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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Cisco Meraki MX

    Score9 out of 10
    N/ACisco Meraki MX Firewalls is a combined UTM and Software-Defined WAN solution. Meraki is managed via the cloud, and provides core firewall services, including site-to-site VPN, plus network monitoring.

    $595

    per appliance

    ScreenConnect

    Score8.3 out of 10
    N/AConnectWise ScreenConnect is a remote support, access, and meeting solution. With it, users can utilize remote support and access to repair computers, provide updates, and manage machines. Users can also conduct online seminars and presentations using remote meetings.

    $39

    per month

    Pricing
    Cisco Meraki MXScreenConnect
    Editions & Modules
    MX64
    $595
    per appliance
    MX67
    $695
    per appliance
    MX68
    $995
    per appliance
    MX84
    $1,995
    per appliance
    MX100
    $4,995
    per appliance
    MX250
    $9,995
    per appliance
    MX450
    $19,995
    per appliance
    One
    $39
    per month
    Standard
    $59
    per month
    Premium
    $69
    per month
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Cisco Meraki MXScreenConnect
    Free Trial
    YesYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Cisco Meraki MXScreenConnect
    Considered Both Products
    Cisco
    No answer on this topic
    ConnectWise
    Chose ScreenConnect
    I tested multiple products, but ConnectWise gave me the best feature set for the most reasonable price. Security concerns were also a factor. I had experienced some compromised PCs using other remote access products.
    Incentivized
    Chose ScreenConnect
    VSA replaced LT, but I kept CW Control. VSA’s implementation of remote control was dismal compares to CW Control.
    Incentivized
    Chose ScreenConnect
    ScreenConnect beats out all of the competitors in terms of ease of use, ease of access, and cost.
    Incentivized
    Chose ScreenConnect
    CoPilot pay per use - worked well, but I don't think it is available anymore. LogMeIn - works OK but pricing model got to be too expensive for our small business. TeamViewer - ok price but very hard for me to understand the way it works (who is what, who gives a code to the …
    Incentivized
    Chose ScreenConnect
    Much easier UX. We have over 100 PC's and we can list them and make it easier to find.
    Incentivized
    Chose ScreenConnect
    Functionality is the same but supports Linux; the others do not. Cost is slightly lower.
    Incentivized
    Chose ScreenConnect
    LogMeIn Rescue is an excellent program, but the cost was far too expensive for each technician to have an account. Join.me was not an ideal program, as its features were far too limited for our needs and purposes. TeamViewer was also an excellent program, but the cost exceeded …
    Incentivized
    Chose ScreenConnect
    I have used both of these products in the past. However, screenconnect can perform all of the same functions as its competitors at a much better price point and often performs better.
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    96%
    Would buy again
    171 Answers
    89%
    Would buy again
    25 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    96%
    Delivers good value for the price
    160 Answers
    96%
    Delivers good value for the price
    27 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    94%
    Happy with the feature set
    167 Answers
    96%
    Happy with the feature set
    27 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    95%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    145 Answers
    93%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    14 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    95%
    Implementation went as expected
    164 Answers
    96%
    Implementation went as expected
    22 Answers
    Features
    Cisco Meraki MXScreenConnect
    Firewall
    Comparison of Firewall features of Cisco Meraki MX and ScreenConnect
    Feature
    Cisco Meraki MX
    7.8
    173 Ratings
    10% below category average
    ScreenConnect
    -
    Ratings
    Identification Technologies7.8167 Ratings00 Ratings
    Visualization Tools8.4162 Ratings00 Ratings
    Content Inspection7.7158 Ratings00 Ratings
    Policy-based Controls7.7160 Ratings00 Ratings
    Active Directory and LDAP7.8132 Ratings00 Ratings
    Firewall Management Console7.7158 Ratings00 Ratings
    Reporting and Logging7.1166 Ratings00 Ratings
    VPN8.6157 Ratings00 Ratings
    High Availability8.5158 Ratings00 Ratings
    Stateful Inspection7.5149 Ratings00 Ratings
    Proxy Server7.188 Ratings00 Ratings
    Remote Administration
    Comparison of Remote Administration features of Cisco Meraki MX and ScreenConnect
    Feature
    Cisco Meraki MX
    -
    Ratings
    ScreenConnect
    8.4
    626 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Screen sharing00 Ratings9.8596 Ratings
    File transfer00 Ratings8.6569 Ratings
    Instant message00 Ratings8.3501 Ratings
    Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication00 Ratings7.074 Ratings
    Access to sleeping/powered-off computers00 Ratings6.9311 Ratings
    Over-the-Internet remote session00 Ratings10.0602 Ratings
