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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

    Skype (discontinued)

    Score7.1 out of 10
    N/ASkype (the personal edition or Skype free) was a web meeting, video conferencing, and VoIP software, now superseded by Microsoft Teams' free edition and unsupported from May 2025.

    $2.99

    per month

    Pricing
    Cisco Meraki MXSkype (discontinued)
    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
    United States Subscription
    $2.99
    per month
    North America Subscription
    $6.99
    per month
    India Subscription
    $7.99
    per month
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Cisco Meraki MXSkype (discontinued)
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Cisco Meraki MXSkype (discontinued)
    Considered Both Products
    Cisco
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    Meraki does not have any competition, it is the best in its category. I've tried and tested Aruba, Sonicwall and checkpoint, none of them have the simplicity and features Meraki has. The dashboard is very slick, and their hardware is well built. I can't say anything negative …
    Incentivized
    Discontinued Products
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    96%
    Would buy again
    171 Answers
    86%
    Would buy again
    85 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    96%
    Delivers good value for the price
    160 Answers
    93%
    Delivers good value for the price
    80 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    94%
    Happy with the feature set
    167 Answers
    85%
    Happy with the feature set
    84 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    95%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    145 Answers
    84%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    53 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    95%
    Implementation went as expected
    164 Answers
    96%
    Implementation went as expected
    70 Answers
    Features
    Cisco Meraki MXSkype (discontinued)
    Firewall
    Comparison of Firewall features of Cisco Meraki MX and Skype (discontinued)
    Feature
    Cisco Meraki MX
    7.8
    173 Ratings
    10% below category average
    Skype (discontinued)
    -
    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
    Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software
    Comparison of Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software features of Cisco Meraki MX and Skype (discontinued)
    Feature
    Cisco Meraki MX
    -
    Ratings
    Skype (discontinued)
    6.2
    138 Ratings
    24% below category average
    High quality audio00 Ratings6.5135 Ratings
    High quality video00 Ratings7.2133 Ratings
    Low bandwidth requirements00 Ratings5.5130 Ratings
    Mobile support00 Ratings5.5118 Ratings
    Screen Sharing
    Comparison of Screen Sharing features of Cisco Meraki MX and Skype (discontinued)
    Feature
    Cisco Meraki MX
    -
    Ratings
    Skype (discontinued)
    6.2
    119 Ratings
    25% below category average
    Desktop sharing00 Ratings5.5118 Ratings
    Whiteboards00 Ratings6.860 Ratings
    Online Meetings / Events
    Comparison of Online Meetings / Events features of Cisco Meraki MX and Skype (discontinued)
    Feature
    Cisco Meraki MX
    -
    Ratings
    Skype (discontinued)
    6.0
    118 Ratings
    31% below category average
    Calendar integration00 Ratings6.185 Ratings
    Meeting initiation00 Ratings6.3106 Ratings
    Integrates with social media00 Ratings4.465 Ratings
    Record meetings / events00 Ratings7.077 Ratings
    Slideshows00 Ratings6.268 Ratings
    Online Events Collaboration
    Comparison of Online Events Collaboration features of Cisco Meraki MX and Skype (discontinued)
    Feature
    Cisco Meraki MX
    -
    Ratings
    Skype (discontinued)
    5.3
    111 Ratings
    42% below category average
    Live chat00 Ratings5.4110 Ratings
    Audience polling00 Ratings5.364 Ratings
    Q&A00 Ratings5.362 Ratings
    Online Events Security
    Comparison of Online Events Security features of Cisco Meraki MX and Skype (discontinued)
    Feature
    Cisco Meraki MX
    -
    Ratings
    Skype (discontinued)
    7.4
    101 Ratings
    9% below category average
    User authentication00 Ratings8.988 Ratings
    Participant roles & permissions00 Ratings7.183 Ratings
    Confidential attendee list00 Ratings6.260 Ratings
    VoIP system collaboration
    Comparison of VoIP system collaboration features of Cisco Meraki MX and Skype (discontinued)
    Feature
    Cisco Meraki MX
    -
    Ratings
    Skype (discontinued)
    6.5
    4 Ratings
    12% below category average
    Video conferencing00 Ratings5.64 Ratings
    Audio conferencing00 Ratings6.54 Ratings
    Video screen sharing00 Ratings6.14 Ratings
    Instant messaging00 Ratings7.94 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Cisco Meraki MXSkype (discontinued)
    Small Businesses
    SonicWall NSA Series
    Score8.3 out of 10
    ClickMeeting
    Score9.5 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
    Score9.6 out of 10
    JioMeet
    Score9.8 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
    Score9 out of 10
    Webex Meetings
    Score8.7 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Cisco Meraki MXSkype (discontinued)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.0
    (218 ratings)
    9.3
    (140 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.1
    (16 ratings)
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    Usability
    9.2
    (13 ratings)
    6.0
    (4 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (3 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    9.0
    (3 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.9
    (19 ratings)
    10.0
    (42 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    5.7
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    Configurability
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    6.2
    (4 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    8.9
