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AirMagnet Survey PRO vs Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 14, 2025

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

AirMagnet Survey PRO
Ranking in Network Modeling and Simulation
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
39
Ranking in other categories
Network Troubleshooting (6th)
Cisco Modeling Labs (CML)
Ranking in Network Modeling and Simulation
4th
Average Rating
6.0
Reviews Sentiment
3.2
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Network Modeling and Simulation category, the mindshare of AirMagnet Survey PRO is 9.0%, down from 25.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) is 9.6%, up from 7.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Modeling and Simulation Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
AirMagnet Survey PRO9.0%
Cisco Modeling Labs (CML)9.6%
Other81.4%
Network Modeling and Simulation
 

Featured Reviews

Mark Witherspoon - PeerSpot reviewer
Wireless Services Manager at Veritas Managed Solutions
A solution for site verifications and enhanced with adapters that provide more realistic readings, but needs to support Wi-Fi 6E
Ekahau and AirMagnet Survey have their own pros and cons, in my opinion. For example, the APs are not visible in Ekahau but AirMagnet Survey allows us to see what APs and channels are being used in a live view, which Ekahau lacks. In Ekahau, the signal from the AP it's capturing at that time is visible which is a bit of an inconvenience. The predictive planner of AirMagnet's is better. However, Ekahau has advantages over AirMagnet because it groups all the SSIDs into one AP, whereas with AirMagnet, one needs to group them manually. Ekahau also supports Wi-Fi 6E, but its licensing is restrictive and more costly.
OB
CEO at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Limited support and costly setup detract from potential benefits
The stability of Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) is not very good. The iOSs consume so much memory that most typical machines do not have sufficient memory to utilize. For example, the Cisco 9200 iOSs require 24 gigabytes of memory to run in that tool, and that is only one image.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Using the products to ensure the safety of our equipment that we have a lot invested in."
"The heat maps are quite good, and some features are easy to use."
"The benefit is with the ease of use of the software, I am able to show the customer, "Here is what your wireless coverage looks like." It is set up in a fashion that non-technical people can understand it."
"I would like to rate the product as eight of ten."
"The AirMagnet Survey allows you to see the list of APs in the live view. It only supports certain adapters, which can be limiting, but it's also beneficial because these adapters are more comparable to real-life devices like laptops. With Ekahau, Sidekick needs to be used for full features, but I find the Sidekick too strong, which can hamper results. Therefore, I prefer AirMagnet's approach because the adapters provide more realistic readings."
"Customer service is great."
"The most valuable features are the survey, spectrum analysis, and reporting."
"We use the solution for Wi-Fi and networks."
"The ease of use of Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) is very valuable to me because it is straightforward."
"The initial setup of Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) is straightforward, but the images are complex and expensive to set up because they do not provide those for free."
 

Cons

"It'd be nice if it was cheaper, however, you get value for your money."
"AirMagnet Survey doesn't cover certain devices in the system."
"The surveying features are in need of improvement, along with general usability."
"Printouts are JPEG printouts. The AirMagnet software is proprietary. I can't send my customers a file, because it is AirMagnet file, even for building projects. I can only send JPEGs or screenshots of heat maps."
"The user interface needs a lot of improvement. The auto-placement of access points is not accurate."
"The throughput should be more advanced in the future. They need to add more versions of WiFi than just one."
"I would say some of our newer techs that are going out to job sites can be a little bit intimidated by the interface."
"AirMagnet Survey needs to support Wi-Fi 6E otherwise they can lose to the competition. They also need to allow better grouping of SSIDs to one AP, removing the need to filter manually. At the moment, you can filter by channel or SSID, but grouping all those SSIDs together is a difficult task."
"Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) could improve by providing more in-depth switch options. For example, I cannot lab stacking at all."
"The stability of Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) is not very good. The iOSs consume so much memory that most typical machines do not have sufficient memory to utilize."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"For technical support, you need an annual license, but it is not worth it."
"There is an annual cost of the solution. There are some additional charges, such as support and maintenance."
"The pricing needs improvement."
"This product is very expensive."
"The tool's pricing is medium."
"The moment we began needing more of the vendor's support, the cost became very high; we switched to another solution."
"The licensing of AirMagnet Survey is different when compared to Ekahu. It is a third of the cost of Ekahau but there are no dedicated laptops to the Sidekick. AirMagnet allows you to license an adapter and share that adapter."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
10%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Retailer
8%
Comms Service Provider
13%
University
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business21
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise10
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about AirMagnet Survey?
We use the solution for Wi-Fi and networks.
What needs improvement with AirMagnet Survey?
AirMagnet Survey needs to support Wi-Fi 6E otherwise they can lose to the competition. They also need to allow better grouping of SSIDs to one AP, removing the need to filter manually. At the momen...
What is your primary use case for AirMagnet Survey?
We use AirMagnet Survey, for site verifications after the wireless system has been installed. We conduct pre and post-install surveys with it. We have reduced the use since now our customers requir...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Modeling Labs (CML)?
On a scale of 1 to 10, Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) is about eight or nine in terms of expense.
What needs improvement with Cisco Modeling Labs (CML)?
There are other areas where they could improve the product in my opinion.
What is your primary use case for Cisco Modeling Labs (CML)?
I have always used Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) in lieu of building practical labs and buying products for the labs so I can simulate configurations and test interoperability and things of that nature.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Houston Methodist Hospital, Love's Travel Stops
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about AirMagnet Survey PRO vs. Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.