No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.

Cisco Ethernet Switches vs Meraki MS Switches comparison

Why PeerSpot?
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 8, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
5.7
Cisco Ethernet Switches offer high ROI with low maintenance, uptime, but some face renewal, scalability challenges affecting profitability.
Sentiment score
2.8
Meraki MS Switches enhance ROI with reduced troubleshooting, efficient management, lower headcounts, but cloud transition benefits are gradual.
It has saved considerable time for engineers to troubleshoot and perform related tasks.
Network & Security Engineer at Arrow PC Network Pvt Ltd
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.1
Cisco Ethernet Switches are praised for strong support, yet experience variability, especially with complex issues and response times.
Sentiment score
7.2
Meraki MS Switches' support is effective yet inconsistent, with users noting delays and requesting clearer communication for complex issues.
Customer support for Cisco Ethernet Switches is really good.
Network & Security Engineer at Arrow PC Network Pvt Ltd
It takes two to three days for Cisco support to address issues.
Asst IT Manager at Ultra Engineers
Currently, we don't have any technical support because our license doesn't allow for direct support.
Commercial Experience Supervisor at Jazz (previously known as Mobilink)
This is because their engineers have experience with and strong knowledge of Cisco products.
If the devices are licensed, the support team will assist you depending on the severity level of the case.
Network Engineer at Gaihab
The support is excellent and rated ten out of ten.
Sales Engineer at Phoenyx Commtech Pvt. Ltd.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
Cisco Ethernet Switches are scalable, adaptable, and support efficient network expansion across diverse environments, suitable for all company sizes.
Sentiment score
7.0
Meraki MS Switches offer scalable, flexible solutions for small to medium businesses despite supply chain challenges and some enterprise-level gaps.
Cisco mainly provides security, patch management, hardware reliability, durability, scalability, and security features supporting my organization's expansion.
Head of the Solutions Department at BIM Group of Companies
The latest products do not allow integration with the earlier environment.
Asst IT Manager at Ultra Engineers
The scalability depends on the model.
Commercial Experience Supervisor at Jazz (previously known as Mobilink)
If a customer scales from one region to another, they can easily add locations into the same dashboard while classifying multiple regions, sites, and countries.
Senior Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
They're quite scalable for my environment.
Ag. Systems & Networks Head at UNBS
We can extend MS switches and have multiple plants using the same solution.
Wireless Network Engineer at MSSL
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.9
Cisco Ethernet Switches are highly regarded for their durability and reliability, with users praising their long-lasting performance and support.
Sentiment score
8.1
Meraki MS Switches are praised for stability, reliability, and performance, with quick resolutions for minor issues and high ratings.
The switches are very stable, rated ten out of ten.
Senior System Engineer & Project Manager at TechnoPeak
If something happens to the device or hardware, Cisco will automatically change the device by the next business day.
Network Engineer at Gaihab
There is zero downtime; Meraki MS Switches are reliable and stable.
Wireless Network Engineer at MSSL
For infrastructure such as factories, small factories, or warehouses that have temperatures higher than normal in-house office temperatures, I have some doubt about how well the switches would sustain those conditions.
Senior Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
 

Room For Improvement

Cisco Ethernet Switches face challenges with complexity, costs, inadequate support, and demand improvements in scalability, security, integration, and usability.
Meraki MS Switches struggle with high costs, limited features, complex processes, and reliance on cloud management for functionality.
The pricing and hardware warranty renewal costs are more expensive than other products.
Asst IT Manager at Ultra Engineers
FortiGate switches are considered more valuable because they have firewall capabilities.
Commercial Experience Supervisor at Jazz (previously known as Mobilink)
For example, on switches, filtering specific sections isn't supported, whereas, on routers, you can do 'show run' with additional commands to filter.
Senior System Engineer & Project Manager at TechnoPeak
Meraki should also consider improvements in stacking features, particularly in the lower-end models like NS130, where stacking isn't supported, unlike with Cisco traditional switching.
Senior Manager at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
There are compatibility issues with certain Power over Ethernet (PoE) devices, which we would like to see resolved.
Chief Technologies Officer at ASTORG PARTNERS
Most people are familiar with the Cisco commands, and it would be beneficial if the switch could be accessed by GUI configuration and by normally accessing the console.
Network Engineer at Gaihab
 

Setup Cost

Cisco Ethernet Switches offer high quality and reliability but come with high prices, inflexible licensing, and potential hidden costs.
Meraki MS Switches offer valuable features and cloud management but are costly, with discounts favoring longer license terms.
Cisco Ethernet switches are priced at a rating of nine, indicating they are expensive.
Asst IT Manager at Ultra Engineers
We need to pay for the subscription, as there are extra expenses after purchasing the product.
Head of the Solutions Department at BIM Group of Companies
Regarding the cost, Cisco Ethernet Switches have a competitive price.
IT Manager at Decorgel
Meraki MS Switches, including their licensing, are somewhat expensive, particularly when compared with competitor solutions like HP.
IT System Administrator at Bouri
The cost of the support and maintenance bundle is quite costly for Cisco.
Network &Security Engineer at Natioanal Drug Authority Uganda
Meraki MS Switches are somewhat expensive.
Wireless Network Engineer at MSSL
 

