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Juniper Session Smart Router vs Meraki SD-WAN 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Juniper Session Smart Router
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
4.1
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
Routers (6th), Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (14th)
Meraki SD-WAN
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
80
Ranking in other categories
Software Defined Networking (SDN) (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Enterprise Networking solutions, they serve different purposes. Juniper Session Smart Router is designed for Routers and holds a mindshare of 3.0%, up 0.6% compared to last year.
Meraki SD-WAN, on the other hand, focuses on Software Defined Networking (SDN), holds 12.6% mindshare, down 23.2% since last year.
Routers Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Juniper Session Smart Router3.0%
MikroTik Routers and Switches17.4%
Cisco Enterprise Routers14.2%
Other65.4%
Routers
Software Defined Networking (SDN) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Meraki SD-WAN12.6%
Cisco ACI9.6%
Juniper Contrail Networking7.7%
Other70.1%
Software Defined Networking (SDN)
 

Featured Reviews

worksoft757854 - PeerSpot reviewer
Worksoft Certify Sr.Consultant at a outsourcing company with 51-200 employees
Session-based routing has reduced WAN costs and delivers faster failovers with app-aware paths
The best features of Juniper Session Smart Router that offer me value are the ones I use daily, including session-based routing and core features that route traffic per session instead of tunnels, giving better performance, seamless failovers, and application-aware path selection. It selects the best link, whether MPLS, broadband, or LTE. It also has built-in zero-trust security which means it controls segmentation without needing a separate VPN setup and advanced visibility and analysis, providing strong insight into traffic, session, and performance. This provides simple branch management. Juniper Session Smart Router has positively impacted my organization by achieving a 30% to 40% reduction in WAN cost, which means less reliance on MPLS. There is also a 40% faster failover with near-zero user impact during link issues, and 20% to 30% less time spent on troubleshooting. Additionally, I experience fewer outages due to dynamic path selection, which facilitates fast branch deployment.
Mageshwaran S - PeerSpot reviewer
Solution Architect at airtel
Experienced streamlined network management with enhanced usability and room for improved security features
On the security features, when compared to Fortinet, they have more patterns and AI-generated ones. Meraki SD-WAN is slowly implementing AI, but it is not yet full-fledged. If AI comes into the picture, it will be helpful. I work with Fortinet where with a single command you can deploy the entire SD-WAN along with FortiGuard within minutes. For AI, it can discover and connect, but currently, we are doing it manually. In Meraki SD-WAN, some features require additional licenses and subscriptions. If these were bundled together, such as 10 or 20 licenses, it would be very helpful for a mini branch or small campus area coverage.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature of Juniper Session Smart Router is its unique SDR channel."
"They provided us with a customized product according to our requirements."
"For telecom companies, I think zero-trust segmentation is the way to go because if you allow anything that you do not understand, then it becomes a problem."
"The best feature is the easiest way to deploy configuration and also back up them, and also to roll back quickly if there's an incident."
"Customer service is very prompt."
"I can share specific numbers; we achieved a 30 to 60% WAN cost reduction by reducing MPLS usage."
"Because we are talking directly to engineers in the US, the support is usually the best you can possibly get."
"The solution is especially Session's smart, application-aware, AI-based."
"The solution is a whole vertical solution, so it doesn't need any other components in order to provide basic features."
"The tool is easy to use."
"Zero touch configuration onsite based on the manager system's pre-configuration and the VPN automation set."
"The simplicity of getting connected is the solution's most valuable aspect."
"The features of SD-WAN are very appealing because you have a centralized dashboard and multiple options to terminate. You have an internet leased line, which means that you can connect your broadband and 3G and 4G cellular networks on the same router. This makes it easy for us to manage everything on a single dashboard. That is, you can integrate multiple stacks in such a way that you do not have to maintain any other dashboard. You get single-pane-of-glass accessibility with Meraki."
"It's made managing our client's networks extremely easy, regardless of my location. Being able to hop on my cell phone to see what's happening on a client's network makes everything much more manageable."
"This product has a simple configuration that can be accessed through a web interface or the API."
"This is a high availability solution that is easy to configure and has a nice GUI."
 

