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Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches vs Meraki MS Switches vs MikroTik Routers and 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 June 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches is 2.8%, down from 4.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Meraki MS Switches is 3.6%, down from 4.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MikroTik Routers and Switches is 6.7%, up from 4.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

FauzanRahmanto - PeerSpot reviewer
Have achieved lower costs and gained reliability with some room for better scalability
The security capabilities of Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches are comparable to other brands, so there are no additional points for Juniper regarding the security systems. I would rate the price of Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches an eight out of ten. Regarding stability, I would rate Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches a nine out of ten. I would recommend Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches to other organizations because it is easy to use, the command is easy to learn, and it is very stable. I chose Juniper as my primary vendor because it is very stable, reliable, and the price is lower than competitors. I am the person who usually does the maintenance alone. In my office, my two colleagues and I are the network engineers directly responsible for the operation of the EX devices. The number of users in my organization who have access to Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches is around 17 people. Overall, I would rate Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches an eight out of ten.
MajidKhan - PeerSpot reviewer
Remote access enhances troubleshooting with potential for more intuitive interface
We are working with Citrix and router, but in Cisco for Cisco vendor only. We are taking from them since 2015.  The main use case involves some small business customers needing one router, one switch, and two to three access points. It is easy to handle the devices with just a small knowledge of…
AnikIslam - PeerSpot reviewer
Cost-effective protocol support and a straightforward setup with room for login enhancements
In the network operations center, I manage our client's bandwidth. We connect with our clients through BGP and OSPF based on client demands. We also manage routing protocols, policies, internal firewalls, and other details like QE bandwidth, client manage bandwidth management, PoE, PPPoE, and DNS…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The tool's most valuable feature is stability."
"The security is good."
"The solution is stable and scalable."
"The most valuable feature of Juniper Ethernet Switches is the public remote configuration option. If you make a mistake in the configuration you can roll it back to the previous configuration automatically after a set time frame increment, such as five or more minutes. In all the other competitors once you press to enter the new configuration is already written in. You cannot roll it back automatically."
"The setup phase was straightforward."
"The most valuable features of Juniper Ethernet Switches are the simple configuration and ruggedness."
"The combination of hardware and software makes it a very good solution. It is a modern protocol that they have supported in the switches. The solution has good performance."
"It is very valuable for SRX devices and we have found it very easy to configure."
"The initial setup is simple."
"I like the support, and basically, that's why I'm using Meraki by Cisco."
"Easily installable, with good scalability, stability and technical support."
"It makes the management of SSIDs fairly easy."
"The most valuable feature of Meraki MS Switches is user-friendliness."
"The most valuable feature about Meraki is the console. The second most valuable feature, to me, is the technical support and the infrastructure behind the console."
"It is easy to configure and provides complete visibility of the graphic end point."
"This product has QoS, decent visibility of what's going on, and it's a managed switch."
"We use the product for VPN."
"This equipment is resilient and available at a good price."
"The deployment process of MikroTik routers and switches is very convenient since it is not command-driven and comes with a graphical user interface, making it much easier to operate."
"The most valuable feature is the price because it's highly cost-effective concerning the functionalities provided within the box. The solution is stable. The solution is scalable. The initial setup is straightforward. I would recommend the solution because it provides value for money."
"The features of the equipment fit all the needs of the customers."
"They have amazing speed and reliability, and they also provide value for money. They are pretty powerful."
"The most valuable feature is that you can do anything on all platforms."
"The price is a big factor. They are very affordable, and the quality is high."
 

