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Brocade Ethernet Switches vs NETGEAR 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Brocade Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
23rd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
11
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
NETGEAR Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
6th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
57
Ranking in other categories
LAN Switching (8th), AV Over IP Switching (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Brocade Ethernet Switches is 1.5%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NETGEAR Switches is 7.3%, down from 8.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
NETGEAR Switches7.3%
Brocade Ethernet Switches1.5%
Other91.2%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

PB
Data Center Admin at Sysnet Global Technologies
Experience seamless configuration with secure and adaptable network solutions
I use Brocade Ethernet Switches because they are scalable. I recommend them since they are easy to configure. They are connected and used every day in our operations It is good and scalable. It is easy to configure and provides good technical support. Brocade Ethernet Switches are good to…
Tomas Devriese - PeerSpot reviewer
Teamleader Av Installers at solufak
VLAN support has improved audiovisual installations and secures network traffic for our projects
Our major use cases include audiovisual installations and we mainly use the AV line for that. We work with the VLAN support feature The best things about NETGEAR Switches are the support they provide and the ease of implementation. The ease of installation helps with network performance. It helps…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It has good integration with HPE Primera. They have smart zoning in which the administration is very easy. You don't have to do anything. Zoning and other things are done automatically if you just enable the smart zoning. That's one very good thing in HP."
"The switches last for a very long time; it's stable for doing its functions as a black and gray switch, and it's a very good switch, at least the older ones, which I have been using for ten years and are still in use."
"There's a zone for each server and services in the storage."
"The switches are very flexible and easy to deploy and manage, are energy-saving and help to effectively reduce costs, perform at great speeds, protect the topology using root guard, and can handle redundancy and failovers automatically."
"The initial setup was really straightforward and easy."
"One of the valuable features of this solution is that it works with the concept of zoning, where there's a zone for each server and services in the storage, and when the link of a full port is failing, it automatically switches to another port so you don't lose the connection, which is pretty important for the high level of availability of the applications and the access to the storage data."
"The most important feature of this solution is the performance because we have many switches and we have a performance for Brocade Ethernet Switches that needs about 16 gigabyte per second."
"CLI and supported technologies are very close to Cisco."
"Out-of-the-box, it works for our main use case; when passing multicast video across the network, our technicians don't have to make any changes, and if we do need to make configuration changes for a custom scenario, the web interface is user intuitive so it's easy to use and change."
"The remote troubleshooting features provide a single pane of glass where I can see my all my clients' equipment. If they're reporting a problem, I can go to the Insight Pro interface online and I can bring up that client and I can see all their devices and the status of all their devices."
"Valuable features include network monitoring and ease of programming for VLANs, etc. I especially like NETGEAR because it's easy to teach system administrators how to use them, how to look at them, how to make changes to them without having the complexity of CLIs, but still having a CLI should we need it."
"The solution is reliable and it is easy to setup."
"Instead of going with discrete switches, which have to be managed separately, one of the big advantages of this product is that you can put it all in one stack, and the whole switch stack is viewed as one big switch, which is really good for us."
"For us to have a system where we can run a 4K video source virtually anywhere in a building without having to worry about really expensive matrix switchers, this is the way AV is going in the next little while."
"There is a lot of helpful documentation that helps with the configuration process."
"The solution is simple to use. I am also impressed with the tool's GUI and CLI."
 

Cons

"No graphical interface."
"This solution doesn't have a graphical interface and that's an issue."
"Brocade Ethernet Switches could improve by having better compatibility with web management of older versions."
"There are some performance issues that I would like to see improved."
"Technically the product is always improving the software part, but the hardware needs to be more reliable."
"Brocade Ethernet Switches need a better interface and centralized management."
"You need skills and knowledge to configure brocade switches."
"It could be made easier to configure with a graphical interface."
"There's a lack of chips and, consequently, a lack of deliveries. They're out of stock at their European warehouse."
"The installation process is long. It takes one hour to make an account, to go to the switch web interface, et cetera."
"The security features must be improved."
"Centralized monitoring is there, but competitors like Cisco Prime are at a higher level of centralized monitoring."
"Perhaps in the future, we will have even more different types of switches and be able to fulfill more collections."
"Though the tool's useability is good, it has certain shortcomings where improvements are required."
"They need to implement a fully-featured CLI in their enterprise-class switches if they want to compete in that space and market."
"If it’s generating a lot of hits, then it can hang up network."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of Brocade Ethernet Switches is expensive."
"Insight pricing is okay. It's very competitive. The costs of the hardware and additional services weren't low because Unify is much cheaper, but the costs conformed to the market. When you look at the hardware specs, the price and the warranty, the complete package was much better than any other vendor. If you consider those three main aspects of Netgear Insight and Netgear Insight devices, and you put them next to Ubiquity or Cisco Meraki, or even TP-Link, in our opinion, it's better hardware, it has a better warranty, and for the price you have to pay, it's a pretty good product."
"In terms of the NETGEAR stuff, there weren't any surprises. The costs were definitely fair, especially considering what we were replacing. For the equivalent performance from a non-AV over IP solution, it would have been easily been in the $40,000 range. Comparing it to standard AV video switching, the price was very good, especially considering now they can add-on without any massive additional costs."
"There are no licensing costs. It only involves the costs of the devices."
"It's cheaper than Cisco. For the features it offers, the pricing is good."
"This is a one-time purchase and there are no licensing fees."
"I believe that the pricing is reasonable."
"The pricing is phenomenal. It's not only good for the company providing the solution, but the customer gets a good deal too. There's a good profit margin for the business to be able to resell it to a client or to offer a good price to the client. It's a win-win for both the company providing this particular equipment to the customer and for the customer."
"We find the cost of NETGEAR hardware and additional services to be below average compared to the top tier. There are still cheaper products out there, but they lack in functionality."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
8%
Healthcare Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Construction Company
9%
University
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise7
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business43
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise11
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Brocade Ethernet Switches?
To improve, it could be made easier to configure with a graphical interface.
What is your primary use case for Brocade Ethernet Switches?
I use Brocade Ethernet Switches because they are scalable. I recommend them since they are easy to configure. They are connected and used every day in our operations.
What advice do you have for others considering Brocade Ethernet Switches?
I would recommend Brocade Ethernet Switches because they are easy to configure and have good technical support. I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
How do NETGEAR switches compare with Cisco ethernet switches?
NetGear switches have a lot to offer. They have high availability, zero-downtime stacking, L2 and L3 functionality, and are AV-over-IP ready. NetGear switches also have a command line interface and...
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...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NETGEAR Switches?
If I were to rate price, I would give it eight or nine points. It is an expensive product.
 

Also Known As

No data available
NETGEAR Insight Managed Switches, NETGEAR GC Series, NETGEAR M Series
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Ajubeo, Akquinet AG, Big Data Analytics Provider Boligkontoret Danmark Bristol is Open, CDE Lightband, Cicero School District 99, City and County of San Francisco, Department of Emergency, City of Chattanooga, Cloudscale.sh
Blaze Networks
Find out what your peers are saying about Brocade Ethernet Switches vs. NETGEAR Switches and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
909,099 professionals have used our research since 2012.