Cisco Enterprise Routers vs Juniper MX Series Routers comparison

Cisco and Juniper are both solutions in the Routers category. Cisco is ranked #2 with an average rating of 7.9, while Juniper is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.6. Cisco holds a 18.9% mindshare in R, compared to Juniper’s 13.0% mindshare. Additionally, 97% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Juniper users who would recommend it.

Cisco Enterprise Routers

Read 110 Cisco Enterprise Routers reviews

2,505 Views
2,430 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

Juniper MX Series Routers

Read 34 Juniper MX Series Routers reviews

1,621 Views
1,345 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cisco Enterprise Routers

Juniper MX Series Routers

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 7, 2025

Cisco Enterprise Routers and Juniper MX Series Routers are key competitors in enterprise networking, with Cisco offering a broad feature set and strong brand reputation and Juniper providing competitive pricing and customization options. Cisco seems to have an upper hand due to its extensive support network and resources.

Features: Cisco Enterprise Routers are noted for service virtualization, high performance in WAN services, and cloud-connected solutions. They reduce network operation costs via nV technology and enhance security through IPsec and VPN. Juniper MX Series Routers stand out with policy management, the separation of control and forwarding planes, and unique chipset designs.

Room for Improvement: Cisco faces challenges with its high pricing, complex WAN integration, and necessity for expert configuration. Users seek improved technical support and a more user-friendly dashboard. Juniper could enhance VPN features, network automation interfaces, and user-friendly web interfaces, and their pricing, though competitive, might improve for smaller networks.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco's robust documentation and strong technical support are appreciated, despite high costs and less intuitive interfaces. Juniper's excellent customer service could be enhanced by more intuitive interfaces and cloud support. Cisco stands out for its extensive support network.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco's pricing is high and complex, posing challenges for smaller enterprises but providing good ROI due to low failure rates. Juniper is seen as more affordable, offering good ROI through efficient performance and lower maintenance, although some users find their licensing policies in need of clearer adaptation for specific sectors.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Enterprise Routers vs. Juniper MX Series Routers Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Enterprise Routers vs. Juniper MX Series Routers

September 2025

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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 Enterprise Routers

Ranking in Routers

2nd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.0

Number of Reviews

110

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Juniper MX Series Routers

Ranking in Routers

3rd

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Carrier Grade Network Address Translation (CGNAT) (1st)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Routers category, the mindshare of Cisco Enterprise Routers is 18.9%, down from 24.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Juniper MX Series Routers is 13.0%, up from 12.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Routers Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Cisco Enterprise Routers	18.9%
Juniper MX Series Routers	13.0%
Other	68.1%

Routers

Featured Reviews

Donald Ochanda

Technical Manager at Network Security and Crypto

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.

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Patrick Anaku

Senior Network Engineer at Roke Telkom

Performance excels with reliable uptime and robust features

The best features of Juniper MX Series Routers include their performance, which is quite good for us in terms of hardware performance. The Junos OS, the software, is stable, and we don't have many issues with the Juniper system itself. They have numerous features that allow us to deliver services, be it Layer 2 connectivity to customers, Layer 3 connectivity, data center connectivity, or even security features. Hardware performance has been a top-notch reason why we chose Juniper in the beginning, especially the MX series, which performs well in terms of network uptime and we don't encounter many failures. We have had a bad experience here and there with the ACX series, and their network performance is not so great compared to MX, so we have mostly done away with the ACX and only use MX at some of the core sites. I have seen a return on investment from the solution. Initially, we deployed MX80s on the network, and since our company has been in operation since 2006, from that point we used MX80s until around 2016 when we upgraded most of them to MX204s. From our experience, once we buy an MX204, we don't have issues with it; we have never had to replace an MX204 on the network. Once we deploy it, it works until we decide to upgrade the capacity. The return on investment is significant, as once we buy it, we have no worries about performance.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Provides good capabilities and performance."

"The routing feature is the solution's most valuable aspect."

"We achieve good performance in our data center."

"They offer a variety of very good features."

"It is easy to use and is very solid."

"The most valuable features are security and throughput."

"The most valuable feature is that we can specify the routing policies for our traffic."

"The value of Cisco Enterprise Routers isn't about features, it's about stability. The features are comparable across products such as Huawei, as they compete in similar ways. However, regarding stability, Cisco Enterprise Routers performs much better."

