Meraki puts cameras in the network dashboard; Verkada runs the whole security stack. Cisco's 2025-26 end-of-sale wave is forcing the choice.
| Verkada | Cisco Meraki | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Published pricing | Hardware list prices published per model ($799 CD22 to $2,099 CD63); license MSRPs published per term alongside them. | Quote-only via partners; reseller-advertised street prices put an MV13 around $1,300 and a 1-year MV license around $330 list. | Verkada |
| License model | Per-device Command license required, 1/3/5/10-year terms. | Per-camera MV license required, 1 to 10-year terms; expiry triggers a 30-day grace period, then the organization shuts down (per-device licensing narrows this to the lapsed devices). | Even: both need live licenses |
| What the license includes | One tier: all analytics, unlimited users, updates, 24/7 support, plus 30-day cloud backup. | Dashboard and analytics, but cloud recording is a separate Cloud Archive license (7 to 365-day tiers, per camera). | Verkada |
| AI & analytics | AI search of people and vehicles, safety alerts, heatmaps, and Helix ERP/MES video pairing, included on analytics-capable models. | Motion search and people analytics in the dashboard; no ERP/MES video pairing. | Verkada |
| Retention | Up to 365 days onboard, guaranteed per model. | On-camera edge storage; Cisco's own tables show 19 to 28 days on an MV52 at 4K ; longer means buying Cloud Archive. | Verkada |
| Warranty | Up to 10 years, model-dependent. | 3 to 5 years on published camera models. | Verkada |
| Portfolio direction | Expanding: cameras, access, alarms, sensors, intercom, guest. | Contracting around cameras: MV Gen 2 end-of-sale Dec 2025, Systems Manager June 2026, and the entire MT sensor line end-of-sale Nov 2026 with no successor. | Verkada |
| Security stack breadth | Cameras, access control, monitored alarms with published per-site tiers, environmental sensors, intercom, and visitor management. | Cameras and (now end-of-sale) sensors; no access control or alarm products. | Verkada |
| Network stack breadth | None. Security only; pairs with whatever network you run. | The genuine Meraki advantage: MX security appliances, MS switches, MR access points and cameras in one dashboard, one licensing agreement. | Meraki |
| Third-party cameras | Command Connector ingests existing ONVIF/RTSP fleets. | No ONVIF ingest on any product; outbound RTSP is the only open video interface. | Verkada |
| Free trial | 30 days, full platform, free two-way shipping. | Free trial with shipped gear and prepaid return label (US/Canada). | Even |
Azentri is an authorized Verkada partner. Prices shown as of July 2026. Meraki retention varies enormously with resolution and motion settings; Cisco's tables run from 11 days (MV52, 4K, heavy motion) to 500+ days at 720p. Meraki Gen 3 camera warranty terms weren't published at the model level when we checked; the 3-to-5-year figures above are Cisco's published terms for earlier MV models.
The comparison changed in 2025 and 2026. Cisco end-of-sale'd the MV Gen 2 cameras in December 2025, is ending Systems Manager sales in June 2026, and discontinued the entire MT environmental-sensor line effective November 2026, with no Cisco successor. The Gen 3 cameras continue, but the physical-security portfolio around them is contracting while Verkada's is expanding into access control, alarms, sensors, and intercom. If you're betting a multi-year security deployment on a platform, the direction of travel is data.
If your MV Gen 2 cameras or MT sensors are on that end-of-sale list, you're facing a hardware refresh either way, which makes this the moment to compare platforms. On licensing the two match: Meraki cameras stop recording after a lapsed license's 30-day grace period, and Verkada cameras also require a live license to keep operating. The differences that decide the comparison are the rows above: what the license includes, how long footage lives on the camera, and how much of the security stack one vendor covers.
Both are per-camera subscriptions; the separation is doors, alarms, and long retention, where Meraki either can't bid the line item or bids it as add-on licenses. Our Verkada pricing guide covers how that side is structured; a quote prices your site mix.
Not the camera line itself. Gen 3 MV cameras (MV13/23/33/53/63/73/93) continue. But Cisco's published end-of-life table shows MV Gen 2 cameras end-of-sale December 31, 2025, Systems Manager end-of-sale June 3, 2026, and the entire MT sensor line end-of-sale November 10, 2026 with no successor. The cameras remain; the physical-security portfolio around them is shrinking.
Under co-termination licensing, the organization enters a 30-day grace period; if it isn't brought back into compliance, the dashboard and devices shut down until licensing is applied. Per-device licensing limits the shutdown to the lapsed devices. To be fair on both sides: Verkada cameras also require a live license to operate; both platforms are subscriptions.
Rarely, once configured comparably. Reseller street prices put an MV13 around $1,300 with a required per-camera license around $330/yr list, and long retention adds Cloud Archive licenses per camera. Verkada publishes hardware from $799 and bundles analytics, support, and 30-day cloud backup into one license. Where Meraki saves money is when cameras ride an existing Meraki enterprise agreement.
Verkada, and it's not close at high resolution. Verkada models store up to 365 days onboard, guaranteed per model. Meraki's own retention tables show an MV52 at 4K holding 19 to 28 days (11 under heavy motion); longer retention means per-camera Cloud Archive licenses in 7 to 365-day tiers.
Verkada can: the Command Connector appliance ingests third-party ONVIF/RTSP cameras into Command. Meraki has no ONVIF ingest on any product (Cisco staff have stated it isn't planned), and outbound RTSP is the only open interface. An existing camera fleet is effectively a Verkada-side argument in this matchup.
Comparing other platforms? Verkada vs Rhombus (the closest cloud-native rival), Verkada vs Ubiquiti (license-free UniFi Protect vs the cloud stack), Verkada vs Avigilon (Alta, Unity, and the Motorola ecosystem), Verkada vs Axis (open architecture vs integrated cloud), Verkada vs Ring (the consumer vs commercial boundary), Verkada vs Flock Safety (vehicle intelligence vs building security). Or start from how Verkada pricing works.
Either way, we'll quote the Verkada side (cameras, doors, alarms, and migration from your existing fleet) and set up a 30-day trial.