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Juniper EX Series 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

Juniper EX Series Ethernet ...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
9th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
74
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
17th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
Routers (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches is 3.7%, up from 2.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is 2.0%, up from 1.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches3.7%
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch2.0%
Other94.3%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Patrick Anaku - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network Engineer at Roke Telkom
Has provided reliable performance with useful features such as virtual chassis and high port density
The important thing for our use case of Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches has been reliability, and there are features such as the Virtual Chassis feature, which is one of the things we use. In our case, we use them as core switches in a network that is not very large, and their reliability and the Virtual Chassis feature work well for us. It was one of the reasons we chose it, along with the port density; we are using the 32 port and the 48 port, which work for our needs. Regarding its security features such as MACsec encryption, they are standard and cover what we want; we do not do a lot as they are just Layer 2 switches, but it has standard security features.
Andriejus Artamonovas - PeerSpot reviewer
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Whether you are on the lower end of the business scale with a smaller portfolio, or whether you are a Fortune 500 or 1000 company, you cannot go wrong with Juniper's back-end products."
"In general, I cannot find anything that is bad about this product."
"You willuse almost every feature on every switch to some degree because the utility is valuable."
"I would totally recommend Juniper Ethernet Switches to others who are interested in using them."
"We have multiple cases of the customers trying to upgrade their network from Cisco, Aruba and Huawei to Juniper. They do this basically because they want to modernise their network and have an increased capacity. This shift improves their functionality because the Juniper Ethernet switches are more advanced. We provide them with assistance to configure switches, access points and Wi-Fi."
"The GUI interface distinguishes it from other vendors and makes it easy to operate."
"The Virtual Chassis, because you have a centralized administration of a set of switches which makes the operation more efficient.​"
"The solution is stable and scalable."
"Some of the most valuable features are the simplicity, cost, usability, and power. As a package, it's extremely effective."
"The router power is the most valuable aspect."
"Regarding security and visibility in monitoring, it is very good, the GUI is very intuitive, and it has many more features than those from major vendors."
"This product is easy to configure."
"The GUI is easy to use."
"The best aspect is that it remains affordable."
"It is easy to set up the solution."
"The solution works very well for us; the performance has been good and it's been stable for now."
 

Cons

"The technical support from Juniper Ethernet Switches could be better."
"We would like it if there was more security added in future releases."
"The Virtual Chassis Fabric is kind of complicated to troubleshoot sometimes. On the MPLS side, they're good — they're fine for the pseudo-wires and stuff—but they need more work on the LAN. It is difficult to troubleshoot their LAN technologies like Virtual Chassis."
"It was very difficult to get technical support, here in Egypt. There is no local support available."
"The initial setup isn't very straightforward at first - it took me a day or two to deploy my first Juniper switches."
"The operating system could be better. Sometimes it's not stable enough or has some sort of critical block."
"More security could be provided, especially with the rising cyber-attacks in business organizations."
"We are undergoing a migration to software-defined networking. Different vendors have to integrate with each other and we are not seeing this type of capability within Juniper. We are getting left behind in this technology trend by staying with this solution. Juniper is also losing a bit of market share because of this."
"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."
"In medium to large sectors, there's a necessity for managing aspects like proxy firewalls."
"Technical support is not very good. It isn't comprehensive."
"Aspects such as zero trust, security, and management interface could be improved, which would be useful."
"Technical support needs to be faster and more knowledgeable."
"Improvements are needed with respect to some of the security, especially for VPN links between vendors other than Cisco."
"The solution does not yet offer a SaaS version."
"The scalability is good except if you are using version OS 6. However, once you begin to use version OS 7, it only uses some of the processes at a time, and it doesn't thread the things but instead uses them one at a time, which is a hold-back for that product."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is a subscription payment model or you can purchase licenses on a one, two, and five-year basis. If you want decent support, the solution is not expensive."
"It is an inexpensive product."
"Juniper Ethernet Switches could be less expensive. There is not a license needed to use the solution."
"Juniper Ethernet Switches are a less expensive solution than Cisco Ethernet Switches. There is only a one-time purchase for Juniper Ethernet Switches."
"The solution does not require a license to use it."
"It's was $100,000 per year."
"For the QFX5000 Juniper switches, the price is about $10,000, but they would probably sell it for $1,000. Nobody can beat Juniper's pricing when it comes to switches. Juniper out-prices everybody, but they get you on the back end, maintenance, service port, and service contract."
"The pricing for the support is very high."
"In Pakistan, if you buy this cloud router, it's approximately $700 for the device."
"This product has a one-time cost and there is no licensing fee."
"The price is competitive."
"The price of the solution is fair and there is a one-time license purchase only."
"The licensing for MikroTik is great. It's easy to enter, especially for small businesses. Their model is great."
"MikroTik is really cheap compared to the competitors."
"I consider it to be a cost-effective solution."
"I believe the price of the tool is high, but it is okay for the services we get from it."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
11%
University
8%
Construction Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Educational Organization
11%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Marketing Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business39
Midsize Enterprise17
Large Enterprise25
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise2
 

Questions from the Community

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 is your primary use case for Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches?
I have been working with Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches for more than a year.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Juniper EX Series?
The pricing of Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches is a bit high, but it matches what it offers; in terms of capability and reliability, once I put it on the network, we are usually guaranteed a lo...
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...
What is your primary use case for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch?
I mostly work with network equipment now, focusing mainly on routers. I work with FortiGates and MikroTik routers. When referring to FortiGate routers, I mean the firewalls, but not the enterprise-...
 

Also Known As

Juniper Ethernet Switches
MikroTik CRS Series
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

BlackLotus, Staminus, Community Bank, BAS Group, Cloud Dynamics, Privalia, Fluidata, and Tesla Motors.
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Find out what your peers are saying about Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches vs. MikroTik Cloud Router Switch and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
900,838 professionals have used our research since 2012.