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Cisco Enterprise Routers vs HPE Enterprise Routers vs MikroTik Routers and 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 September 2025, in the Routers category, the mindshare of Cisco Enterprise Routers is 19.7%, down from 24.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HPE Enterprise Routers is 4.5%, down from 5.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MikroTik Routers and Switches is 23.8%, down from 29.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Routers Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
MikroTik Routers and Switches23.8%
Cisco Enterprise Routers19.7%
HPE Enterprise Routers4.5%
Other52.0%
Routers
 

Featured Reviews

Donald Ochanda - PeerSpot reviewer
Long-term reliability and high performance ensure seamless operations in challenging environments
Regarding the Wi-Fi connection and setup, we need superior coverage because our market has extensive vegetation. When setting up Cisco Enterprise Routers Wi-Fi in institutions such as campuses, there are always challenges. People often opt for Ubiquiti, not because of their features, but because of the Wi-Fi signal stability. Cisco Enterprise Routers has made improvements in making configurations more user-friendly with dashboards. However, they need to do more as many people prefer simpler configurations rather than using CMD or CLI. The process of procuring Cisco Enterprise Routers equipment through channel partners needs improvement. The partners are limited compared to other products. It's cheaper to purchase Cisco Enterprise Routers equipment from the UK than from a local distributor. When purchased off-channel, the equipment is much cheaper than through the channel. This affects our ability to compete in government tenders where price is crucial, even when we can provide warranty, licenses, and renewability.
Chi-Zhang - PeerSpot reviewer
Has excellent scalability and is cost-effective compared to its competitors
The solution is reasonably priced and easy to configure. By collaborating with Aruba, they have integrated more products to streamline the porting process. Our project team comprises two or three network engineers for regular maintenance and troubleshooting. The workload is not heavy. I rate the solution as an eight and recommend it to network engineers and solution providers.
AnikIslam - PeerSpot reviewer
Cost-effective protocol support and a straightforward setup with room for login enhancements
In the network operations center, I manage our client's bandwidth. We connect with our clients through BGP and OSPF based on client demands. We also manage routing protocols, policies, internal firewalls, and other details like QE bandwidth, client manage bandwidth management, PoE, PPPoE, and DNS…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"They are the best in failover switches. Their product line is excellent."
"Something I like about the solution is all the options it offers and ways it can be configured."
"Cisco provides most of the needed features in all the routers."
"When you set up Cisco, you can forget you have a router. Everything just works."
"I haven't assessed it in that way, they provided us with excellent service. We had very few issues."
"The routing platform is good."
"It is a good router that is available with advanced technology."
"Its performance and stability are most valuable. We are using it for the last five years, and it is constantly up. It didn't create any problems for us."
"These routers help us to provide high availability to our clusters."
"It has good scalability."
"Extensive support for cellular range for Wi-Fi technologies"
"It makes it easy to update the network technology and manage multiple deals, all without needing technical knowledge."
"HPE routers are easier to manage than any other router I've used."
"The solution's initial setup is straightforward."
"It is more durable than other products in the market."
"The pricing is very reasonable. It's not too expensive."
"I like MikroTik's GUI. It's completely handy and easy to handle because of its GUI. Despite other brands like Cisco urging me to switch, I didn't because they don't have a GUI. This is the most comfortable thing in my project that anyone can use easily. It's effortless to maintain MikroTik routers because both screens make it very easy in GUI mode. You can easily interact with your hardware."
"The price is a big factor. They are very affordable, and the quality is high."
"The most valuable feature is the ease of use."
"The stability is good."
"They are very good at providing the bandwidth for multi-tenants and multi-dwelling units. We're managing WiFi hotspots for hundreds of locations, and the speed and performance are quite there. They also have very cheap 10G products that come with really good and flexible software. They are way cheaper than the top brands, and they're able to deliver the same performance and capabilities."
"The tool is simple and reliable. The most valuable function for us is filtering. We can manage which connections users can and cannot make. This is important as our office has about 2,200 employees using the Internet. It provides benefits because it's available and simple. Our IT staff is familiar with it, making it easy to operate and manage."
"I like the routing features."
 

