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Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches vs Meraki MS Switches comparison

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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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco N9300 Series Smart Sw...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
26th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
8.1
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Meraki MS Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
6th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
103
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Featured Reviews

Thu Al-Faqar Salah - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Engineer at V2X
Modern data center fabric has delivered zero packet drops and simplified traffic control
Regarding improvements for Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches, I think the only issue that could prevent users from using these devices is the smart licensing, as the license model could be much simpler and more cost-effective. Managing Cisco licensing and tiered subscriptions involves unnecessary operational overhead for deployment and renewal. Also, if you are planning to use ACI mode, most of the concepts such as VRF, EPG, and tenant will change. When deploying in ACI mode, the architecture has a steep learning curve, as the policy-driven model requires expensive and specialized training, and many concepts will change for traditional network engineers, requiring them to adapt and learn. Additionally, most of the issues I faced are related to hardware cost specifically, so if we could get a model that is less costly and more cost-effective with simpler licensing, it would be much better. Regarding further improvements, I remember something about the upgrade process. When we did the upgrade for the N9300, changing the image took us around 12 to 15 minutes, which was really a long time. This happened for more than one switch, so I do not know if it is a bug or if this is something normal, but I think they need to address it.
Boaz Katabazi - PeerSpot reviewer
Network &Security Engineer at Natioanal Drug Authority Uganda
Cloud-managed switches have simplified remote branch access while maintaining strong performance
Cisco is a very stable platform. Even though we haven't upgraded firmware and all that for a long time, it can still perform. Unlike the other switches in the infrastructure where you find you have to constantly upgrade, they will warn you about vulnerability and all those. When you're scanning, it will tell you that there's a lot. For Cisco, once there's a release of firmware and all that, it's always very stable for a period of time. We have not replaced Cisco switches, apart from issues to do with product or power failure and maybe other reasons. We have not replaced them quite often compared to these other products. They are quite resilient.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Performance-wise, Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches is a great machine to work with."
"When you buy a Cisco device, you are going to forget about it after plugging it in because the device is powerful."
"The integration is very good, and there is very low CPU utilization, so multiple users can work without any problem."
"Cisco products are very strong and stable."
"We are satisfied with the solution when it comes to that concerning a small environment."
"The most valuable features are the cloud management, the monitoring, and the visibility available on the report's facts on the cloud controller."
"It is easy to configure and provides complete visibility of the graphic end point."
"It helps manage multiple switches deployed in different locations with a single console on the cloud."
"Meraki does support CLI, but the GUI is purely GUI, which is very easy to access."
"One of the most valuable features of Meraki MS Switches is its precise traffic analytics capabilities, allowing us to query the system for any place at any time."
"The most valuable features of Meraki MS Switches are ease of use, and we can find technical knowledge easily."
"The most beneficial features of Meraki MS Switches are the visibility and convenience they provide."
 

Cons

"The price is something negative for Cisco that I see."
"It is expensive. Compared to Aruba and Dell, it is a little bit costly."
"Regarding improvements for Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches, I think the only issue that could prevent users from using these devices is the smart licensing, as the license model could be much simpler and more cost-effective."
"In this solution, you are lacking a feature that Cisco Classic has that allows you to save your configuration with a serial cable."
"I'd rate ROI a three out of five as it is costly."
"It would be great if the switch can identify the IP address connected to the network port. It seems most of the switches cannot identify the IP address. They can identify the MAC address but not the IP address."
"Technical support hold times seem to be getting longer."
"One simple way to improve the product is to reconsider the price. They are more expensive than their competitors."
"Its troubleshooting features need work. They could adopt a console approach that could be more helpful."
"At times, we didn't know whether the switch was operating or not so we have to take the console and we have to do some troubleshooting."
"The pricing can be made cheaper."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"The licensing is purchased on a one, three, five, and seven year basis."
"The Layer 3 switch is the most expensive switch."
"With the solution that we currently have, I think it costs about 1,200 pounds a year. They bill on a yearly basis."
"They can get the price down for small businesses. The way I bought it, I paid hardly anything, and I got all my licensing with it. The firewall appliance is around $900, and the switches are around $150. This is for the device itself. For licensing, I signed at $70 or something like that for the switch. Technical Support is included in this."
"It is very expensive so I want it to be cheaper."
"I don't have an issue with the price of this solution."
"I rate the price of Meraki MS Switches a two out of ten."
"The only drawback is the cost — that's what kills them."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Construction Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business57
Midsize Enterprise20
Large Enterprise24
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches?
Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches is expensive. Compared with Aruba and Dell, it is a little bit costly.
What needs improvement with Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches?
As for any negative points, I think there is nothing significant. The only thing that Cisco may focus on commercially is the SmartNet. From my experience, I have worked with many MNCs where SmartNe...
What is your primary use case for Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches?
The major use case that we have with Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches is that our current switches are old and getting into end of life from Cisco. This is the reason we started looking for the ri...
What needs improvement with Meraki MS Switches?
Price-wise, Meraki MS Switches is high, but since our customer's acceptance is good, that works for us. The only thing is if the price was slightly lower, then it could have been more affordable to...
What is your primary use case for Meraki MS Switches?
We do work on other Cisco products at the moment besides Secure Access and XDR, including Catalyst switches, SD-WAN, and Meraki. We work extensively on Meraki switching and routing with the switche...
 

Also Known As

No data available
MS220, MS320, MS420
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Cisco Live Milan, Hyatt
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches vs. Meraki MS Switches and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
915,341 professionals have used our research since 2012.