Cisco DNA Center vs NetScaler comparison

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Cisco DNA Center

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 2, 2025

NetScaler and Cisco DNA Center compete in the networking and application optimization space. NetScaler takes the upper hand in deployment flexibility, while Cisco DNA Center excels in network automation and analytics.

Features: NetScaler boasts a flexible deployment model supported by its TriScale architecture, offering excellent load balancing and user access control capabilities. It also provides robust traffic management and single sign-on functionality. Cisco DNA Center is recognized for its integrated network automation, providing real-time insights through its robust analytics and centralized network management solutions. It also offers extensive monitoring features and enhanced automation processes.

Room for Improvement: NetScaler needs better integration and intuitive configuration tools, alongside improvements in template and scripting flexibility to match competitors like F5. Stability issues requiring frequent patches are also noted. Cisco DNA Center should enhance its integration with third-party vendors and improve ease of use, as well as addressing challenges with complex deployments and high costs.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: NetScaler is versatile, supporting deployments across on-premises, public, private, and hybrid clouds, with satisfactory technical support, although support quality varies. Cisco DNA Center offers robust customer support and consistent technical service, primarily for on-premises deployment, but experiences occasional response delays, and its deployment options trail behind NetScaler.

Pricing and ROI: NetScaler is considered expensive, with additional costs for licenses, but customers achieve ROI through its stability and rich features enhancing network performance. Cisco DNA Center, being costlier, often limits accessibility for smaller businesses, yet offers value in centralized network control and is justified by its comprehensive management capabilities and integrations, marking it a worthy investment for larger enterprises.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco DNA Center vs. NetScaler Report (Updated: March 2025).

Cisco DNA Center vs. NetScaler

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Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Cisco DNA Center

Ranking in Network Management Applications

1st

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Monitoring Software (12th), Network Automation (2nd)

NetScaler

Ranking in Network Management Applications

3rd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

107

Ranking in other categories

Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) (1st), Web Application Firewall (WAF) (12th)

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Network Management Applications category, the mindshare of Cisco DNA Center is 26.9%, down from 29.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetScaler is 1.5%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Management Applications

Featured Reviews

AvrahamSonenthal

Senior Network Engineer at Inside Global

Efficiently manages our wireless network and provides valuable monitoring features

The platform's biggest benefit has been in managing our wireless network. Having a single pane of glass to control all wireless controllers and access points and to monitor activity has been a significant advantage. We're a small federal agency with around 300 network devices, so automation is a minor focus. It's more relevant for larger networks. The main benefits we've seen are in inventory management and the potential for configuration automation. However, I recommend using the DNA Centre only for larger networks with over a thousand devices; otherwise, it may not be cost-effective. Before proceeding, ensure that your devices are compatible with DNA Center, as not all Cisco devices are supported. Also, investing in proper training is different from plug-and-play. I rate it an eight.

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DEMİRHAN ÇAVUŞOĞLU

Cloud Consultant at Migros Ticaret A.Ş.

A tool for centralized management including inventory and sales tracking

Citrix ADM has the ability to implement policies to tighten security. For instance, you can restrict access to your network from outsiders or lack necessary security measures such as antivirus programs. Additionally, there's the Delivery Controller, which allows for comprehensive monitoring and management tasks such as remote restarts, maintenance, and registration. Another essential component is the Director, which provides detailed insights into sessions, including identifying session failures, connection issues, user lockouts, etc. It presents a list of problems to address, enabling you to click on them and resolve them efficiently.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"People like to use the dashboards to get an overview of their network."

"Cisco VXLAN is a protocol that has been around for some time, but the practical implementation and operational capability of Cisco DNA Center bring it to life."

"It is very versatile in terms of analytics."

"The most valuable features of Cisco DNA Center are wireless assurance and visibility."

"The solution helps in user microsegmentation."

"Has a good processing feature with a high level of accuracy."

"The most valuable features were the monitoring, maintenance, and configuration."

"The product offers an intuitive and automated way to manage user networks. It gives me an insight into the network health."