More Cisco Enterprise Routers pros

"Juniper Switches is stable, easy to use, flexible, and has good performance. Also, the technology is good. It has a lifetime warranty and the prices are also very good."

"The solution is stable."

"The functionality and stability are great."

"I have found the most useful features to be layered VPNs, IPsec, VPLS, and firewall filters."

"The solution's main features are its security and ease of use."

"For the Juniper MX Series Routers, it plays a crucial role in our network. They offer numerous features, enabling multiple connections and handling various reports. The routers efficiently manage the number of switched fabric codes and process features based on the specific switch requirements. Previously, I utilized them for processing and addressing customer-side concerns. The routers have excellent documentation, making it easy to resolve any issues that may arise. It's excellent for customization, especially in tailoring the Windows configuration environment. Overall, dealing with this solution has been straightforward and efficient."

"The performance is good."

"The most valuable feature of Juniper MX Series Routers is its exceptional policy management capabilities."

More Juniper MX Series Routers pros

Cons

"Sometimes, I find it hard to learn how some features of the router work. So, these are the issues that may arise when a user might not have knowledge about the product."

"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."

"Cisco has acquired other companies, and due to this, there are many API-based integrations. There should be one platform that will enable a smooth integration. For example, Cisco acquired ThousandEyes, AppDynamics and Viptela. These are ideal solutions for big companies in terms of WAN connectivity. Cisco needs to ensure that there is a smooth integration mechanism in order to ease this process or point of integration."

"Some of our customers have asked that this solution have a 10G connection."

"I would like to see the setup time reduced."

"Due to the sanctions on our country, we can't get outside help directly from Cisco. We need to handle the implementation ourselves."

"If they can negate or reduce the modem delay, that would be great."

"The solution is expensive."

More Cisco Enterprise Routers cons

"In terms of improvement, I would like for it to effectively protect against the broadcast storms, multicast storms, and DDoS attacks."

"The price of this solution should be improved."

"We'd like them to be capable of adding firewall options to the license."

"The security features could be better."

"Juniper have addressed issues with the MX204, but it still has a limited number of interfaces. Ideally, it should support up to twenty or twenty-four interfaces to better serve smaller service providers. Additionally, the MX304 doesn't support subscriber management, also known as BNG, which I believe should be included."

"Currently, I don't have specific concerns or ideas for improvement. Regarding functionalities, I appreciate the user interface of Juniper Elite. Additionally, I'm exploring the use of Juniper Routers in a Parliament environment, particularly with Baragon, and so far, I find it to be a valuable feature. We're currently facing an issue as we're in the process of building and dealing with the software, specifically transitioning from R2 to RC. It's like when there is an update in the routers, and in the process, there are chances to end up losing some of your settings. The challenge arises because the recommended configurations for RC do not align with our features, necessitating a reevaluation of many features. It would have been more efficient if the initial recommendation had been for RC, avoiding the need to redo our research. This has resulted in a loss of time for us, and we've encountered this situation multiple times."

"The pricing is a bit too high."

"It is not scalable, unfortunately."

More Juniper MX Series Routers cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is a costly solution."

"It's not probably the best solution if you have a very limited budget, as it can become very expensive to have robust equipment."

"I have found the price to be expensive for the solution."

"I would rate the solution's pricing a nine out of ten and it is yearly."

"The license of Cisco Enterprise Routers is too expensive compared to other solutions. As we try to increase the bandwidth, it gets even more expensive. There is an annual license needed to use the solution."

"It's not a fair price, it's a bit too high."

"The licensing fee is okay and matches industry standards, which is the benchmark."

"This solution is expensive compared to competitors. There are additional costs if you want to have their support."

More Cisco Enterprise Routers pricing and cost advice

"$300 to $400 is the hardware cost and for licensing cost, it may be around, for support and all, $100 per year."

"The price of this solution is better than other competitors, such as Cisco. We receive a lot of discounts which make the price less expensive and attractive."

"The prices for Juniper MX Series Routers are reasonable."

"There is a license for this solution and the price is very competitive. The cost is less expensive than some competitors, such as Cisco. There are additional costs for support licenses."

"The pricing of Juniper MX Series Routers is okay compared to other technologies."

"I would rate the pricing model a seven out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive. It is not cheap."

"An additional license can be purchased for support of a next-generation firewall."

"I would rate it around a three. While I'm not deeply involved in pricing discussions, I believe it is comparatively more affordable than Cisco."

