Meraki Dashboard vs NetMon comparison

Cisco and Exabeam are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Cisco is ranked #19 with an average rating of 8.5, while Exabeam is ranked #51 with an average rating of 7.7. Cisco holds a 0.8% mindshare in NMS, compared to Exabeam’s 0.7% mindshare. Additionally, 98% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Exabeam users who would recommend it.

Meraki Dashboard

Read 59 Meraki Dashboard reviews

2,352 Views
2,093 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

NetMon

Read 12 NetMon reviews

1,235 Views
1,062 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Meraki Dashboard

NetMon

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 26, 2025

Meraki Dashboard and NetMon are leading competitors in the network management and monitoring category. Meraki Dashboard appears to have an edge due to its ease of use and cloud-based architecture, making it attractive for organizations of all sizes.

Features: Meraki Dashboard offers Presence Analytics, Layer 7 Filtering, and a single pane of glass for intuitive management. Its cloud-based setup eliminates the need for physical controllers, making it easy to deploy and manage. NetMon provides comprehensive traffic analysis, deep packet inspection, and a robust correlation engine to detect network anomalies and deliver in-depth network activity analysis.

Room for Improvement: Meraki Dashboard users have highlighted issues with complex licensing, high renewal costs, and VPN client limitations. They also seek a more intuitive interface for some features. NetMon users wish for better integration with third-party tools and seek more cost-effective pricing. Challenges with database integration and limitations in its agent-based framework are also noted.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Meraki Dashboard supports public, private, and hybrid cloud models for global network management. While its technical support generally receives positive feedback, some users experience slower response times and request more support staff. NetMon, primarily deployed on-premises, garners positive feedback for technical support; however, its extensive functionality can be challenging, leading to a desire for clearer communication on tool capabilities.

Pricing and ROI: Meraki Dashboard is considered expensive but justified by its comprehensive features and usability. License costs can be significant but are often offset by the tool’s efficiency and support. NetMon is seen as costly for smaller enterprises, but it offers a balanced pricing position in the network monitoring space with strong performance and functionality. Both products can deliver a strong ROI, depending on company size and application.

To learn more, read our detailed Meraki Dashboard vs. NetMon Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Meraki Dashboard vs. NetMon

December 2025

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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

Meraki Dashboard

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

19th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

NetMon

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

51st

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) (16th)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Meraki Dashboard is 0.8%, down from 1.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetMon is 0.7%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Meraki Dashboard	0.8%
NetMon	0.7%
Other	98.5%

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

MURALI NIDAMANURI

Managing Director at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

Dashboard provides comprehensive network security and management capabilities

I don't have specific handy names. Meraki Dashboard uses multiple functions where we can configure SSIDs, firewall policies, DHCP, multiple VLANs and DHCP configurations, VLAN configurations, access control policies, MAC binding, client access based on MAC authentication and certificate-based authentication. We have configured SSO for Windows Active Directory by configuring the RADIUS services. We have implemented many customer requirements in Meraki Dashboard. With the detailed visibility feature of Meraki Dashboard, I get connected clients information, including how much data each client downloaded and what applications they accessed. I can obtain detailed data including ISP links level monitoring and speed. I can perform speed tests, generate analytics reports, convert to Excel based on each user for each department, create dashboards, monitor and limit bandwidths, and restrict specific URLs. The advanced security configuration in Meraki Dashboard is useful for network security. Substantial security can be achieved within Meraki Dashboard itself, eliminating the need for additional firewalls to protect your network. You can configure WAN monitoring, users' ACLs, URL filtering, web filtering, and department-wise access configuration for specific client applications. It's completely cloud-managed, and in a simplified way, you don't need to visit any physical infrastructure to monitor activities. Apart from access points, everything is in the cloud. We have monitored IoT solutions, CCTV monitoring, and can detect and control intrusions. When people connect IoT devices to your network, Meraki Dashboard can detect what device it is and control those access controls, even with different operating systems.

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SumitRangari

Pan India IT Infrastructure Management / End-user Services at Tata Group

Has supported real-time event detection and reporting accuracy while database integration has required extra effort

Sometimes it may be difficult to incorporate new additional databases in NetMon, and we faced some challenges at that time. However, currently, it is not giving many challenges.It is difficult to integrate NetMon with other databases. We can customize NetMon's monitoring views, but it is done by the team who handles it, as it is outsourced.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It can analyze the traffic that it is picking up from what may be a rogue access point, and it is able to identify those and send relevant notifications."

"It's really user-friendly."