More Cisco DNA Center pros

"Its customer support service is good."

"Citrix NetScaler offers robust security features, including SmartAccess and customizable policies, making it a reliable choice for safeguarding user data."

"I like the ease of use. It's easy to manage. I also like it's ease of use with virtualization technologies with applications."

"I found that the GUI was very easy to to navigate. If you were looking for something, it was fairly easy to find. There's a lot of third-party documentation and information available online as well."

"I would say the rewriting and redirection functions are must-have's for us."

"The most valuable feature of Citrix NetScaler was the seamless integration. Additionally, the UI is good."

"When our primary link goes down I can still get to my Cisco devices and the NetScaler devices on-prem because of the SDN solution. If the internet connection at one of the branches goes down, we can still route them, they still get internet based on the SDN solution through one of the other sites. They can carry on working."

"What I like most about Citrix NetScaler is its stability, and I didn't see a lot of issues with it."

More NetScaler pros

Cons

"The solution's setup process needs enhancement."

"They can improve the network visibility. Licensing and its maintenance are also needed."

"Requires more focus on the digital side of things."

"What could be improved is the licensing cost of Cisco DNA Center. It's a little bit expensive."

"From the recent DNA point of view, there are some stability challenges with Cisco, but very minor."

"Cisco DNA Center was a new technology for us, at the beginning, it was not easy to do, but Cisco did a lot of training with us to a level we could handle everything. The team is managing itself now without the assistance of Cisco."

"The solution can be quite pricey."

"In terms of the clustering part, there are some concerns."

More Cisco DNA Center cons

"Citrix ADC can be really complex. It isn't very simple like some other appliances that I've worked with. You need a lot of skill and experience to manage it. I'm not talking about a year or two. You need at least four years to understand it very well. It is not that easy to learn. They should make it a lot simpler for users to understand the management of it. They can also provide some additional training. The material they have on the site is not sufficient enough for you to understand how to manage it. Their training is expensive, and not everyone has the funds and experience for it. Citrix isn't very popular around these parts of the world. So, it can use some more marketing, sales, enlightenment, and advertisement. These could bring more market for them. Basically, there are just a few companies that really go for Citrix. Most of the companies go for VMware because they marketed themselves more than Citrix. There isn't much difference between Citrix and VMware. VMware is a little more robust than Citrix. Citrix has focused more on desktops rather than server virtualization, and that's the advantage VMware has over Citrix. Citrix also needs to educate and inform users about the infrastructure that is supported with a version. Currently, if the customers don't look at the datasheet, they might miss this important information."

"Native integration needs to be improved. You cannot build ISE codes natively. For DevOps, integration would be very helpful because it would be a lot simpler from an operational standpoint."

"The product provides some templates to integrate with applications like MS Exchange, MS SharePoint, SAP Enterprise Portal, and others. However, the last update for these templates was 2013 (lots of applications are running on versions newer then 2013)."

"The interface could be improved, some customers struggle with that."

"They need to make the solution a little more familiar with easy study guides, learning videos, etc."

"The technical support could be improved. They do not respond or assist customers in a timely manner."

"I think the documentation should be improved."

"Scripting and writing expressions need to be improved by putting logic behind the rules and improve policies involving some of the scripting part, which is a tedious task to do."

More NetScaler cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of the solution is expensive. The hardware is licensed on the device, but the hardware on the server is expensive."

"I rate the product's pricing an eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is very cheap, and ten is very expensive."

"The partnership price is notably high, but it ultimately depends on the chosen business model."

"It is an expensive solution."

"The solution is a little bit expensive but depends a lot on the customer's usage. If you use it in the right place, you can easily pay for it."

"Cisco DNA Center is a licensed product with multiple levels of licensing available such as basic, advanced, and essential. I don't have the exact figure, but Cisco DNA Center is costly. For example, the box has information about the essential license and costs a considerable amount of money. You need to pay extra to use advanced features in Cisco DNA Center. My company sees Cisco DNA Center as a solution that's worth the money, which is why it invested in the solution. If you want centralized management for your network, especially when upgrading it, Cisco DNA Center is perfect, but it's more suitable for a large-scale rather than a small-scale network."

