Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches vs MikroTik Cloud Router Switch comparison

Cisco and MikroTik are both solutions in the Ethernet Switches category. Cisco is ranked #13 with an average rating of 8.8, while MikroTik is ranked #16 with an average rating of 7.9. Cisco holds a 2.9% mindshare in ES, compared to MikroTik’s 2.1% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of MikroTik users who would recommend it.

Cisco Linksys Ethernet Swit...

Read 79 Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches reviews

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90% willing to recommend

MikroTik Cloud Router Switch

Read 25 MikroTik Cloud Router Switch reviews

3,030 Views
2,151 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Cisco Linksys Ethernet Swit...

MikroTik Cloud Router Switch

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches and MikroTik Cloud Router Switch compete within the networking hardware sector. Based on feature comparison, MikroTik may have the upper hand due to its affordability and flexibility.

Features: Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches stand out for their reliability and ease of use, with advanced manageability and security features. MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is known for its advanced configuration flexibility, ease of routing functionalities, and scalability suitable for small to medium businesses.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Linksys could improve its Command Line Interface, warranty length, and security integration. MikroTik could enhance port isolation, VLAN management, and security capabilities, as well as improve documentation.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Linksys offers strong technical support for on-premises setups but faces challenges with third-party integrations. MikroTik provides both on-premises and cloud deployment options with straightforward configuration, although customer support responsiveness could be improved.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Linksys is moderately priced with significant ROI, justifying its cost with stability and support. MikroTik offers competitive pricing with a one-time licensing fee, providing a more attractive ROI due to the absence of ongoing costs.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches vs. MikroTik Cloud Router Switch Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches vs. MikroTik Cloud Router Switch

April 2026

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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 Linksys Ethernet Swit...

Ranking in Ethernet Switches

13th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

MikroTik Cloud Router Switch

Ranking in Ethernet Switches

16th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Routers (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches is 2.9%, up from 2.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is 2.1%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Ethernet Switches Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches	2.9%
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch	2.1%
Other	95.0%

Ethernet Switches

Featured Reviews

DolfKrikke

Senior Network Architect at Previder

Long experience has delivered fast, reliable networking and intuitive management for clients

Regarding Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches, there is nothing technically that needs improvement, but the support and cost are significant concerns. The main issue is that many customers are hesitant to purchase Cisco products because the support costs are very high. When I compare it to HP Aruba switches, for example, the support from HP is almost free. Cisco always charges for support, which is understandable because Cisco has a very large support organization like Cisco TAC behind it. Additionally, upgrades are not free with Cisco. Other vendors offer switch upgrades and firmware upgrades mostly free of charge. These are my main concerns.

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Andriejus Artamonovas

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.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Cisco Linksys is scalable. You can use it as an extender, too."

"Linksys switches are easy to use; you can pull the switch out of the box, plug it in, and it's going to work."

"Manageable features, which we heavily used like web GUI and SNMP."

"Linksys switches help us manage connected equipment because we can see the historical data on all devices connected to this switch."

"I am impressed with the tool's features like routing, Layer 2 security, and port security."

"The installation is easy."

"Many data centers and enterprise data centers prefer Cisco to any other product because they are very stable."

"These switches are very stable, and we have been using them for three years without any problems, with 48 POE ports being a very good feature."

More Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches pros

"The technical support for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is superb."

"I like that it's quite flexible and addresses different issues. It's quite easy to use, and the pricing is great. We find them to be very capable switches."

"This solution has improved a great deal over time and in many domains."

"The solution works very well for us; the performance has been good and it's been stable for now."

"I think that Mikrotik is the best solution for SOHO and small businesses because the price is very good and it includes a lot of features."

"They are very well suited for small and medium businesses, and here in Tanzania, in some cases, even some large enterprises are using MikroTik due to the fact that they provide many features at zero cost."

"The main reason why MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is usually chosen is its raw performance to price ratio."

"A valuable aspect is its user-friendly configuration, making it accessible even for individuals with basic technical knowledge."

More MikroTik Cloud Router Switch pros

Cons

"The product must be made cloud-based."

"It would be nice if they can provide support for local authentication protocol, which is a security feature. It is not supported right now. They already support security features, so adding some local authentication features would be very nice. Currently, they only support external databases for the stuff for the authentication feature. If they could improve the existing feature or add a feature to support local databases, local username, password authentication, I think it would be very amazing."

"We'd prefer if the product, in general, was easier to use. It can be a bit difficult."

"Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches’s stability and pricing needs improvement."

"The solution is costly."

"This product does not scale to environments where there is a lot of network traffic."

"In the future, I would like to see more focus on software-defined networking solutions."

"The solution's support can use improvement because they are not very good at following up."

More Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches cons

"Aspects such as zero trust, security, and management interface could be improved, which would be useful."

"The solution does not yet offer a SaaS version."

"The port isolation and VLAN need to be improved."

"MikroTik has a three to five year maximum lifespan."

"While some customers use MikroTik Cloud Router Switch as a firewall, it's not at an industry-level, though the basic features are adequate for many users who prefer it over purchasing other reputed firewall solutions."

"The user interface could improve and they should allow a license for IBS."

"The initial setup is complex."

"Stuff that I'd like to be improved is really just training and documentation because I think the feature set is full. Another improvement I'd suggest is that their new, bigger releases should be a bit more stable."

More MikroTik Cloud Router Switch cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing cost is not bad and is actually very competitive within the product category."

"There can be limited features for the solution based on the pricing of the package you choose. You will need to pay more to get more performance. However, the router can perform even better with certain extra costs. Sometimes the budgets do not fit all these types of upgrades that become expensive."

"The price of this solution is high, but it depends on the number of units that you want to order."