"The most valuable features are that it's easy to use and technically very complete. I can configure, do advanced troubleshooting in the dashboard, and reboot access points remotely."

"What I found most valuable in the Meraki Dashboard is straight monitoring of the different devices, as well as the ability to easily set up VPNs, for example, both Meraki client VPNs and non-Meraki VPNs for different organizations that work with my company. I also like that the tool is a really good firewall."

"The overall product rating is ten out of ten."

"Meraki Dashboard offers an exceptional centralized management solution that allows easy updates and monitoring of various network features, including bandwidth usage and content filtering."

"The most valuable feature for me is the cloud dashboard."

"I use Meraki Dashboard for monitoring purposes, the detailed visibility feature of Meraki Dashboard is useful for troubleshooting purposes, and it helps a lot."

More Meraki Dashboard pros

"The protocols with which you see the traffic for a particular website that a client has in their environment, for example, are valuable. We can monitor whether the traffic is up to the mark or whether they need to add more bandwidth. Also, we can see if we're able to get real-time environment data as well. The customization dashboard is really good. LogRhythm NetMon has its own in-built dashboards which are helpful in guiding customization."

"The most valuable feature is the log, which can be analyzed by our SIEM solution."

"NetMon's best feature is traffic analysis."

"The analytics feature is the most valuable feature."

"Visibility is a valuable feature, the ability to see even if the traffic is not going into the firewall"

"It has a very strong artificial intelligence engine."

"It is a stable solution...It is a scalable solution."

"The initial setup is straightforward because we can deploy an open server."

More NetMon pros

Cons

"There is a bit of a problem when you try to log in and you don't have a fixed IP address. If you're granting access, you need to log in by using the IP address. If your administrator's IP address is not a fixed IP address and it has changed, you might need to update the changed IP address in the interface. For this, you need to log in to the interface to update the IP address. This issue might not have so much to do with Meraki interface."

"I think this product could be improved with a CLI for more directives."

"We would like to be able to test the health of WAN connections."

"Meraki Dashboard's pricing could be improved."

"The initial setup is complex and can be made more straightforward."

"Meraki Dashboard could improve integration with non-Cisco platforms."

"What we would like from the IT perspective is a lot more granular control, more visibility into the packets, into the routing, and things of that nature."

"The coverage has been an issue for us."

More Meraki Dashboard cons

"LogRhythm NetMon's pricing model is an area of concern that should be made a little bit cheaper in comparison to the other players in the market currently."

"I would like to see better integration with multiple products. Integration is not something that is readily available for most of the products."

"The main concern is that LogRhythm has not improved NetMon but instead introduced a separate product, which many customers, including us, would prefer to be integrated into a single platform for easier management."

"The platform's integration features often need to be improved."

"Could use a topology diagram which would help get an exact visual."

"Sometimes it may be difficult to incorporate new additional databases in NetMon, and we faced some challenges at that time."

"Sometimes it's hard to find the network devices' self-audit logs."

"There is an issue with tunneling in relation to how the connectivity is established between the end devices and where NetMon is installed. On the console, I often observe that there's a difference of a few seconds or maybe a minute, and this lag time should not be there."

More NetMon cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."

"Meraki Dashboard is a utility and portal that's part of the Meraki solution."

"It is said to be expensive."

"Licensing for Meraki Dashboard is paid every year, and it's on a per-device model that costs roughly $300 to $400 per device, but that comes with full support and troubleshooting, etc. Compared to similar products, Meraki Dashboard is quite high-end, but the costs you pay are all-in."

"From a pricing perspective, they are still expensive."

"The solution is currently the most expensive on the market."

"The price of Meraki Dashboard is not expensive because knowing that it is a cloud-based solution has its benefits."

"You don't have to pay for the dashboard."

More Meraki Dashboard pricing and cost advice

"The product is expensive for smaller companies."

"The price of this solution is too high, so it should be made more practical and more valuable for the customer."

"Pricing is okay. There were some competitors that were extremely expensive and there were some which were really inexpensive but LogRhythm stayed in the middle of them."

"LogRhythm's licensing part is something that depends on the license you want since they offer it on a perpetual and subscription basis."

"I don't have visibility into the pricing of LogRhythm NetMon as it's handled through our commercial partnerships."

"NetMon's licensing costs about $85k per year, with some extra costs for support."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

Government

Transportation Company

19%

Performing Arts

13%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	22
Midsize Enterprise	13
Large Enterprise	26

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	2
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	7

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Meraki Dashboard?

We greatly utilize the network because we can plug it into the DNS, VPN, or equipment. It's very good. Meraki Dashboard enhances wireless network management. We appreciate its flexibility, as it al...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Meraki Dashboard?