"The licensing cost for Cisco DNA Center is not more than that of other solutions."

"Cisco DNA Center is expensive."

More Cisco DNA Center pricing and cost advice

"Citrix NetScaler VPX is not the cheapest solution out there, but you get what you pay for."

"NetScaler does the same thing as an F5 and it's cheaper."

"Ninety day free trial makes it easy to try out this solution."

"It's an expensive product but it works well."

"The solution is expensive compared to one of its competitors."

"It is very pricey, but we get it. If you need the best, money shouldn't be a problem."

"The licensing costs for this solution vary depending on which model is being used."

"Licensing is adequate. I wanted to have a more prominent license, but until I do they don't give enough support. The additional cost would be too much."

More NetScaler pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Educational Organization

15%

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco DNA Center?

The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it gives some kind of ease in operations, especially since our company is moving from CLI to GUI-based configuration.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco DNA Center?

The cost is very high.

What needs improvement with Cisco DNA Center?

The system is working fine for me currently.

What do you like most about Citrix ADC?

The most valuable feature for us is the application firewalling in Citrix NetScaler, ensuring only valid traffic enters our environment.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Citrix ADC?

After deployment, Citrix Netscaler shifted to a subscription-based license scheme for support, which is slightly more expensive.

What needs improvement with Citrix ADC?

Citrix NetScaler is a robust product, but mastering it requires significant learning and training due to its complexity. While it could be easier to manage, it is like transitioning from driving a ...

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Product Reports

Cisco DNA Center

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Also Known As

DNA Center

Citrix ADC, Citrix NetScaler VPX, NetScaler Console, NetScaler Web Application Firewall

Overview

Cisco DNA Center offers a comprehensive platform for network automation and management, providing detailed analytics, enhanced security, and streamlined operations for both wired and wireless networks.

Cisco DNA Center integrates with Cisco infrastructure to deliver efficient network automation and management, helping organizations improve network visibility, security, and control. It supports AI-driven analytics and automated workflows to enhance operational efficiency and reduce errors. Challenges include compatibility with third-party systems, steep learning curve, and complex deployment. Its interface facilitates centralized control, vital for troubleshooting, policy management, and configuration management, with support for zero-touch provisioning and SD-Access.

What are the key features of Cisco DNA Center?

Robust Analytics: Provides detailed insights into network health with AI-driven analytics.
Centralized Security: Integrates with ISE for comprehensive security management.
Automated Device Management: Simplifies device provisioning and configuration transfers.
Wi-Fi Analytics: Offers deep insights into wireless network performance.
Zero-Touch Provisioning: Streamlines new device deployments with minimal human intervention.
Scalable Segmentation: Efficiently segments network traffic ensuring security and performance.

What benefits should users consider?

Operational Efficiency: Automation reduces potential errors and streamlines workflow.
Enhanced Security: Integration with Cisco ISE bolsters security capabilities.
Network Visibility: Comprehensive dashboards and analysis tools enhance monitoring.
Troubleshooting: Real-time monitoring aids in identifying and resolving issues swiftly.

In sectors such as healthcare, finance, and retail, Cisco DNA Center is utilized for its ability to enhance security and compliance, manage large-scale networks, and provide detailed analytics for better operational decision-making. Its support for location tracking and policy automation ensures efficient network management across diverse environments.

Cisco

One platform for a consistent application delivery and security experience because nobody has time to learn multiple systems to manage ADC deployments. NetScaler is built with a single code base using a software-based architecture, so no matter which ADC form factor you choose — hardware, virtual machine, bare metal, or container — the behavior will be the same.

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

ABB Schweiz, Aer Lingus, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Amnet Technology Solutions, Aramex International, Ascenty, Atos, Autodesk

Cisco DNA Center vs. NetScaler