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Aviatrix vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
Software Defined Networking (SDN) (4th)
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
96
Ranking in other categories
Network Management Applications (6th), Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (2nd), WAN Edge (2nd)
 

Featured Reviews

Bharadhwaj Bathini - PeerSpot reviewer
Seamless integration features for multi-cloud environments with significant challenges regarding security and support
There is room for improvement regarding enhancing its security features in response to modern cybersecurity challenges. This includes implementing advanced security measures like multi-factor authentication when connecting with various technologies and during login processes. Additionally, the user experience could be improved by offering more practical training courses, helping users understand the purpose and capabilities of Aviatrix, especially in scenarios like archiving systems. Offering temporary subscriptions to external users could boost adoption and usage. Clear communication of policies, terms, and conditions is also recommended to ensure users are well-informed about what can and cannot be done. These enhancements would provide a more user-friendly experience.
Henry Rosenstiehl - PeerSpot reviewer
Comprehensive support and ease of implementation enhance operational efficiency
With Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, I have centralized orchestration and management. The transport independence of MPLS or connectivity and internet connectivity is another excellent feature. End-to-end segmentation is also provided. I use the application-aware routing feature. Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN supports dynamic police-based routing decisions based on application type or different performance metrics such as jitter or latency. The benefit of that feature is that it improves user experience. The principal benefit of application-aware routing is that critical applications are prioritized or routed over the best performing paths to reduce outages and service degradation. There is full visibility of applications. Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN has integrated security features which include base firewall, URL filtering, IPS, and secure segmentation, and it supports integration with other Cisco products such as Umbrella or Snort. This feature is beneficial for the client because the information is secure. It is important that Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN supports cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments for my organization because it allows for scalability and faster deployment in the cloud. It reduces operational needs because I don't need to manage physical controller hardware, and updates and maintenance can be centralized and automated. The zero-touch provisioning feature is very important for the speed of deploying new branch locations. I can deliver the device to the branch, and it is important because simplified deployment makes the implementation start more easily since devices are auto-configured and authenticate without manual intervention.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Within the Aviatrix ecosystem, you could connect different clouds, and the intricacies of low-level commands and configurations were abstracted away."
"Its exceptional capability to seamlessly integrate with various cloud services makes it the preferred choice for multi-cloud deployments."
"This tool resolves the overlapping of CIDR’s IP addresses in a multi-cloud environment, which is its best feature. The product also gives packet-level details on the data that has been put from one cloud to another. Currently, no other solution in the market can give this kind of detail. There is also the high VPN connectivity which gives high throughput. Internet service providers have a limitation on large migrations like 10 Gigabytes or 2 to 2.3 GBPS. However, this tool gives you a functionality where you can bundle multiple tunnels into one tunnel. Thereafter, you can transfer the data from one environment to another or from on-prem to the cloud."
"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 product has greatly improved our organization by saving costs for multiple direct connections and simpler cloud configurations."
"Configuration interfaces are quite easy and intuitive. Being a part of the Cisco environment, Cisco SD-WAN is quite straightforward."
"I would consider Cisco support a 10 out of 10."
"Cisco SD-WAN is valued for its operational efficiency and ease of operation."
"The first part that we like is that we can reuse certain hardware, which is a valuable asset. You can use hardware SKUs that already exist in the network. The second part that we like is the integration with the cloud and the measurement of the cloud's quality. These are the two values that this solution gives as compared to other implementations that we have seen."
"You get security, all of the service you need, and it's easy to deploy."
"The regular net routing is a good feature."
"It is very simple and easy to manage, compared to other methods."
"The most useful feature for our organization is the combination of on-prem and cloud-based deployments. We connect securely to our hybrid cloud using transit VPCs and cloud on-ramp for fast deployments."
 

Cons

"Aviatrix should include more integrated security features like intrusion detection and lateral movement detection."
"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."
"There could be an easy availability of multiple features in the profile."
"The solution needs to improve the onboarding architecture."
"There can be a steep learning curve for users who are not familiar with it or multi-cloud networking concepts"
"There is room for improvement regarding enhancing its security features in response to modern cybersecurity challenges."
"The security features could be improved."
"The whole solution needs to be re-imagined. It's quite complex right now and really needs to be simplified to make it easier for those of us using it. It should offer more simplified management as well."
"Integration with other OEMs and the API part needs improvement to be more user-friendly, especially in terms of GUI."
"The licensing model needs to be improved."
"The solution could be a bit cheaper."
"Cisco products are a little bit complicated, so making them a little bit easier would be an improvement."
"Cisco SD-WAN's clustering mechanism needs to be improved. If there are more than five milliseconds of latency time between installations of the VM manager, the cluster automatically breaks down."
"Cisco SD-WAN is not as easy to deploy as the Meraki and FortiGate solutions. The zero-touch deployment could be a lot better. The deployment and initial setup are complicated and could be better."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The tool is quite expensive."
"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."
"During the initial phase, it operates as an open-source and it's a free tool."
"Aviatrix is a pretty expensive solution."
"It is expensive."
"Licensing is on a subscription basis."
"80 percent reduction in WAN costs. There are no MPLS or P2P circuits left in the organization."
"We pay for the Cisco Customer Care support, which is a couple of hundred dollars."
"The initial cost is quite significant, but the investment is worthwhile."
"The cost is reasonable. I would rate the price as seven out of ten."
"In the Russian market where we operate, this solution is expensive."
"Cisco is more expensive than FortiGate."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
21%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Insurance Company
8%
Educational Organization
20%
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Aviatrix?
The most valuable feature of Aviatrix is that it saves us a lot of time.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aviatrix?
Aviatrix is a pretty expensive solution. Users have to pay a yearly licensing fee for the solution and the support. You can't buy the product without support.
What needs improvement with Aviatrix?
Aviatrix should include more integrated security features like intrusion detection and lateral movement detection.
What do you like most about Cisco SD-WAN?
When considering the most valuable features of Cisco SD-WAN, the decoupling of self-monitoring stands out significantly.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco SD-WAN?
The pricing of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is rated between eight and nine out of ten, where ten is the most expensive.
What needs improvement with Cisco SD-WAN?
There's nothing I could put my finger on right away for improvements in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN. There is definitely nothing that Juniper does that Cisco doesn't do. Cisco will do everything Juniper ...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Cisco SD-WAN
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Hyatt, Robert Half, GREE
Doyle Research, Ashton Metzler & Associates
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, TP-Link, Aviatrix and others in Software Defined Networking (SDN). Updated: June 2025.
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