Cisco Ethernet Switches vs NETGEAR Switches comparison

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32,935 views|29,657 comparisons
96% willing to recommend
Netgear Logo
19,288 views|13,717 comparisons
86% willing to recommend
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary
Updated on Apr 4, 2022

We performed a comparison between Cisco Ethernet Switches and NETGEAR Switches based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.

  • Ease of Deployment: Users of both solutions say their initial setup is straightforward.
  • Features: Users of both products are happy with their performance, stability, and scalability. Cisco Ethernet Switches users say the product is reliable and secure. Several Cisco Ethernet Switches users say the solution isn’t so user-friendly. NETGEAR Switches users say the solution is easy to use, fast, and performs well. A couple of users mention they would like to see audio video bridging (AVB) support.
  • Pricing: Cisco Ethernet Switches users say the price of the product is high. In contrast, NETGEAR Switches users say that the price of the product is fair.
  • ROI: Some Cisco Ethernet Switches reviewers say they have an ROI, but others say they haven’t yet seen an ROI. NETGEAR Switches reviewers say they see an ROI.
  • Service and Support: Reviewers of both solutions are satisfied with the level of support they receive.

Comparison Results: NETGEAR Switches come out ahead in this comparison. They are easy to set up, flexible, and have excellent customer support. In addition, They are cheaper than Cisco Ethernet Switches.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. NETGEAR Switches Report (Updated: May 2024).
771,170 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"The layer-2 switching is very fast.""When it comes to switching routing, we have no doubts about Cisco.""I like their after-sales support more than anything because it's very good.""Tech support has always been good.""The quality, like all Cisco solutions, is very high. The fact that it's Cisco is one of the reasons we chose to use it.""The most valuable feature is that we create a network as a villain.""The most valuable features of this solution are the auto-complete functionality and the end-to-end functionalities such as routing with the channel.""The solution's valuable features are the speed of network transfer, it can transfer four to six gigabits per second."

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"Valuable features include network monitoring and ease of programming for VLANs, etc. I especially like NETGEAR because it's easy to teach system administrators how to use them, how to look at them, how to make changes to them without having the complexity of CLIs, but still having a CLI should we need it.""The remote troubleshooting features provide a single pane of glass where I can see my all my clients' equipment. If they're reporting a problem, I can go to the Insight Pro interface online and I can bring up that client and I can see all their devices and the status of all their devices.""NETGEAR Switches has valuable cybersecurity features.""The ability to mix and match is invaluable. So, we didn't have to run massive super extensive switches in the data closets where it wasn't necessary. Being able to manage it all from one place, as all your network configuration settings went live across your entire building from one management console was really handy.""Remote management is the most important thing for us. And monitoring, of course, allows us to see when something is wrong with a client. We get notified that an access point is down, for instance, or that there are too many clients on one access point, so that we can log into the portal and manage the solution with the client instantly, from either a laptop or a cell phone, with the Insight app.""For what I used this switch for, it did well.""Their online portal is one of the most useful features. The portal is very user-friendly, so even someone with not a lot of tech experience can go in and see what's going on with the switch.""The initial setup was straightforward."

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Cons
"The GUI is not that easy.""There's are other products that are better for network programmability. Cisco isn't as programmable as some preferred vendors. For example, on iOS 6 products, you have to commit the change directly on the running configuration. If you have a generic product you can do this, so it can improve in programmability.""The dashboard needs some minor improvements.""From a system integrator's perspective, Cisco must train system integrators, partners, and customers about their services.""I think the price should be cheaper to be able to afford more.""An improvement would be to change their market intention. Almost all the Cisco switches are now coming with a license called DNA. D for Delta, N for number and A for apple. That feature is required, he must purchase it and it is a mandatory thing that has been introduced. This is not matching with the Asian market.""The quality of Cisco Ethernet Switches could be better.""Cisco could definitely work on delivering improved pricing to its customers."

