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

Cisco Ethernet Switches vs Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center vs Meraki MS Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Cisco Ethernet Switches is 13.3%, down from 18.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is 1.9%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Meraki MS Switches is 3.4%, down from 4.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Myint Aung - PeerSpot reviewer
Exceptional network support and AI integration drive performance while suggesting enhancements for future use cases
I work with both HyperFlex and other Cisco products. I prefer to make online support available because I can utilize my CCIE architect, solution consultant, and engineer team along with our account manager and product sales team. We can clarify requirements and decide how to support you. We should arrange a conference call about Cisco Ethernet Switches where I can invite my architect and consultant to clarify more about the features that are most beneficial for improving network efficiency. Today is AI day, and all the new firmware includes AI to optimize the performance, traffic, and security of Cisco Ethernet Switches. It's performing very well. With many solutions and vendors available, you have to decide on one. I am extremely satisfied with the licensing cost for Cisco Ethernet Switches. For the price of Cisco Ethernet Switches, I would rate it a 7. My overall rating for Cisco Ethernet Switches is 10 out of 10.
Vishwajeet Pandey - PeerSpot reviewer
Management and monitoring efficiencies from a single platform increase network control and flexibility
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center ( /products/fortinet-fortiswitch-data-center-reviews ) offers flexibility and control over the entire network from a single pane of management. It allows me to create VLANs, implement security measures, and push configurations using a single tool. These features make the solution accurate, flexible, and valuable for network management.
MajidKhan - PeerSpot reviewer
Remote access enhances troubleshooting with potential for more intuitive interface
We are working with Citrix and router, but in Cisco for Cisco vendor only. We are taking from them since 2015.  The main use case involves some small business customers needing one router, one switch, and two to three access points. It is easy to handle the devices with just a small knowledge of…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Being able to deal with multiple VLANs to segment the network logically is the biggest feature for us. The management of these switches is okay for us. These switches work very well, and they meet our needs."
"It is easy to configure and troubleshoot."
"I am not sure exactly which feature is most valuable because overall, the device helps us to manage our environment."
"The solution is basically issue-free."
"This product is widely available and the warranty is very good."
"Remote access is a valuable feature."
"The quality, like all Cisco solutions, is very high. The fact that it's Cisco is one of the reasons we chose to use it."
"The initial setup was very easy."
"FortiSwitch Data Center allows for centralized management of both Fortinet switches and firewalls from a single interface."
"We are able to monitor everything that is happening on our network."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center's scalability is good."
"The product is stable."
"Using Fortinet's whole range, including FortiSwitches, is cost-effective compared to Cisco and beneficial for network security."
"FortiSwitch Data Center allows for centralized management of both Fortinet switches and firewalls from a single interface."
"The initial setup was simple."
"I have found the solution to be scalable."
"The technical support is quite good."
"The product is very straightforward."
"The initial setup is straightforward. You only need two people for deployment and maintenance."
"We are using the MS425 series. We like the ease of use, ease of administration, and central dashboard. Meraki also has fantastic documentation and community. With its central dashboard, we can deploy a generic configuration across hundreds of switches, rather than doing it in the old school way where an individual or a group of engineers would log onto each device via CLI, which takes a long time. So, everything is connected."
"The solution's most valuable aspect is the ease of stacking. The configuration on the MS Switches is very good, as well as its ability to assign the LANs."
"It makes the management of SSIDs fairly easy."
"The reliability and ease of configuration are good."
"The most valuable feature of Meraki MS Switches is user-friendliness."
 