Cons

"Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches is not cheap. The tool needs improvement in UI."
"Support could be improved."
"Improvements can be made in the web user interface and web management."
"In the next release of this solution, I would like to see better integration with software-defined networking."
"The initial setup for Juniper switches is complex. Juniper has a new program that solves that problem a little bit, but it is expensive, so I don't use it. It is Juniper Mesh, Juniper Wire, or something like that where you plug in a switch, and it goes out to their cloud, finds a config, and brings it down. So, you can do everything cloud-based, but there is a fee for that. It is expensive, so I've never used it. If we were starting, we would try to do something like that. It is more for a large enterprise for managing hundreds of switches versus what we're doing. They should make its price more cost-effective or include it for new or smaller companies."
"The management tools are limited in their abilities, and suffer from upgrade problems."
"The protocols can be tunneled, but on a global basis, not on an interface, and this is a feature that should be added."
"There are multiple areas of improvement in Juniper EX series switches. In terms of speed and pricing, while Juniper provides good quality services, some clients still find the price very high compared to other competitors. Also there is a need for certain features to be enhanced like clear our configuration process which will help to make Juniper switches more stronger. However, there are also multiple challenges including understanding and configuration of certain aspects difficult without assistance. Despite these kinds of challenges, there have been multiple solutions and huge potential of improvement in Juniper."
"Meraki MS Switches, including their licensing, are somewhat expensive, particularly when compared with competitor solutions like HP."
"It could be more advanced and secure. Meraki MS Switches are ideal for a mid-sized enterprise. But you can't work with this appliance if you need more security or want to do complex or advanced things. Technical support could be better."
"It would be helpful to have more features like an iOS interface."
"They're definitely missing some of the higher end data center Cisco features."
"The pain point for our customers is the pricing and it should be reduced to make it more competitive."
"We have dealt with a few minor bugs."
"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."
"We prefer Meeraki to be installed only on a local network rather than in a cloud-managed network. Meraki MS Switches are one of our largest categories, with over thirty-five deployed."
"Sometimes, when I need to reboot or change software, MikroTik crashes."
"The initial setup is a bit complex."
"This product could offer better integration with VPNs."
"The product needs to include more power."
"They could improve their product if they set, for instance, a controller for wireless LAN. That would allow them to really have something more than an access point."
"If the client wants bigger capacity, there may be some issues. That is, there may be issues with scalability."
"The interface for management could be improved."
"Improvements could be made in terms of SD-WAN capabilities and zero-touch provisioning."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is very aggressive."
"The maintenance cost is approximately €2,000 ($2,200 USD) per year, including support, for our entire fleet."
"You require the Junos Management Platform in order to manage the switches and you need to purchase the Juniper Ethernet Switches."
"It's was $100,000 per year."
"The pricing for the support is very high."
"We purchased the box for a one-time charge, and we are paying a yearly support fee of several hundred Euros."
"If compared to Cisco, this is a well priced solution. Compared to HP, it is a little bit overpriced. Overall, they are priced in the middle compared to competitors."
"This solution is cheaper than Cisco or HP switches."
"Its price is definitely competitive."
"The only drawback is the cost — that's what kills them."
"My company pays for Meraki MS Switches yearly. Pricing-wise, the product is relatively inexpensive."
"The DNA subscription is a three-year minimum term."
"It's $150 per year for licensing on each 250 switch. The 425 switches are about $500 a year for the enhanced enterprise licenses."
"The pricing is very expensive."
"The yearly maintenance fee is $100 and you can purchase the switches used for about $200 each."
"The price of Meraki MS Switches is less expensive than other similar solutions."
"The product is cheap compared to Cisco."
"MikroTik Routers and Switches' pricing is reasonable."
"The price is affordable."
"It's definitely worth the investment."
"There is a one-time license fee for the use of this solution and it is less expensive than Cisco products."
"No fees are required for licensing."
"The pricing is very reasonable and is one of the main selling points for MikroTik devices."
"They are very cheap and not at all expensive."
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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
14%
University
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Computer Software Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Educational Organization
6%
Comms Service Provider
15%
Computer Software Company
15%
Hospitality Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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 advice do you have for others considering Juniper Ethernet Switches?
Juniper EX model is ok for the campus network as the ex4300 is EOL in a few years and the new ex4400 is the standard....
What is your primary use case for Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches?
I use Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches for access switch purposes, specifically for switches that face our end dev...
What do you like most about Meraki MS Switches?
The most valuable features of Meraki MS Switches are their reliability and simplicity.
What needs improvement with Meraki MS Switches?
What could be improved is that when a switch disconnects from the internet, you can't make any changes to that switch...
How do Cisco Enterprise routers compare with Mikrotik routers and switches?
Cisco Enterprise Routers are very stable and easy to use. They offer a very solid performance and are very secure. Th...
Which are better - Ubiquiti UniFi switches or MikroTik routers and switches?
Ubiquiti Unifi is a great solution. For starters, it is easy to configure and implement, and doesn’t require a learni...
What do you like most about MikroTik Routers and Switches?
The price is a big factor. They are very affordable, and the quality is high.
 

Also Known As

Juniper Ethernet Switches
MS220, MS320, MS420
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

BlackLotus, Staminus, Community Bank, BAS Group, Cloud Dynamics, Privalia, Fluidata, and Tesla Motors.
Cisco Live Milan, Hyatt
ABB, Boingo Wireless, JPL, HP, Allied Telesis, iPass, Mips Technologies, MicroAge, Matsushita, Telia, undp, WFP, NASA
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Netgear and others in Ethernet Switches. Updated: June 2025.
858,038 professionals have used our research since 2012.