Cisco routers, including Cisco Catalyst and Cisco Meraki

Network router competitive comparison

Performance that's beyond comparison

See how Cisco enterprise network routers compare to other vendors. The chart below details why Cisco outperforms Huawei NetEngine, Juniper MX, ACX, SRX, and HPE MSR.

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Smarter. More flexible. More secure.

When it comes to choosing a network router vendor, performance, agility, scalability, and security are critical. Discover how Cisco enterprise routers stack up against the competition.

Routing comparison chart

Most popular

Vendors / Products	Most popular Cisco	Huawei NetEngine Series	Juniper MX, ACX, SRX Series	HPE MSR Series

Updated in March 2024 based on public information.

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Cisco Catalyst 8300 Series Edge Platforms

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Explore Cisco enterprise routers in more detail to find out what fits your organizational needs.

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Vendors / Products	Most popular Cisco	Huawei NetEngine Series	Juniper MX, ACX, SRX Series	HPE MSR Series

End-to-end secure architecture	End-to-end secure architecture Available Application-aware enterprise firewall Available on-box security with IPS/IDS, VRFs, SASE-capable, TLS decryption, segmentation, URL filtering, sandboxing, advanced malware protection	End-to-end secure architecture Limited Embedded enterprise firewall, VPNs, IPS, URL filtering; requires additional licensing	End-to-end secure architecture Limited Application-aware enterprise firewall, IPS/IDS, VRFs, SASE-capable; requires additional licensing for MX and ACX series	End-to-end secure architecture Limited Embedded enterprise firewall and VPNs
Threat defense	Threat defense Available Cisco provides Encrypted Traffic Analytics (ETA) which identifies malicious traffic patterns and does intraflow metadata analysis	Threat defense Not Available No advanced threat defense features	Threat defense Available Encrypted Traffic Analytics (ETA)	Threat defense Not Available No advanced threat defense features
Line-rate encryption for MACsec for high-speed links	Line-rate encryption for MACsec for high-speed links Available Built-in LAN and WAN MACsec support	Line-rate encryption for MACsec for high-speed links Limited LAN MACsec supported in select models (NetEngine 8000 series) only	Line-rate encryption for MACsec for high-speed links Available Built-in LAN and WAN MACsec support	Line-rate encryption for MACsec for high-speed links Not Available No equivalent feature available
NAC services	NAC services Available In-house NAC engine with Cisco ISE integration for advanced policy configurations of security posture policies, Context Visibility, periodic reassessment of device posture	NAC services Not Available Third-party NAC services required	NAC services Limited Cloud NAC available on Mist dashboard for integration with SRX series but requires third-party NAC integrations for MX and ACX series	NAC services Not Available Third-party NAC services required
Security Service Edge (SSE)	Security Service Edge (SSE) Available Cisco Umbrella SIG platform	Security Service Edge (SSE) Not Available No equivalent product	Security Service Edge (SSE) Available Juniper Secure Edge platform	Security Service Edge (SSE) Not Available No equivalent product
Fabric security	Fabric security Available Available security with encrypted control plane, encrypted data plane, hardware-based device authentication (SUDI), DDOS protection, enhanced security pairwise keys	Fabric security Limited Limited fabric security with no hardware-based device authentication mechanisms, DDOS	Fabric security Available Hardware-based security features available	Fabric security Limited Limited fabric security with no hardware-based device authentication mechanisms, DDOS
Advanced troubleshooting tools	Advanced troubleshooting tools Available Speed test and packet capture	Advanced troubleshooting tools Not Available No equivalent feature	Advanced troubleshooting tools Not Available No equivalent feature	Advanced troubleshooting tools Not Available No equivalent feature

Hardware acceleration	Hardware acceleration Available QuickAssist Technology (QAT) engine All data plane services (for example, NAT, firewall) are implemented in hardware	Hardware acceleration Limited ARM architecture, built-in NPU engines	Hardware acceleration Available X86 architecture	Hardware acceleration Limited Crypto engines
Flexible core allocation: system-on-a-chip architecture	Flexible core allocation: system-on-a-chip architecture Available Dynamic core allocation architecture	Flexible core allocation: system-on-a-chip architecture Not Available No dynamic core allocation technology	Flexible core allocation: system-on-a-chip architecture Not Available No dynamic core allocation technology	Flexible core allocation: system-on-a-chip architecture Not Available No dynamic core allocation technology
Investment protection	Investment protection Available Easy upgrade to SD-WAN Uses single image	Investment protection Available Can be upgraded to SD-WAN	Investment protection Not Available Separate product line for SD-WAN	Investment protection Not Available Separate product line for SD-WAN
Last-mile network resilience for seamless backup connectivity	Last-mile network resilience for seamless backup connectivity Available Seamless 4G/5G connectivity Primary high-speed cellular connectivity Flexible backup Built-in modules and extended cellular gateways	Last-mile network resilience for seamless backup connectivity Available Supports up to 5G cellular	Last-mile network resilience for seamless backup connectivity Not Available No built-in modules for cellular	Last-mile network resilience for seamless backup connectivity Limited Supports up to 4G cellular
Integrated unified communications services	Integrated unified communications services Available Supports Cisco IOS XE voice: Cisco Unified Border Element Session Border Controller (SBC) Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express Survivable Remote Site Telephony (SRST) ISDN	Integrated unified communications services Limited Integration of voice services in limited products only (AR2200 series and AR6120-VW) with RTP, SIP, SIP AG, IP PBX/TDM PBX, VoIP, SBC capabilities	Integrated unified communications services Not Available No integration of voice services supported in routing portfolio	Integrated unified communications services Limited Integration of voice services
Cellular gateway	Cellular gateway Available eSIM solution with the LTE CAT 18, LTE CAT 6 PIM modules supported Enables user to configure QoS where corporate traffic will be prioritized over non-corporate traffic	Cellular gateway Limited No eSIM solution available QoS on AR600 series teleworker available	Cellular gateway Not Available No equivalent feature	Cellular gateway Not Available No equivalent feature

