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Cisco Ethernet Switches vs MikroTik Cloud Router Switch comparison

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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

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
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
15th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
Routers (5th)
 

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 MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is 1.9%, up from 1.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Ethernet Switches9.4%
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch1.9%
Other88.7%
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.
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

"You get good support for Cisco Ethernet Switches versus other products in the market."
"The solution is extremely stable."
"The features that I have found most valuable are the core reliability and the switching group. All the features are very generic switching features with high reliability. That is the main key point I can highlight."
"It has 24 x gigabit SFP + 8 x SFP ports, MAC address table size 96k entries, routing protocol RIP-2, EIGRP, operates on DC -48/-60 V power, supports remote management protocols SNMP 1, SNMP 2, RMON, Telnet, SNMP 3, complies with multiple IEEE standards, has RAM of 768 MB (installed) / 2 GB (max) and a flash memory of 192 MB, and includes the Cisco IOS IP Base software."
"In general, Cisco is ok. It's convenient and well-documented."
"Technical support has always been helpful."
"The most valuable aspect of the solution is the ability to manage the switches and the ability to have a certain level of familiarity with setting up and configuring the switches."
"The procedures and handling of these switches are easy."
"I like that it's quite flexible and addresses different issues. It's quite easy to use, and the pricing is great. We find them to be very capable switches."
"The solution works very well for us; the performance has been good and it's been stable for now."
"The GUI is easy to use."
"Some of the most valuable features are the simplicity, cost, usability, and power. As a package, it's extremely effective."
"The wiki page that describes the scripting and other features is very good."
"The technical support for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is superb."
"The best aspect is that it remains affordable."
"The beauty of MikroTik is that you have flexibility with the routing parts."
 

Cons

"The GUI is not that easy."
"The typical areas of concern for Cisco Ethernet Switches are not technical but cost including support costs. I’ve never liked the fact that end users cannot download security patches without a support contract. I’ve had trouble getting approval to renew Cisco support contracts due to the cost."
"The technical support has room for improvement."
"The price could be reduced. Cisco is costly."
"In terms of features, all features are there. I can't find anything new that needs to be added. Its price, however, is a bit higher than other brands and can be improved."
"Price is a pain point for us. We've lost a lot of bids, and the reason has been that we majorly quoted Cisco devices."
"Cisco Ethernet Switches could improve if they removed the command line interface and replaced it with a better GUI. It is too difficult at the moment, we always need to figure out the commands."
"I think the price should be cheaper to be able to afford more."
"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."
"Improvements are needed with respect to some of the security, especially for VPN links between vendors other than Cisco."
"It would be even better with a centralized management platform."
"Antispam and antivirus features should be included in the future."
"MikroTik has a three to five year maximum lifespan."
"Proper LACP support, more software support for hardware capabilities, true wirespeed Layer 3 routing."
"While some customers use MikroTik Cloud Router Switch as a firewall, it's not at an industry-level, though the basic features are adequate for many users who prefer it over purchasing other reputed firewall solutions."
"Technical support could be better."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is an expensive product since it is used in a large network where you cannot rely on some cheaply priced solution."
"The pricing is reasonable, and for small business it is acceptable."
"Price-wise, Cisco Ethernet Switches is a product that falls a little bit on the expensive side."
"The solution can be comparatively cheaper."
"The product is expensive."
"There is a license required for this solution and the price could be better."
"Cisco Ethernet Switches are more expensive than Huawei Ethernet Switches."
"The cost of Cisco Ethernet Switches is expensive."
"The licensing for MikroTik is great. It's easy to enter, especially for small businesses. Their model is great."
"This product has a one-time cost and there is no licensing fee."
"The price is competitive."
"I believe the price of the tool is high, but it is okay for the services we get from it."
"The price of the solution is fair and there is a one-time license purchase only."
"MikroTik is really cheap compared to the competitors."
"They came with the licensing when we purchased them."
"I consider it to be a cost-effective solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Outsourcing Company
7%
Comms Service Provider
13%
Educational Organization
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Outsourcing Company
7%
 

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 Business19
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise2
 

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 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...
What is your primary use case for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch?
I mostly work with network equipment now, focusing mainly on routers. I work with FortiGates and MikroTik routers. When referring to FortiGate routers, I mean the firewalls, but not the enterprise-...
 

Also Known As

Cisco Industrial Ethernet Switches
MikroTik CRS Series
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Linz AG
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. MikroTik Cloud Router Switch and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
917,433 professionals have used our research since 2012.