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"The M4250 switches needs more SFP models.""This product lacks a CLI interface.""My one issue with it is that not all the features of the switch can currently be managed via the portal. For some of the more advanced features, you still have to configure the switch.""One thing I have asked for, something that NETGEAR lacks that I would love to see — and from what I understand it's in the works — is a REST API to programmatically interface with multiple switches. That would be a great feature.""Support needs to be improved.""There is a lack of documentation, and the documentation I have is unclear, so I have to rely on Google for information.""The solution needs centralized management and centralized configuration.""One area that has room for improvement, and I know NETGEAR is working on it, is adding more features to the products lines in terms of what we can manage through the Insight portal... not all Layer 2 or Layer 3 settings are there yet."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "Not inexpensive. Price will vary widely depending on the chosen product and size of the deployment."
  • "Pricing for this product is high but the cost is worth it if you can afford it."
  • "The pricing is reasonable, and for small business it is acceptable."
  • "The price of this solution is good."
  • "This is an expensive solution, but you are paying for stability."
  • "The last time I bought a 24-port switch, which was a while ago, I paid about five or six thousand Euros. In this part of the world, that's quite expensive for us."
  • "These switches are expensive, but they are an excellent buy and definitely have value for the investment."
  • "We are happy with the pricing from Cisco."
  • More Cisco Ethernet Switches Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "The pricing for what you get with the Insight product line is very fair and the value is there, including the annual licensing fees for the Insight Pro for each device... the Insight Pro level, which is their highest level, where you get a lot of features with the Insight, is a bargain. You get a lot of good features for what you're paying there annually."
  • "We used HPE previously. The reason I switched to NETGEAR was because of pricing differences, which are huge, when you go into 10GB networking... The pricing is quite good... The total cost of the deployment was about 11,000 euros or so. If I had gone with HPE it would have been at least twice as much."
  • "It's a great price-to-performance solution. I think it's singularly the best price-per-performance we can find, if not just straight performance to begin with... The cost of hardware and additional services is lower, absolutely. I wouldn't say "low," but we found it to be lower than other options, and that helps us resell this back to customers who are looking at other things like a Cisco Meraki..."
  • "Insight pricing is okay. It's very competitive. The costs of the hardware and additional services weren't low because Unify is much cheaper, but the costs conformed to the market. When you look at the hardware specs, the price and the warranty, the complete package was much better than any other vendor. If you consider those three main aspects of Netgear Insight and Netgear Insight devices, and you put them next to Ubiquity or Cisco Meraki, or even TP-Link, in our opinion, it's better hardware, it has a better warranty, and for the price you have to pay, it's a pretty good product."
  • "NETGEAR pricing is the best on the market by far. I was shocked when I saw what their price came out as for their subscription. It's extremely reasonable."
  • "The great thing about the Insight product is that the renewable subscription is much cheaper than the competitors in the market. It is not over $50, per year, so customers buy the equipment and don't have to worry so much about the renewable fees that go along with having such access into their switch, with a cloud-managed solution. There are some other manufacturers where you'll essentially pay the same in hardware as you do in software, just for the cloud solution that supports it; just to keep getting the firmware updates and all of that information. With NETGEAR, you can do multi-year and that is something like 90 percent cheaper than if you're looking at Meraki, for example. It is extremely competitive. It's one of the main reasons we liked it so much."
  • "The price to performance of this solution is very good. When it comes to pricing, as far as I'm concerned, they're very comparable with Ubiquity. NETGEAR has pricing that is as good as it gets. That's why I use them."
  • "There are two parts to the pricing. There's the pricing of the device itself, which is good. Their licensing model needs work, though. The licensing model doesn't fit the way MSPs do business."
  • More NETGEAR Switches Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Comparison Review
    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer: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… more »
    Top Answer:We researched Cisco but ultimately chose Fortinet FortiSwitch Secure Access, mostly because of the price Fortinet FortiSwitch is an ethernet switch solution that provides security and performance… more »
    Top Answer:Our organization ran comparison tests to determine whether Cisco or Juniper Ethernet switches were the better fit for us. We decided to go with Juniper. Juniper ethernet switches are a lesser-known… more »
    Top Answer: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… more »
    Top Answer: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… more »
    Top Answer:The tool is very easy to deploy as it is a very basic switch.
    Ranking
    1st
    out of 34 in Ethernet Switches
    Views
    32,935
    Comparisons
    29,657
    Reviews
    32
    Average Words per Review
    388
    Rating
    8.9
    4th
    out of 34 in Ethernet Switches
    Views
    19,288
    Comparisons
    13,717
    Reviews
    18
    Average Words per Review
    426
    Rating
    8.0
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Cisco Industrial Ethernet Switches
    NETGEAR Insight Managed Switches, NETGEAR GC Series, NETGEAR M Series
    Learn More
    Overview
    Cisco Ethernet Switches scale to meet the needs of networks of all sizes. They are Secure, Reliable and Seamless.

