Cisco Ethernet Switches that they do not require or use. The basic switches like the C1000 from the vendor don't have the DNA feature, but advanced version switches like Cisco Ethernet Switches have made the add-on purchases mandatory to avail certain features, which makes it difficult for several users.
Josephat Magesa - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy to set up, user-friendly, and reliable
I'm also familiar with Cisco which I used at another company. Cisco is a little bit expensive to acquire. With MikroTik, came with the same solution and you can use so many features. In MikroTik, you can use maybe two routers or one router to cover all your requirements, which you can also do on Cisco. This product is also cheaper than Cisco. Cisco has a lot of complications even with the configurations. On the price issues or even support issues, you may need to have so many routers when using Cisco for a simple solution. If you can use only one switch to clear your solution, why don't you use MikroTik? You don't have to use Cisco to have more than one switch to solve your problem.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"These switches are both stable and scalable."
"Very stable solution with a very low failure rate."
"The installation is very straightforward."
"They are easy to use and have low maintenance requirements."
"The Cisco Ethernet switches are sturdy products that do not require any kind of maintenance."
"The features that I have found most valuable are that it is easy to use and it has good technical support."
"I'd rate the solution ten out of ten."
"This product is widely available and the warranty is very good."
"It is easy to set up the solution."
"The wiki page that describes the scripting and other features is very good."
"It is user-friendly, reliable, and cheap."
"There are a lot of features to control permitting or stopping packets in the network."
"A valuable aspect is its user-friendly configuration, making it accessible even for individuals with basic technical knowledge."
"The initial setup is easy."
"The best aspect is that it remains affordable."
"The performance has been good."
 

Cons

"Location of customers to connect clients to the servers and transport the data and VoIP in parallel with QoS and NBAR with 802.1X."
"The licensing needs to be improved."
"It would be good for Cisco to provide certification to our engineers for our IT infrastructure. Basically to train and certify our engineers."
"I don't like the fact that the product is very expensive."
"It could be cheaper, especially the DNA license. One DNA license is around $3,000 for a three-year contract."
"The solution's reliability should be improved."
"You do have to buy into the Cisco architecture to be able to use them."
"I think the price should be cheaper to be able to afford more."
"Improvements are needed with respect to some of the security, especially for VPN links between vendors other than Cisco."
"The area for improvement is security. MikroTik is mostly used by medium and small businesses, so the security is not as robust as Cisco."
"There has to be more development in the OS. It's complex for this switch as compared to others like Cisco. For NetGear and Cisco, it's easy to adapt the VLAN concept but it should be simplified for MikroTik."
"The RAM capacity offered by the product needs to be increased, as it is one area where the tool currently has some shortcomings."
"The bulk efficiencies and the control of traffic could be a bit better."
"Simplifying the documentation would be a good idea."
"In medium to large sectors, there's a necessity for managing aspects like proxy firewalls."
"Technical support could be better."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of this solution is fair."
"The product is expensive."
"Quality comes at a price. I've been around the block a bit, and I know that good quality comes at a price. However, some of the organizations don't have big budgets, so you have to develop different solutions for them. They don't have the budget to get some of the high-end features. Cisco can consider providing entry-level hardware to suit SMBs."
"Not inexpensive. Price will vary widely depending on the chosen product and size of the deployment."
"Cisco offers annual and three-year license options."
"It is very expensive."
"Cisco Ethernet Switches are expensive, and you have to pay for a warranty and technical support."
"The price of this solution is high."
"They came with the licensing when we purchased them."
"The licensing for MikroTik is great. It's easy to enter, especially for small businesses. Their model is great."
"The price of the solution is fair and there is a one-time license purchase only."
"I consider it to be a cost-effective solution."
"MikroTik is really cheap compared to the competitors."
"I believe the price of the tool is high, but it is okay for the services we get from it."
"This product has a one-time cost and there is no licensing fee."
"In Pakistan, if you buy this cloud router, it's approximately $700 for the device."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Ethernet Switches solutions are best for your needs.
851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Comparison Review

it_user82779 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 29, 2014
Benefits of Juniper vs Cisco
Both are decent products. I prefer Juniper for the following reasons: 1) Cleaner separation of data plane from control plane. Higher end Cisco devices are better at this but most of the lower end products still seem to be more integrated than I like. 2) The Hierarchical config design means I can…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
15%
Comms Service Provider
13%
Hospitality Company
8%
Educational Organization
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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 ...
Which would you choose - Fortinet Fortiswitch secure access or Cisco Ethernet Switches?
We researched Cisco but ultimately chose Fortinet FortiSwitch Secure Access, mostly because of the price. Fortinet FortiSwitch is an ethernet switch solution that provides security and performance...
In terms of ethernet switches, would you go with Cisco or Juniper?
Our organization ran comparison tests to determine whether Cisco or Juniper Ethernet switches were the better fit for us. We decided to go with Juniper. Juniper ethernet switches are a lesser-known...
What do you like most about MikroTik Cloud Router Switch?
The tool has impacted our company's network costs and productivity in a perfect manner and percentage-wise, I can say it is 120 percent.
What needs improvement with MikroTik Cloud Router Switch?
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch needs improvement in the area of security, although the recent models are addressing this. Additionally, the quality of the hardware, such as the processor, RAM, and he...
 

Also Known As

Cisco Industrial Ethernet Switches
MikroTik CRS Series
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Linz AG
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. MikroTik Cloud Router Switch and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.