{"id":16920,"date":"2022-03-09T10:46:24","date_gmt":"2022-03-09T09:46:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.savecall.de\/sd-wan-vs-mpls-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-the-two-technologies\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T13:08:24","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T11:08:24","slug":"sd-wan-vs-mpls-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-the-two-technologies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.savecall.de\/en\/sd-wan-vs-mpls-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-the-two-technologies\/","title":{"rendered":"SD-WAN vs. MPLS: advantages and disadvantages of the two technologies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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SD-WAN vs. MPLS: advantages and disadvantages of the two technologies<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Trusted Advisor for IT & Telecommunications Sourcing<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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SD-WAN and MPLS in comparison<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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SD-WAN or MPLS: which technology fits?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
MPLS delivers predictable quality with a clear SLA, SD-WAN brings flexibility, cloud proximity and cost efficiency. The right choice depends on your requirements.<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
SD WAN and MPLS take different approaches to Site Connectivity<\/a>. While MPLS is based on dedicated hardware, SD WAN virtualizes the network functions. This creates more flexibility while maintaining control over performance and security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Auf den Punkt gebracht:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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MPLS advantages:<\/strong> High reliability, guaranteed quality, low latency and clear SLAs for voice and real-time data<\/li>\n\n\n\n
MPLS disadvantages:<\/strong> Higher bandwidth costs, unused backup lines and limited flexibility<\/li>\n\n\n\n
SD WAN advantages:<\/strong> Combination of different connections such as Internet, Ethernet or 5G for maximum scalability<\/li>\n\n\n\n
SD WAN security:<\/strong> integrated encryption, authentication and central policy management<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Hybrid models:<\/strong> combination of both technologies for performance, security and decentralized cloud use<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Die L\u00f6sung:<\/strong> Not a blanket either-or, but a vendor-neutral comparison of performance, cloud access, security and budget per site, which often leads to a hybrid model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Worum es in diesem Beitrag geht:<\/strong> The core question of technology choice, the advantages and disadvantages of MPLS, the strengths and limits of SD-WAN, and an honest decision aid for your environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Book a consultation<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Table of contents<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Which technology suits your network?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
MPLS: advantages and disadvantages<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
SD-WAN: pros and cons<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
SD-WAN vs. MPLS: it depends on you<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
Conclusion<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
Frequently asked questions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Which technology suits your network?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
SD WAN and MPLS take different approaches to Site Connectivity<\/a>. While MPLS is based on dedicated hardware, SD WAN virtualizes the network functions. This creates more flexibility while maintaining control over performance and security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SD WAN impresses with its agility, cost efficiency and simple administration, while MPLS has its strengths in predictable performance and quality of service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fundamental difference between SD-WANs and MPLS is virtualization. While SD-WAN virtualizes the network functions, MPLS technology runs on proprietary hardware. SD-WAN connections can be all types of network connections, MPLS is defined by its dedicated network connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MPLS: advantages and disadvantages<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
One of the biggest advantages of MPLS<\/a> is that it gets packets to their destination very reliably. MPLS offers a high quality of service when it comes to avoiding packet loss and transporting data packets from A to B with low latency. This reliability is particularly important to ensure the quality of real-time protocols such as Voice over IP (VoIP) or critical applications and to generate a high level of user satisfaction. MPLS identifies individual packets. MPLS providers are therefore able to assign a higher priority to certain network traffic. Most providers have the option of defining up to five different priority classes. This leads to clear predictability of data traffic in the network. An MPLS network is not a “best-effort” approach. You receive a clear SLA (Service-Level Agreement) for jitter, round-trip times, packet loss and downtimes and have a contact person for all components of your network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One disadvantage of MPLS is the bandwidth costs. Users are increasingly interested in bandwidth-intensive multimedia content such as videos or cloud services. The ever-increasing bandwidth requirements often lead to high costs if a central Internet breakout with a central firewall is used and no decentralized solution is used to route Internet traffic out of the network. MPLS bandwidths are generally somewhat more expensive, although costs have fallen sharply in recent years. Another disadvantage is the inefficient use of bandwidth for main and backup solutions. These are usually configured as active\/passive in the MPLS. The backup line is therefore mostly unused, but still generates costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SD-WAN: pros and cons<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
SD-WAN<\/a> offers several advantages over conventional MPLS networks. With SD-WAN, geographical boundaries become less important and important benefits such as transparency, scalability, performance and control of cloud services are improved. In contrast to MPLS<\/a>, there is no loss of bandwidth with SD-WAN. Multiple connections and connection technologies (MPLS, Ethernet<\/a>, Internet, 5G) can be easily bundled in the underlay network. The biggest advantage of SD-WAN is the ability to cost-effectively combine and adapt network connection paths depending on the application or priority. For example, uncritical data traffic can be routed via a low-cost connection. And vice versa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to decentralized access to cloud services and the prevention of network atypical traffic, the most important advantage of SD-WAN is probably security virtualization. Companies prefer network architectures that integrate security, policies and orchestration. SD-WAN security<\/a> covers these bases. All devices and endpoints are fully authenticated. This aspect is becoming increasingly important in times of home office and hybrid working models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SD-WAN vs. MPLS: it depends on you<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