    (184 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Professional Services
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    8.7
    (3 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    9.6
    (4 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Cisco Meraki MXSkype (discontinued)
    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
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    Discontinued Products
    Having interacted with a new replacement tool, Microsoft Teams, it is challenging to recommend Skype, as it lacks some essential features, such as being less equipped with the latest updates, and it is not platform-independent, causing issues on PCs and phones, as well as during calls that might hinder work.
    Incentivized
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    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
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    Discontinued Products
    • The instant chat function is great. Very straightforward, easy to use, easy to learn, no technical issues.
    • Video calls are pretty easy also, user friendly and a mostly stable connection with no issues.
    • Voice calls are easy also, eliminates the need for an external landline or the need to use your cell phone. Clear connections, not really any dropped calls.
    Incentivized
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    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
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    Discontinued Products
    • Skype is a RESOURCE hog. People who have limited bandwidth will have poor call quality.
    • It is hard to figure out how to use emojis and upload images in the chat.
    • The background images do not fool anybody....it is clearly not your real background.
    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
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    Discontinued Products
    I have given this rating as this need to give more than that as it's very helpful for us and makes our work more efficient and fast.
    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
    Discontinued Products
    Skype is not as good as Facetime in terms of ease to glance at it and figure out how it works. I think that's a result of Skype trying to be too many things at once. A lot of the menu and UI could be streamlined, and I would jettison some of the additional functions that have been tacked on over the years to simplify. That being said, while some options are slightly hard to find, they all work flawlessly once found.
    Incentivized
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    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
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    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    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
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    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    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
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    Discontinued Products
    I am not aware of the current support level for Skype for business, as I have never used even though I have the product. However, the support for Skype's personal paid users is not where it could be. Users who pay for Skype features do not have a clear path to reach out to support. So, rating 6, can be better as soon as I need to use Skype for business support and get a good experience. I will say that I will renew Skype for Business subscription, which is a significant inconsistency on my end. The explanation is that Skype for Business comes bundled with Office for Business, with no additional cost, so why not.
    Incentivized
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    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
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    Discontinued Products
    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
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    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    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
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    Discontinued Products
    It can be used on the phone via mobile application as well as on the desktop by logging in to the website. Easily installed and ready to use.
    Incentivized
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    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
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    Discontinued Products
    We use Skype in combination with Grasshopper. While Grasshopper acts as a routing toll free number with extensions, if we are making calls directly, we do it through Skype. Skype's desktop and mobile apps are easier to use, and provide unlimited local calls at a flat, affordable rate. Allowing our team to use their existing mobile or desktop devices without additional hardware for business office phone calls is important, and Skype makes that possible
    Incentivized
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    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
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    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Professional Services
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    Discontinued Products
    The service provided is up to date, as discussed before buying.
    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
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    Discontinued Products
    • Skype made keeping in touch with an advisor in Mexico very easy. The initiative there resulted in 5 new partnerships.
    • Skype has helped me with account management for at least 3 customers in LATAM--usually it's a fast way to answer a question about a support renewal.
    • For about 9 months Skype helped me stay in touch with a colleague in Prague. We would meet once a week to go over sales activities.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots