Cisco Ethernet Switches vs Ubiquiti UniFi Switches comparison

Cisco Ethernet Switches

Read 129 Cisco Ethernet Switches reviews

32,050 Views
28,814 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches

Read 47 Ubiquiti UniFi Switches reviews

22,694 Views
10,937 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Cisco Ethernet Switches

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 6, 2024

We compared Cisco Ethernet Switches and Ubiquiti UniFi Switches based on our user's reviews in several parameters.

Cisco Ethernet Switches are praised for their cost-saving benefits, fast and reliable connections, advanced features, and ease of management, with some users citing a need for improved speed and reliability. On the other hand, Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are highly valued for seamless integration, excellent performance, scalability, and helpful customer service, though users suggest enhancements in the management interface, firmware updates, and support resources.

Features: The valuable features of Cisco Ethernet Switches include excellent network performance, reliable operations, advanced security measures, and a user-friendly interface. On the other hand, Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are known for seamless integration with other Ubiquiti products, easy management interface, and the ability to expand and scale networks efficiently.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Ethernet Switches have received positive feedback for their pricing, setup cost, and licensing. Users find them affordable and value for money, with a reasonable setup cost that is not overly complex. Ubiquiti UniFi Switches also offer reasonable pricing and a lower setup cost, making them accessible to a wider range of customers. The licensing process is praised for its simplicity and flexibility., Cisco Ethernet Switches have highly satisfactory ROI with significant cost savings, improved network performance, advanced features, and easy management. Ubiquiti UniFi Switches provide positive ROI with cost-effectiveness, reliability, high-quality construction, ease of use, scalability, and versatility.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Ethernet Switches can improve network speed, reliability, connectivity, data transfer, and ease of use. In contrast, Ubiquiti UniFi Switches need enhancements in management interface, firmware updates, stability, reliability, documentation, and support resources.

Deployment and customer support: The reviews for Cisco Ethernet Switches indicate mixed opinions on the duration for establishing a new tech solution, with some users mentioning a three-month deployment and an additional week for setup. However, others reported a one-week timeframe for both deployment and setup. On the other hand, the reviews for Ubiquiti UniFi Switches show varying timeframes, with some users taking three months for deployment and a week for setup, while others completing both tasks in just one week. It is crucial to consider the context in which these terms are used, as deployment and setup may sometimes refer to the same timeframe., Based on user feedback, Cisco Ethernet Switches have highly rated customer service and support. In comparison, Ubiquiti UniFi Switches receive positive remarks for their prompt and helpful assistance, knowledgeable and responsive customer service team.

The summary above is based on 65 interviews we conducted recently with Cisco Ethernet Switches and Ubiquiti UniFi Switches users. To access the review's full transcripts, download our report.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Ubiquiti UniFi Switches Report (Updated: May 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Ubiquiti UniFi Switches

May 2024

Download the complete report

Helped 787,779 peers since 2012

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Ethernet Switches

Ranking in Ethernet Switches

1st

Average Rating

8.6

Number of Reviews

129

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches

Ranking in Ethernet Switches

3rd

Average Rating

8.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2024, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Cisco Ethernet Switches is 21.6%, up from 20.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ubiquiti UniFi Switches is 5.2%, down from 8.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Ethernet Switches

Unique Categories:

No other categories found

Featured Reviews

supervis809292

Supervisor of IT Infrastructure & Cybersecurity at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees

Nov 13, 2023

Has impressive reliability, I have not experienced a failure

The CLI is very valuable as it allows network professionals to work fast and customize the configuration however they need. Cisco Ethernet Switches have great enterprise features like Cisco DNA Assurance. Cisco DNA Assurance features advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning. Cisco AI Network Analytics, a capability within Cisco DNA Assurance, allows easy management of all devices and services, prioritizes and resolves network issues, and ensures a better user experience across the network. Also, appreciate the industrial line of switches for SCADA or other environments where switches are placed in unconditioned space and the temperatures fluctuate a lot during the seasons.

Read full review

reviewer2286828

Technician at a non-tech company with 11-50 employees

Oct 5, 2023

A seamless and robust solution that enables organizations to manage the network and users with ease

The solution helps me manage the network far better than before. I can also manage VLANs and decide how much bandwidth the users should get The product is seamless and robust. We only had issues when there were power outages. The user interface is the most valuable feature. The tool is easy to…

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It's all-encompassing and can help you in all these different areas. If people realize that they want something that's going to work, that's pretty foolproof, then Cisco's always worth the investment."

