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Arista Networks Platform vs Meraki MS Switches comparison

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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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
6.0
Arista Networks offers substantial cost benefits and efficiency, despite higher procurement costs, making it a valuable investment.
Sentiment score
2.8
Meraki MS Switches enhance ROI with reduced troubleshooting, efficient management, lower headcounts, but cloud transition benefits are gradual.
I saved between five to six hours using Arista Networks Platform, as it takes less time to actually add your APs to the dashboard and deployment is quite fast and easy.
Network Engineer at Castlenet Consulting Limited
I have seen a return on investment from using Arista Networks Platform in terms of fewer employees needed during installation and deployment.
Network Engineer at Castlenet Consulting Limited
In the data center, there is no comparison in terms of technicality or return of investment.
A VP Enterprise Sales at Ashtech Infotech (India) Pvt.Ltd.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.8
Arista Networks Platform is praised for responsive, effective support with quick response times and direct access to experienced engineers.
Sentiment score
7.2
Meraki MS Switches' support is effective yet inconsistent, with users noting delays and requesting clearer communication for complex issues.
They provide instant support and maintain commitments regarding replacement products.
CEO/Consultant at CIL
We would rate the customer support as a nine to 9.5 out of ten.
Technical project manager at Castlenet Consulting Limited
All network engineers from the organization were present in the program, and the Arista engineer provided a solution in less than five minutes.
Network Engineer at Castlenet Consulting Limited
This is because their engineers have experience with and strong knowledge of Cisco products.
If the devices are licensed, the support team will assist you depending on the severity level of the case.
Network Engineer at Gaihab
The support is excellent and rated ten out of ten.
Sales Engineer at Phoenyx Commtech Pvt. Ltd.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.7
Arista Networks offers scalable, cost-effective solutions with low latency, supporting diverse needs and integrating advanced technologies.
Sentiment score
7.0
Meraki MS Switches offer scalable, flexible solutions for small to medium businesses despite supply chain challenges and some enterprise-level gaps.
Arista Networks Platform's focus on GPU-based and high-speed switches is a smart move for next-generation AI-based data center solutions.
Network Architect at neev limited
Scalability is a key feature of Arista, owing to the possibilities to manage the entire data center network from a single console.
A VP Enterprise Sales at Ashtech Infotech (India) Pvt.Ltd.
Scalability is excellent as it has handled our growing network requirements effectively without adding significant operational complexity.
Product Manager at Frontier Business systems
If a customer scales from one region to another, they can easily add locations into the same dashboard while classifying multiple regions, sites, and countries.
Senior Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
They're quite scalable for my environment.
Ag. Systems & Networks Head at UNBS
We can extend MS switches and have multiple plants using the same solution.
Wireless Network Engineer at MSSL
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.2
Arista Networks Platform is praised for high stability, reliability, minimal downtime, and strong customer satisfaction due to its durability.
Sentiment score
8.1
Meraki MS Switches are praised for stability, reliability, and performance, with quick resolutions for minor issues and high ratings.
Arista is the only IT product that has the minimum vulnerabilities, so it is a very stable product.
A VP Enterprise Sales at Ashtech Infotech (India) Pvt.Ltd.
The amount of failure is low because we have tested a Huawei platform of the same grade beside Arista Networks Platform, and Arista Networks Platform always won.
Director at a tech company with 11-50 employees
I have not had any downtime using Arista Networks Platform.
Network Engineer at Castlenet Consulting Limited
If something happens to the device or hardware, Cisco will automatically change the device by the next business day.
Network Engineer at Gaihab
There is zero downtime; Meraki MS Switches are reliable and stable.
Wireless Network Engineer at MSSL
For infrastructure such as factories, small factories, or warehouses that have temperatures higher than normal in-house office temperatures, I have some doubt about how well the switches would sustain those conditions.
Senior Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
 

Room For Improvement

Arista Networks Platform is costly and complex, needing better GUI, integration, stability, documentation, security, AI, and Cisco compatibility.
Meraki MS Switches struggle with high costs, limited features, complex processes, and reliance on cloud management for functionality.
Using AI, I can understand how my entire organization operates and what kind of applications are being used, what the peak times are, where there is a bottleneck if any exists.
A VP Enterprise Sales at Ashtech Infotech (India) Pvt.Ltd.
Scalability at every single step has a huge upgrade cost which is required for port mapping, connectivity, and transceivers certified by Arista Networks Platform, then the fabric upgrades from a software firmware level.
Director at a tech company with 11-50 employees
Feature-wise, it addresses most customer requirements.
A VP Enterprise Sales at Ashtech Infotech (India) Pvt.Ltd.
Meraki should also consider improvements in stacking features, particularly in the lower-end models like NS130, where stacking isn't supported, unlike with Cisco traditional switching.
Senior Manager at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
There are compatibility issues with certain Power over Ethernet (PoE) devices, which we would like to see resolved.
Chief Technologies Officer at ASTORG PARTNERS
Most people are familiar with the Cisco commands, and it would be beneficial if the switch could be accessed by GUI configuration and by normally accessing the console.
Network Engineer at Gaihab
 

