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Aviatrix vs Cisco ACI comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 25, 2026

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

Aviatrix
Ranking in Software Defined Networking (SDN)
3rd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco ACI
Ranking in Software Defined Networking (SDN)
2nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
103
Ranking in other categories
Network Virtualization (1st), Cloud and Data Center Security (7th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Software Defined Networking (SDN) category, the mindshare of Aviatrix is 6.4%, up from 4.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco ACI is 11.4%, down from 14.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Software Defined Networking (SDN) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco ACI11.4%
Aviatrix6.4%
Other82.2%
Software Defined Networking (SDN)
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer1469877 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network & Security Administrator at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
Centralized console has streamlined multi‑cloud management and supports automated operations
Apart from the centralized management console, Aviatrix gives the additional advantage or simplifies the way we manage the cloud environments. When it comes to troubleshooting or more networking-related issues, the native cloud solution has limited options available within the cloud environment. Aviatrix provides those additional benefits to manage effectively when managing troubleshooting or issues. Aviatrix is making our day-to-day job easier and also saving a lot of time because it gives options for cloud-to-cloud peering, as well as a transit hub and spoke architecture. It simplifies how we manage the multi-cloud environment through the single console, and the connectivity options become very easier. Aviatrix supports the automation platform. It supports Infrastructure as Code (IAC), which makes deployment faster with automation. This reduces operational overhead. Aviatrix has positively impacted my organization by making management and administration easier, allowing us to manage all the cloud infrastructure from a single console. There is less overhead on operations due to automation support, and cloud network segmentation has become more advanced.
Rahul Khandelwal - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Technical Manager at KPMG
Enables streamlined data center management with automation and application-centric design
The main features of Cisco ACI that I really appreciate are the application-centric and network-centric designs, allowing you to create your network according to your application. That's helpful, and it's good for one-time implementation. The automation capabilities are really helpful. We deployed one data center using Terraform, and after deployment, many automation features are available, which can be very helpful. Based on my experience, Cisco ACI provides substantial capability; you can design your network accordingly and it's part of the SDN family, providing many benefits to the organization, especially when moving from traditional network infrastructure. Many organizations are actually using the old traditional Nexus infrastructure or some old data center devices. It gives you significant control and one-time implementation capabilities, and it also provides better performance and security. Functionality-wise, Cisco ACI provides integration using automation. We implemented it through Terraform, which was easy. Those features are available, so I don't think any new features are needed right now; something new could come up, but they have implemented many improvements over the years.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The product has greatly improved our organization by saving costs for multiple direct connections and simpler cloud configurations."
"It has enhanced the way I can deploy and manage VPCs and other connectivity services, provided valuable insights into latency, ports used, and top talkers, and offered effective troubleshooting tools."
"Within the Aviatrix ecosystem, you could connect different clouds, and the intricacies of low-level commands and configurations were abstracted away."
"It has enhanced the way I can deploy and manage VPCs and other connectivity services, provided valuable insights into latency, ports used, and top talkers, and offered effective troubleshooting tools."
"Aviatrix has positively impacted my organization by making management and administration easier, allowing us to manage all the cloud infrastructure from a single console."
"Its exceptional capability to seamlessly integrate with various cloud services makes it the preferred choice for multi-cloud deployments."
"The most valuable feature of Aviatrix is that it saves us a lot of time."
"The connections are seamless, and we can access the static clouds on the platform itself. We are also able to trace the issues. The most valuable features of the solution are security, user interface, and performance."
"The centralized configuration is its most valuable feature."
"The most valuable feature is programmability, where we can manage a network via APIs and software, as opposed to having to manage complex hardware."
"It improves security and automation."
"The basic functionality that is the most useful is creating a virtual network on a physical device."
"This solution is easy to configure, and it is done in an object-oriented manner."
"Having a lot of racks and switches with a single point of configuration which can be done with automation on one platform using one API. This makes everything work faster."
"The centralized management of the entire network data center, in this case with ACI, is the most valuable feature. By having access to some powerful APIs you can build your own tool to speak to the ACI controller, then with that, you can deploy things really fast. Having the option to build your own tools and then using the centralized management of the ACI to push the configuration to the network devices is very valuable."
"The good thing about ACI is its integration with the different hypervisors, as it supports VMware, Hyper-V, and KVM and can integrate with the virtual environment of Hyper-V, VMware, and KVM very well while its automation also helps deploy and do the integration very easily in the virtual compute part of the network."
 

