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Cisco Ethernet Switches vs MikroTik Cloud Router Switch vs NETGEAR 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 September 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Cisco Ethernet Switches is 12.4%, down from 18.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is 1.6%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NETGEAR Switches is 8.4%, down from 9.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco Ethernet Switches12.4%
NETGEAR Switches8.4%
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch1.6%
Other77.6%
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.
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…
Umang Shah - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficient routing and access control with an easy setup
We use NETGEAR Switches for networking, particularly for switch-to-switch connectivity. We connect them with core switches, especially for camera installation NETGEAR Switches have increased the throughput and speed of internal communication, and have improved our network efficiency. The most…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"For me, the initial setup was easy and straightforward, but for some of our customers who are not as familiar with networking, it can be complicated."
"The most valuable feature is the complete functionality, but the most important thing is support."
"A stable product that is absolutely dependable."
"Technical support has always been helpful."
"We have found it to be scalable. We have approximately three million subscribers."
"The most valuable aspect of the solution is the ability to manage the switches and the ability to have a certain level of familiarity with setting up and configuring the switches."
"The tool is easy to use, offering numerous options in terms of server connection."
"These switches help to build the best network, the way we want it."
"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."
"Some of the most valuable features are the simplicity, cost, usability, and power. As a package, it's extremely effective."
"The most valuable feature is that it has better throughput than its competitors."
"A valuable aspect is its user-friendly configuration, making it accessible even for individuals with basic technical knowledge."
"The interface management and the user access management is pretty good."
"The GUI is easy to use."
"The technical support for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is superb."
"This solution is very similar to the on-premises version making it easy to use for those who know the architect."
"The remote management tools are fantastic. The combination of the webpage as well as the app makes life so much easier. I don't need to go and visit sites to do upgrades or any sorts of changes. The firmware can all be deployed remotely. I can see the traffic on each of the switch ports remotely as well, so I can see if we've got problems, down to an individual port. It's very granular."
"Valuable features include network monitoring and ease of programming for VLANs, etc. I especially like NETGEAR because it's easy to teach system administrators how to use them, how to look at them, how to make changes to them without having the complexity of CLIs, but still having a CLI should we need it."
"The tool is crucial in our network setup, especially in our bank's customer service operations. It connects ATMs and links different branches and service centers. Each branch and service center has its network node connected through these switches."
"One of the biggest benefits of the remote management is that it's easy to use and you can use it from a mobile device or tablet with the app they've developed... If one of my engineers is out in the field at a client and an alert comes in from another client, that engineer can take that alert and look at it in real-time."
"There is a lot of helpful documentation that helps with the configuration process."
"The stability is good. I would rate the stability a ten out of ten."
"The most valuable features are routing and access control."
"NETGEAR offers a competitive pricing structure, which is beneficial for cost management."
 

