Cisco Enterprise Routers vs Juniper Session Smart Router comparison

Cisco and Juniper are both solutions in the Routers category. Cisco is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.2, while Juniper is ranked #7 with an average rating of 9.0. Cisco holds a 16.1% mindshare in R, compared to Juniper’s 1.5% 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

2,474 Views
2,375 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

Juniper Session Smart Router

Read 4 Juniper Session Smart Router reviews

1,227 Views
98 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cisco Enterprise Routers

Juniper Session Smart Router

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 29, 2025

Cisco Enterprise Routers and Juniper Session Smart Router are competing in the network solutions market. While Cisco has a strong position due to its vast support network and pricing options, Juniper stands out with advanced features offering robust long-term benefits.

Features: Cisco Enterprise Routers offer extensive network scalability, deep integration with Cisco systems, and strong security options. Juniper Session Smart Router is known for its intelligent routing strategies, enhancing application performance and securing network pathways. Key features include session-based routing, which contrasts with Cisco’s focus on scalability and security.

Room for Improvement: Cisco could improve by adopting more innovative routing technologies similar to SD-WAN. Juniper's configuration can be challenging for new users, highlighting a need for more intuitive setup processes. Both companies can enhance basic support options for smaller enterprises, highlighting a gap outside custom solutions and large-scale projects. Additional focus on simplifying ongoing maintenance could also be beneficial for users of both platforms.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco is recognized for its seamless integration, extensive documentation, and well-established customer service facilitating a smoother deployment process. Juniper provides a unique zero-trust architecture requiring more initial attention but emphasizes tailored support to meet specific customer needs.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco typically offers a lower initial setup cost, integrating well into existing Cisco environments, leading to a faster ROI. Juniper presents a higher upfront investment due to its advanced session-smart technologies, promising significant long-term savings and increased efficiency for complex networks.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Enterprise Routers vs. Juniper Session Smart Router Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Enterprise Routers vs. Juniper Session Smart Router

December 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 Session Smart Router

Ranking in Routers

7th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (12th)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Routers category, the mindshare of Cisco Enterprise Routers is 16.1%, down from 22.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Juniper Session Smart Router is 1.5%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Routers Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Cisco Enterprise Routers	16.1%
Juniper Session Smart Router	1.5%
Other	82.4%

Routers

Featured Reviews

reviewer2759889

Pre-Sales Technical Specialist at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Has supported robust enterprise deployments and management while pricing and market reach for advanced features need attention

I'm not sure what improvements could be made on the configuration scale since I'm not involved in complete configuration. Currently, it works effectively and they are incorporating AI adoption. Commercially and financially, the pricing is too high. Customers feel that Cisco Enterprise Routers will not offer the most competitive prices. If they can work on pricing, it would be easier for customers who are considering local products. In India, the government has implemented the Make in India initiative, and Cisco has established a manufacturing unit there. Regarding security products, they need to improve market reach, marketing, and training. While Cisco Enterprise Routers are user-friendly for network and wireless platforms, security product configuration and integration are considered complex compared to FortiGate, Check Point, Sophos, and Palo Alto. They have introduced solutions such as Cloud Defense Orchestrator and Firewall Manager (FMC), but the reach of Cisco security products in India needs improvement.

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SRI GANESH PHANIYAPPA

Sub Divisional Engineer NOC Bangalore at Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited

Delivered tailored features and meets requirements effectively

We are using it as a DNG. This means all subscriber PPPoE sessions or ILS Smart VPN connections are terminated through the access network to this BNG, Uniphore BNG. From there, they are managed Everything has been fine. Although we did not explore much about the solution, they provided us with a…

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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

"The most valuable features of Cisco Enterprise Routers are the routing tables, and backup solutions available for local sites, and you can use it as a router gateway or simple IPS. They have simple firewalls, that we can use rules to filter traffic."

"In itself, Cisco is a reliable product and does not require any major change."

"Flexibility is the most valuable feature of this solution."

"Our customers have seen return on investment and value for money since implementing Cisco Enterprise Routers, and they have been using Cisco equipment for a long period and continue to return to Cisco for replacement technologies and everything else, so they are happy with Cisco equipment."

"The valuable feature is CLI."

"One of the most valuable features of this solution is performance."

"These routers are stable and I don't know of any problems with them."

"The stability of the solution's router is its most valuable feature."

More Cisco Enterprise Routers pros

"They provided us with a customized product according to our requirements."

"The most valuable feature of Juniper Session Smart Router is its unique SDR channel."

"Customer service is very prompt."

"As compared to the other major vendors in the SD-WAN market, such as VeloCloud, Cisco, and others, the tunnel-free and secure vector routing technology is its major USP, which gives plenty of room to discuss with the customer why IPSec from 1998 is a bit outdated."

"The solution is especially Session's smart, application-aware, AI-based."