"The product is expensive."

"Cisco switches are a little expensive when it comes to the price."

"There is no license required."

"The tool's licensing costs are yearly. You only need to pay standard licensing costs."

"Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches is a less expensive solution than other vendors."

More Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches pricing and cost advice

"The price is competitive."

"MikroTik is really cheap compared to the competitors."

"They came with the licensing when we purchased them."

"I believe the price of the tool is high, but it is okay for the services we get from it."

"The licensing for MikroTik is great. It's easy to enter, especially for small businesses. Their model is great."

"I consider it to be a cost-effective solution."

"The price of the solution is fair and there is a one-time license purchase only."

"This product has a one-time cost and there is no licensing fee."

More MikroTik Cloud Router Switch pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Marketing Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Construction Company

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

12%

Educational Organization

12%

Marketing Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	42
Midsize Enterprise	15
Large Enterprise	24

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	19
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	2

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches?

Regarding pricing, I take the cost of Cisco Linksys Ethernet switches into consideration.

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What needs improvement with Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches?

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What is your primary use case for Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches?

I am still working with Cisco products, but not exclusively. I also work with HP, Aruba, and other products like Mellanox and HP. I am a senior network engineer and architect for an integrator.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch?

The Python solution pricing is on the lower side.

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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...

See all answers

Comparisons

NETGEAR Switches vs Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches

Compared 52% of the time

MikroTik Routers and Switches vs Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches

Compared 6% of the time

Aruba Switches vs Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches

Compared 6% of the time

Cisco Ethernet Switches vs Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches

Compared 5% of the time

Huawei Ethernet Switches vs Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches

Compared 2% of the time

More Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches Competitors

MikroTik Routers and Switches vs MikroTik Cloud Router Switch

Compared 9% of the time

TP-Link Omada Switches vs MikroTik Cloud Router Switch

Compared 8% of the time

Huawei Enterprise Routers vs MikroTik Cloud Router Switch

Compared 6% of the time

Cisco Enterprise Routers vs MikroTik Cloud Router Switch

Compared 5% of the time

Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center vs MikroTik Cloud Router Switch

Compared 5% of the time

More MikroTik Cloud Router Switch Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches

May 2026

Download Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches product report

Buyer's Guide

MikroTik Cloud Router Switch

April 2026

Download MikroTik Cloud Router Switch product report

Also Known As

Linksys Ethernet Switches

MikroTik CRS Series

Overview

Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches offer reliable network solutions for small to medium businesses, featuring strong stability, cost-effectiveness, and performance. These switches are ideal for connecting networks and supporting various platforms with user-friendly management.

Renowned for their stability and ease of management, Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches provide secure, scalable network solutions. Users benefit from excellent technical support and find value in features like VLAN segmentation and dynamic routing. Over time, the switches demonstrate consistent performance, with some units maintaining efficiency for over a decade. Challenges include outdated interfaces and occasional stability concerns. Feedback suggests incorporating advanced security, improved documentation, and simplified management processes to enhance functionality. Despite high costs and installation complexity, switching from Java to Python for scripting may improve efficiency.

What are the important features of Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches?

Stability: Ensures consistent and reliable network performance.
Scalability: Adapts to growing business needs with ease.
Security: Provides robust security features to protect data.
VLAN Segmentation: Enhances network functionality and organization.
Dynamic Routing: Improves data flow and network efficiency.

What benefits or ROI can users expect?

Cost-Effectiveness: Provides a budget-friendly networking solution.
User-Friendly Interface: Simplifies network management tasks.
Technical Support: Offers expert guidance and resources.
Durability: Ensures long-term performance for over a decade.

Incorporated by small to medium businesses, Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches aid in various sectors like offices, data centers, and educational institutions. They facilitate network connectivity, support data centers, and enable efficient network infrastructure expansion.

Cisco

MikroTik Cloud Router Switch offers a balance of price and performance ideal for businesses needing efficient routing and traffic management. It enables load balancing, VLAN support, and comprehensive monitoring, making it suitable for diverse network environments.

MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is recognized for its flexible routing capabilities and cost-efficient solutions, benefiting sectors like public services and education. With user-friendly setup and advanced configuration options, it efficiently manages ISP business routes, integrates into corporate networks, and scales for government projects and data centers. However, it could benefit from improvements in security aspects like VPNs, and better technical support. While admired for intuitive interfaces, there’s a desire for enhancements in hardware quality, MPLS support, and OS utilization.

What are the key features of MikroTik Cloud Router Switch?

Flexible Routing: Allows for sophisticated traffic management suited for ISPs and corporate networks.
Intuitive Interfaces: User-friendly GUI and command-line setup for ease of use across tech levels.
Advanced Security: Offers firewall features and VPN support for secure network environments.
Load Balancing: Efficiently manages network traffic to optimize performance.
VLAN Support: Enables segmenting networks to enhance security and management.

What benefits should users expect in MikroTik Cloud Router Switch?

Cost Efficiency: Competitive pricing aligned with high-performance delivery.
Scalability: Adaptable to network size, from small organizations to data centers.
User-Friendly: Simple setup and flexible configuration reduce deployment time.
Comprehensive Monitoring: Effective tools for real-time traffic and network status insights.
Support for Diverse Applications: Integrates well into educational, governmental, and commercial settings.

MikroTik Cloud Router Switch sees extensive use in industries requiring robust networking, like ISPs for core routing and client management, as well as government and educational sectors for large-scale network integration. Key users include distributors and service providers, leveraging its traffic control and secure routing in complex environments.

MikroTik

Sample Customers

Linz AG

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches vs. MikroTik Cloud Router Switch

April 2026

Free Report: Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches vs. MikroTik Cloud Router Switch

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