Guide
Meraki or Catalyst?
Cisco offers two ways to run the network: Meraki, managed entirely from the cloud, and Catalyst, managed locally or through Catalyst Center. The choice affects licence cost, skills required and how you troubleshoot.
Short answer
Choose Meraki if you have several offices and little in-house IT: everything is managed in a web portal in the cloud, but the licence must always be valid. Choose Catalyst if you have in-house network skills or a partner and want full local control; the switch keeps working even if the subscription lapses. Catalyst models ending in -M give Catalyst hardware with Meraki management.
How do they differ?
| Meraki | Catalyst | |
|---|---|---|
| Management | Meraki Dashboard in the cloud (web portal) | Locally (CLI, web) or through Catalyst Center |
| Licence | Required for operation and management, 1–10 years per device | Subscription at purchase, 3, 5 or 7 years (9200 and up); 1200/1300 have no licence |
| When the licence expires | 30-day grace period, then the device stops working (older licensing model) or can no longer be managed (subscription) | The switch keeps working on its perpetual network licence |
| Skills | Web interface – a little network knowledge goes a long way | Knowledge of Cisco IOS XE or a partner running the network |
| Products | MS130/MS150, MR, MX, CW91xx in Meraki mode, Catalyst -M | Catalyst 1200–9600, CW91xx with a controller, Secure Firewall |
| Best for | Several offices and few IT staff | Larger networks, in-house network team, need for local control |
When does Meraki fit?
Meraki is easy to get started with and gives a good overview.
- You have several offices and few IT staff
- You want to manage switches, Wi-Fi and firewall in the same web interface
- You are prepared to always keep a valid licence – without it the network cannot be managed
When does Catalyst fit?
Catalyst gives the most flexibility and is used in most larger networks.
- You have in-house network skills or a partner running the network
- You need advanced features, large networks or full local control
- You want to manage the network locally even if the subscription lapses
Is there something in between?
Yes. The Catalyst 9300 and several other models come as -M variants managed from the Meraki cloud, and the new CW91xx access points can run in either mode. That gives you Catalyst hardware with Meraki management.
Read more: How Cisco licensing works · Which access point? · Which firewall?
Conclusion
How we would choose
Examples:
Meraki MS130-24P
Meraki switch for offices, managed entirely from the cloud.
Catalyst 9300 48-port PoE+, 715 W PSU (Meraki)
Catalyst 9300 in Meraki mode – more performance with cloud management.
Catalyst 9200L 48-port PoE+, 4× 1G (Network Essentials)
Traditional Catalyst switch for locally managed networks.
Frequently asked questions
Questions we often get
Does Meraki work if the internet connection goes down?
Yes. According to Meraki the devices keep forwarding traffic with the latest configuration, and connected clients are not affected. What does not work in the meantime is changes and monitoring from the cloud.
Can we mix Meraki and Catalyst in the same network?
Yes, they work together like any standards-based network. But they are managed in different tools, so most choose one approach per office.
Which is cheaper?
It depends on the model and term, and both need a licence (except Catalyst 1200/1300). Add the switch to the quote basket and choose a licence to see the total for both options.