Cisco CML, without the node licence.
Multi-vendor. Browser-native.
Cisco Modeling Labs is the official reference for Cisco gear - it comes with licensed Cisco images, and if you only ever lab Cisco, it does that job well. But how many nodes you get depends on what you pay (5 free, 20 for $199 a year, 40 for $349 a year), and its own images are mostly Cisco. netplex. is driven from your browser, mixes Cisco with Juniper, Arista, Nokia, FRR and anything else in one network (you bring the images), and the free tier has no node limit - one running lab at a time.
CML Free runs 5 nodes at once. The next step up is a $199 licence (365 days of access) for 20. Your topology size is a line item, capped by tier. netplex.'s free Associate tier has no node limit in a single lab (one running lab at a time) - so the limit is your host's RAM, not your licence.
Great for Cisco.
Limiting for everything else.
The node count is a paywall
CML Free runs 5 nodes at once. Personal is $199 for 20 nodes (365 days of access); Personal Plus $349 for 40. Want a CCIE-scale topology? You are into Enterprise licensing, which starts at 20 nodes and can be expanded with node packs. The size of your lab is a purchasing decision.
Mostly Cisco images
CML ships licensed Cisco images (IOS, IOS XE, NX-OS, IOS XR and ASA). That is its strength for Cisco study. Other vendors need your own node definition and images, so a mixed Cisco + Juniper + Arista + Linux lab takes more work there.
A paid licence, for a set period
CML Personal ($199) and Personal Plus ($349) give 365 days of access. For a home lab or a study year, that is a recurring cost on top of the hardware you already bought to run it.
A server to run and feed
CML runs as a server or VM - on ESXi, bare metal, a desktop hypervisor (Workstation, Fusion, Hyper-V) or in AWS/Azure - and the Cisco images use a lot of RAM. netplex. needs a server too (an x86-64 Linux host or the appliance), so this is a draw rather than a win for either side.
Built around Cisco's image set
CML packages the Cisco versions and platforms it ships. Other vendors' images and container systems need your own node definition, so out of the box your lab is as broad as Cisco's image set.
Cisco CML vs netplex.
No licence cap. Any vendor.
| Feature | Cisco CML Free / Personal / Enterprise · checked against CML 2.10 |
netplex. Tier shown per row |
|---|---|---|
| Nodes on the free tier | 5 running at once | No node limit per lab - free (one running lab at a time) |
| Node count tied to licence | Yes - 5 / 20 / 40 / node packs | No - bounded by host RAM |
| Multi-vendor (non-Cisco) images | Mostly Cisco images; others need your own node definition | Cisco, Juniper, Arista, Nokia, FRR, any qcow2 |
| Runs in browser | Yes - web UI | Yes - full browser Studio |
| Where it runs | Server or VM (ESXi, bare metal, AWS/Azure, Workstation/Fusion/Hyper-V) | Needs a server too: x86-64 Linux host or the appliance ISO/OVA (needs nested virtualization if that host is itself a VM) |
| Cost to start | $0 (5 nodes) → $199 (20 nodes) → $349 (40 nodes); paid licences give 365 days of access | $0 - Associate, no node limit (one running lab at a time) |
| Container nodes (Docker) | Yes - Docker nodes (since CML 2.9) | Yes - any Docker image |
| Import EVE-NG / GNS3 / Containerlab | No native importer documented | Yes - .unl, .gns3project, .clab.yml |
| REST API | Yes - official REST API and Python client | Full REST API - all tiers |
| Lab as code (plan / apply) | Partial - labs export/import as YAML and can be scripted with the Python client | Yes - git-native .npx |
| AI agent access (MCP) | Community MCP servers (not from Cisco) | MCP server (beta), 80+ tools; read-only below Architect |
| Licence model | Paid, node-capped (365 days of access for Personal) | Free tier needs no licence key · no node cap |
| Built-in switch and router nodes (no image needed) | Partial - unmanaged switch only, routers need images | Yes - a built-in switch and Linux router start instantly |
| Lab backup to GitHub / git | No | Yes - push backups to GitHub, GitLab or any git remote |
| Scheduled backups to SSH / SFTP / SMB / cloud | No | Yes - on a timer, to your own SSH/SFTP or SMB server or cloud storage |
| LXC container nodes | No - LXC containers are no longer available in v2.x (Docker instead) | Yes - LXC nodes |
| Network-namespace nodes (about 50 ms start) | No | Yes - lightweight namespace nodes, no image |
| MicroVM nodes (Firecracker) | No | Yes - Firecracker MicroVM nodes (beta) |
| Themes and accent colours | Yes | Yes - 6 themes and 9 accent colours |
| Export the topology as PNG / PDF / SVG | No | Yes - PNG (1x-3x, transparent), PDF or SVG |
| Presentation mode (laser, spotlight, pen) | No | Yes - laser pointer, spotlight, pen and annotation (Professional) |