Cons

"Cisco is not granular if we compare it to Juniper."
"The main area for improvement with this product is with the price, which is currently very high compared to the rest of the market."
"The configuration needs improvement. Most routers, like HP or Aruba, use a UI interface. Those solutions are similar and uniform. It's easier for us compared to Cisco because with Cisco you are not using normal commands. They need to enhance the UI to make it more usable."
"In Bangladesh, we do not have any expert-level support. We are having many issues implementing the DNS system."
"The UI could be more user-friendly."
"If I only have one LAN port in which I want to connect more than one device, I have to buy an add-on card so that I can have two LAN ports. The smaller devices and low-end routers have about four LAN ports. This solution is a high-end device but has only one. It would be preferable if they offered more LAN ports."
"It's an expensive product."
"The automation capabilities need improvement."
"Its customer service could be better for older equipment models."
"They should work on lowering their prices in Brazil to stay competitive with rivals and offer customers more affordable options."
"Better management tools are needed."
"Technical support could be better."
"I'd like to see more security features, like support for different types of encryptions."
"The solution is expensive."
"Compatibility with other platforms could be improved."
"f they can improve the OpenVPN, to make that a bit more straightforward, that would be ideal."
"MikroTik does not have a wireless solution. If they created a high-performance wireless solution we would deploy it in our infrastructure."
"The biggest thing that needs improvement is the support."
"The batch management could be improved."
"The product needs to include more power."
"The solution needs to be more robust. In case of power fluctuations, MikroTik routers are more vulnerable to malfunctioning."
"Better security is always better. If they can continue to improve in this area, that would be ideal."
"The user interface is not very good."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"For a boost performance license, the cost is $2,000 to $2,500. There is an additional cost for more scalability."
"It's not a fair price, it's a bit too high."
"The price is reasonable."
"The cost of this solution is very low compared to other products."
"The solution is costly for small businesses."
"I rate the product's price a six or seven on a scale of one to ten, where one is extremely expensive, and ten is very cheap."
"The price of Cisco Enterprise Routers is good for the service that you get."
"It is quite costly. Its price should be reduced."
"It is more reasonably priced than other vendors."
"MikroTik's equipment is very cheap compared to Cisco and Huawei."
"When I compare the price of this solution to competitors it is priced a little high. There is not a license required for this solution."
"The pricing of the solution is significantly lower than other solutions. There are no additional costs involved."
"This product is cheaper than competing products by other vendors."
"The main reason we use this solution is for the price — it's very cheap."
"There are not any external or hidden costs."
"MikroTik Routers and Switches' pricing is reasonable."
"In our company, we are using MikroTik without a license...However, we are planning to buy their services and subscriptions."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Educational Organization
7%
Computer Software Company
26%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Energy/Utilities Company
6%
Comms Service Provider
17%
Computer Software Company
14%
Hospitality Company
6%
Manufacturing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business45
Midsize Enterprise24
Large Enterprise41
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise1
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business43
Midsize Enterprise16
Large Enterprise9
 

Questions from the Community

How do Cisco Enterprise routers compare with Mikrotik routers and switches?
Cisco Enterprise Routers are very stable and easy to use. They offer a very solid performance and are very secure. Th...
What do you like most about Cisco Enterprise Routers?
The most valuable feature of the solution is that it makes it possible for users to use encryption and decryption sin...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Enterprise Routers?
The pricing is not cheap. When we provide quotations to clients, they often comment on the expense. However, we recom...
What do you like most about HPE Enterprise Routers?
It makes it easy to update the network technology and manage multiple deals, all without needing technical knowledge.
What needs improvement with HPE Enterprise Routers?
They should work on lowering their prices in Brazil to stay competitive with rivals and offer customers more affordab...
Which are better - Ubiquiti UniFi switches or MikroTik routers and switches?
Ubiquiti Unifi is a great solution. For starters, it is easy to configure and implement, and doesn’t require a learni...
What do you like most about MikroTik Routers and Switches?
The price is a big factor. They are very affordable, and the quality is high.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for MikroTik Routers and Switches?
MikroTik Routers and Switches are expensive, but they are the best products in terms of quality. From my knowledge, t...
 

Also Known As

No data available
HP Enterprise Routers
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Aegean Motorway, Boingo, Chartwell School, Children's Hospital of Orange County , Department of Justice, Explorer Pipeline, Linz AG, National Rugby League, New South Wales Rural Fire Service, Telecom Italia, Transwestern
Transdanubian Regional Waterworks Corporation (DRV)
ABB, Boingo Wireless, JPL, HP, Allied Telesis, iPass, Mips Technologies, MicroAge, Matsushita, Telia, undp, WFP, NASA
Find out what your peers are saying about MikroTik, Cisco, Juniper and others in Routers. Updated: August 2025.
867,349 professionals have used our research since 2012.