    Initiate remote control from mobile00 Ratings7.1389 Ratings
    Remote management of servers & workstations00 Ratings8.8517 Ratings
    Remote Active Directory® management00 Ratings9.2172 Ratings
    Centralized management dashboard00 Ratings7.6479 Ratings
    Session record00 Ratings8.1316 Ratings
    Annotations00 Ratings7.7266 Ratings
    Monitoring and Alerts00 Ratings9.1188 Ratings
    Multi-platform remote control00 Ratings8.6399 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Cisco Meraki MXScreenConnect
    Small Businesses
    SonicWall NSA Series
    Score8.3 out of 10
    N-able Take Control
    Score7.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
    Score9.6 out of 10
    Remote Desktop Manager
    Score9.6 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
    Score9 out of 10
    BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
    Score9.1 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Cisco Meraki MXScreenConnect
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.0
    (218 ratings)
    8.7
    (626 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.1
    (16 ratings)
    10.0
    (40 ratings)
    Usability
    9.2
    (13 ratings)
    8.9
    (55 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (3 ratings)
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    Performance
    9.0
    (3 ratings)
    10.0
    (9 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.9
    (19 ratings)
    8.2
    (63 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    5.7
    (2 ratings)
    7.5
    (24 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    10.0
    (20 ratings)
    Configurability
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    6.2
    (4 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    8.9
    (184 ratings)
    10.0
    (16 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    8.7
    (3 ratings)
    10.0
    (4 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    9.6
    (4 ratings)
    5.0
    (4 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Cisco Meraki MXScreenConnect
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Cisco
    The Meraki MX lineup is well suited for organizations that need centralized management of multiple locations, as it allows for both quick deployment and simple/easy remote administration all from a single pane of glass. It also works very well for providing VPN access for remote workers and helps monitor end-device uptime. It does, however, fall a bit short in its firewall's customization, compared to traditional appliances (like our WatchGuard Firebox), so perhaps less suited for organizations that need more customization, as the Meraki MX lineup is primarily designed for simplicity and straightforward cloud-based management.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ConnectWise
    We often need to create an ad-hoc session with a device that is not under our management. We find ourselves doing this more than ever in the COVID world. Many people are working from home on personal machines with their employer, our client's permission and we are facilitating more support for these personal machines. Connectwise Control [(formerly ScreenConnect)] gives us a robust resource to control the device, navigate anywhere we need, execute various commands, and engage in an on-screen chat with the client. The session is very simple to create and very user-friendly to initiate. We do not recommend it for Android, Apple, or Chromebook applications. There is little to no support for these platforms.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Cisco
    • The Cisco Meraki MX series is phenomenal at allowing us to remotely manage networks. So the devices usually act as the brain behind our client's networks, which makes it really, really easy for our team to take a look at what's going on in those client network environments, resolve any issues, and make sure that our client's networks are staying secure.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ConnectWise
    • The interface is easy to use and makes sense. It's easy to understand how to organize a large number of machines involving multiple clients. But, it's also applicable for smaller set of machines too.
    • The connection speed is very quick. I've used solutions in the past that take a variable amount of time to connect, or they just take a long time every time. Control is quick every time. It doesn't get in the way of being able to support the machines on the other end.
    • The connections are reliable. I haven't experienced random disconnects throughout hundreds of instances. It was a breath of fresh air coming from the previous solution we used. I consider Control a gold standard for what a great remote connection solution can be.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Cisco
    • Layer seven firewall rules. Just making them more granular. We've been in meetings with Cisco SES where I've said feature requests many times and that's one of the big ones where it's just a little cumbersome to implement layer seven rules right now.
    • Just making them more granular. We've been in meetings with Cisco SES where I've said feature requests many times and that's one of the big ones where it's just a little cumbersome to implement layer seven rules right now.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ConnectWise