| Export to draw.io / Mermaid / Graphviz / SSH config / Nornir | No | Yes - draw.io, Mermaid, Graphviz, SSH config, hosts file, Nornir inventory |
| Freeze points and lab branches | No | Yes - freeze a lab, restore it, or branch a new lab from it (Professional) |
| Read-only share link for a live lab | No | Yes - a link anyone can watch, nobody can change (Professional) |
| Recently deleted labs (restore within days) | No | Yes - restore a deleted lab within 3 days (labs that had a backup repository) |
| Coloured tags on devices | Yes | Yes - free-text tags, each with its own colour |
| Start-up configs pasted at first boot, named sets | Yes | Yes - paste once, switch between named sets |
| Windows / Linux desktops in a browser tab | Yes | Yes - RDP and VNC desktops in the browser |
| Edit the lab as code next to the canvas | No | Yes - a JSON code panel kept in sync with the drawing |
| Smart image import (auto-detect, disk guard, boot test) | No | Yes - names the image, refuses when the disk is too full, boot-tests it |
| Push your own code as a device | No | Yes - CLI, VS Code task or git hook |
| IPv6 labs | No | Yes - IPv6 addresses and traffic between nodes |
| UI in 5 languages | No | Yes - English, Arabic (right-to-left), Chinese, Spanish and French |
| Restore centre (lab history, file or whole platform) | Partial - Extract configs; reimport saved lab YAML. No restore centre | Yes - restore a lab from history or a file, or the whole platform from a snapshot (admin) |
| Gateway node to the internet or host network | Yes | Yes - a Cloud gateway node, NAT or bridge, the only way out of a lab |
| Config drift detection | No | Yes - compares a saved golden config with the running one (Professional) |
| Live traffic animation on cables | No | Yes - links flash as packets flow (Professional) |
| Native console connector (your own terminal) | No | Yes - opens consoles in SecureCRT, PuTTY, Windows Terminal, iTerm2 and more |
| Side-by-side config diff viewer | No | Yes - one diff viewer with a commit picker and restore button |
Checked against Cisco Modeling Labs 2.10 on 12 Oct 2026, using Cisco's Modeling Labs store page and DevNet docs: Free 5 nodes, Personal $199 for 20 nodes, Personal Plus $349 for 40 nodes (365 days of access), Enterprise 20 nodes expandable with node packs. Confirm current pricing with Cisco. netplex. rows are code-verified.
CCIE-scale labs. Not CCIE-scale invoices.
Mix Cisco with Juniper, Arista, Nokia and FRR in one topology, on the free tier.
When CML is the right pick
CML ships genuine, licensed Cisco images (IOS, IOS XE, NX-OS, IOS XR and ASA) and is Cisco's own product, with clustering and multi-user on its Enterprise and Education editions. If your world is 100% Cisco and you want vendor-blessed images in the box, CML is a legitimate buy. netplex. wins when you want more than 5 free nodes or more than one vendor in the same lab.
Your lab size is set by RAM, not by a licence tier.
You install netplex. once, and the size of your labs is limited by your computer, not by which subscription you bought.
No node limit on the free tier
The Associate tier has no node limit in a single lab, at no cost (one running lab at a time). No node-pack to buy.
Truly multi-vendor
Put Cisco, Juniper, Arista, Nokia, FRR, VyOS and plain Linux in one topology. Drop in any qcow2 or Docker image - the pipeline profiles it for you.
Driven from a browser
Install netplex. once on an x86-64 Linux host (or the appliance); you drive it from a browser. Like CML, it needs a server, but nothing to install on each machine you work from.
Bring your existing labs
Import EVE-NG .unl, GNS3 .gns3project and Containerlab .clab.yml - consolidate every format in one place.
AI agent access via MCP
An MCP server (beta, 80+ tools, read-only below Architect) ships alongside the REST API - point any MCP-compatible AI agent at a running lab and it can see the topology, read configs and run commands - Claude is the only client we've tested end to end; others should work but aren't individually verified. · beta
One lab, more than one machine
In beta: on Professional one lab can run across 2 hosts, on Architect across up to 4, linked by VXLAN inside an encrypted WireGuard tunnel - transparent to the emulated devices. CML offers clustering on its Enterprise and Education editions. · beta
Cisco CML to netplex.
The questions people actually ask.
Last reviewed October 2026 · Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Stop counting nodes
against your licence.
Start on the free Associate tier - no node limit, any vendor, driven from your browser. Bring your own images and build bigger topologies with fewer node-count limits.