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Cisco Nexus 9000 Series vs Meraki MS Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 1, 2026

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 Nexus 9000 Series
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
16th
Average Rating
9.2
Reviews Sentiment
4.6
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
Data Center Networking (8th)
Meraki MS Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
10th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
98
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Featured Reviews

Fakhar Mahmood - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Network Administrator at i2c
Has consistently supported high availability with reliable performance and minimal disruption
Cisco Nexus 9000 Series and the routers are good, but the FMC or FTDs still need some improvement. We have Palo Alto firewalls and Next-Generation Firewalls in our environment. In comparison to the main firewall, we moved from Cisco FTDs to Palo Alto. We still have FTDs in our environment, but the majority of the firewalls have been moved to Palo Alto. They are more user-friendly, give more visibility, and are more efficient. The performance is better than Cisco. With the new features, Cisco is having some improvement for the FTD. I am currently evaluating the FTDs. The new version has better features like the encrypted visibility engine and user-based changes in FMCs, and other things are quite useful for us. FTDs do have limitations and other issues. We communicated that limitation and feature support to the Cisco account manager. We do have support for the devices. We currently have a weekly call with Cisco and they are making progress regarding new versions of the FMCs and introducing new features. The performance of deployment has improved quite a bit compared to four or five years ago.
Thanadesh Namuengrak - PeerSpot reviewer
Lead IT Specialist at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
Cloud-managed switches have improved secure segmentation and simplified automated patching
Meraki MS Switches are easy to manage, but I believe they are more suitable for use on the IT side because Meraki faces the internet, requiring an open connection through the internet for control. It is not the same as Cisco switches, which operate via command line. I normally use command line for configuration, while Meraki utilizes a cloud-based dashboard that necessitates a constant internet connection for configuration. Therefore, I find Meraki MS Switches more suitable for the IT side. The improvement needed for Meraki MS Switches is the ability to connect in the worst case when I encounter internet issues. When I cannot connect to the internet and need to configure or connect directly to Cisco switches or access Meraki for changes, I face difficulties. When Meraki MS Switches can be configured without an internet connection, I think I can use Meraki MS Switches on the OT side. The only improvement I seek is configuration without an internet connection.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Performance has been great with no abnormal behaviors detected, and the network remains stable even in failover scenarios, supporting vast environments with high availability."
"RealPresence works effectively."
"Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is very durable and very reliable, and there has never been any issue with it."
"We are using the core capabilities of Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Ethernet switches, and it is performing well."
"The stability and reliability of Cisco Nexus 9000 Series are robust, and once you put it on, it does not just fail; that takes a long time, maybe even years."
"Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is quite a complex machine, but we are using a very simple configuration with basic Nexus switching, and we don't have many issues with Cisco Nexus 9000 Series at the moment in our present infrastructure."
"The most valuable features are the cloud and throughput visibility, the ease of configuration, and being able to implement them into our umbrella DNS solution."
"Meraki's site-to-site VPN function is phenomenal, and the VLAN is simple to use and set up. If you need the VLAN to sort the networks out, that works very well. The performance is also excellent."
"The most valuable feature is the dashboard because it makes it easy to manage all of the switches. It's easy to turn them up and get it configured."
"The reliability and ease of configuration are good."
"The most valuable feature is the ability to access devices from anywhere in the world through the cloud."
"The product is very straightforward."
"We like that it can work on a cloud basis, giving the customer a choice to operate from a central location and control everything from there, providing a proactive approach to networking for IT infrastructure that will bring better uptime and availability to the network."
"The most valuable features are ease of use and configuration. It has a cloud-based configuration that makes it easy."
 

Cons

"The SFP modules we are using have had issues. We have Cisco modules, but they frequently heat up or there are packet error issues."
"We find that Cisco has been left behind by the other vendors. The other vendors have adopted new technology, and we find Cisco lagging behind."
"Cost-wise, Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is very expensive."
"I would rate the technical support for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series an eight out of ten. This rating is not because of their lack of expertise, but just the assignment period."
"For Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches, I think we need to work on the HSRP. Whenever it flaps or something happens, it creates an issue."
"We had issues with the stability, issues with the pricing, and the total cost of ownership."
"The firewall is not very powerful. The other week, one of the switches only gave one gigabit of output. It's become a concern for our customers."
"One simple way to improve the product is to reconsider the price. They are more expensive than their competitors."
"They need to work on prioritizing different types of data on the network, whether it's voice, data, video, et cetera. Video needs to be prioritized in a much better way, for example."
"The product is not scalable. It's a physical device and therefore limited."
"In my opinion, there's room for improvement cost-wise. With Meraki's licensing terms, you're required to pay an annual licensing fee, which can be for a one-year license or perhaps a five-year license. But if you analyze the costs involved, there are huge expenses incurred as far as the licensing is concerned."
"The MS Switches are incapable of doing trunking."
"Tracking native ports with IP addresses is not currently possible in Meraki. This is a potential area of improvement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"It would be better if they had a one-time purchase option instead of a subscription model."
"It is very expensive so I want it to be cheaper."
"The pricing is very expensive."
"The yearly maintenance fee is $100 and you can purchase the switches used for about $200 each."
"The DNA subscription is a three-year minimum term."
"The price of Meraki MS Switches is high."
"I rate the price of Meraki MS Switches a two out of ten."
"Securing licenses and devices for more than a year can make the product expensive. In general, the product is expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
26%
Construction Company
16%
Outsourcing Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Construction Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business54
Midsize Enterprise20
Large Enterprise22
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Cisco Nexus 9000 Series?
At this point, not much could be improved about Cisco Nexus 9000 Series. Automation GUI based is not the core of the 9000, so this is a different device or a different solution. I do not find anyth...
What is your primary use case for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series?
My usual use cases for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series involve various companies, particularly when they are in need of a new automation solution or just an upgrade of the data center.
What advice do you have for others considering Cisco Nexus 9000 Series?
I am very satisfied with this solution. However, it is more about whether it is actually possible to do the solutions, and normally people already know what they want. They only need to have the ri...
What needs improvement with Meraki MS Switches?
Meraki MS Switches are easy to manage, but I believe they are more suitable for use on the IT side because Meraki faces the internet, requiring an open connection through the internet for control. ...
What is your primary use case for Meraki MS Switches?
I have experience with Cisco products as I implement a lot of them. For example, I implemented switches and access points when I worked for infrastructure in a motorcycle company, and I implemented...
 

Also Known As

No data available
MS220, MS320, MS420
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Cisco Live Milan, Hyatt
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Nexus 9000 Series vs. Meraki MS Switches and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
908,834 professionals have used our research since 2012.