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Cisco Ethernet Switches vs MikroTik Cloud Router Switch comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

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 Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
138
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
16th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
Routers (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Cisco Ethernet Switches is 8.8%, down from 14.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is 2.1%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Ethernet Switches8.8%
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch2.1%
Other89.1%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Myint Aung - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of the Solutions Department at BIM Group of Companies
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.
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

"Cisco is the world leader in these systems. The expertise they have is very good compared to others. We can trust Cisco from a technical perspective."
"The IP routing is the most important feature."
"The solution is highly reliable."
"The brand name and the service support by Cisco are most valuable."
"It has improved the network reliability, it has improved the network availability which results to improved productivity of the users (Increased ROI)."
"Cisco Ethernet Switches have good performance."
"The solution is very stable and Cisco is very reliable."
"Cisco knows what they are doing and their support is great."
"Some of the most valuable features are the simplicity, cost, usability, and power; as a package, it's extremely effective."
"This solution has improved a great deal over time and in many domains."
"The wiki page that describes the scripting and other features is very good."
"The beauty of MikroTik is that you have flexibility with the routing parts."
"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 main reason why MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is usually chosen is its raw performance to price ratio."
"The simplicity of how one can set it up is the most valuable aspect."
"Familiar RouterOS support, port isolation, flexible VLAN handling (tagging, untagging, rewriting, etc.)."
 

Cons

"Technical support could be better. Firmware upgrades should be better."
"We need more management tools for the solution."
"They need to offer free replacements until the end of life for devices."
"Network setup is quite complicated, particularly if you're implementing in a non-technical environment."
"The price of this solution is high. There could be an improvement in the licensing by reducing the price of the different types, such as essential, advantage, and premium."
"Previously, advanced features were included in the basic package, but now they are provided as add-ons that need to be purchased separately."
"This is a very expensive product. Without a license, part of the switch will not function."
"The user interface could be improved."
"Technical support could be better."
"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 is mostly used by medium and small businesses, so the security is not as robust as Cisco."
"The solution does not yet offer a SaaS version."
"The packet filtering, user log data, and user access log could all be improved."
"The bulk efficiencies and the control of traffic could be a bit better."
"This product is not recommended for enterprise-level projects."
"There has to be more development in the OS. It's complex for this switch as compared to others like Cisco."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is an expensive product."
"Cisco products are not cheap, which is something that can be improved."
"There are different licensing based on the model of the solution."
"Cisco Ethernet Switches are expensive, and you have to pay for a warranty and technical support."
"Its price is a bit higher than other brands. Indian customers are price-conscious. They should improve its price."
"When we want an extra feature then we need to purchase another license bundle."
"The solution has different prices depending on the features that you want to have."
"It is expensive. There are additional costs besides the license cost."
"The licensing for MikroTik is great. It's easy to enter, especially for small businesses. Their model is great."
"I believe the price of the tool is high, but it is okay for the services we get from it."
"They came with the licensing when we purchased them."
"The price is competitive."
"In Pakistan, if you buy this cloud router, it's approximately $700 for the device."
"I consider it to be a cost-effective solution."
"MikroTik is really cheap compared to the competitors."
"The price of the solution is fair and there is a one-time license purchase only."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Construction Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Educational Organization
12%
Marketing Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business60
Midsize Enterprise35
Large Enterprise55
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise2
 

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 functions but there are many different models within the same 2960 line, and on the ...
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 FortiSwitch is an ethernet switch solution that provides security and performance...
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 us. We decided to go with Juniper. Juniper ethernet switches are a lesser-known...
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?
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...
 

Also Known As

Cisco Industrial Ethernet Switches
MikroTik CRS Series
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Linz AG
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. MikroTik Cloud Router Switch and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,221 professionals have used our research since 2012.