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Cisco Catalyst Switches vs MikroTik Cloud Router Switch 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Catalyst Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
220
Ranking in other categories
LAN Switching (1st), Data Center Networking (1st), AV Over IP Switching (1st)
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
16th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
Routers (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Switches is 4.5%, up from 3.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is 1.9%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Catalyst Switches4.5%
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch1.9%
Other93.6%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Md Rafique - PeerSpot reviewer
Desktop support Engineer at a outsourcing company with 51-200 employees
Reliable switching has improved segmentation and reduces downtime with faster troubleshooting
One area I would like to see improvement is making configuration and troubleshooting more straightforward, especially for engineers managing a large number of switches. Some tasks can require multiple CLI commands and checking different outputs to identify an issue. Better centralized visibility, more intuitive automation tools, and clearer troubleshooting information would make day-to-day operations more efficient. That said, the CLI gives experienced network engineers a lot of control, so I would see these improvements as making the existing capabilities easier and faster to use rather than replacing them. For on-premises deployment, I would like to see easier centralized management and more automation for larger switch environments. Firmware upgrades, configuration changes, and troubleshooting can take significant time when they have to be handled across many physical devices. Better zero-touch provisioning, simplifying firmware management solutions, stronger integration with monitoring and IT management platforms, and more proactive hardware health alerts would make operations easier. I would also like better visibility into hardware capabilities and lifecycle status from a single dashboard so we can identify potential issues before they affect users.
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

"The hardware and the security are the product's valuable features"
"One of the main features of this solution is it is easy to manage."
"It is easy to install."
"The embedded packet capture feature helps me not necessarily on a day-to-day basis, but when we encounter outages that we are unsure of or intermittent issues that we need to capture, it becomes invaluable, and we do not need any onsite fieldwork to perform the captures themselves."
"Customer support answers on time and resolve any issues I have."
"The solution is beneficial for interconnecting POE telephones, computers, printers, and buffering networks."
"Cisco Catalyst Switches is the best product that we use."
"The Cisco software ties all the hardware together better than the competition."
"The interface management and the user access management is pretty good."
"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."
"It is easy to set up the solution."
"The main reason why MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is usually chosen is its raw performance to price ratio."
"MikroTik is the most stable device; it’s easy to configure, there are no bugs or glitches, it’s reliable, and the performance is good."
"They are very well suited for small and medium businesses, and here in Tanzania, in some cases, even some large enterprises are using MikroTik due to the fact that they provide many features at zero cost."
"The tool has impacted our company's network costs and productivity in a perfect manner and percentage-wise, I can say it is 120 percent."
"The best aspect is that it remains affordable."
 

Cons

"I would like to see hosting multiple applications on the existing IOS."
"There are too many vulnerabilities lately. Too many updates need to be done every week, which is crazy."
"While it is scalable, it could be better."
"Cisco Catalyst Switches can be improved in many areas."
"Cisco products are expensive, especially when you compare them to Huawei."
"Cisco should work to lower its costs. It's quite expensive right now."
"In the future, I would like to see better security for this product."
"It would be good if Cisco Catalyst Switches could align maintenance with one version. Also, the protocols for management should be better."
"The solution does not yet offer a SaaS version."
"Technical support is not very good. It isn't comprehensive."
"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."
"Simplifying the documentation would be a good idea."
"It can be difficult to identify key functions for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch. I experience functionality limitations, particularly when trying to find specific features."
"The RAM capacity offered by the product needs to be increased, as it is one area where the tool currently has some shortcomings."
"If MikroTik had a marketing team and support team in India then it would be much easier for us to get the product, as well as support."
"The packet filtering, user log data, and user access log could all be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We must pay a high price for the product."
"There is no licensing fee. All of the features are available on the switch from day one."
"I don't know a lot about the price, but they are affordable compared with other solutions."
"There is a license required for the use of this solution and we pay annually."
"The new products from Cisco in the market are expensive. My company cannot import Cisco products, so they are mostly unavailable."
"Cisco Catalyst Switches is an affordable solution."
"The solution is probably the most expensive, but users who want the best need to pay the premium."
"The price of the solution is expensive compared to other products from America or Europe. They should have more competitive pricing."
"This product has a one-time cost and there is no licensing fee."
"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."
"The price of the solution is fair and there is a one-time license purchase only."
"In Pakistan, if you buy this cloud router, it's approximately $700 for the device."
"They came with the licensing when we purchased them."
"The price is competitive."
"MikroTik is really cheap compared to the competitors."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Outsourcing Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Construction Company
7%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Educational Organization
9%
Outsourcing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business87
Midsize Enterprise34
Large Enterprise108
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise2
 

Questions from the Community

Would you recommend replacing a Cisco Catalyst Switch by a D-link one?
Hello Mesfin It depends on the real scenario, the cisco 2960 is a very good device and they usually have routing functions but there are many different models within the same 2960 line, and on the ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Catalyst Switches?
My experience is that Cisco Catalyst Switches can involve a relatively significant upfront investment, especially when you consider the hardware, support, and licensing requirements. The total cost...
What needs improvement with Cisco Catalyst Switches?
One area I would like to see improvement is making configuration and troubleshooting more straightforward, especially for engineers managing a large number of switches. Some tasks can require multi...
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

Cisco Catalyst, Catalyst
MikroTik CRS Series
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Afni, Anilana Hotels and Resorts, Baylor Scott & White Health, Beachbody, Bellevue, Del Papa Distributing, Explorer Pipeline, Mindtree, Omaha World Herald, Radio 538, Sony Corporation, Telecom Italia, Telenor Arena
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Catalyst Switches vs. MikroTik Cloud Router Switch and other solutions. Updated: November 2026.
921,523 professionals have used our research since 2012.