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Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) vs Ekahau AI Pro comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 5, 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 Modeling Labs (CML)
Ranking in Network Modeling and Simulation
4th
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 July 2025, in the Network Modeling and Simulation category, the mindshare of Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) is 11.9%, up from 2.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ekahau AI Pro is 20.5%, down from 39.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Modeling and Simulation
 

Featured Reviews

OB
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.
Lakshmi  Narayan - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficient mobile surveys with a simple setup but room for cloud improvements
As of now, almost everything is there and suitable for site requirements. However, the cloud takes a lot of time to upload the site survey, and we regularly face issues with syncing to the optimizer. There needs to be improvement in this area. Additionally, the product can be very expensive.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The ease of use of Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) is very valuable to me because it is straightforward."
"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."
"Ekahau Site Survey is scalable."
"It is a stable solution."
"Ekahau Site Survey is an easy and accurate solution."
"The most valuable when it comes to this solution for me is the fact that I don't have to go out and do a site survey. With this solution, I can do it all predictably with the usual 90% accuracy."
"Channel planning, access points' auto position, and the size of the spectrum are valuable to me."
"I don't handle the software that much. I'll do some of the testing with our CTO. It is primarily him and I. He has commented before that he likes the fact that with two licenses, we can set it up so that when we're on a large facility, he can see where I am and I can see where he is. That's for sure is very handy in large venues."
"I like that our users can send us a floor map. Sometimes it's not feasible to travel to another country where the users are based. So, the floor map is very useful. It's a fantastic product."
"There are some survey tools that are a little easier to use, but the benefit of using the Ekahau is that it is very configurable. If you go into a building that has solid cement walls, instead of traditional walls, you can configure it for that. It is much more configurable than the other ones."
 

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."
"It would be better if it provided clear visibility. It would be better if it accommodated large physical sites like a warehouse with a ceiling height of more than twelve to fifteen feet. In such situations, we were unable to provide better coverage."
"Ekahau Site Survey is an expensive solution, and its pricing should be improved."
"I find the power button hard to access with just one hand."
"I would say that the indoor site accuracy is pretty good but the outdoor one should be improved. I would say if there was a way to put trees in there and canopies, that would be great."
"Sometimes there is a cancellation between two signals that the solution is not able to monitor correctly, this could improve in the future."
"The cloud takes a lot of time to upload the site survey, and we regularly face issues with syncing to the optimizer."
"The only issue is the price. The overall price is a bit high, especially compared to our other vendor. Ekahau is considered expensive."
"Ekahau would benefit by making improvements to lag time."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"Ekahau Site Survey is a really expensive solution."
"Since we are an academic institute, we get better prices and discounts from Cisco, but not Ekahau."
"The pricing is high."
"I believe that it is approximately $2,000 per year for us. I know we pay for it on an annual basis."
"We pay $6,000 yearly for the licensing, but each piece of hardware, the Ekahau Sidekick, is $5,000."
"The solution is less costly than one of its competitors."
"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."
"9,000 Euro per year."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
12%
Government
9%
University
8%
Computer Software Company
8%
Computer Software Company
14%
Educational Organization
10%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

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 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: July 2025.
863,429 professionals have used our research since 2012.