    • I'd like to see the ability to selectively log off the remote machine via a button on the toolbar. Currently it's a setting to always lock on disconnect, or never lock on disconnect, requiring the tech to manually lock the machine if called for at the end of a session. Its a small time save that would add up!
    • The chat feature could be expanded to be a lot more useful. Allowing clients to start conversations, and have conversations ping an email address if no one is monitoring the dashboard would be extremely valuable.
    • Some clarity on licensing when providing host-passes to guest technicians would be a boon, especially for one-off support sessions with vendors.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Cisco
    The simplicity and ease of use for the Meraki Dashboard make it an easy choice for our organization to renew our Meraki Enterprise Agreement. We will likely continue using the Meraki MC67-C, MX450, and other MX models in their catalog until we shift away from Meraki completely
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ConnectWise
    I would recommend this product for both internal remote control of end user workstations and remote access to other clients over the internet. It provides a secure and feature rich product that allows me to complete any necessary tasks without ever leaving the office. I will continue to renew as I'm eager to see what they do next. I would however wish the cloud service had a better API to work in conjunction with team collaboration or chat services to make it easier to connect with end users who use multiple workstations. (Slack or Stride provide this functionality)
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Cisco
    Some features simply aren't there, but the ones that are there are pretty easy to use. Sometimes it is easy to get lost when trying to find the specific device you want to work on, but that's mostly due to how rarely we have to go into the interface.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ConnectWise
    On the whole SC is a very powerful tool that is a vital part of the IT service arsenal. On-site visits are an "emergency" only type of scenario. Just "showing your face" is not winning any browny points for me. If my client sees my face, it's usually just to upgrade hardware or to deal other aspects of business. SC provides me and my client the bulk of the info I need to get projects done.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Cisco
    Meraki MX devices support high availability (HA) configurations, which ensures minimal downtime if one device goes offline. This feature has helped us maintain a stable and reliable network, even in cases of hardware failures. ince Meraki is cloud-managed, we've noticed that the cloud infrastructure is generally highly reliable, with minimal service interruptions or downtime. This makes it easier to manage the network remotely without significant availability concerns. Meraki automatically pushes firmware updates and patches, which helps maintain system stability without requiring manual intervention. These updates are rolled out in a manner that ensures minimal disruption to service.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ConnectWise
    In my 5 years of using the product, I am only aware of one time when the service was down and is was due to a backbone outage upstream.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Cisco
    The interface is pretty responsive. The lower end devices are easy to overwhelm if you have a lot of throughput. Be sure the model you get is rated for the amount of traffic you will have. Overbuild if possible, otherwise you won't be fully leveraging the connection from your ISP.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ConnectWise
    It performs well. It also has full control over windows security and does not get hung up like GoToMeeting when trying to install remote software at the prompt to install as admin / override. I have used TeamViewer, WebEx, LogMeIn and GoToMeeting. This is by far the best at spontaneous, remote control. It is also very easy to get a novice user connected to the session.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Cisco
    I haven't ever had a bad experience with Meraki support. On the few occasions where I wasn't understanding the UI or needed some clarification about what a setting actually would do, I contacted them and they were very quickly able to provide help. Returns are simple and fast, too. We had to return a defective device one time and they shipped the replacement before we had even un-racked the one that was faulty. Unlike many other vendors, they didn't ask use to a do long list of scripted diagnostics, they just took my word for it that the device was broken and sent out a replacement immediately
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ConnectWise
    There have been two times when something has went wrong and I needed immediate assistance in order to be able to use Screenconnect to be able to help clients and response has not been immediate. The response time has been within 24 hours. Both times if there had been easier to navigate self help I would have been able to help myself. With better self help and a speedier response it would definitely be a 10 as they always respond and help. Just a little more difficult or slow than it should be at times
