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Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches vs MikroTik Cloud Router Switch comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

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

Juniper EX Series Ethernet ...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
8th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
73
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
16th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
Routers (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches is 3.4%, up from 2.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is 1.9%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches3.4%
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch1.9%
Other94.7%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Patrick Anaku - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network Engineer at Roke Telkom
Has provided reliable performance with useful features such as virtual chassis and high port density
The important thing for our use case of Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches has been reliability, and there are features such as the Virtual Chassis feature, which is one of the things we use. In our case, we use them as core switches in a network that is not very large, and their reliability and the Virtual Chassis feature work well for us. It was one of the reasons we chose it, along with the port density; we are using the 32 port and the 48 port, which work for our needs. Regarding its security features such as MACsec encryption, they are standard and cover what we want; we do not do a lot as they are just Layer 2 switches, but it has standard security features.
Andriejus Artamonovas - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Specialist at a outsourcing company with 501-1,000 employees
Has supported deeper configuration through traffic mirroring and advanced VLAN setup
The main reason why MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is usually chosen is its raw performance to price ratio. In comparison to UniFi switches, MikroTik Cloud Router Switch can mirror all ports for traffic inspection for further traffic analysis, which UniFi cannot do. VLANs in MikroTik Cloud Router Switch are always useful. The way MikroTik implements VLAN-aware switching at the bridge level is hidden in the configuration. Making CRS work as a simple VLAN-aware switch requires deeper configuration, which is not intuitive. VLANs support individual interfaces not part of the bridge, allowing for double VLANing. You can create a VLAN interface in the interfaces context and also create a bridge interface, add physical ports, create VLANs for that bridge interface, and assign tagged and untagged ports and VLANs. Load balancing is one of the key components. The feature itself is quite efficient and works reliably on MikroTik Cloud Router Switch. The very basic setup is one of my favorites because they have their protocol where I can connect through the MAC address right on Layer 2, and I don't lose connectivity to the switch if I mess up with bridging or IP addressing.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"My advice to people who are considering using Juniper switches is to try them out because the Juniper brand is very good."
"Juniper Ethernet Switches' most valuable feature is the Juniper-Mist cloud, which facilitates management of the switches and access points."
"There is no end to the ability to scale Juniper."
"I find Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches to be flexible and desirable."
"Compared to Cisco, Juniper offers better stability and low prices."
"The most valuable feature is the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)."
"Juniper supports all our connectivity infrastructure in our datacenter, supporting optimal availability and performance for services.​"
"We have found the product to be scalable."
"The wiki page that describes the scripting and other features is very good."
"MikroTik Cloud Router Switch stands out for its features, especially those available at that price point."
"Familiar RouterOS support, port isolation, flexible VLAN handling (tagging, untagging, rewriting, etc.)."
"The router power is the most valuable aspect."
"The technical support for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is superb."
"I think that Mikrotik is the best solution for SOHO and small businesses because the price is very good and it includes a lot of features."
"We value the solution's price, and it can do almost anything you need regarding routing, so it's a well-rounded solution for routing, especially for network routing."
"It is user-friendly, reliable, and cheap."
 

Cons

"Some areas of technical support could be better."
"It was very difficult to get technical support, here in Egypt. There is no local support available."
"The interface could be better. It needs improvement."
"Juniper Ethernet Switches' tech support is hard to reach and slow."
"The only disadvantage with Juniper is the modules are very expensive lately."
"Jupiter Switches' configuration is a little difficult to understand."
"There are security features related to Mac addresses that are present in high-end switches that lack some of the same flexibility in the lower-end switches."
"They could improve the code, as there are some issues with it."
"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."
"There has to be more development in the OS. It's complex for this switch as compared to others like Cisco. For NetGear and Cisco, it's easy to adapt the VLAN concept but it should be simplified for MikroTik."
"Improvements are needed with respect to some of the security, especially for VPN links between vendors other than Cisco."
"The user interface could improve and they should allow a license for IBS."
"It would be even better with a centralized management platform."
"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."
"There has to be more development in the OS. It's complex for this switch as compared to others like Cisco."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is a need to make a payment towards the perpetual licensing model offered by the product and also towards the subscription-based model for hardware replacement."
"Their prices are competitive and not bad. It is cheaper than Cisco. We have a yearly license."
"The maintenance cost is approximately €2,000 ($2,200 USD) per year, including support, for our entire fleet."
"For the QFX5000 Juniper switches, the price is about $10,000, but they would probably sell it for $1,000. Nobody can beat Juniper's pricing when it comes to switches. Juniper out-prices everybody, but they get you on the back end, maintenance, service port, and service contract."
"The price could be cheaper."
"The initial cost of the solution can be expensive."
"The price of the Juniper EX Series is reasonable. Cisco is a lot more expensive."
"Support prices and licensing scheme need to be improved to allow some features to be purchased at lower costs, for example, RPM​."
"The price of the solution is fair and there is a one-time license purchase only."
"The licensing for MikroTik is great. It's easy to enter, especially for small businesses. Their model is great."
"In Pakistan, if you buy this cloud router, it's approximately $700 for the device."
"I believe the price of the tool is high, but it is okay for the services we get from it."
"This product has a one-time cost and there is no licensing fee."
"I consider it to be a cost-effective solution."
"They came with the licensing when we purchased them."
"MikroTik is really cheap compared to the competitors."
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Comparison Review

it_user82779 - PeerSpot reviewer
Engineer at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
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
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
8%
University
7%
Educational Organization
6%
Comms Service Provider
13%
Educational Organization
12%
Marketing Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business39
Midsize Enterprise17
Large Enterprise24
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise2
 

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 us. We decided to go with Juniper. Juniper ethernet switches are a lesser-known...
What is your primary use case for Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches?
The important thing for our use case of Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches has been reliability, and there are features such as the Virtual Chassis feature, which is one of the things we use. In o...
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 it is 120 percent.
What needs improvement with MikroTik Cloud Router Switch?
It can be difficult to identify key functions for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch. I experience functionality limitations, particularly when trying to find specific features. It would be beneficial to...
 

Also Known As

Juniper Ethernet Switches
MikroTik CRS Series
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

BlackLotus, Staminus, Community Bank, BAS Group, Cloud Dynamics, Privalia, Fluidata, and Tesla Motors.
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches vs. MikroTik Cloud Router Switch and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
884,976 professionals have used our research since 2012.