Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Juniper Mist Edge vs Steelhead comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 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 Mist Edge
Ranking in WAN Edge
15th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Steelhead
Ranking in WAN Edge
14th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
WAN Optimization (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the WAN Edge category, the mindshare of Juniper Mist Edge is 1.0%, down from 1.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Steelhead is 1.2%, down from 1.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
WAN Edge
 

Featured Reviews

Raihan Hossain - PeerSpot reviewer
The AI-driven solution has enhanced connectivity with seamless remote management
I primarily use Juniper Wi-Fi because I need a smooth Wi-Fi solution. I address my needs by opting for Juniper, which is a reliable product. I often require a dependable product, and this is why I choose Juniper. It is worth noting that the price of Juniper is quite high. However, for a single…
Raj Metkar - PeerSpot reviewer
Auto-optimization mode enhance efficiency & bandwidth saving, best layer 7 QoS shaping policy can be achieved with ease
There are several features specific to branches, like keeping data hot and active on Steelhead devices. These features prevent unnecessary data travel across the international MPLS. Additionally, functions like acting as an NTP server, DNS, DHCP for branches and auto-optimization mode enhance efficiency along with really good QoS for bandwidth shaping.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Juniper is a remote and AI-enhanced product."
"The most valuable aspect of Mist Edge lies in its ability to provide comprehensive visibility into all network packets."
"Juniper Mist Edge provides better support for medium-sized businesses."
"The visibility of the information that's available about APs through their cloud portal and some of the AI features are most valuable."
"Juniper's technical support is highly responsive."
"Juniper Mist Edge is valuable for its ability to troubleshoot and configure more things compared to Meraki."
"TCP optimization... caches a particular TCP connection and the next time a user uses that connection he will reach the destination easily."
"Steelhead's most valuable feature is its ability to hash and send only the important parts of the information, avoiding the resending of data."
"One of our most valuable features is Steelhead's cloud migration optimization. Moving to the cloud helped optimize our workflow, improving performance for end-users."
"SteelHead works from the application. I use it to optimize traffic from Amazon. It is mainly used for customers who need to increase the traffic to 33K. For other users, it has been more of an operation."
"The most valuable feature of Steelhead is its optimization capabilities."
"It is very easy to install the solution."
"I find the most valuable to be the compression and exchange replication."
"Steelhead is stable, and it can even help you avoid service interruption in the event of a power outage. If your hardware fails, technical support will replace your device quickly."
 

Cons

"I experience a lot of stability issues, so the rating is eight out of ten."
"Juniper Mist Edge can sometimes have a delay in information updating."
"The product needs an update, particularly in price, as it deters many customers, including myself, from using it despite its convenience and effectiveness."
"Juniper Mist Edge can sometimes have a delay in information updating, which could be improved."
"I would like to see improvements in ensuring government compliance for Mist Edge."
"The one area that we're specifically looking into is their outdoor APs. The development of their outdoor APs is lagging as compared to their internal APs."
"If we load a primary firewall, the secondary firewall usually handles all the active connections, but in Riverbed, this isn't the case. We lose all the active connections at the moment of failure."
"One area for improvement is related to monitoring and visibility."
"There was a significant challenge when moving from an older version to a newer one due to changed quality of service policies."
"I would like to see improvement in the solution’s configuration and protocol aspects. We have got some configurations that are not set. I would also like to simplify the call detection of some protocols."
"Steelhead's handling of encrypted traffic could be improved because it requires some complex configuration to optimize encrypted traffic, especially when working with Microsoft protocols for mail servers and VPN services"
"The solution needs to have alert notifications."
"The application response time of the solution can be improved."
"They should include a network switch in a future release."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I believe we're getting some good discounts. We're paying less than $500 per AP. I don't know the annual maintenance cost."
"Across our 12 data centers, we spend around $150k annually."
"The solution is expensive and the service contacts are costly too. The cost of the device makes the value proposition borderline acceptable for us. The service contract fees we pay is approximately $30,000 annually."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which WAN Edge solutions are best for your needs.
857,162 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Retailer
12%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Computer Software Company
19%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Government
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Juniper Mist Edge?
The most valuable aspect of Mist Edge lies in its ability to provide comprehensive visibility into all network packets.
What needs improvement with Juniper Mist Edge?
The product needs an update, particularly in price, as it deters many customers, including myself, from using it despite its convenience and effectiveness. Due to the high cost, not all customers c...
What is the best network monitoring software for large enterprises?
We just did an assessment for our 47 datacenters around North America. The top two enterprise-level network monitoring solutions were ExtraHop first, Riverbed SteelCenter second. Their negotiated c...
What do you like most about Riverbed Steelhead?
One of our most valuable features is Steelhead's cloud migration optimization. Moving to the cloud helped optimize our workflow, improving performance for end-users.
What is your primary use case for Riverbed Steelhead?
In the past, we have sold a lot of Steelhead ( /products/steelhead-reviews ) for retail companies, insurance companies, some finance companies, and some engineering companies. Steelhead ( /products...
 

Also Known As

No data available
RIverbed Steelhead
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

One Energy, UST Global, i3D.net, Hyland
ElAraby, SFK Leblanc, Bobst Group, Northwest Pipe Company, Halkbank, Tradebridge, EFG Hermes
Find out what your peers are saying about Juniper Mist Edge vs. Steelhead and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
857,162 professionals have used our research since 2012.