More Juniper MX Series Routers pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Manufacturing Company

Performing Arts

Government

University

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	46
Midsize Enterprise	24
Large Enterprise	43

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	19
Midsize Enterprise	8
Large Enterprise	8

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. They also have a very good, long lifespan. We feel the command configuration is ve...

See all answers

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 since our company aims to achieve transparency, and without it, the other system on...

See all answers

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 recommend the solution, and after procurement, all clients are satisfied with Cisco E...

See all answers

What do you like most about Juniper MX Series Routers?

For the Juniper MX Series Routers, it plays a crucial role in our network. They offer numerous features, enabling multiple connections and handling various reports. The routers efficiently manage ...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Juniper MX Series Routers?

I would rate it around a three. While I'm not deeply involved in pricing discussions, I believe it is comparatively more affordable than Cisco.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Juniper MX Series Routers?

The areas of Juniper MX Series Routers that have room for improvement include the port count; for instance, the MX204 has only four 40G or 100G ports, which is quite limited. While I know there are...

See all answers

Comparisons

MikroTik Routers and Switches vs Cisco Enterprise Routers

Compared 44% of the time

Huawei Enterprise Routers vs Cisco Enterprise Routers

Compared 20% of the time

HPE Enterprise Routers vs Cisco Enterprise Routers

Compared 12% of the time

OneAccess Enterprise Routers vs Cisco Enterprise Routers

Compared 9% of the time

MikroTik Cloud Router Switch vs Cisco Enterprise Routers

Compared 3% of the time

More Cisco Enterprise Routers Competitors

ACX Series Routers vs Juniper MX Series Routers

Compared 27% of the time

MikroTik Routers and Switches vs Juniper MX Series Routers

Compared 18% of the time

Huawei Enterprise Routers vs Juniper MX Series Routers

Compared 15% of the time

A10 Networks Thunder CGN vs Juniper MX Series Routers

Compared 14% of the time

MikroTik Cloud Router Switch vs Juniper MX Series Routers

Compared 5% of the time

More Juniper MX Series Routers Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Enterprise Routers

October 2025

Download Cisco Enterprise Routers product report

Buyer's Guide

Juniper MX Series Routers

October 2025

Download Juniper MX Series Routers product report

Also Known As

No data available

Juniper Enterprise Routers, MX Series, Junos Address Aware

Overview

The high-performance Cisco Enterprise Routers are the market leader due to their breadth of advanced support for LAN/WAN services, redundancy, reliability, and performance.

Cisco

Juniper MX Series Routers are designed for high throughput with flexible MPLS configuration and robust policy management, offering reliability and scalability for enterprise needs. They feature seamless Cisco integration, strong performance driven by the Trio chipset, and user-friendly management.

Known for their exceptional performance, Juniper MX Series Routers enable enterprises and ISPs to expand network connectivity and efficiency. Their reliable hardware supports tasks like border routing and internet connectivity, catering to high-performance networking and automation. Trio chipset technology ensures stability, while interchangeable line cards maintain top-level performance. These routers are favored for their easy configuration and robust support, though improvements in pricing, VPN compatibility, and stronger DDoS protection are needed. Users seek additional cloud integration, enhanced security features, and expanded port options on models like the MX204.

What are the key features of Juniper MX Series Routers?

High Throughput: Ensures fast and efficient network data transfer.
Flexible MPLS Configuration: Adapts seamlessly to varied network environments.
Robust Policy Management: Provides extensive control over network traffic policies.
Seamless Cisco Integration: Simplifies operations for mixed equipment environments.
Trio Chipset Technology: Boosts performance and ensures network stability.
User-Friendly Interface: Facilitates easy configuration and management.

What benefits should users evaluate?

Scalability: Supports growing network needs without compromising performance.
Reliability: Offers consistent and dependable network operations.
Support and Documentation: Access to comprehensive resources for efficient management.
Performance: Maintains high levels of throughput and stability for enterprise needs.
Automation Support: Streamlines network operations for greater efficiency.

In industries like telecommunications and data centers, Juniper MX Series Routers are widely implemented to manage complex networking tasks such as VPNs, MPLS, and BGP deployments. Service providers often rely on these routers for backbone roles, benefitting from their performance and scalability to maintain robust and efficient network infrastructures.

Juniper

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

AARNet Pty Ltd, Allegro Networks, Atlantech Online, Availity, Baloise Insurance, Black Lotus, CATV, Blue Box

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Enterprise Routers vs. Juniper MX Series Routers

September 2025

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