Cons

"The pricing should be reduced so that they are more competitive."
"Very highly priced in comparison to other similar products."
"The SG thousand series has some downsides or weak points which require improvement regarding floor switch usage."
"The solution needs to work on lowering the amount of bugs. We find them quite regularly."
"The price of the solution has room for improvement."
"There are instances where the commands you are familiar with might change or be replaced with newer syntax."
"The dashboard needs some minor improvements."
"The solution is expensive."
"The RAM capacity offered by the product needs to be increased, as it is one area where the tool currently has some shortcomings."
"The bulk efficiencies and the control of traffic could be a bit better."
"In medium to large sectors, there's a necessity for managing aspects like proxy firewalls."
"MikroTik is mostly used by medium and small businesses, so the security is not as robust as Cisco."
"The packet filtering, user log data, and user access log could all be improved."
"Technical support could be better."
"If MikroTik had a marketing team and support team in India then it would be much easier for us to get the product, as well as support."
"The port isolation and VLAN need to be improved."
"Perhaps in the future, we will have even more different types of switches and be able to fulfill more collections."
"The tool does not offer extra firewall security."
"The security features must be improved."
"NETGEAR Switches must look into their competitors since they have all available models."
"NETGEAR Switches could be more secure. Scalability could also be better. This infrastructure is a bit old, and we need something that will be more secure. Something that will introduce WLAN, and we will need the knowledge to go with that. Some of the switches were used for more than seven years. I think it was just their lifespan that was exhausted. But other than that, there haven't been any issues that required us to complain or get concerned."
"The solution needs centralized management and centralized configuration."
"The IGMP specifics of the web management console could use a bit of clarification."
"The product could be more robust."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Customers have to pay for some of the L3 switches licenses, which are expensive."
"It is an expensive product."
"Quality comes at a price. I've been around the block a bit, and I know that good quality comes at a price. However, some of the organizations don't have big budgets, so you have to develop different solutions for them. They don't have the budget to get some of the high-end features. Cisco can consider providing entry-level hardware to suit SMBs."
"It is very expensive."
"Cisco Ethernet Switches are more expensive than Huawei Ethernet Switches."
"Users have to pay an annual licensing fee for Cisco Ethernet Switches, which is expensive."
"When we want an extra feature then we need to purchase another license bundle."
"Cisco is quite expensive. In our market, a lot of customers are forced to go with something else because they cannot afford a brand-new Cisco even though they know a Cisco switch will be more reliable."
"This product has a one-time cost and there is no licensing fee."
"I consider it to be a cost-effective solution."
"The licensing for MikroTik is great. It's easy to enter, especially for small businesses. Their model is great."
"MikroTik is really cheap compared to the competitors."
"They came with the licensing when we purchased them."
"I believe the price of the tool is high, but it is okay for the services we get from it."
"In Pakistan, if you buy this cloud router, it's approximately $700 for the device."
"The price of the solution is fair and there is a one-time license purchase only."
"The price point, compared to a lot of the competitors that didn't have the modular switch, was about 20 to 30 percent less expensive."
"The pricing for what you get with the Insight product line is very fair and the value is there, including the annual licensing fees for the Insight Pro for each device... the Insight Pro level, which is their highest level, where you get a lot of features with the Insight, is a bargain. You get a lot of good features for what you're paying there annually."
"I would rate the tool's pricing a nine out of ten."
"It's cheaper than Cisco. For the features it offers, the pricing is good."
"There are two parts to the pricing. There's the pricing of the device itself, which is good. Their licensing model needs work, though. The licensing model doesn't fit the way MSPs do business."
"NETGEAR is a cost-effective solution when going for a small enterprise."
"You get what you pay for. From a price comparison, there are cheaper switch makers on the market that are definitely less expensive than NETGEAR. They give you the same functionality, but they don't come with a name. There are solutions like Ubiquiti that are very good. They have the ease of setup, and I find NETGEAR battling a little bit in comparison to Ubiquiti."
"In terms of the NETGEAR stuff, there weren't any surprises. The costs were definitely fair, especially considering what we were replacing. For the equivalent performance from a non-AV over IP solution, it would have been easily been in the $40,000 range. Comparing it to standard AV video switching, the price was very good, especially considering now they can add-on without any massive additional costs."
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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
12%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
7%
Comms Service Provider
14%
Computer Software Company
13%
Educational Organization
9%
Hospitality Company
8%
Computer Software Company
13%
University
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business58
Midsize Enterprise36
Large Enterprise53
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business17
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise2
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business41
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise11
 

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 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...
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 co...
How do NETGEAR switches compare with Cisco ethernet switches?
NetGear switches have a lot to offer. They have high availability, zero-downtime stacking, L2 and L3 functionality, a...
Which switches are better - Ubiquiti Unifi or Netgear?
Ubiquiti Unifi offers a great set of features. For starters, it is easy to configure and implement, and also doesn’t ...
What do you like most about NETGEAR Switches?
Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten. I have not faced any issues with the product whatsoever.
 

Also Known As

Cisco Industrial Ethernet Switches
MikroTik CRS Series
NETGEAR Insight Managed Switches, NETGEAR GC Series, NETGEAR M Series
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Linz AG
Information Not Available
Blaze Networks
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Netgear and others in Ethernet Switches. Updated: August 2025.
867,370 professionals have used our research since 2012.