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Cisco Catalyst Switches vs NETGEAR Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
6.6
Cisco Catalyst Switches offer long-term performance, operational efficiency, and consistent uptime, despite high costs and occasional third-party disruptions.
Sentiment score
6.6
NETGEAR Switches offer cost-effective, reliable solutions with labor savings, minimal management, and enhanced efficiency for business growth.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.9
Cisco Catalyst Switches support receives mixed reviews, ranging from efficient and expert service to dissatisfaction with delays and support inefficiencies.
Sentiment score
6.3
Customers find NETGEAR's support effective and responsive but face challenges with service navigation and understanding new products.
Cisco's support is good, one of the best supports that you will get.
There are issues distinguishing which switches support cloud features.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
Cisco Catalyst Switches offer scalability and performance, making them a popular choice for medium to large enterprises despite challenges.
Sentiment score
7.4
NETGEAR Switches offer adaptability and scalability, supporting various network sizes with easy expansion and robust connectivity features.
Cisco Catalyst Switches are scalable, and I would rate them eight to nine out of ten for scalability.
The scalability of NETGEAR Switches is easy and very beneficial for us.
NETGEAR's scalability through its Insight Cloud system is on par with Ubiquiti's, although it must offer features beyond its competitors.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.3
Cisco Catalyst Switches are renowned for long-term reliability, with improvements addressing earlier hardware issues and minimal maintenance needs.
Sentiment score
8.3
NETGEAR Switches are praised for their reliability and stability, making them ideal for demanding applications despite minor quirks.
Cisco Catalyst Switches are stable.
We've experienced failures such as a 16-port dying after three to four years.
 

Room For Improvement

Cisco Catalyst Switches require better pricing, user-friendly interfaces, third-party compatibility, enhanced security, adaptability, and faster delivery.
Enhancing security, management, compatibility, and support while refining costs and integration could strengthen NETGEAR's position in enterprise networks.
Cisco Catalyst Switches could be a little bit cheaper as they are very costly.
They should introduce features like dual firmware or dual boot that allow systems to be updated without downtime.
They can improve on the commercial part, specifically the cost, as it is higher than other brands.
 

Setup Cost

Cisco Catalyst Switches are costly but valued for quality, reliability, support, with complex licensing and potential cost-saving subscriptions.
Enterprise users praise NETGEAR Switches for competitive pricing, excellent performance, low costs, and strong warranties compared to rivals.
Cisco Catalyst Switches are quite pricey.
Some high-end switches required for specific advanced features, like precision time protocols, can be more expensive.
 

Valuable Features

Cisco Catalyst Switches are renowned for their security, reliability, performance, and manageability, with excellent support and extensive documentation.
NETGEAR Switches offer affordability, ease, reliability, advanced features, robust performance, and strong support for diverse networking needs.
The most beneficial features for our network management are their stability and good customer support.
The precision time protocol feature caught our interest for future use in specific settings like churches, where low latency is required.
The most valuable features are routing and access control.
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Catalyst Switches
Ranking in LAN Switching
1st
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
7th
Ranking in AV Over IP Switching
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
173
Ranking in other categories
Data Center Networking (1st)
NETGEAR Switches
Ranking in LAN Switching
5th
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
4th
Ranking in AV Over IP Switching
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the LAN Switching category, the mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Switches is 30.2%, down from 31.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NETGEAR Switches is 7.3%, down from 7.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
LAN Switching
 

Featured Reviews

SameerBali - PeerSpot reviewer
Reliable and stable catalyst switch; can be easily installed
I like Cisco Catalyst Switches because most of the time, we can do what we want with the product. Cisco has good guidelines that enable us to implement anything, so we can have a multiple ability product on most of the network equipment worldwide. Cisco has communities or forums that help us implement more complicated areas in terms of network, so in addition, Cisco is not just a network equipment company, because they provide us most of the solutions, development, protocols, and new technologies, more than any other company in the world. I also like the availability of Cisco Catalyst Switches, including scalability and reliability. You can find all these in this product.
Doug Meuross - PeerSpot reviewer
Can easily integrate with the networks and infrastructures
No maintenance is required for the solution. It is very easy to integrate the product with the other systems in our company's infrastructure since you only need to consider plugging a cable. My company does not integrate the product with any product specifically since we only consider integrations with the networks and infrastructures. As the product needs to be plugged in and it starts working, I can say that it is a reliable solution that works. The tool also offers quality, especially if you consider how you would not know whether an unknown product that you choose would work for you or not. I recommend the product to others. I rate the tool a ten out of ten.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which LAN Switching solutions are best for your needs.
832,138 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
65%
Computer Software Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
3%
Government
3%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
8%
University
7%
Educational Organization
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Would you recommend replacing a Cisco Catalyst Switch by a D-link one?
Hello Mesfin It depends on the real scenario, the cisco 2960 is a very good device and they usually have routing functions but there are many different models within the same 2960 line, and on the ...
What do you like most about Cisco Catalyst Switches?
We are a vendor for the healthcare sector, especially hospitals, and normally, we use a full Cisco solution for stability, especially for the stability of the Access Points and the security of swit...
How do NETGEAR switches compare with Cisco ethernet switches?
NetGear switches have a lot to offer. They have high availability, zero-downtime stacking, L2 and L3 functionality, and are AV-over-IP ready. NetGear switches also have a command line interface and...
Which switches are better - Ubiquiti Unifi or Netgear?
Ubiquiti Unifi offers a great set of features. For starters, it is easy to configure and implement, and also doesn’t require a learning curve because it is easy to use. It is also simple to reconfi...
What do you like most about NETGEAR Switches?
Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten. I have not faced any issues with the product whatsoever.
 

Also Known As

Cisco Catalyst, Catalyst
NETGEAR Insight Managed Switches, NETGEAR GC Series, NETGEAR M Series
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Afni, Anilana Hotels and Resorts, Baylor Scott & White Health, Beachbody, Bellevue, Del Papa Distributing, Explorer Pipeline, Mindtree, Omaha World Herald, Radio 538, Sony Corporation, Telecom Italia, Telenor Arena
Blaze Networks
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Catalyst Switches vs. NETGEAR Switches and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
832,138 professionals have used our research since 2012.