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MikroTik Cloud Router Switch vs Netgate TNSR comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

MikroTik Cloud Router Switch
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
Routers (5th), Ethernet Switches (17th)
Netgate TNSR
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
Virtual Routers (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Enterprise Networking solutions, they serve different purposes. MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is designed for Routers and holds a mindshare of 8.0%, up 7.4% compared to last year.
Netgate TNSR, on the other hand, focuses on Virtual Routers, holds 16.5% mindshare, down 18.7% since last year.
Routers Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch8.0%
MikroTik Routers and Switches17.9%
Cisco Enterprise Routers15.6%
Other58.5%
Routers
Virtual Routers Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Netgate TNSR16.5%
VyOS Universal Router20.4%
6WIND Virtual Service Router (VSR)17.1%
Other46.0%
Virtual Routers
 

Featured Reviews

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.
JL
Principal Network Engineer at HarborPoint Networks
Achieves exceptional performance and programmability with minimal hardware requirements
Netgate TNSR is a fully-featured router that handles all the technologies that we use. It has a very familiar and intuitive command-line interface. Additionally, it includes an API, which makes it easier to use in a programmatic fashion. It has been a very cost-effective alternative to larger router vendors, and we tend to get better performance out of it for the hardware that we use, achieving over four hundred gigs of throughput with very minimal hardware. Throughput is key to us.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We value the solution's price, and it can do almost anything you need regarding routing, so it's a well-rounded solution for routing, especially for network routing."
"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."
"The wiki page that describes the scripting and other features is very good."
"Some of the most valuable features are the simplicity, cost, usability, and power. As a package, it's extremely effective."
"This product is easy to configure."
"A valuable aspect is its user-friendly configuration, making it accessible even for individuals with basic technical knowledge."
"The most valuable feature is that it has better throughput than its competitors."
"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."
"The solution has good performance."
"It is surprisingly high performance for very little total cost of ownership."
 

Cons

"Aspects such as zero trust, security, and management interface could be improved, which would be useful."
"It would be even better with a centralized management platform."
"In medium to large sectors, there's a necessity for managing aspects like proxy firewalls."
"It can be difficult to identify key functions for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch. I experience functionality limitations, particularly when trying to find specific features."
"Antispam and antivirus features should be included in the future."
"The user interface could improve and they should allow a license for IBS."
"Improvements are needed with respect to some of the security, especially for VPN links between vendors other than Cisco."
"The bulk efficiencies and the control of traffic could be a bit better."
"The scalability could improve."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"This product has a one-time cost and there is no licensing fee."
"I consider it to be a cost-effective solution."
"They came with the licensing when we purchased them."
"The price is competitive."
"The price of the solution is fair and there is a one-time license purchase only."
"MikroTik is really cheap compared to the competitors."
"The licensing for MikroTik is great. It's easy to enter, especially for small businesses. Their model is great."
"I believe the price of the tool is high, but it is okay for the services we get from it."
"There is not a license required for this solution but the price should be less expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
13%
Educational Organization
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Marketing Services Firm
7%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Computer Software Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise2
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

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-...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Netgate TNSR?
On the market TNSR is the lowest cost, but don't let that throw you off. It is the best cooked product in its space. You do have to maintain your yearly licenses though, so it's a good idea to add ...
What is your primary use case for Netgate TNSR?
We use Netgate TNSR as core routers and edge routers for peering. We have multiple edge routers, and we set up peering with our service providers and other peers on those edge routers. We also have...
What advice do you have for others considering Netgate TNSR?
I would absolutely recommend Netgate TNSR. It is surprisingly high performance for very little total cost of ownership. I would rate Netgate at least a nine because their product is made very well,...
 

Also Known As

MikroTik CRS Series
TNSR
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
US Army, TrustCo Bank, Arkansas State University
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, MikroTik, Juniper and others in Routers. Updated: August 2026.
908,858 professionals have used our research since 2012.