No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.

Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches vs Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches vs Meraki MS Switches 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:
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches is 1.3%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches is 3.5%, up from 2.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Meraki MS Switches is 2.7%, down from 3.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches3.5%
Meraki MS Switches2.7%
Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches1.3%
Other92.5%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

MK
Operational Manager at Astrah Technologies
Has enabled reliable access control with good scalability
The primary use case is access control and normal LAN usage, including internet and email. For example, I have deployed the solution in airport scenarios where there are many users The most valuable feature for me is the stability of the switches. They do not hang often and are very reliable,…
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.
JN
Ag Systems & Networks Head at UNBS
Central management and cloud dashboard streamline network monitoring while connectivity hiccups need addressing
I use Cisco products and Meraki MS Switches. I am a user on the user side. Network security is handled by our firewalls and other solutions. I have not explored the area of network management AI in Meraki MS Switches. For other switches, when you buy one, you can just start configuring, connect it to the network, and it works. With Meraki MS Switches, you have to first whitelist the MAC address, let it have internet, then you can manage it. They're deployed on-premises. They're quite acceptable, so I recommend them to those who want to use Meraki MS Switches. The biggest benefit that I see in Meraki MS Switches is central management and the cloud dashboard. I rate Meraki MS Switches 8 out of 10.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches' best features are it's easy to deploy, manage, and maintain, with services coming through one vendor."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the wireless access points that enable direct access to clusters, and this is also a very stable and scalable solution."
"The product's initial setup phase is not complex. It is easy to install the tool."
"The product is stable. It does have only one power supply. They don't have a redundant power supply."
"The fibre ports that are 10 Gb capacity helped with the travel of a lot of regular as well as video data. Fibre can handle a lot more virtual data than copper twisted-pair, so we got a lot more data and a lot more traffic signals back through the fibre ports, faster, than with copper."
"The solution doesn't have many proprietary protocols like Cisco's. It mainly uses standard protocols like VRRP (similar to Cisco's HSRP), Spanning Tree, and Rapid Spanning Tree, which can sometimes cause integration issues."
"The new web graphical interface is much better than before. We now have easy access to the command lines. They're all functional."
"As someone with long-term experience with the product, I can say that you can trust the Alcatel switches."
"The solution is stable and scalable."
"The stability of this solution is rock solid."
"In general, I cannot find anything that is bad about this product."
"This is a lower cost product with better features than the competition."
"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."
"Both Juniper and Cisco switches are interoperable."
"The Virtual Chassis, because you have a centralized administration of a set of switches which makes the operation more efficient.​"
"I like the simplicity of it."
"The cloud management on the solution is very good."
"It makes the management of SSIDs fairly easy."
"These switches are not expensive and their configuration is very easy. You can provision them on the dashboard, then you just connect them to everything."
"If you're looking for cloud switches, I would definitely recommend including them in your evaluation because they're really good."
"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."
"The most valuable features of Meraki MS Switches are ease of use, and we can find technical knowledge easily."
"The dashboard and the interface, in general, are good features, and everything from switches to access points can be used from a single dashboard."
"The most valuable feature is the dashboard because it makes it easy to manage all of the switches."
 

Cons

"The price should be lowered so that we can capture more of the market for Ethernet switches."
"There needs to be better integration with the interface."
"OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches would be improved if cloud-based technology was provided in the Gulf region."
"The solution could be more user friendly and there are issues with technical support where the response time is sometimes very slow."
"The product would be better if it were completely compatible with other switching products."
"I could see them possibly creating a more intuitive software. It's very user-friendly, but there are some things that aren't very intuitive when programming the switches."
"My customer's team is not able to understand the loophole with Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches, but apart from that, there are no issues."
"There needs to be better integration with the interface."
"The protocols can be tunneled, but on a global basis, not on an interface, and this is a feature that should be added."
"It would be nice to have a more available list of modules that you can get for this solution."
"The configuration could be made simpler."
"The management platforms for the network need improvement."
"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 would be nice to have a more available list of modules that you can get for this solution."
"We need to start seeing some kind of AI to assist with some of what we really want to accomplish from a policy standpoint to achieve better efficiency."
"The tool should improve its fabric."
"Licensing is the only thing I can complain about. It's expensive, but everything is these days."
"One area where Meraki MS switches could improve is offering smaller switch sizes for distribution switches."
"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."
"This product depends on a cloud connection in order to function. If you have an unstable internet connection or other connectivity issues the product will not function as expected."
"I'd rate ROI a three out of five as it is costly."
"Its troubleshooting features need work."
"The solution isn't scalable."
"In reference to an area of improvement sometimes the switch does not connect to the internet initially."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is an expensive solution."
"The pricing is reasonable compared to Aruba and HPE."
"The licensing for OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches is a one-time purchase with no additional costs."
"Pricing is cheap compared to other vendors. When we benchmark the tool against Meraki, Cisco, and others, it is usually more affordable."
"We don't need to pay for the solution's features."
"Juniper Ethernet Switches' pricing is high, but that's reflected across the market."
"Juniper Ethernet Switches are cheaper than Cisco or HP."
"Juniper costs less than the competition. As a comparison, Cisco is 33% more."
"The price of the Juniper EX Series is reasonable. Cisco is a lot more expensive."
"You don't need to license every switch. We only chose to cover support on core/key equipment and keep a cold spare available when needed."
"I rate the product price an eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is a low price, and ten is a high price."
"There is a need to make a payment towards the perpetual licensing model offered by the product and also towards the subscription-based model for hardware replacement."
"With the solution that we currently have, I think it costs about 1,200 pounds a year. They bill on a yearly basis."
"It's $150 per year for licensing on each 250 switch. The 425 switches are about $500 a year for the enhanced enterprise licenses."
"The product's licensing cost is about 30% to 40% of the hardware cost."
"The price of Meraki MS Switches is high."
"It depends on what type of equipment you have and other things. We're about $17,000 a year."
"When you compare it to other switches like HP, Juniper, and Ruckus, Meraki MS Switches are cheaper."
"The price of the solution has room for improvement."
"It is very expensive so I want it to be cheaper."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Ethernet Switches solutions are best for your needs.
886,426 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
11%
Construction Company
9%
University
6%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
7%
University
7%
Construction Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
7%
Construction Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise3
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business39
Midsize Enterprise17
Large Enterprise24
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business54
Midsize Enterprise20
Large Enterprise22
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches?
The new web graphical interface is much better than before. We now have easy access to the command lines. They're all...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches?
In terms of pricing, Alcatel is cheaper than Cisco, however, MikroTik is the cheapest. I cannot comment on the pricin...
What needs improvement with Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches?
The commands for the switches could be easier as I find them more complex compared to those of Cisco.
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...
What is your primary use case for Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches?
The important thing for our use case of Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches has been reliability, and there are featu...
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 fac...
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 po...
 

Also Known As

Alcatel-Lucent Ethernet Switches, OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches
Juniper Ethernet Switches
MS220, MS320, MS420
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Bayonette, California State University (CSU), Centre Hospitalier Carcassonne, Centro Universitšrio de Brasilia (UniCEUB), China Tianchen Engineering Corporation Co. LTD, Citta Della Speranza, City of Frankfurt, City of Ogden, City of Vila Franca de Xira
BlackLotus, Staminus, Community Bank, BAS Group, Cloud Dynamics, Privalia, Fluidata, and Tesla Motors.
Cisco Live Milan, Hyatt
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Ubiquiti and others in Ethernet Switches. Updated: March 2026.
886,426 professionals have used our research since 2012.