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Cisco Enterprise Routers vs MikroTik Cloud Router Switch comparison

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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
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.9
Number of Reviews
115
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch
Ranking in Routers
5th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
Ethernet Switches (15th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Routers category, the mindshare of Cisco Enterprise Routers is 14.7%, down from 19.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is 8.1%, up from 7.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Routers Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Enterprise Routers14.7%
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch8.1%
Other77.2%
Routers
 

Featured Reviews

Muhammad IrfanGhauri - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Solutions at Comtech Associate
Enterprise routing has delivered advanced security integration and supported AI data centers
The licensing part of Cisco Enterprise Routers is a bit tricky nowadays. With DNA, they have introduced DNA licensing. If they make it more simplistic with respect to customer understanding, I think it would be a good selling point for them. The licensing model could be a bit too high or a bit too complex. They need to make it simplified. It would be good for their business. With respect to enterprise routing, I would like to see additional features in the future to make it closer to a ten. Previously, Cisco has integrated many technologies into their router and multiple security features. However, since they have created a separate firewall product line, Firepower, I still want them to integrate more security features into their enterprise-grade router as well. Content filtering, application control, and website filtering are features that should be integrated into the router. They have multiple options, so with respect to technology, I am expecting that they integrate security more and Voice over IP features more easily into the router. For the customer, this makes their life easier in the sense that a single box can give them multiple solutions. I think they are already providing 5G interfaces, and there are options available.
Andriejus Artamonovas - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Specialist at a outsourcing company with 501-1,000 employees
Has supported deeper configuration through traffic mirroring and advanced VLAN setup
The main reason why MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is usually chosen is its raw performance to price ratio. In comparison to UniFi switches, MikroTik Cloud Router Switch can mirror all ports for traffic inspection for further traffic analysis, which UniFi cannot do. VLANs in MikroTik Cloud Router Switch are always useful. The way MikroTik implements VLAN-aware switching at the bridge level is hidden in the configuration. Making CRS work as a simple VLAN-aware switch requires deeper configuration, which is not intuitive. VLANs support individual interfaces not part of the bridge, allowing for double VLANing. You can create a VLAN interface in the interfaces context and also create a bridge interface, add physical ports, create VLANs for that bridge interface, and assign tagged and untagged ports and VLANs. Load balancing is one of the key components. The feature itself is quite efficient and works reliably on MikroTik Cloud Router Switch. The very basic setup is one of my favorites because they have their protocol where I can connect through the MAC address right on Layer 2, and I don't lose connectivity to the switch if I mess up with bridging or IP addressing.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution is easily scalable."
"The best features of Cisco Enterprise Routers are not just about the feature itself, but it's about the Cisco services and support."
"High performance for secure broadband and Metro Ethernet access, Fast Ethernet and ISDN Basic Rate Interface (BRI), secure 802.11a/g/n access point with dual-band radios for mobility that supports Cisco Unified WLAN architectures, firewall, site-to-site remote-access and dynamic VPN services including IPsec VPNs, Group Encrypted Transport VPN with onboard acceleration and SSL VPN, intrusion prevention system, an 8-port 10/100 Fast Ethernet managed switch with VLAN support and 4-port Power over Ethernet, plus one 1000 BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet and one 10/100 BASE-T Fast Ethernet WAN port with Cisco software that helps in configuration."
"Cisco support is the most valuable aspect because most technicians in the industry understand how to interface with a Cisco product. When we contact support, we know we'll probably get the answer whether we have to escalate the request to a new engineer or not."
"The stability of the solution is better than most other solutions."
"The solution provides the best security available and simplifies the process for branches and networking."
"Its routers are versatile, reliable, and capable."
"Cisco Enterprise Routers are easy to use and configure through the CLI."
"The beauty of MikroTik is that you have flexibility with the routing parts."
"The interface management and the user access management is pretty good."
"It is easy to set up."
"It is user-friendly, reliable, and cheap."
"The router power is the most valuable aspect."
"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 most valuable feature is that it has better throughput than its competitors."
"This solution has improved a great deal over time and in many domains."
 

Cons

"The product's price is an area of concern where improvements are required to be made by making it cheaper."
"As we are expanding, we require more coverage."
"While scalability is available, it must be paid for."
"If they can negate or reduce the modem delay, that would be great."
"The solution is not easy to manage for people that do not have the experience."
"When compared to PEPLink, Cisco Enterprise Routers are less flexible, and you cannot have more than one user."
"Some of the features could be more secure."
"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."
"The solution does not yet offer a SaaS version."
"Antispam and antivirus features should be included in the future."
"The initial setup is complex."
"The packet filtering, user log data, and user access log could all be improved."
"MikroTik has a three to five year maximum lifespan."
"In medium to large sectors, there's a necessity for managing aspects like proxy firewalls."
"The area for improvement is security. MikroTik is mostly used by medium and small businesses, so the security is not as robust as Cisco."
"The port isolation and VLAN need to be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing policy can sometimes be very complicated."
"The licensing fee is okay and matches industry standards, which is the benchmark."
"There is a license required for the use of this solution."
"The cost of this solution is a little bit high compared to others."
"Cisco is way too expensive for small and medium businesses. They must lower their prices in the lower range equipment."
"There is a router-only, perpetual license available for this product, but additional features will mean additional charges."
"It is quite costly for the same feature as compared to Huawei and Juniper. I rate the pricing an eight out of ten."
"The licensing cost is quite reasonable."
"The licensing for MikroTik is great. It's easy to enter, especially for small businesses. Their model is great."
"The price of the solution is fair and there is a one-time license purchase only."
"The price is competitive."
"In Pakistan, if you buy this cloud router, it's approximately $700 for the device."
"MikroTik is really cheap compared to the competitors."
"This product has a one-time cost and there is no licensing fee."
"I consider it to be a cost-effective solution."
"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
Outsourcing Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Marketing Services Firm
8%
Healthcare Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
13%
Educational Organization
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Outsourcing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business49
Midsize Enterprise24
Large Enterprise45
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise5
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 is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Enterprise Routers?
Regarding the pricing for Cisco Enterprise Routers, I would say it might be a little bit too high because for large companies, it does not matter since they prefer Cisco, but smaller companies ofte...
What needs improvement with Cisco Enterprise Routers?
Utilizing Cisco's integrated security protocols is the area where I wish to get into in the coming days, but currently, I am not working on the security portfolio.
What needs improvement with MikroTik Cloud Router Switch?
It can be difficult to identify key functions for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch. I experience functionality limitations, particularly when trying to find specific features. It would be beneficial to...
What is your primary use case for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch?
I mostly work with network equipment now, focusing mainly on routers. I work with FortiGates and MikroTik routers. When referring to FortiGate routers, I mean the firewalls, but not the enterprise-...
 

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 2026.
914,262 professionals have used our research since 2012.