    NETGEAR Ethernet Switches is an Ethernet solution that offers businesses of all sizes the ability to easily set up secure and highly scalable networks. Small to medium-sized companies have the option to choose from three different switching options. The three options that are most appropriate for businesses of this size are the NETGEAR Unmanaged, Plus, and Smart Switch solutions. If you're managing a large enterprise network or a campus network, then NETGEAR Fully Managed Infrastructures is the solution for you. All the NETGEAR Ethernet Switches and solutions are innovative, easy to install and use, reliable, and very cost-effective.

    NETGEAR Ethernet Switches have many features that make them a most effective product. Included in these is the ability to virtually stack IP addresses in such a way that users can scale their network up with ease. These IP addresses are grouped together. Once additional data ports are connected, you have only a single switch to manage and you gain both a much higher level availability of data and a greater level of network resilience.

    Benefits of NETGEAR Ethernet Switches

    Some of the benefits of using NETGEAR Ethernet Switches include:

    • The ability to control and track the performance of your network from a single centralized location. NETGEAR Ethernet Switches has a “single pane of glass” interface that enables administrators to track their network’s data in real time, allowing them to manage everything from one place. If a problem is detected, this management interface will alert the appropriate administrator.

    • A wide array of security features allows you to manage user access, filter incoming traffic for potential threats, and monitor your network for unauthorized traffic. The switches have security capabilities built in in an effort to maximize network protection, while at the same time allowing you to minimize the expenditure of resources required to keep you secure.

    Reviews from Real Users

    There are a number of characteristics that make NETGEAR Ethernet Switches extremely effective. Two major ones are its inherent flexibility and its user-friendly nature. 

    PeerSpot user Kevin W., a network delivery architect at a tech-services company, notes that NETGEAR Ethernet Switches gives users the ability to tailor the switches to fit their needs. He writes, "The big winner for NETGEAR is their modular switch: the 96X version. That is something that you don't see in the market anywhere else, except for Cisco who has it at a high level for a high expense. The ability to customize your own switch with their modules is a big plus for what we do in the market right now. Instead of having to piece together standardized switches, trying to make something work, or fitting the design into the mold, the modular switches are aware that you can make a mark in the industry because you purchased one switch and design with different modules added and removed later on for functionality."

    PeerSpot user Chris W., a system engineer at Diversified, notes just how easy they are to use when he writes, "The ease of use of these switches is very good because of the Cisco CLI. If you are familiar with CLI, then you can configure the switch that way. It also has a relatively straightforward web interface. Using the web interface is good for beginners or people who aren't familiar with Cisco CLI. However, having a common command line interface method is great for some of our more advanced guys who are familiar with it."

    Sample Customers
    Linz AG
    Blaze Networks
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Comms Service Provider12%
    Computer Software Company11%
    Educational Organization10%
    Financial Services Firm7%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company15%
    Government9%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Financial Services Firm7%
    REVIEWERS
    Manufacturing Company17%
    Construction Company17%
    Computer Software Company17%
    Recruiting/Hr Firm6%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company13%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Comms Service Provider7%
    Educational Organization7%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business40%
    Midsize Enterprise24%
    Large Enterprise36%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business27%
    Midsize Enterprise18%
    Large Enterprise55%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business75%
    Midsize Enterprise8%
    Large Enterprise17%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business33%
    Midsize Enterprise15%
    Large Enterprise52%
    Buyer's Guide
    Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. NETGEAR Switches
    May 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. NETGEAR Switches and other solutions. Updated: May 2024.
    771,170 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Cisco Ethernet Switches is ranked 1st in Ethernet Switches with 128 reviews while NETGEAR Switches is ranked 4th in Ethernet Switches with 51 reviews. Cisco Ethernet Switches is rated 8.6, while NETGEAR Switches is rated 8.4. The top reviewer of Cisco Ethernet Switches writes "It's a solidly stable product from a leader in the field". On the other hand, the top reviewer of NETGEAR Switches writes "You can stack different models of switches which makes the scalability great". Cisco Ethernet Switches is most compared with Aruba Switches, Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access, D-Link Ethernet Switches, Ubiquiti UniFi Switches and Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches, whereas NETGEAR Switches is most compared with D-Link Ethernet Switches, Cisco Linksys Ethernet Switches, Ubiquiti UniFi Switches, MikroTik Routers and Switches and Aruba Switches. See our Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. NETGEAR Switches report.

    See our list of best Ethernet Switches vendors.

    We monitor all Ethernet Switches reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.