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Cisco
    great when they offered it, really tested your knowledge with hands on and see what your peers from other orgs know. glad to see that we were ahead of the curve of what our peers knew
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ConnectWise
    No answers on this topic
    Online Training
    Cisco
    it was okay as it was moderated but still better than nothing and done via semi self paced webex meeting
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ConnectWise
    I find ScreenConnect to be very simple and effective overall, with the main problem being that a number of my clients can't download the app due to existing firewalls and so on. Otherwise it does its job well, and I'm happy with it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Cisco
    Implementing Meraki MX devices in phases—starting with a pilot group or select branch offices—was invaluable. This allowed us to identify potential configuration issues, troubleshoot problems, and refine our setup before rolling it out company-wide. It also helped to get feedback from early users and adjust the deployment strategy accordingly. The SD-WAN capabilities in Meraki MX were essential for optimizing our WAN traffic and ensuring better application performance across various locations.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ConnectWise
    ConnectWise has done everything they could to help us in any situation. Great support team and their new updates are always providing features that we need. Its a simple solution that works the way we need it to. Their legacy pricing model is still much better than their subscription based model however it is still fair pricing
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Cisco
    Cisco CVO (MEVO) As previously mentioned we needed to manually configure each one which would take 15-20 minutes per device and needed to be done on-site. These devices can also go down more frequently after power outages and other incidents, and we've seen them not come back online. These devices are also much larger.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ConnectWise
    I have worked with Citrix, AnyDesk, LogMeIn, VNC Connect, and many others. I ultimately installed ConnectWise as a self-hosted solution, based on the incredible list of features and capabilities, and the pricing at the time. I continue to use the product as it is still one of the best solutions out there and is certainly capable of growing and expanding to meet the needs of my business.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Cisco
    We started only with the Main Meraki MX85 in our enterprise for our main hub, then we started adding remote sites with Meraki MX 68 and connected to our Main hub. Adding more sites and scaling the network is easy, and improving our connectivity saves time and cost to manage, or adding manpower with only 1 dashboard can manage all applications. Scaling and flexibility to change or expand our network are easy thanks to Meraki MX features
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ConnectWise
    I have used multiple remote desktop support software in the past (Bomgar, Team Viewer, Logmein and Join.me) and this is far the easiest of the bunch to use. It is very easy to create a session and easy to maintain remote desktops from their access view (where you install the software and can get in at any time) I highly recommend this product from ConnectWise!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Cisco
    • From a positive impact? Basically it allows us to set up shop very quickly. It allowed us to add sites to our network very quickly. From a negative perspective, I think the only thing is that I can see from a negative perspective is I have a preference to working with ACLI in terms of how I engage with the youth tool At the moment, the only way to actually engage with a tool is on a gui and sometimes what I'd actually like is more detailed information in terms of actual configuration that you'll actually get out of ACLI.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ConnectWise
    • Instead of waiting 30+ seconds to initiate sessions, they initiate and display a desktop in two or three seconds. The amount of frustration this avoids is immeasurable.
    • Once installed it doesn't need more handholding, i.e., having the remote enter a username/password. It is always just there.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    ScreenConnect Screenshots

    Screenshot of the guest page, where end-users enter a code to join a session with a technicianScreenshot of connecting from a Windows machine to a macOS machineScreenshot of the Extension Marketplace, where administrators can install and configure new features and integrationsScreenshot of the Access view of the Host page, where a technician can connect to unattended machinesScreenshot of the toolbox menu, which allows technicians to store and run executables, scripts, and other frequently-used filesScreenshot of the Host page, where a command can be run directly without connecting to the machine