Application-aware routing	Application-aware routing Available Performance Routing (PfR) path monitoring Selects the best network path for each application Effective load-balance across paths Delivers ideal application-level SLAs	Application-aware routing Limited Policy-based routing Static routing policy per application Not based on an application-level SLA	Application-aware routing Available Supports policy-based routing Best path selection for each application Supports ECMP with load balancing Delivers application-level SLAs	Application-aware routing Limited Basic routing metrics and load balancing
Enhanced visibility	Enhanced visibility Available Enhanced application experience and network observability Cisco ThousandEyes visibility	Enhanced visibility Not Available No equivalent feature	Enhanced visibility Not Available No equivalent feature	Enhanced visibility Not Available No equivalent feature
Packet inspection and logging	Packet inspection and logging Available NBAR with deep packet inspection (DPI) Real-time data and application identification and classification Analyzes data from Layer 2 to Layer 7	Packet inspection and logging Limited NetStream application monitoring Supports the NetFlow v9 export format NetStream is Layer 4 flow-based	Packet inspection and logging Available Deep packet inspection Application identification and Classification Analyzes data from Layer 2 to Layer 7	Packet inspection and logging Limited Primarily sFlow Limited router and network performance monitoring
Flow record maintenance	Flow record maintenance Available Detailed flow records Multiple flow caches according to the use cases Source and destination IP/MAC addresses, TCP/User Datagram Protocol (UDP) ports or type of service (ToS) Packet and byte counts Input and output interface numbers	Flow record maintenance Limited NetStream application monitoring Supports the NetFlow v9 export format NetStream Layer 4 flow-based Not a true DPI technology	Flow record maintenance Available Juniper flow monitoring (J-Flow) Delivers full inspection services to all flows	Flow record maintenance Limited Primarily sFlow Limited router and network performance monitoring

Guest Shell access	Guest Shell access Available Guest Shell automated workflows to: Install, update, and operate third-party Linux applications	Guest Shell access Not Available No equivalent feature	Guest Shell access Not Available No equivalent feature	Guest Shell access Not Available No equivalent feature

IP mobility	IP mobility Available Catalyst 8000V features: LISP Layer 2 extension Secure IPsec tunnel Extension of networks in the private data center to a public cloud: Achieves host reachability Supports the migration of application workloads between the data center and the public cloud	IP mobility Not Available No equivalent feature	IP mobility Limited Supports Layer 2 extension; no virtual routing-only instance	IP mobility Not Available No equivalent feature
Extend Layer 2 connectivity across IP/MPLS transport	Extend Layer 2 connectivity across IP/MPLS transport Available OTV and VPLS features on Catalyst 8000V extend VLAN segments from on-premises to private cloud for: Server backup Disaster recovery Compute scale	Extend Layer 2 connectivity across IP/MPLS transport Limited Ethernet Virtual Interconnect (EVI) extends Layer 2 connectivity—only between geographically dispersed on-premises sites	Extend Layer 2 connectivity across IP/MPLS transport Limited Ethernet Virtual Interconnect (EVI) extends Layer 2 connectivity—only between geographically dispersed on-premises sites	Extend Layer 2 connectivity across IP/MPLS transport Limited Ethernet Virtual Interconnect (EVI) extends Layer 2 connectivity—only between geographically dispersed on-premises sites
Cloud OnRamp	Cloud OnRamp Available Branch connect to AWS and Azure	Cloud OnRamp Not Available No equivalent feature	Cloud OnRamp Not Available No equivalent feature	Cloud OnRamp Not Available No equivalent feature

Management plane protection	Management plane protection Available Management plane protection (MPP) Restricts management packets to designated interfaces Provides greater control over management and security for that device	Management plane protection Limited SSL for authentication between CPE and management SSL encrypts application-layer protocols for all the data transmitted	Management plane protection Limited Basic management access	Management plane protection Limited Basic management access Modem port and terminal interface

End-to-end observability	End-to-end observability Available Supports ThousandEyes integration for end-to-end visibility	End-to-end observability Not Available No equivalent product	End-to-end observability Not Available No equivalent product	End-to-end observability Not Available No equivalent product

Network router competitive comparison

Performance that's beyond comparison

Smarter. More flexible. More secure.

Routing comparison chart

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Cisco network switches

Cisco access points

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

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