Cons

"One area that could use improvement is IPv6 support."
"There could be an easy availability of multiple features in the profile."
"There is room for improvement regarding enhancing its security features in response to modern cybersecurity challenges."
"Aviatrix should include more integrated security features like intrusion detection and lateral movement detection."
"There can be a steep learning curve for users who are not familiar with it or multi-cloud networking concepts"
"The tool has a very limited local presence in the GCC market. I am based in Dubai, UAE and it would be very difficult for me to reach out to US staff for technical discussion during the tool’s implementation. The tool needs to focus on the GCC market which includes UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, etc. There is nobody to help you out in this region."
"I find that the pricing, setup costs, and licensing for Aviatrix are on the higher side."
"The solution needs to improve the onboarding architecture."
"Because this is new technology, which requires a different way of thinking, it can be hard to understand. Therefore, I would like more documentation or education."
"Cisco ACI would benefit by providing the option to integrate easily with DNAC in their next release."
"The integration has room for improvement. There should be a drag-and-drop interface for configuring the integration where you connect some arrows to boxes, and the system takes care of the configuration. Right now, they have something similar, but it's limited. You have to take care of some things yourself. That is one area that the solution can work on. It's easy now, but it's much easier in other solutions."
"We had issues in the first deployment when we tried to finish the migration from traditional networking to Cisco ACI."
"Its graphical user interface (GUI) is not as user-friendly as it could be."
"If you don't have visibility and you want micro-segmentation and you don't want to pay, then ACI is not your solution."
"Figuring out how to implement the product for clients is the area we struggle with the most every day."
"ACI is not simple by any stretch of the imagination, but the initial go-at-it is pretty straightforward, which is nice."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It operates on a consumption-based model and the expenses depend on factors such as the number of virtual machines you use and the resources consumed."
"The tool is quite expensive."
"During the initial phase, it operates as an open-source and it's a free tool."
"Aviatrix is a pretty expensive solution."
"We used Cisco Professional Services for the deployment. They were outstanding, but very expensive."
"The pricing and licensing are both high, particularly if you want a high level of functionality. It would be great if the price and licensing cost could be decreased."
"Yearly, we pay around one point two million for the solution."
"This is an expensive solution."
"There are no additional costs. We only have to pay for a support contract apart from the license."
"A big company can automate it themselves or spend a lot of money and buy it."
"The pricing, including both hardware and licenses, is reasonable."
"The good thing about Cisco is that you can trade in your old products to replace them with ACI."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
10%
Outsourcing Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Retailer
8%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
9%
Healthcare Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business1
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise5
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business21
Midsize Enterprise19
Large Enterprise87
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aviatrix?
I find that the pricing, setup costs, and licensing for Aviatrix are on the higher side.
What needs improvement with Aviatrix?
I have seen some cosmetic bugs with Aviatrix, particularly with the console. Although the Aviatrix team releases versions to address these concerns, I have personally observed that the console can ...
What is your primary use case for Aviatrix?
My main use case for Aviatrix is for managing our multi-cloud environment. We have our environment on Azure cloud, AWS, or GCP. We are in a hybrid or multi-cloud environment. To have centralized co...
What are the biggest differences between Cisco ACI and VMware NSX?
There are some very major differences between both the Products and to name a few. -Cisco ACI have physical network gear (9K Switches) where the Code runs in ACI Policy Mode & the UCS server wh...
What are the biggest differences between Cisco ACI and VMware NSX?
Once you know your way around the Cisco ecosystem, using Cisco ACI is not so difficult. It is a global product, so when you change one interface, changes are automatically reflected on every switch...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco ACI?
Cost is one thing that could be improved, as it is heavy for an emerging market like ours.
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

Aviatrix Enterprise Contract
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Hyatt, Robert Half, GREE
Bowling Green State University, du, Qatar University
Find out what your peers are saying about Aviatrix vs. Cisco ACI and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
884,976 professionals have used our research since 2012.