Cons

"There are some GUI configuration improvements that they can implement in the future for the product models."
"Cisco has a lot of propriety protocols compared to other products, such as Arista Networks."
"It would be nice if they had higher wattage for PoE+."
"The management of the solution could improve."
"The pricing and hardware warranty renewal costs are more expensive than other products."
"The cost is very prohibitive both for us as well as other organizations. It's very expensive to buy Cisco switches. Among our colleagues, we find that we're not alone in thinking it's too high. Everyone's complaining about this."
"Cisco Ethernet Switches could improve if they removed the command line interface and replaced it with a better GUI. It is too difficult at the moment, we always need to figure out the commands."
"The initial setup for on-prem versions is complex and requires a trained, certified engineer."
"The solution could always benefit from more security. It's of critical importance to organizations right now."
"With IT products, there is always room for improvement."
"There is room for improvement in customer support and device speed. Sometimes, customer support does not provide prompt assistance, leaving projects hanging."
"There is room to improve the integration between FortiSwitch and other third-party solutions, as challenges arise when integrating with different vendors."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center needs to improve its UI and stability."
"Fortinet could have the ability to authenticate users like Aruba offers because managing ten or twelve SSIDs for different clients is complicated."
"The solution can improve by upgrading QSFP+, it is very limited and must be supported more than it is now. If we need FortiSwitches to support all the QSFP ports our budgets would have to be very large."
"Compatibility with infrastructure from other vendors like Cisco and Sophos can be further improved."
"The price of the solution has room for improvement."
"In terms of troubleshooting, if we get more tools there is an issue."
"Meraki MS Switches could improve if it was an SDN. It will be more flexible and WWE can use one link for specific traffic and another one for other traffic."
"Better alerting capabilities are needed because they do not provide enough notification or detail about events."
"Licensing is the only thing I can complain about. It's expensive, but everything is these days."
"There are some limitations in Meraki MS Switches. Other switches have more options, such as the Cisco Catalyst Switch."
"Meraki should include an application to assist users with the design of access points."
"The solution needs to improve its scalability."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of Cisco Ethernet Switches is expensive."
"Its price is very high, but it is a good device. Cisco must work on its price. Other solutions provide a better price for similar functionalities."
"It could be cheaper."
"It is an expensive product."
"While Cisco's pricing can be a concern, particularly with support fees, its overall features and support community make it a solid choice."
"It is expensive. There are additional costs besides the license cost."
"The pricing for individual use is expensive but partners receive discounts of 70-80 percent for high-end use."
"Cisco now has more products that are priced for small businesses, so they do have some cheaper models."
"Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is expensive."
"The product has a mid-range price."
"The solution's pricing is a little high. The solution deserves the current price it receives from its users."
"The tool's pricing is lower than Cisco's."
"Cost-wise, Fortinet solutions are cheaper than those offered by Cisco."
"The solution is not expensive."
"It is reasonably priced."
"This solution is expensive but it does not require a license."
"The tool is expensive."
"Meraki MS Switches is a pricey product. You have to get a license for each product annually. It would have been perfect if there were product bundles."
"Meraki is not an expensive switch, like Cisco."
"Extreme switches are more cost-effective than Cisco Meraki Switches."
"The product's licensing cost is about 30% to 40% of the hardware cost."
"The pricing is very expensive."
"The price of Meraki MS Switches is high."
"It depends on what type of equipment you have and other things. We're about $17,000 a year."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Ethernet Switches solutions are best for your needs.
862,514 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Comparison Review

it_user82779 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 29, 2014
Benefits of Juniper vs Cisco
Both are decent products. I prefer Juniper for the following reasons: 1) Cleaner separation of data plane from control plane. Higher end Cisco devices are better at this but most of the lower end products still seem to be more integrated than I like. 2) The Hierarchical config design means I can…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
18%
Government
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Educational Organization
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Would you recommend replacing a Cisco Catalyst Switch by a D-link one?
Hello Mesfin It depends on the real scenario, the cisco 2960 is a very good device and they usually have routing func...
Which would you choose - Fortinet Fortiswitch secure access or Cisco Ethernet Switches?
We researched Cisco but ultimately chose Fortinet FortiSwitch Secure Access, mostly because of the price. Fortinet F...
In terms of ethernet switches, would you go with Cisco or Juniper?
Our organization ran comparison tests to determine whether Cisco or Juniper Ethernet switches were the better fit for...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center?
The Fortinet switches come with no additional cost as they are open source, with only hardware warranties applicable.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center?
There is room for improvement in customer support and device speed. Sometimes, customer support does not provide prom...
What do you like most about Meraki MS Switches?
The most valuable features of Meraki MS Switches are their reliability and simplicity.
What needs improvement with Meraki MS Switches?
What could be improved is that when a switch disconnects from the internet, you can't make any changes to that switch...
 

Also Known As

Cisco Industrial Ethernet Switches
No data available
MS220, MS320, MS420
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Linz AG
Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Cisco Live Milan, Hyatt
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Ubiquiti Networks and others in Ethernet Switches. Updated: July 2025.
862,514 professionals have used our research since 2012.