Valuable Features

Cisco Ethernet Switches provide performance, reliability, security, scalability, advanced management features, customization, energy efficiency, and extensive support.
Meraki MS Switches offer cloud management, scalability, enhanced security, intuitive control, stability, and advanced features, ideal for enterprise use.
Their stability and durability are essential features we've been looking for many years, and they are still working fine.
IT Manager at Decorgel
It provides a high layer of enterprise security via 802.1X port-based authentication, DHCP snooping, ARP inspection, IP Guard, ACLs, and integration with Cisco ISE.
Network & Security Engineer at Arrow PC Network Pvt Ltd
The Cisco Ethernet switches are sturdy products that do not require any kind of maintenance.
Asst IT Manager at Ultra Engineers
The control plane is in the cloud, and the data plane is local, allowing manageability from anywhere.
Senior Manager at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
One of the most valuable features of Meraki MS Switches is its precise traffic analytics capabilities, allowing us to query the system for any place at any time.
Chief Technologies Officer at ASTORG PARTNERS
The most valuable feature is the ability to access devices from anywhere in the world through the cloud.
Network Engineer at Gaihab
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
138
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Meraki MS Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
6th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
104
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Cisco Ethernet Switches is 9.4%, down from 11.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Meraki MS Switches is 2.4%, down from 3.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Ethernet Switches9.4%
Meraki MS Switches2.4%
Other88.2%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Sachin-Yadav - PeerSpot reviewer
Network & Security Engineer at Arrow PC Network Pvt Ltd
Network segmentation has improved security and performance across all departments
Cisco Ethernet Switches offer various features such as L3 capable models which help me with my routing requirements, OSPF, EIGRP, and VRF for segmentation, as well as policy-based routing. Additionally, it provides a high layer of enterprise security via 802.1X port-based authentication, DHCP snooping, ARP inspection, IP Guard, ACLs, and integration with Cisco ISE. I have been using Cisco Ethernet Switches for more than four years, and they have provided me stability, better connectivity, and higher speed. My organization values these switches greatly.
Jayaraman C - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Cloud management has simplified branch deployments but pricing and support still need improvement
In terms of improvements for Meraki MS Switches, pricing is one area that could be enhanced. On the support front, the limited lifetime warranty is a concern. Aruba offers limited lifetime warranty, whereas Cisco requires a minimum license to function for hardware support or technical support. I think Cisco could improve by bundling technical support and hardware support together with the license. This approach is currently only applicable for EA customers. Standard license customers have to take additional hardware support as a separate SKU. I believe that bundling technical and hardware support with the cloud subscription itself would help customers choose a Meraki option. To make Meraki MS Switches closer to a rating of ten, Cisco could take additional features on the AI front. I am uncertain whether they will offer AI features at no cost. Self-healing networks is a new term that enterprises are looking forward to. All OEM management platforms now feature auto-remediation and auto-fixing capabilities. The issue is that even if AI is offered without cost, customers cannot get the benefits if they cannot afford the pricing. Enterprise customers are looking to optimize operational effort and operational capabilities. They use multiple tools apart from the OEM native dashboard, including the Cisco Meraki dashboard and Catalyst dashboard. However, they still want to have end-to-end visibility. For end-to-end visibility, they can go for Digital Twin capabilities through platforms such as IP Fabric, ManageEngine, SolarWinds, and Forward Networks. There are many NMS platforms that can be integrated, allowing them to manage complete operations. Cisco could add some additional capabilities into the same OEM dashboard so that customers can benefit from improved operational management.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Ethernet Switches solutions are best for your needs.
917,433 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Outsourcing Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Construction Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business60
Midsize Enterprise35
Large Enterprise55
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business57
Midsize Enterprise20
Large Enterprise25
 

Questions from the Community

Would you recommend replacing a Cisco Catalyst Switch by a D-link one?
Hello Mesfin It depends on the real scenario, the cisco 2960 is a very good device and they usually have routing functions but there are many different models within the same 2960 line, and on the ...
Which would you choose - Fortinet Fortiswitch secure access or Cisco Ethernet Switches?
We researched Cisco but ultimately chose Fortinet FortiSwitch Secure Access, mostly because of the price. Fortinet FortiSwitch is an ethernet switch solution that provides security and performance...
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 needs improvement with Meraki MS Switches?
Currently, there is no need for many more features or functions on Meraki MS Switches. Customers purchase the infrastructure and Meraki MS Switches are combined with wireless solutions that come to...
What is your primary use case for Meraki MS Switches?
All the products we deliver are mostly Cisco products, primarily infrastructure including routers, switches, firewalls, and wireless equipment. Some customers purchase ACI solutions from us. SD-WAN...
 

Also Known As

Cisco Industrial Ethernet Switches
MS220, MS320, MS420
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Linz AG
Cisco Live Milan, Hyatt
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Meraki MS Switches and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
917,433 professionals have used our research since 2012.