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Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) vs Ekahau AI Pro comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 15, 2026

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 Modeling Labs (CML)
Ranking in Network Modeling and Simulation
3rd
Average Rating
6.0
Reviews Sentiment
3.2
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Ekahau AI Pro
Ranking in Network Modeling and Simulation
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
35
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Network Modeling and Simulation category, the mindshare of Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) is 8.7%, down from 9.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ekahau AI Pro is 9.7%, down from 29.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Modeling and Simulation Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Ekahau AI Pro9.7%
Cisco Modeling Labs (CML)8.7%
Other81.6%
Network Modeling and Simulation
 

Featured Reviews

OB
CEO at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Limited support and costly setup detract from potential benefits
The stability of Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) is not very good. The iOSs consume so much memory that most typical machines do not have sufficient memory to utilize. For example, the Cisco 9200 iOSs require 24 gigabytes of memory to run in that tool, and that is only one image.
ALEXANDRE VIANNA - PeerSpot reviewer
CTO at Redeswirelessbrasil
Good optimization capabilities, automatic network planning tool and saves time
Ekahau needs to enhance the view of materials and make some adjustments to the reports. Currently, it's possible to make changes to the Word report using Python, but it could be improved. For example, when I create an AP on a survey report, information like the cable view, distance, and support assessments could be enhanced. Only one comment about Ekahau Optimizer. It needs improvement. I tried to upload site products, and for five products, I needed to involve Ekahau's supply chain. When I try to solve that, it's not possible. For example, I uploaded one product for a large bank, and the optimizer didn't finish. I needed to involve Ekahau support, and they sent me the file two or three days after I opened the case.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The initial setup of Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) is straightforward, but the images are complex and expensive to set up because they do not provide those for free."
"The ease of use of Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) is very valuable to me because it is straightforward."
"The OEM dashboard has a lot of useful features to troubleshoot the Wi-Fi."
"Planning design allows us to provide faster quotes to the customer, we take a safety margin but in the end we are very close to the quote and we save time and travel."
"When you have a new site to plan, with ESS you can easily create a good plan to begin to understand the solution and the challenges."
"Ekahau Site Survey is an easy and accurate solution."
"The planning feature is useful because it's very affordable."
"I have found the most valuable feature is the RF interference and integration capabilities."
"Ekahau Site Survey is scalable."
"The most valuable features are the ability to read existing WiFi services and to produce a reliable report on coverage."
 

Cons

"The stability of Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) is not very good. The iOSs consume so much memory that most typical machines do not have sufficient memory to utilize."
"Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) could improve by providing more in-depth switch options. For example, I cannot lab stacking at all."
"We were actually able to recover some access points in some areas that were over saturated. So I I can leave at least two areas where we probably had twice as many access points as we needed to. So we actually redesigned it and pulled some of those access points where I don't know that there was any proper planning done when they were initially deployed. It was before my time, but it just seemed way over saturated, and they were all beaten on each other. So Site wasn't helping. It was probably hurting, and we saved equipment that we could then deploy somewhere else. This can be improved."
"I am having problems importing maps to Ekahau Site Survey. Importing is one of the first steps in using the solution and it is getting stuck. The problem could be that our maps are large with many layers."
"Batch reporting for large projects with many project files."
"Our CTO was not real happy with their support."
"It is somewhat expensive to renew the licenses every year. Obviously, most places can't maintain that."
"One area would be to allow several files to be opened and the ability to close only one of the files."
"I wish the solution was better at making different survey modes."
"The new Sidekick is going to support Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"We pay $6,000 yearly for the licensing, but each piece of hardware, the Ekahau Sidekick, is $5,000."
"This solution is not cheap. If you only need an occasional site survey, you are better off contracting a wireless engineering professional that has one."
"The solution is less costly than one of its competitors."
"I believe that it is approximately $2,000 per year for us. I know we pay for it on an annual basis."
"The licenses are a little pricey compared to iBwave, etc."
"That's a tricky thing. When it started off, we had one three-year license and one one-year license because we have two devices. Now, from my understanding, we can only renew every year or get a one-year license, and that cost varies. Being a government organization, we get a different cost than commercial. We have deployed it on Surface Pro tablets. So, the only other cost would be the hardware cost."
"Ekahau Site Survey is a really expensive solution."
"The product is quite expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
12%
University
11%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Educational Organization
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise15
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Modeling Labs (CML)?
On a scale of 1 to 10, Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) is about eight or nine in terms of expense.
What needs improvement with Cisco Modeling Labs (CML)?
There are other areas where they could improve the product in my opinion.
What is your primary use case for Cisco Modeling Labs (CML)?
I have always used Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) in lieu of building practical labs and buying products for the labs so I can simulate configurations and test interoperability and things of that nature.
What do you like most about Ekahau Site Survey?
We reviewed the maps as a team and determined if any changes needed to be made or if we could just replace APs as they are. We got into this by upgrading our access points to Meraki, and we wanted ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Ekahau Site Survey?
Things to consider when choosing Ekahau Sidekick2: you need to add another 10% to the purchase price to buy Apple ipads as the Android version of the Ekahau survey app does NOT support APOS surveys...
What needs improvement with Ekahau Site Survey?
Ekahau could be improved by adding three-dimensional modeling, as we currently cannot view APIs in a three-dimensional perspective. They need to include backhaul features and improve the ease of in...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Ekahau Site Survey
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Presidio, Planet Earth, Ruckus
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) vs. Ekahau AI Pro and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
885,311 professionals have used our research since 2012.