Cons

"This solution is scalable but it does need some improvements."

"The security could improve for Cisco Enterprise Routers. I understand there's a security appliance that is separate, but in terms of the router, there can be improvements made to prevent unwanted users from accessing the router or trying to manipulate the traffic that is passing through it."

"The price is very high here in Egypt. Cisco devices are the most expensive."

"I cannot assess the high-performance bandwidth of Cisco Enterprise Routers without knowing the purpose of the call."

"The solution could be more secure."

"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."

"While scalability is available, it must be paid for."

"It would be better if Cisco Enterprise Routers were more secure."

More Cisco Enterprise Routers cons

"Juniper Session Smart Router can improve the integration for Wi-Fi devices and add additional Sassy deployments."

"Juniper Session Smart Router could be better in terms of software performance."

"The UI of the SSR conductor is the main part where improvements can be done. Today, for every configuration step, you have to do a series of clicks. What we are missing there are wizards. For example, I have two applications, and I want one application to be prioritized against the other. In such a case, a wizard for assigning policies to a service without configuring each step by hand would be very helpful. There should be an overhaul of the GUI of the conductor. The functionality they have got in the Mist portal should be baked into the conductor itself. It would be really great, but as we all know, that won't happen."

"Regarding improvement, we still need to see what it can do."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Our issues are basically currency related. The licensing is in dollars and the dollar is steadily rising. We've had an increase in the licensing fee due to the simple reason that the exchange rate is almost over 40%. That creates a major issue. If the currency devaluation doesn't stabilize, we may have to look at another solution."

"I rate the product's price a six on a scale of one to ten, where one is low price and ten is high price."

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

"Cisco is way too expensive for small and medium businesses. They must lower their prices in the lower range equipment."

"It is quite costly. Its price should be reduced."

"The price should be reduced."

"I believe licensing fees are paid once per year."

"There are licensing costs and they are expensive."

More Cisco Enterprise Routers pricing and cost advice

"It is a simple bandwidth-based license and the orchestration comes bundled with the solution by default."

"We are currently renegotiating the offer for the licenses and the license bundle model. The license for an ISP has to be different from the license for an end customer. This is something we are currently renegotiating with Juniper, but, of course, the pricing for the licensing is always an issue when you want to get more customers."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Performing Arts

Government

Manufacturing Company

19%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Computer Software Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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

No data available

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 is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Enterprise Routers?

It is expensive, but I am not the person purchasing the products; I just handle the configuration.

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What needs improvement with Cisco Enterprise Routers?

The software cannot be updated usually. The price is very high here in Egypt. Cisco devices are the most expensive. The AI technology must be included in the future to make it even better. They nee...

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What needs improvement with Juniper Session Smart Router?

I did not find any problem with Juniper. Regarding improvement, we still need to see what it can do.

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What is your primary use case for Juniper Session Smart Router?

We are using it as a DNG. This means all subscriber PPPoE sessions or ILS Smart VPN connections are terminated through the access network to this BNG, Uniphore BNG. From there, they are managed.

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Juniper Session Smart Router?

On a scale of one to ten, I rate the solution nine.

See all answers

Comparisons

MikroTik Routers and Switches vs Cisco Enterprise Routers

Compared 42% of the time

Huawei Enterprise Routers vs Cisco Enterprise Routers

Compared 18% of the time

HPE Enterprise Routers vs Cisco Enterprise Routers

Compared 12% of the time

Juniper MX Series Routers vs Cisco Enterprise Routers

Compared 10% of the time

OneAccess Enterprise Routers vs Cisco Enterprise Routers

Compared 9% of the time

More Cisco Enterprise Routers Competitors

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Juniper Session Smart Router

Compared 17% of the time

VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN vs Juniper Session Smart Router

Compared 11% of the time

Aruba EdgeConnect SD-WAN Platform vs Juniper Session Smart Router

Compared 10% of the time

NFX Series Network Services Platform vs Juniper Session Smart Router

Compared 8% of the time

Prisma SD-WAN vs Juniper Session Smart Router

Compared 7% of the time

More Juniper Session Smart Router Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Enterprise Routers

January 2026

Download Cisco Enterprise Routers product report

Buyer's Guide

Routers

January 2026

Download Juniper Session Smart Router product report

Also Known As

No data available

128T Networking Platform, 128 Technology SD-WAN, Juniper SSR Series

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

The 128T Networking Platform (128T) natively provides network-based security, control, and insight across data centers, wide-area networks (WAN), and edge locations for enterprises, service providers, and cloud companies alike. 128T is reshaping the way organizations design, deploy, and operate real-world networks by making them dramatically simpler, smarter, and more secure — it’s going to fix the router — and ultimately the network — as we know it.

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

Revation Systems

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Enterprise Routers vs. Juniper Session Smart Router

December 2025

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