SD-WAN offers many advantages, from cost, agility and flexibility to ease of use and deployment as well as increased security. However, networks such as MPLS will still be in demand where predictability and a clear end-to-end SLA are required or where decentralized access to clouds is not so important. This is the case for companies that have special requirements in terms of connectivity and packet delivery times. When deciding between the two solutions, companies need to weigh up the pros and cons and ask themselves which requirements are paramount in their environment. A combination of both approaches is often used. The decisive question remains: which solution supports your network requirements better, SD WAN or MPLS?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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How SAVECALL supports you<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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SAVECALL does not commit dogmatically to one technology, but finds the right architecture per site, carrier-independently across more than 80 partners. We compare MPLS<\/a> and SD-WAN<\/a> against your real requirements for performance, cloud access and budget, bundle the right underlay<\/a> and keep a single SLA and one contact person for your entire Site Connectivity<\/a>. Where useful, we combine both worlds into a hybrid model that unites predictable quality with cost efficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Conclusion: the right architecture instead of either-or<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
SD-WAN and MPLS are not opponents but two tools for different requirements. The right choice depends on how critical real-time data is, how heavily cloud access weighs and what budget is available. Rather than a blanket decision, weighing these factors often leads to a hybrid model. SAVECALL makes this selection vendor-neutral and aligns it with your actual needs, instead of one carrier’s portfolio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Book a consultation<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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$\"Frank$ <\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Written by<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Frank Frommknecht<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Key Account Consultant, SAVECALL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Has supported companies for over 20 years in selecting and optimizing their connectivity solutions. His focus: making complex telecommunications understandable from the customer’s perspective and finding the right solution strategically.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Why<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Telecom & IT sourcing. Worldwide. Carrier-independent.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Selection & operation of worldwide connectivity & cloud infrastructure. Without vendor risk & unnecessary costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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80+ carriers worldwide<\/li>\n\n\n\n
One point of contact<\/li>\n\n\n\n
One SLA<\/li>\n\n\n\n
One portal: mySAVECALL<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Min. 20% savings<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Book a consultation<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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25+
years of experience<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Learn more<\/a><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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40+
Employees<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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80+
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Learn more<\/a><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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1400+ Clients<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Learn more<\/a><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Sources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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SAVECALL, WAN and Site Connectivity<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
SAVECALL, SD-WAN solutions for companies<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
SAVECALL, MPLS for enterprise networks<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Frequently asked questions about SD-WAN and MPLS<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What is the difference between SD-WAN and MPLS?<\/strong>
The fundamental difference is virtualization. MPLS runs on proprietary, dedicated hardware and is defined by its dedicated network connections. SD-WAN virtualizes the network functions and can bundle any connection type, such as Internet, Ethernet, MPLS or 5G. MPLS delivers predictable performance with a clear SLA, while SD-WAN offers more flexibility, cloud proximity and cost efficiency.<\/p> <\/div>
Is SD-WAN cheaper than MPLS?<\/strong>
Usually yes, especially on bandwidth. MPLS bandwidth is generally more expensive, even though costs have fallen recently. SD-WAN uses low-cost internet lines and bundles several connections instead of keeping expensive backup lines idle. SD-WAN is typically 30 to 60 percent cheaper than MPLS, but line savings are only one factor: what matters is total cost including hardware, operation and SLA requirements.<\/p> <\/div>
When is MPLS the better choice?<\/strong>
MPLS remains in demand where predictability and a clear end-to-end SLA matter, or where decentralized cloud access is secondary. This applies to companies with special requirements for connectivity and packet delivery times, such as voice and time-critical real-time applications. MPLS guarantees values for jitter, round-trip times, packet loss and downtimes, with one contact person for all network components.<\/p> <\/div>
Can SD-WAN and MPLS be combined?<\/strong>
Yes, a hybrid model is often the best solution. MPLS stays in place for critical real-time data such as voice, while uncritical traffic and cloud access run cost-effectively over internet lines. SD-WAN handles application-based prioritization and bundles both worlds. This lets companies combine the predictable quality of MPLS with the flexibility and cost efficiency of SD-WAN.<\/p> <\/div>
How secure is SD-WAN compared to MPLS?<\/strong>
SD-WAN integrates security directly into the network architecture. All devices and endpoints are fully authenticated, traffic is encrypted and managed centrally through policies. This security virtualization is a key advantage in times of home office and hybrid working models. MPLS is considered a private, isolated network, but it does not provide integrated encryption at the application level.<\/p> <\/div>
How do I decide between SD-WAN and MPLS?<\/strong>
The decision follows the priorities of your environment: how critical are real-time data, how heavy is cloud access, which sites and which budget are involved? Rather than a blanket answer, weighing these factors helps, and it often leads to a hybrid model. To support this, SAVECALL compares carrier-independently across more than 80 partners and finds the right architecture for each site.<\/p> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n
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