I would rate the pricing for Meraki Dashboard as one.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Meraki Dashboard?

Regarding the functionality part, I would appreciate clarification on what core functionality means. I appreciate the security that has been provided by Meraki, but they specifically require port 8...

See all answers

What do you like most about LogRhythm NetMon?

It has a very strong artificial intelligence engine.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for LogRhythm NetMon?

I don't have visibility into the pricing of LogRhythm NetMon as it's handled through our commercial partnerships.

See all answers

What needs improvement with LogRhythm NetMon?

See all answers

Comparisons

Cisco DNA Center vs Meraki Dashboard

Compared 13% of the time

Zabbix vs Meraki Dashboard

Compared 8% of the time

Nmap vs Meraki Dashboard

Compared 7% of the time

ManageEngine OpManager vs Meraki Dashboard

Compared 5% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs Meraki Dashboard

Compared 5% of the time

More Meraki Dashboard Competitors

SCOM vs NetMon

Compared 11% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs NetMon

Compared 10% of the time

PRTG Network Monitor vs NetMon

Compared 10% of the time

Niagara Visibility Controller vs NetMon

Compared 10% of the time

Opmantek NMIS vs NetMon

Compared 8% of the time

More NetMon Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Meraki Dashboard

January 2026

Download Meraki Dashboard product report

Buyer's Guide

NetMon

January 2026

Download NetMon product report

Also Known As

No data available

LogRhythm Network Monitor

Overview

Meraki Dashboard is a comprehensive cloud-based platform that offers centralized management and control for all Meraki networking and security products. It provides a user-friendly interface, allowing administrators to easily monitor and configure their network infrastructure from anywhere. With real-time visibility, troubleshooting becomes effortless, ensuring optimal performance and minimizing downtime.

The intuitive dashboard offers a holistic view of the network, enabling quick identification of potential issues and proactive measures. It simplifies network deployment and scaling, with zero-touch provisioning and automatic firmware updates. The robust security features include advanced threat protection, content filtering, and VPN connectivity.

Meraki Dashboard also offers powerful analytics and reporting capabilities, providing valuable insights into network usage, application performance, and user behavior. With its seamless integration and scalability,

Meraki Dashboard is the ideal solution for organizations of all sizes, ensuring efficient network management and enhanced productivity.

Cisco

NetMon offers significant capabilities in log aggregation, traffic analysis, and real-time network insights. Its ease of use accommodates both entry-level and advanced functionalities, enhancing network visibility and threat detection.

NetMon provides seamless analytics with its real-time dashboards and advanced AI integration. The platform is designed for comprehensive monitoring and detailed analysis, making it indispensable for identifying network traffic, origins, destinations, and facilitating threat detection through lateral traffic visibility. Despite its powerful analytics and customization features, improvements in product integration, customer support, and pricing could increase its competitive edge. Connectivity, topology visualization, and server performance are areas noted for enhancement. Integration with protocols like Gflow and Netflow might alleviate agent-based restriction challenges. NetMon sends correlated data to LogRhythm SIEM for enhanced threat analysis and is used for tasks like traffic analysis and DPA.

What are NetMon's key features?

Log Aggregation: Seamless collection of diverse network logs for analysis.
Traffic Analysis: Detailed inspection of network traffic for identifying irregular patterns.
AI Integration: Advanced analytics powered by robust AI capabilities.
Customizable Dashboards: Real-time insights tailored to user requirements.
Correlation Engine: In-depth correlation of network activity for comprehensive reports.
Deep Packet Analytics: Thorough examination of data packets for granular insights.

What benefits and ROI can users expect?

Enhanced Threat Detection: Significant improvements in identifying lateral threats.
Comprehensive Insights: Complete visibility into network and user activities.
Efficient Monitoring: Real-time analytics streamline network monitoring processes.
Compliance Support: Strong integration supports adherence to compliance standards.

NetMon is widely adopted in industries requiring detailed traffic monitoring and security, such as finance and healthcare. Its capabilities in traffic type identification and correlated analysis make it essential for environments where detecting irregular patterns is critical. It's utilized for network security through comprehensive analysis and integration with SIEM systems.

Exabeam

Sample Customers

Coop eG, Peet's Coffee & Tea, Priefert Manufacturing, Century Care Management, Clifton College, Zürs Ski Resort, Capital FM Arena, MAXI Autohöfe

Sera-Brynn

Buyer's Guide

Meraki Dashboard vs. NetMon

December 2025

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