Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Cisco Ethernet Switches vs Ubiquiti UniFi Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 8, 2024

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 Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
134
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
3rd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
54
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Cisco Ethernet Switches is 18.9%, down from 20.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ubiquiti UniFi Switches is 6.2%, down from 8.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Pradeep Adhav - PeerSpot reviewer
Network security enhancement with sturdy switches despite high costs
The Cisco Ethernet switches are primarily used as regular core switches for networking, distribution, and access levels. We also utilize Cisco Wi-Fi, VPN, and Wi-Fi controllers The Cisco Ethernet switches have improved our network's security, ensuring it is 100% secure by not allowing any…
John Balogh - PeerSpot reviewer
Centrally managed solution makes it easy to build one configuration and apply it to new devices
We have one or two UniFi switches, but they don't really compete with the Ciscos. It's a nice environment as far as keeping track of things and being able to manage ports, turn off rogue users, and stuff like that. The access points have been pretty convenient compared to Meraki, Lucent, Cisco, or any of the other bigger vendors that I used to deal with for other consulting projects. Ubiquiti is one step above the consumer level. They cost a little bit more, but they just seem to be drop-dead reliable, and they're keeping up with the latest standards. Their latest versions of access points are all Wi-Fi 6, and they don't take very much power when there aren't a lot of users. It's really easy to build one configuration and just apply it to new devices. It's a check mark box: Do I want this to be the staff VLAN, or the public VLAN, or the Voice over IP VLAN, or the security VLAN, or the house wiring VLAN, or the building logistics VLAN? You just check things off and then you make groups, so if you click on it, it applies all the appropriate things automatically. It makes it very easy. This solution is good for the prosumer, small office, medium office, under 500 people range, but probably over 50 people and maybe distributed around five or 10 sites. That's a pretty good sweet spot as far as the price for the equipment and the configurability, and it's just drop-dead reliable. It's been boring, which is what I love because I don't get any calls in the middle of the night that something isn't working.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We use Cisco Ethernet Switches to configure VLANs in the VPN network."
"Good and stable operational experience with nearly no loss of hardware and very few software bugs."
"The greatest advantage of Cisco switches is their reliability. For example, we bought some 500 series switches back in 2002 or 2003, and they ran 24/7. I never had an issue for seven years."
"The solution is extremely stable."
"You can tap into all of the features for your virtual workload environment."
"The solution is easy to use."
"Cisco is the world leader in these systems. The expertise they have is very good compared to others. We can trust Cisco from a technical perspective."
"In terms of most valuable feature, I would say the user interface."
"The most valuable feature for us is the VPN."
"I would gladly recommend Ubiquiti UniFi Switches."
"The price of Ubiquiti is worth it because the integration of the switches is seamless. It's like they just talk to each other."
"The user interface makes it simple to configure and manage."
"It's been working fine, it's been stable, and there are no interruptions."
"It's very easy to deploy – much easier than MikroTik. It's very seamless and well-designed."
"The two most valuable features are the remote access user and the side-to-side connection."
"It is very easy to deploy. The deployment time for a single device is a near instant."
 

Cons

"Technical support could be better. Firmware upgrades should be better. We have an issue with upgrading the firmware. It's not upgradable. I think it should be easy to improve and upgrade the firmware."
"The NX-API REST is not very good and should be improved."
"In terms of what could be improved, there is the bulk issue that is sometimes experienced with Cisco products we've used."
"The GUI is not that easy."
"You do have to buy into the Cisco architecture to be able to use them."
"Their firmware could be better secured against vulnerabilities or other exploits. Also, only selected catalyst switches are allowed to onboard to Cisco SD Access technology."
"In the case of an already existing network, we encounter technical issues related to following protocols."
"I haven't heard from my engineers that they said it's excellent."
"I would like to see improvements in their PBX-related features."
"One area for improvement would be having a web interface directly on the device itself. That's the one thing that makes them more difficult for less experienced technicians to configure."
"Ubiquiti UniFi Switches can improve by putting more effort into security. There are not many options in security. Other solutions, you can filter, do access control, and functionality. Ubiquiti UniFi Switches provides all the basic network security where it's all about the password for someone to access the SSID on the network, but it doesn't go beyond advanced network features of packet filtering, monitoring, and managing users."
"The VPN technology in Ubiquiti products is really difficult for beginners who do not have the right skills."
"I would like to see the pricing improved."
"I think they need to provide a better firewall solution."
"The stability and installation could be improved."
"They could integrate artificial intelligence for more advanced network traffic analysis and optimization features into the product."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Its price is a bit higher than other brands. Indian customers are price-conscious. They should improve its price."
"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."
"The solution is highly expensive compared to other solutions. The prices get tripled when they arrived in my country of Angola."
"Cisco Ethernet Switches are more expensive than Huawei Ethernet Switches."
"With all of the features and when you compare with other solutions, the cost is much less."
"Its price is very high, but it is a good device. Cisco must work on its price. Other solutions provide a better price for similar functionalities."
"The pricing is reasonable, and for small business it is acceptable."
"These switches are expensive, but they are an excellent buy and definitely have value for the investment."
"The price is very low and a good approach for a smaller company, with 10 to 15 people."
"Ubiquiti is one of the cheapest WiFi network providers that provide a very good WiFi network, which is monitored and deployable. The price is very fair for the technology they're offering."
"Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are more expensive than other competitors."
"The price of this product is cheap."
"Ubiquiti is very reasonable."
"I rate the pricing an eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive."
"The price is reasonable."
"There are no licensing fees; you just purchase it and run it."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Ethernet Switches solutions are best for your needs.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Comparison Review

it_user82779 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 29, 2014
Benefits of Juniper vs Cisco
Both are decent products. I prefer Juniper for the following reasons: 1) Cleaner separation of data plane from control plane. Higher end Cisco devices are better at this but most of the lower end products still seem to be more integrated than I like. 2) The Hierarchical config design means I can…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
8%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Educational Organization
6%
 

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 ...
Which would you choose - Fortinet Fortiswitch secure access or Cisco Ethernet Switches?
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...
In terms of ethernet switches, would you go with Cisco or Juniper?
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...
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...
Which are better - Ubiquiti UniFi switches or MikroTik routers and switches?
Ubiquiti Unifi is a great solution. For starters, it is easy to configure and implement, and doesn’t require a learning curve because it is easy to use. It is also simple to reconfigure an AP or ga...
What do you like most about Ubiquiti UniFi Switches?
We have integrated the tool for PoE switches and non-PoE switches. Its most valuable feature is SD-WAN. UniFi SD-WAN can access all statistics and performance data in one interface, enabling us to...
 

Also Known As

Cisco Industrial Ethernet Switches
UniFi Switches
 

Learn More

Video not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Linz AG
Staypineapple
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Ubiquiti UniFi Switches and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.