Honest, side-by-side comparison. No marketing fluff. We'll tell you when EVE-NG is the better pick, when CML earns its $199/yr, and where OML actually wins. Updated for 2026.
You want a modern browser-based simulator with multi-vendor support and an AI assistant — and you don't want to pay $199/yr or fight with KVM permissions.
You're studying for CCIE and need official Cisco IOS-XR / NX-OS / ASA images that only Cisco can legally distribute.
You want the most mature multi-vendor sim with the largest community, you have hours to set it up, and you're comfortable BYO-ing your own images.
| Feature | OML Labs | EVE-NG | Cisco CML |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing — entry tier | Free forever (5 nodes) | Free (Community) | $199/yr (Personal) |
| Pricing — paid tier | $15/mo Pro · $49/mo Enterprise | $110/yr (Pro) | $1,890/yr (Plus) |
| Vendor support | Cisco IOS/IOS-XE, Palo Alto, VyOS, Linux, FortiGate, Juniper, Windows | Multi-vendor (BYO images) | Cisco only |
| Setup time (clean install → first lab) | ~10 min (single OVA) | 2–4 hours (Ubuntu + KVM + image prep) | ~20 min (OVA, but licensing) |
| UI | Modern browser, dark mode, drag-drop topology, 3D view | Browser-based, but jQuery-era | Modern-ish, server-rendered |
| AI assistant (config explainer & generator) | ✓ Built-in | ✗ | ✗ |
| Hot-plug devices (add/remove without reboot) | ✓ | ~ Pro only | ✗ |
| Lab snapshots | ✓ | ~ Manual via QEMU | ✓ |
| Multi-user / shared lab | ✓ Pro | ✓ Pro | ✓ |
| Built-in lab library | 60+ ready-to-run labs (CCNA → CCIE) | ✗ Forum-shared | ~ Sample labs only |
| Community labs (download & run) | ✓ One-click import | ~ Forum download → manual import | ✗ |
| 3D topology view | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Wireshark / packet capture | ✓ In-browser stream | ✓ External Wireshark | ✓ |
| Lab scoring / objective tracking | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Lab export / share (.oml / .unl) | ✓ Portable .oml | ✓ .unl format | ~ YAML export |
| Cisco IOS license required (legal) | ~ BYO image (same as EVE-NG) | ~ BYO image | ✓ Included |
| Image upload method (security) | ✓ HTTPS web upload (drag & drop in browser) | FTP (insecure — credentials in plaintext) | ✓ HTTPS web |
| Hardware required (16 nodes) | 16GB RAM / 8 vCPU | 16GB RAM / 8 vCPU | 20GB RAM / 8 vCPU |
| Runs on (host OS) | Any (OVA: ESXi, Workstation, VBox, KVM, Proxmox) | Any | VMware / KVM / bare-metal |
| Mobile-friendly UI | ✓ Read-only on phone | ✗ | ✗ |
| Update cadence | Bi-weekly | Quarterly (Pro) | Annual major |
| Education discount | 50% Pro for verified students | ✗ | ✗ |
Last updated: 2026. Pricing reflects published list prices in USD.
→ Use OML free tier. 5 nodes is enough for 90% of CCNA labs. The lab library has the standard topologies (OSPF, BGP, VLAN, NAT, ACL, HSRP) ready to import. BYO IOS image like you would for EVE-NG — but uploaded over HTTPS in your browser, not FTP.
CML is overkill at $199/yr if you're not doing CCIE-level scenarios. EVE-NG free works too but costs you a Saturday to set up — and the FTP-based image upload is a security headache on shared networks.
→ CML is the safe pick. The blueprint references official Cisco images; CML ships them legally. OML or EVE-NG can run them but you're on your own for sourcing.
If you want hot-plug + AI explainers during your study, run OML alongside CML — many candidates use both.
→ OML or EVE-NG Pro. CML can't do this. OML ships with PA-VM, VyOS, Linux, FortiGate templates ready. EVE-NG can do it but every image is BYO.
If you want it working today: OML. If you have time and want maximum mature integrations: EVE-NG Pro.
→ OML Pro or CML Plus. Need scoring, snapshots, diff-after-config — OML has these built-in. CML Plus has them but it's $1,890/yr.
EVE-NG Pro can technically do snapshots but it's manual QEMU work.
→ OML Enterprise (best teaching UX). Lab scoring, multi-user, community lab library, education discount. Students learn faster when "boot lab" takes 30 seconds, not 30 minutes.
CML for Education exists but is Cisco-only. EVE-NG has academic licensing but the install friction kills attendance.
We're not going to pretend we win everywhere. Here's where the others beat us:
A decade head start. If you Google "how to do X in EVE-NG", you'll find a forum thread from 2018. We're closing the gap, but it's real.
Official Cisco images, vetted feature set. If you're studying for a Cisco-certified lab exam where image authenticity matters, CML is safer.
Things like A10, Citrix, Aruba, F5 — EVE-NG community has documented import procedures for almost everything. We're adding templates monthly but EVE-NG's catalog is wider today.
If you need to convince procurement that the tool is "safe," CML's Cisco branding helps. We're working on that — case studies are coming. For now, the free tier lets you prove it yourself.
Free tier. 5 nodes. No credit card. Full feature access — including AI assistant, snapshots, hot-plug, and the community lab library. Boots in under 10 minutes on any hypervisor.
Already using EVE-NG or CML? Migration guide coming. Email hello@omllabs.com.
It's free forever. No trial expiration. Five running nodes per user, full feature access (AI, snapshots, packet capture, community labs). Pay only if you need more nodes or multi-user collaboration.
A .unl-to-.oml converter is on the roadmap (Q3 2026). For now, rebuilding a typical EVE-NG lab in OML takes 5–10 minutes since the topology editor is faster.
No — same as EVE-NG, you bring your own. Cisco licensing prohibits redistribution. CML is the only legal way to get IOS images bundled. OML supports CSR1000v, IOSv, IOSvL2 once you upload them. Difference vs EVE-NG: OML uses encrypted HTTPS web upload (drag-and-drop in your browser); EVE-NG requires FTP, which transmits credentials in plaintext over the network — a real concern in shared lab environments and corporate networks.
It explains running configs, suggests next config steps for a topology, troubleshoots failures (e.g., "why is OSPF not adjacent?"), and generates starter configs from a natural-language description. It runs locally on your OML appliance — your configs don't leave your network.
OML can connect virtual topologies to physical hardware via cloud nodes / breakout interfaces. So yes, you can mix a real 9300 into a virtual topology for production validation. EVE-NG and CML both also support this; we're roughly on par.
OML free tier is the closest thing to a "free CML" — same browser-based feel, but multi-vendor and with extras CML doesn't have. The catch is you can't legally use Cisco's bundled IOS images; you provide your own. EVE-NG Community is also free but install-heavy.