Setup Cost

Arista Networks is costly for some, yet offers a reliable solution considered affordable compared to Cisco in certain cases.
Meraki MS Switches offer valuable features and cloud management but are costly, with discounts favoring longer license terms.
Compared to Cisco, Arista routers are significantly cheaper.
CEO/Consultant at CIL
You get a 48 gigs, a 25 Gbps or a 40 Gbps switching fabric at a price of $30-40,000 from Netgear super-fast clusters, whereas Arista Networks Platform is going to cost you three times that.
Director at a tech company with 11-50 employees
Arista products are perceived as costly, especially compared to competitors like Cisco.
A VP Enterprise Sales at Ashtech Infotech (India) Pvt.Ltd.
Meraki MS Switches, including their licensing, are somewhat expensive, particularly when compared with competitor solutions like HP.
IT System Administrator at Bouri
The cost of the support and maintenance bundle is quite costly for Cisco.
Network &Security Engineer at Natioanal Drug Authority Uganda
Meraki MS Switches are somewhat expensive.
Wireless Network Engineer at MSSL
 

Valuable Features

Arista Networks Platform is praised for its low latency, scalability, integration ease, automation, and eco-friendly, cost-efficient design.
Meraki MS Switches offer cloud management, scalability, enhanced security, intuitive control, stability, and advanced features, ideal for enterprise use.
Features include plug-and-play auto-discovery, allowing centralized configuration and management.
CEO/Consultant at CIL
The best features Arista Networks Platform offers are the dashboards where you can see all your APs that have been deployed and installed across all locations, making it quite unique to access, manage, and monitor performance from that dashboard.
Technical project manager at Castlenet Consulting Limited
Arista Networks Platform is known for ultra-low latency, having the fastest backplane ever built.
Director at a tech company with 11-50 employees
The control plane is in the cloud, and the data plane is local, allowing manageability from anywhere.
Senior Manager at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
One of the most valuable features of Meraki MS Switches is its precise traffic analytics capabilities, allowing us to query the system for any place at any time.
Chief Technologies Officer at ASTORG PARTNERS
The most valuable feature is the ability to access devices from anywhere in the world through the cloud.
Network Engineer at Gaihab
 

Categories and Ranking

Arista Networks Platform
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
4th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
36
Ranking in other categories
Data Center Networking (2nd)
Meraki MS Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
6th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
104
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Arista Networks Platform is 3.8%, up from 3.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Meraki MS Switches is 2.4%, down from 3.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Arista Networks Platform3.8%
Meraki MS Switches2.4%
Other93.8%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Dibyendu Das - PeerSpot reviewer
Director at a tech company with 11-50 employees
Ultra-low latency networking has delivered reliable video workflows and critical operations
The support of Arista Networks Platform is quite complex; it is not very easy to configure. It needs a lot of network expertise for token sheddings and different kinds of configurations. It is very difficult to configure because Arista Networks Platform does not have a flexible GUI like Huawei or Netgear; everything is a very CLI kind of mainframe architecture. Scalability at every single step has a huge upgrade cost which is required for port mapping, connectivity, and transceivers certified by Arista Networks Platform, then the fabric upgrades from a software firmware level. Arista Networks Platform should improve commercial aspects to be affordable. There is no path for growth with a perfect score because the focus is more on reducing costs globally.
Jayaraman C - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Cloud management has simplified branch deployments but pricing and support still need improvement
In terms of improvements for Meraki MS Switches, pricing is one area that could be enhanced. On the support front, the limited lifetime warranty is a concern. Aruba offers limited lifetime warranty, whereas Cisco requires a minimum license to function for hardware support or technical support. I think Cisco could improve by bundling technical support and hardware support together with the license. This approach is currently only applicable for EA customers. Standard license customers have to take additional hardware support as a separate SKU. I believe that bundling technical and hardware support with the cloud subscription itself would help customers choose a Meraki option. To make Meraki MS Switches closer to a rating of ten, Cisco could take additional features on the AI front. I am uncertain whether they will offer AI features at no cost. Self-healing networks is a new term that enterprises are looking forward to. All OEM management platforms now feature auto-remediation and auto-fixing capabilities. The issue is that even if AI is offered without cost, customers cannot get the benefits if they cannot afford the pricing. Enterprise customers are looking to optimize operational effort and operational capabilities. They use multiple tools apart from the OEM native dashboard, including the Cisco Meraki dashboard and Catalyst dashboard. However, they still want to have end-to-end visibility. For end-to-end visibility, they can go for Digital Twin capabilities through platforms such as IP Fabric, ManageEngine, SolarWinds, and Forward Networks. There are many NMS platforms that can be integrated, allowing them to manage complete operations. Cisco could add some additional capabilities into the same OEM dashboard so that customers can benefit from improved operational management.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Outsourcing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Construction Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business18
Midsize Enterprise7
Large Enterprise12
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business57
Midsize Enterprise20
Large Enterprise25
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Arista Networks Platform?
The initial setup cost is high compared to others, and I find the initial setup cost to be very high.
What needs improvement with Arista Networks Platform?
Arista Networks Platform could improve its command line management. Coming from a Cisco background, the adjustment period was challenging. While similar in some areas, the AOS concept, especially a...
What is your primary use case for Arista Networks Platform?
I have worked with deploying Arista Networks Platform in data center environments, particularly for spine and leaf architectures. The configurations involved Zero Touch Provisioning, which went ver...
What needs improvement with Meraki MS Switches?
Currently, there is no need for many more features or functions on Meraki MS Switches. Customers purchase the infrastructure and Meraki MS Switches are combined with wireless solutions that come to...
What is your primary use case for Meraki MS Switches?
All the products we deliver are mostly Cisco products, primarily infrastructure including routers, switches, firewalls, and wireless equipment. Some customers purchase ACI solutions from us. SD-WAN...
 

Also Known As

7000 Series
MS220, MS320, MS420
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

American Internet Services
Cisco Live Milan, Hyatt
Find out what your peers are saying about Arista Networks Platform vs. Meraki MS Switches and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
917,403 professionals have used our research since 2012.