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Cisco ACI vs Juniper Contrail Networking comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 4, 2025

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

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)
Juniper Contrail Networking
Ranking in Software Defined Networking (SDN)
4th
Average Rating
7.4
Reviews Sentiment
5.6
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Software Defined Networking (SDN) category, the mindshare of Cisco ACI is 9.6%, down from 15.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Juniper Contrail Networking is 7.7%, up from 6.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Software Defined Networking (SDN) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco ACI9.6%
Juniper Contrail Networking7.7%
Other82.7%
Software Defined Networking (SDN)
 

Featured Reviews

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.
IS
Solution Architect at Posteo
Handles network connections and hosts multiple services with automation
Juniper Contrail Networking is designed to streamline and integrate networking solutions within OpenStack environments. While Juniper's strategy initially aimed at enhancing system integration, some users have reported challenges with seamless integration, with other platforms like Red Hat and Ubuntu. These integration issues sometimes led to difficulties in diagnosing problems, as they were attributed to Contrail or OpenStack rather than directed to the appropriate support channels. Additionally, concerns were raised about the complexity of involving networking components like MX routers, which often required expertise beyond the scope of software engineers. As a result, users encountered challenges in achieving comprehensive understanding and troubleshooting of networking issues within the Contrail environment.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The stability is quite good."
"Cisco ACI's multi-tenancy has been most beneficial for our network management."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is having a central point to log in."
"The most valuable feature of Cisco ACI is that it is easy to manage; we can automate and it can be scripted, and Virtual ACI is very good."
"The most important aspect of Cisco ACI in my opinion is the ease of management."
"The biggest benefit has been that it has improved communication between my endpoints in the data center."
"It is a complete re-write of everything that you've ever thought of from a networking standpoint."
"Building the ACI Fabric is its most valuable feature."
"After we finished setting Contrail up, it seemed stable enough."
"It provides proactive alerting in a single dashboard solution."
"Contrail automates the excellent communication between virtual appliances."
"Juniper Contrail Networking is low-cost for small and medium-sized businesses, and Cisco and Palo Alto solutions are more expensive."
"Juniper Contrail Networking is a stable solution."
"After we finished setting Contrail up, it seemed stable enough. Still, we never tested it in a real environment, so we don't have enough information to say whether it's stable with a given number of users and appliances. We have tested it in a lab environment, but we haven't tested enough to say that the platform is stable."
 

Cons

"ACI is not simple by any stretch of the imagination, but the initial go-at-it is pretty straightforward, which is nice."
"I believe there's room for improvement in terms of ACI's integration with various technologies."
"I would really appreciate it if Cisco came up with something centralized to monitor everything."
"We have had two calls with technical support. They are not the best. We opened a case to diagnose issues and it's taken weeks to get someone on the case and to move forward."
"The firewall has room for improvement because there is no central inspection yet on Cisco ACI."
"I have been a bit disappointed with technical support from Cisco. They will often take some time to respond."
"There should be an alternative "ACI Light" solution for smaller-sized enterprises."
"Cisco ACI is difficult both technically to build it out and then operationally to manage."
"Concerns were raised about the complexity of involving networking components like MX routers, which often required expertise beyond the scope of software engineers. As a result, users encountered challenges in achieving comprehensive understanding and troubleshooting of networking issues within the Contrail environment."
"Juniper Contrail Networking is difficult if you do not have a certificate for Juniper. Juniper is a different type of configuration or operation than Cisco."
"Visibility, especially for the top of the platform, is a nightmare. The top was documented incorrectly and really complex to complete."
"Visibility, especially for the top of the platform, is a nightmare. The top was documented incorrectly and really complex to complete. In the end, it worked but only after several weeks of work with the support of a Juniper solution engineer in Holland."
"Juniper needs to address the market's specific requirements, such as the SME sector, and offer more lower-priced products like a lower-end segment switch."
"Juniper Contrail Networking is difficult if you do not have a certificate for Juniper. Juniper is a different type of configuration or operation than Cisco."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We have saved time on the provisioning and configuration."
"Price is always an issue."
"Cisco ACI is more expensive than Juniper, however, ACI is not the most expensive option."
"The product is not cheap."
"We bought a package for hardware, software, and support. At that time, Cisco was simply selling that package to distributors, then we opted for it directly."
"It saves time and resources."
"The licensing cost for ACI is expensive - I would rate its price 2.5 out of five."
"The pricing, including both hardware and licenses, is reasonable."
"There are many vendors in the wireless market that offer better pricing, solutions, and management skills compared to Juniper."
"Juniper Contrail Networking is low-cost for small and medium-sized businesses. Cisco and Palo Alto solutions are more expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
15%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Manufacturing Company
16%
Construction Company
11%
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business20
Midsize Enterprise20
Large Enterprise87
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

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.
What needs improvement with Juniper Contrail Networking?
Juniper Contrail Networking enables the utilization of tier-two appliances and the creation of virtual networks or appliances. This is facilitated through the use of filtering devices. Additionally...
What is your primary use case for Juniper Contrail Networking?
We use the solution to host many services for multiple clients. We aim to transition from hosting Cisco clients to utilizing virtual appliances. Therefore, we intend to virtualize their infrastruct...
What advice do you have for others considering Juniper Contrail Networking?
Juniper Contrail Networking presents a distinct alternative for those encountering issues with vendor solutions. Consequently, individuals who may have previously hesitated to explore OpenStack sol...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Contrail Networking
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Bowling Green State University, du, Qatar University
Lithium Technologies, Orange Business Services, Cloudwatt, Symantec, Cloud Dynamics, CloudSeeds
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco ACI vs. Juniper Contrail Networking and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,244 professionals have used our research since 2012.