"Cisco as a whole is flexible."

"The layer-2 switching is very fast."

"Cisco Ethernet Switches have great enterprise features like Cisco DNA Assurance. Cisco DNA Assurance features advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning. Cisco AI Network Analytics, a capability within Cisco DNA Assurance, allows easy management of all devices and services, prioritizes and resolves network issues, and ensures a better user experience across the network."

"The product offers very good customer support. It's likely the best in the industry."

"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."

"One of the most valuable aspects of Cisco Ethernet Switches is many engineers can work on the equipment. You can find qualified engineers that can configure Cisco equipment more than any other networking equipment."

"The tool is easy to use, offering numerous options in terms of server connection."

More Cisco Ethernet Switches pros

"The solution’s scalability is good."

"UniFi Switches' best feature is the ability to switch voltage from 24 to 48, and it's almost the only device on the market with this feature."

"I would gladly recommend Ubiquiti UniFi Switches."

"The ability to deploy quickly and then having one central location for all the settings are its most valuable aspects."

"The central management is provided by the UniFi management system. You can manage everything from a single interface. The SDN mode that the entire unified system uses is a software-defined network format."

"It is very easy to deploy. The deployment time for a single device is a near instant."

"Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are stable and support Layer 3. They come with a user-friendly interface. If you're not familiar with the command-line interface or you wouldn't like to configure it by using the command line, they have a user-friendly interface that you can use. They also have good documentation about how to use these switches."

"The two most valuable features are the remote access user and the side-to-side connection."

More Ubiquiti UniFi Switches pros

Cons

"Cisco switches are good as they are, but it would be a major feature if they have built-in routers. Some of the Microchip switches have routers built in the same device. They have a router switch. For some of the sites, we deploy such switches because the client does not want a separate router and a separate switch. So, we go for a router switch with maybe 24 ports. Some of them are fiber, and some of them are ethernet. It would be a major improvement to what Cisco is already doing. Behind the scenes, a lot of scripting and stuff like this is happening. A lot of workload can be lifted if Cisco had a good GUI. If you look at Microchip switches, they have a good GUI in addition to the CLI."

"Previously, advanced features were included in the basic package, but now they are provided as add-ons that need to be purchased separately."

"From a system integrator's perspective, Cisco must train system integrators, partners, and customers about their services."

"In terms of features, they tick all the boxes as of now. That could be because we tailor the solution around the product. I have not seen anything that pulls me back or is not working well for me. However, there could be better integration with the network monitoring systems. It doesn't mean it is currently not there, but there could be better discoverability with some of the network monitoring systems to be able to have more visibility. When you're setting up a control room, you can have more visibility into what is going on in the network. It has been doing that, but it can do that more."

"Network setup is quite complicated, particularly if you're implementing in a non-technical environment."

"The solution should offer a method for user-based load balancing."

"Cisco has a licensing procedure that is very complicated and it changes every six months."

"The GUI is not that easy."

More Cisco Ethernet Switches cons

"The initial deployment was a bit complex."

"Ubiquiti tends to end-of-life things faster than other companies do. Cisco tends to be in the 8-, 10-, 12-year time frame, and Ubiquiti tends to be in the 4- or 5-year time frame."

"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."

"The documentation for command lines needs to be improved."

"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."

"UniFi lacks the granularity."

"The routing capabilities of Layer 3 should be made easier to implement."

"It would be helpful to have better visibility into exactly what is going on in the network."

More Ubiquiti UniFi Switches cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"In addition to the fees being high, you pay for support which is also on the higher side."

"It could be cheaper."

"It is very expensive."

"It is an expensive product."

"These switches are expensive, but they are an excellent buy and definitely have value for the investment."

"The price of this solution is high."

"The price is on the higher side."

"The pricing is reasonable, and for small business it is acceptable."

More Cisco Ethernet Switches pricing and cost advice

"There are no licensing fees; you just purchase it and run it."

"I feel that the price of this solution is definitely reasonable compared to all of the others."

"The solution only offers one-year warranties but should offer three-year or limited-loss warranties."

"Ubiquiti switches are quite affordable and you don't have to pay extra for support."

"Everything was bought in a one-time buy as a capital investment, so there isn't any licensing."

"Apart from the basic licensing costs, there are no additional charges attached to the product."

"The solution's pricing in the marketplace would probably be about three out of ten."

"Ubiquiti is very reasonable."