Cons

"Juniper Session Smart Router could improve its documentation to become more competitive. It has very little documentation, and you have to rely mainly so much on support to do something, which I feel should not be that way."
"I found some weaknesses on their hardware. They are sometimes breaking very often."
"Juniper Session Smart Router could be better in terms of software performance."
"Juniper Session Smart Router could be better in several areas such as the steep learning curve because the session-based model is different from traditional networking."
"Juniper Session Smart Router can be improved by simplifying onboarding for traditional network teams and providing better documentation for complex deployments, as well as improving the GUI for operational workflows and better migration tooling."
"Juniper Session Smart Router can improve the integration for Wi-Fi devices and add additional Sassy deployments."
"The UI of the SSR conductor is the main part where improvements can be done. Today, for every configuration step, you have to do a series of clicks."
"Regarding improvement, we still need to see what it can do."
"The product should be able to support more than three internet lines."
"Meraki SD-WAN could improve on the lead time, but this is not a problem only with Cisco. there's a global shortage of chipsets. Additionally, the solution has limited features. It's quite a standard product and not very easily upgradeable or stackable."
"The VPN client could be improved."
"Cisco should enhance the GUI interface to provide more details for users to troubleshoot."
"Meraki SD-WAN had trouble prioritizing traffic for VoIP calls."
"Perimetral security for new requirements on financial networks and DRP systems, like SAP."
"The solution is not scalable for high-end customers."
"The advanced license is expensive. Part of the cost involved is high."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We are currently renegotiating the offer for the licenses and the license bundle model. The license for an ISP has to be different from the license for an end customer. This is something we are currently renegotiating with Juniper, but, of course, the pricing for the licensing is always an issue when you want to get more customers."
"It is a simple bandwidth-based license and the orchestration comes bundled with the solution by default."
"The tool offers term licenses. You have the same term licensing model available for all of your equipment, which is good for management."
"The pricing is reasonable and we can choose the software or the feature."
"I am not aware of the licensing fees."
"The product is not expensive."
"If you purchase a Meeraki box, you have to purchase a license, and it's already the basic license, you will have you SD-WAN included."
"The price can vary depending on the challenges that you need to address. When you look at the stability and reliability against the price, you absolutely get the value for the price."
"The solution's pricing is in line with what we expected."
"The license model may need improvement."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
23%
Comms Service Provider
13%
Computer Software Company
5%
Financial Services Firm
5%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Computer Software Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise6
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business38
Midsize Enterprise13
Large Enterprise32
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Juniper Session Smart Router?
Juniper Session Smart Router could be better in several areas such as the steep learning curve because the session-based model is different from traditional networking. The UI could also be more fu...
What is your primary use case for Juniper Session Smart Router?
I use Juniper Session Smart Router to connect branch offices to cloud apps like AWS where the router dynamically selects the best path such as MPLS, broadband, or LTE connections based on applicati...
What advice do you have for others considering Juniper Session Smart Router?
My advice for someone considering Juniper Session Smart Router is to invest in learning early and understand the session-based routing because it is different from traditional WAN. I also recommend...
What do you like most about Meraki SD-WAN?
The auto VPN feature is important because it automates many tasks, making things simpler and faster. It helps with setting up devices and changing configurations without manual effort.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Meraki SD-WAN?
When compared for the long run, it is reasonable, but for the short term, such as one year, it is costlier, especially compared to other OEMs such as FortiGate. If the license expires in FortiGate,...
What needs improvement with Meraki SD-WAN?
The pricing of Meraki SD-WAN depends compared to which vendors, because it's a bit pricey, so not all retail would go for it unless it's a big retail company, but it depends on your comparison. I u...
 

Also Known As

128T Networking Platform, 128 Technology SD-WAN, Juniper SSR Series
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Revation Systems
École Jeannine Manuel
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, MikroTik, Juniper and others in Routers. Updated: April 2026.
894,998 professionals have used our research since 2012.