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Cisco Enterprise Routers vs MikroTik Cloud Router Switch comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 29, 2025

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
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch
Ranking in Routers
5th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
24
Ranking in other categories
Ethernet Switches (18th)
 

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 MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is 7.7%, down from 8.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Routers Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco Enterprise Routers18.9%
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch7.7%
Other73.4%
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.
MarkBanks - PeerSpot reviewer
Has reduced deployment time and enabled cost-effective internet access in the public sector
As an integrator, the best advantage of the product is its cost. MikroTik Cloud Router Switch stands out for its features, especially those available at that price point. I don't get involved too much in the setup of MikroTik Cloud Router Switch, so I appreciate the ease of setup. There are no specific features we use it for; its cost-effectiveness for internet access is what matters. One useful feature we utilize is Ethernet over IP. The positive impact of the solution on our company and clients is that it provides an attractive price point. It allows us to deliver cost-compliant solutions to our clients. Since we work in the public sector, cost is a very important attribute, and that's where it fits in our portfolio.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Something I like about the solution is all the options it offers and ways it can be configured."
"The main reason for using Cisco Routers is for the proprietor routing protocol that it has."
"Cisco provides most of the needed features in all the routers."
"It's not complex to deploy."
"The solution is easy to use, stable and scalable."
"It is a stable solution."
"The performance is good."
"Most of the hardware is very stable."
"The router power is the most valuable aspect."
"The interface management and the user access management is pretty good."
"A valuable aspect is its user-friendly configuration, making it accessible even for individuals with basic technical knowledge."
"The technical support for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is superb."
"The router power is the most valuable aspect."
"Regarding security and visibility in monitoring, it is very good, the GUI is very intuitive, and it has many more features than those from major vendors."
"The best aspect is that it remains affordable."
"The GUI is easy to use."
 

Cons

"The solution is expensive and difficult to manage."
"The product's pricing is an area that is too fuzzy to deal with, in my opinion, making it an area where improvements are required."
"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."
"Cisco Enterprise Router's price could improve, they are expensive."
"The installation process should be simplified, since it is quite complex in a new version."
"The solution could be more secure."
"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."
"While scalability is available, it must be paid for."
"The initial setup is complex."
"The solution does not yet offer a SaaS version."
"The area for improvement is security. MikroTik is mostly used by medium and small businesses, so the security is not as robust as Cisco."
"MikroTik needs to add some features like IPS, mail security, or antivirus, et cetera."
"Technical support could be better."
"Stuff that I'd like to be improved is really just training and documentation because I think the feature set is full. Another improvement I'd suggest is that their new, bigger releases should be a bit more stable."
"In medium to large sectors, there's a necessity for managing aspects like proxy firewalls."
"It happens that you may find your network is down, if you reboot the switch, they come up. However, sometimes, they reset themselves. That's a big issue."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I believe licensing fees are paid once per year."
"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."
"There is no licensing cost."
"The price is reasonable."
"Cisco's prices could be cheaper."
"Cisco routers are an expensive product."
"The licensing policy can sometimes be very complicated."
"Cisco Enterprise Routers are expensive."
"The price of the solution is fair and there is a one-time license purchase only."
"MikroTik is really cheap compared to the competitors."
"The price is competitive."
"The licensing for MikroTik is great. It's easy to enter, especially for small businesses. Their model is great."
"In Pakistan, if you buy this cloud router, it's approximately $700 for the device."
"They came with the licensing when we purchased them."
"This product has a one-time cost and there is no licensing fee."
"I believe the price of the tool is high, but it is okay for the services we get from it."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Performing Arts
7%
Government
7%
Comms Service Provider
13%
Computer Software Company
12%
Educational Organization
10%
Hospitality Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business46
Midsize Enterprise24
Large Enterprise43
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise2
 

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...
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...
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...
What do you like most about MikroTik Cloud Router Switch?
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.
What needs improvement with MikroTik Cloud Router Switch?
Adding more features from a security perspective would make the solution much better. While some customers use MikroTik Cloud Router Switch as a firewall, it's not at an industry-level, though the ...
 

Also Known As

No data available
MikroTik CRS Series
 

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
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Enterprise Routers vs. MikroTik Cloud Router Switch and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
871,358 professionals have used our research since 2012.