More Ubiquiti UniFi Switches pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Ethernet Switches solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

787,779 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Comparison Review

it_user82779

Engineer at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees

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…

Read full review

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

Retailer

Government

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 ...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

Comparisons

Aruba Switches vs Cisco Ethernet Switches

Compared 24% of the time

Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access vs Cisco Ethernet Switches

Compared 17% of the time

D-Link Ethernet Switches vs Cisco Ethernet Switches

Compared 9% of the time

NETGEAR Switches vs Cisco Ethernet Switches

Compared 6% of the time

Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches vs Cisco Ethernet Switches

Compared 6% of the time

More Cisco Ethernet Switches Competitors

NETGEAR Switches vs Ubiquiti UniFi Switches

Compared 18% of the time

Aruba Switches vs Ubiquiti UniFi Switches

Compared 15% of the time

MikroTik Routers and Switches vs Ubiquiti UniFi Switches

Compared 13% of the time

Meraki MS Switches vs Ubiquiti UniFi Switches

Compared 7% of the time

HPE Ethernet Switches vs Ubiquiti UniFi Switches

Compared 4% of the time

More Ubiquiti UniFi Switches Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Ethernet Switches

June 2024

Download Cisco Ethernet Switches product report

Buyer's Guide

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches

May 2024

Download Ubiquiti UniFi Switches product report

Also Known As

Cisco Industrial Ethernet Switches

UniFi Switches

Learn More

Cisco

Video not available

Ubiquiti Networks

Overview

Cisco Ethernet Switches scale to meet the needs of networks of all sizes. They are Secure, Reliable and Seamless.

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are managed Gigabit switches (Available with 24 or 48 RJ45 Gigabit ports) designed to meet all your network needs while delivering excellent performance. The switches’ excellent network performance is combined with fiber connectivity that includes two SFP ports and the ability to process traffic without putting packet loss at risk.

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches Are:

Easy to deploy
Simple to use
Affordable
Reliable and stable

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches Support These Three Output Modes:

PoE: Uses IEEE 802.3af standard to deliver up to 15.4W.
PoE+: Uses IEEE 802.3at standard to deliver up to 30W.
PoE++: Uses IEEE 802.3bt standard to deliver up to 60W.

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches Support These Three Input Modes:

US-8 (PoE, PoE+)
USW-Flex (PoE, PoE+, PoE++)
USW-Flex Mini (PoE, PoE+)

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches Features:

Scalability
Stability
Reliable hardware
Alarm alerting system
Dual-band
PoE+ flexibility
Fiber connectivity
User-friendly GUI
Mesh networking
Secure management
High speed
Excellent dashboards
Reporting and detailed analytics
Multi-site management
Deep packet inspection

Benefits of Ubiquiti UniFi Switches:

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are silent because they are designed without a fan.
They help simplify your network infrastructure and cabling.
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches offer 24 to 48 port switch versions to work with.
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches provide redundant power if the internal power supply fails.
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches include the forwarding capacity to simultaneously process traffic on all ports at line rate without any packet loss.
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are rated as affordable when compared with competitors.
Available with 24 or 48 RJ45 Gigabit ports
Configuration with Ubiquiti UniFi is easy; It's simple to configure or reconfigure an AP or gateway quickly.
By having a mobile app, Unifi makes it easy to check on sites and to configure APs individually if necessary.
With Ubiquiti UniFi Switches, you can operate your IP cameras and phones through a single network cable.

Reviews from Real Users

A PeerSpot user who is a Director of Technical Operations/CTO at a consultancy says "The ability to deploy quickly and then having one central location for all the settings are its most valuable aspects."

"The integration with the controller is one of the most valuable features of these switches. They are also very stable. For example, we have some equipment that we haven't touched for four years that is still reliable," says Doru I., Senior solutions architect at Aplix Technologies

Murali S., Management Consultant at a consultancy, explains that “For the world where you have to balance traffic and traffic loads and bandwidth, their GUI makes it really easy because the switches, though they are enterprise grade level two or level three switches, the GUI is designed so that it's easy to set up VLANs where you need to control your traffic so that your phones don't break up and get choppy because of other people loading the network down too heavily."

Sample Customers

Linz AG

Staypineapple

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Ubiquiti UniFi Switches

May 2024

Free Report: Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Ubiquiti UniFi Switches

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Ubiquiti UniFi Switches and other solutions. Updated: May 2024.

DOWNLOAD NOW

787,779 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Ubiquiti UniFi 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.