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Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access vs Ubiquiti UniFi 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
7.9
Fortinet FortiSwitch offers cost-effective, secure network access with ROI benefits, though less ideal for smaller setups due to licensing.
Sentiment score
7.0
Users highlight cost-effectiveness and quick deployment of UniFi Switches, with mixed ROI assessments and feature comparisons to competitors.
Another solution offered to us was more than double the price, making UniFi a cost-effective choice.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.8
Fortinet FortiSwitch support is inconsistent, with mixed reviews on response time and depth compared to industry leaders.
Sentiment score
6.8
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches support is often seen as limited, with reliance on forums, self-service, and occasional user satisfaction.
It's a potential area for improvement, possibly in terms of response time or quality.
My local support is working fine, and I have my connection with my account manager in the public company of Fortinet.
the manuals, installation videos, and resources on the website are very good and straightforward.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
Fortinet FortiSwitch offers adaptable network solutions, ideal for varying enterprise sizes, but pricing may limit large-scale scalability.
Sentiment score
7.6
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches offer scalability, effective integration, and strong performance, ideal for SMEs but challenging for large enterprises.
For enterprise solutions, it's extendable easily with options for edge connectivity or stackable devices.
You just need to connect another switch or replace the current one, and it integrates well with the existing setup.
I rate the scalability as nine out of ten.
While we are satisfied with its use in small environments, other products may be needed in very large companies with more than 30 users.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.7
Fortinet FortiSwitch is considered stable, secure, and reliable, with minor configuration issues and room for improvement.
Sentiment score
8.6
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are reliable and stable in standard settings, with optimal performance depending on configuration and environment.
The stability has been good overall.
I would give it a nine out of ten for stability.
I did not experience any problems the whole year.
If the system is installed, it runs well, with no issues.
The switches are stable and there have been no outages.
 

Room For Improvement

Fortinet FortiSwitch needs pricing, manageability, support, integration improvements, and enhanced features to effectively compete with HP and Cisco.
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches require improved power supply, technical support, user-friendly management, and enhanced features like security and scalability.
The introduction of AI integration could be valuable for detecting abnormal traffic directly on the switch.
The current setup is closed and does not allow for integration with non-Ubiquiti VoIP devices or providers outside their ecosystem.
Controlling and reducing network traffic directly from the controller would be beneficial.
 

Setup Cost

Enterprise buyers view Fortinet FortiSwitch as a mid-priced solution, cheaper than Cisco but costlier than Huawei, with complex licensing.
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are cost-effective, ideal for small businesses, though less feature-rich, with noted availability and price variations.
It has increased by about two hundred percent over the past three years.
Pricing is very favorable, with minimal licensing involved.
Many vendors mark up prices significantly.
The setup cost is reasonable, but there are companies in the business pushing more expensive solutions.
 

Valuable Features

Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access integrates with FortiGate for centralized control, robust security, and efficient network management and access.
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches provide reliable performance, centralized management, scalability, and affordability, ideal for small to medium businesses.
One of the main features is the integration with FortiGate.
The powerful integration capabilities allow us to manage all devices from a single interface through the firewall.
I can manage user connectivity, limit bandwidth, apply MAC address filtering, and it offers POE capabilities.
One of the most valuable features of Ubiquiti UniFi switches is their graphical interface and plug-and-play capability.
The most valuable feature of UniFi Switches is the simple management via the UniFi console.
 

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secu...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
5th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
47
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 Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access is 6.0%, down from 6.2% 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

SherifAbdelrahman - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficient integration allows streamlined network management with a straightforward setup
I use it for retail business. We are using the FortiSwitch solution for our voice switches and access points as well It has helped us by providing easy management from a single platform through the firewall interface. It's very easy to manage and provides all the insights and vulnerabilities,…
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.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
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

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...
What do you like most about Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access?
With FortiSwitch, you can easily identify who is connected to each port, disable ports as needed, and retrieve configurations from FortiGate when required.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access?
The pricing is considered high due to the currency exchange changes in our region. It has increased by about two hundred percent over the past three years.
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

No data available
UniFi Switches
 

Learn More

Video not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
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Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access vs. Ubiquiti UniFi Switches and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
831,020 professionals have used our research since 2012.