Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

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
6.7
Number of Reviews
102
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch
Ranking in Routers
5th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
22
Ranking in other categories
Ethernet Switches (18th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Routers category, the mindshare of Cisco Enterprise Routers is 19.5%, down from 25.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is 7.7%, down from 8.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Routers
 

Featured Reviews

Hafiz Umar Farooq - PeerSpot reviewer
Allows us to configure NAS through Cisco activities and to create GRE channels with different sites
You cannot configure internet policies or other options on Cisco routers. If you have a very limited budget, you can't afford two different pieces of equipment, and you can't afford yearly licensing. I would like Cisco to launch a small business router that has firewall capabilities as well. It would be a great initiative for small businesses. I would like to see two additional features: a remote access VPN with the MFA, multifactor authentication capabilities. At the moment, the ISR series only supports MFA, but not every company likes to use that tool. I think Cisco needs to consider MFA for the remote access VPN and should incorporate other MFA solutions as well. I would also like there to be some firewall features included in the routers. I'm not talking about a full-fledged firewall feature, but a limited set of features that can be used on the small and medium-sized enterprise level. These two features would be a great initiative. I would also like to recommend the licensing feature. Previously, the Cisco licensing model was either a perpetual or annual smart license. Now, Cisco has totally shifted over to the smart licensing feature, and perpetual licenses are about to be eliminated from Cisco. The licensing feature is a bit costly if we compare it to other vendors. The licensing features of the F5 are perpetual, but the support has periodic renewal. The license to use Cisco features like a firewall or the routers are actually yearly based and not perpetual. The lead times are extremely high. Normally, it's six to eight months initially, and they prolong it to up to one year for new device delivery by Cisco. If you say you need a brand new router, switch, or fiber from Cisco within one month, you will never get it, unless some stock is readily available with your vendor. Otherwise, it will initially take six to eight months, and then that will be prolonged to one year. This is what we're experiencing with our clients right now.
Anthony Quarshie - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides robust routing capability but needs simplified documentation
I am using it, and I recommend it to my customers in the financial sector The router power is the most valuable aspect. I have not tried AppSec. Everything, I do on my own with Sage or something similar. I do not rely on technical support. I have used the solution for a couple of years, like…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Cisco Enterprise Routers are easy to use and configure through the CLI."
"The most valuable feature of Cisco Enterprise Routers is that they are robust and resilient."
"Stable and scalable routers."
"Cisco Enterprise Routers are simple. Everything is in a proper manner. You don't need to upgrade or do other things on a daily basis. Cisco sends you the updates, and they are automatically updated. They are good."
"The most valuable features are that it is more secure and easy to operate."
"Solution is stable."
"Most of the hardware is very stable."
"Provides good capabilities and performance."
"There are a lot of features to control permitting or stopping packets in the network."
"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."
"It is easy to set up."
"I like that it's quite flexible and addresses different issues. It's quite easy to use, and the pricing is great. We find them to be very capable switches."
"The best aspect is that it remains affordable."
"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 technical support for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is superb."
"The GUI is easy to use."
 

Cons

"The product would be more scalable if it could operate with other brands."
"While scalability is available, it must be paid for."
"Compared to equipment by other vendors, such as Check Point, the physical size of the units is bigger."
"The initial setup can be a little bit difficult."
"I am happy with the price of Cisco Enterprise Routers, but they could offer more discounts to their customers."
"The lead times are extremely high. Normally, it's six to eight months initially, and they prolong it to up to one year for new device delivery by Cisco."
"The solution is not easy to manage for people that do not have the experience."
"Some of the features could be more secure."
"It would be even better with a centralized management platform."
"Most of the time, the MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is stable. If I were to rate the stability on a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is the best, I would give it a 5."
"MikroTik needs to add some features like IPS, mail security, or antivirus, et cetera."
"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."
"The bulk efficiencies and the control of traffic could be a bit better."
"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."
"The packet filtering, user log data, and user access log could all be improved."
"MikroTik is mostly used by medium and small businesses, so the security is not as robust as Cisco."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is expensive."
"Cisco is more expensive than other architecture solutions."
"The licensing fee is okay and matches industry standards, which is the benchmark."
"For a boost performance license, the cost is $2,000 to $2,500. There is an additional cost for more scalability."
"This solution is expensive compared to competitors. There are additional costs if you want to have their support."
"Cisco Enterprise Routers are expensive."
"The licensing cost is quite reasonable."
"Cisco is mid-tier in terms of pricing and quite affordable by most enterprises."
"The licensing for MikroTik is great. It's easy to enter, especially for small businesses. Their model is great."
"The price is competitive."
"I consider it to be a cost-effective solution."
"This product has a one-time cost and there is no licensing fee."
"MikroTik is really cheap compared to the competitors."
"They came with the licensing when we purchased them."
"In Pakistan, if you buy this cloud router, it's approximately $700 for the device."
"I believe the price of the tool is high, but it is okay for the services we get from it."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Routers solutions are best for your needs.
860,632 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
15%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Educational Organization
9%
Hospitality Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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?
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.
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?
Regarding improvements in the MikroTik Cloud Router Switch, I am not sure as it is a good product. The performance could potentially be improved, but for this market segment, it is a good product. ...
 

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: June 2025.
860,632 professionals have used our research since 2012.