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Cisco Catalyst Switches vs ExtremeSwitching vs NETGEAR Switches 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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
5.9
Cisco Catalyst Switches ensure long-term reliability and cost savings but opinions on cost-effectiveness vary by usage duration.
Sentiment score
4.8
ExtremeSwitching's high licensing costs are offset by zero maintenance and reduced support, with most seeing ROI within three years.
Sentiment score
6.9
NETGEAR Switches enhance efficiency and profitability through reliability, remote management, and long-term cost savings despite initial investment.
I can say in terms of money saved because up until now, in the previous places where I have worked and also now, we still use the older model, the 2960 model Cisco Catalyst Switches, which has been in existence for almost 20 years and up until now it still functions very well.
Electrical control system engineer at Dangote petroleum refinery and petrol chemicals
From an investment standpoint, deploying Cisco Catalyst Switches offers tangible benefits, including cost reductions.
Unit Nos at Orange
The return on investment is high.
Engineer at NewLogics
In the future, we can convince the customer to make use of 100G capability to suffice their requirement, but at the moment we are using 40G only.
Sr. Area Technical Manager at tata elxsi
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.8
Cisco Catalyst Switches' customer service is efficient with skilled support, but initial levels may lack expertise without an active contract.
Sentiment score
6.8
ExtremeSwitching customer service is praised for expertise and value but needs faster response times and better engineer availability.
Sentiment score
6.8
NETGEAR Switches support is generally effective, though some face challenges with documentation, quick assistance, and complex configurations.
When requesting an RMA, they replace defective items in just one day.
Network Engineer at General Authority OF ZAKAT & TAX
On a scale from one to 10, I would rate the technical support of Cisco at 10 out of 10.
student at St. Joseph's College of Engineering
Cisco's support is good, one of the best supports that you will get.
Network Manager at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
Typically, cases are handled without needing service escalation, as 90-95% of issues can be resolved by the initial contact.
Director, Solutions at TopTel
Requiring improvement in the technical support provided to customers.
Engineer at NewLogics
There are issues distinguishing which switches support cloud features.
Managing Director at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
Cisco Catalyst Switches provide modular scalability, allowing easy network expansion and generally high user satisfaction despite some configuration complexities.
Sentiment score
6.8
ExtremeSwitching is highly scalable, adaptable for various organizational sizes, supporting extensive network expansion with effective design and planning.
Sentiment score
7.0
NETGEAR Switches provide scalable solutions with virtual stacking, supporting high performance and adaptability for diverse network environments.
The scalability of Cisco Catalyst Switches is very much scalable, as it supports the stacking feature and growth; for instance, with 94K modular switches, based on the requirement, we can even increase modules for more bandwidth.
Unit Nos at Orange
Unlike Meraki, where I can bring a switch online, join it to the portal, and it becomes operational immediately.
Software Developer/ IT Analyst Individual Contributor at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
The auto-scaling and zero-touch provisioning kind of support for Nexus switches is lacking.
Network Security Engineer at a healthcare company with 11-50 employees
ExtremeSwitching is highly scalable, and I would rate it as nine out of ten.
Engineer at NewLogics
The scalability of NETGEAR Switches is easy and very beneficial for us.
Assistant Manager ICT at IHS
NETGEAR's scalability through its Insight Cloud system is on par with Ubiquiti's, although it must offer features beyond its competitors.
Managing Director at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
We used to use a lot of the 4300 switches and they're not completely compatible with the new AV line.
Teamleader Av Installers at solufak
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.2
Cisco Catalyst Switches are stable and reliable, with occasional issues in legacy models, generally rated highly for performance.
Sentiment score
7.8
ExtremeSwitching offers high reliability and consistent performance, with minor issues resolved quickly by qualified engineers for small to medium businesses.
Sentiment score
7.8
NETGEAR Switches are reliable and efficient, offering high stability with minor glitches easily fixed through firmware updates.
The stability of Cisco Catalyst Switches in my environment is somewhat problematic: legacy Cisco Catalyst Switches, even though they have licenses and support, present many hardware-related issues, such as interfaces going down very repeatedly, SFP modules failing in most cases, and hardware ports becoming faulty.
Network Security Engineer at a healthcare company with 11-50 employees
What you tell it to do is exactly what it does.
Electrical control system engineer at Dangote petroleum refinery and petrol chemicals
Cisco Catalyst Switches are stable.
Network Manager at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
I cannot report any crashes or performance issues with ExtremeSwitching; the stability and scalability have been consistent and reliable.
Director, Solutions at TopTel
The stability for ExtremeSwitching is excellent.
Assistnat Professor in Computer Science and Engineering Department at a educational organization with 201-500 employees
We've experienced failures such as a 16-port dying after three to four years.
Managing Director at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
I rarely see glitches, but we had some minor glitches over the past years, and they were easily resolved.
Teamleader Av Installers at solufak
 

Room For Improvement

Cisco Catalyst Switches are noted for performance but face criticism for high pricing, complex licensing, and user interface limitations.
ExtremeSwitching needs improvements in interface, support, reliability, documentation, pricing, AI, latency, and entry-level offerings.
NETGEAR Switches need enhanced security, improved management, better performance, and more intuitive interfaces, addressing cost and support concerns.
Cisco should provide some level of software that I can bring on-premise where I can add all my Catalyst switches for central management.
Software Developer/ IT Analyst Individual Contributor at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Currently, I don't see much AI integration with Cisco Catalyst Switches; though they've started, it still needs improvement.
Unit Nos at Orange
It is the highest cost in the market.
Network Engineer at General Authority OF ZAKAT & TAX
Unlike Cisco, Aruba, and Huawei, Extreme currently lacks SMB products in the market, but if they produce such offerings, many more customers would engage with Extreme Networks.
Director, Solutions at TopTel
ExtremeSwitching's software stability could be improved, as it sometimes crashes.
Engineer at NewLogics
Because I am not a networking specialist, I do not know much about the things in detail.
Sr. Area Technical Manager at tata elxsi
They should introduce features like dual firmware or dual boot that allow systems to be updated without downtime.
Managing Director at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Real-time analytics would be helpful regarding the analytics aspect, and this feature is not yet present and would be an improvement regarding analytics.
Teamleader Av Installers at solufak
They can improve on the commercial part, specifically the cost, as it is higher than other brands.
Assistant Manager ICT at IHS
 

Setup Cost

Cisco Catalyst Switches are costly but valued for reliability and support, with competition from Juniper and Huawei for affordability.
ExtremeSwitching offers competitive pricing, with flexible cloud licensing, though rising upgrade costs concern some markets.
NETGEAR Switches offer excellent value and advanced features, making them ideal for budget-conscious buyers like schools and municipalities.
Cisco provides unique features that justify their pricing.
Product Manager at Uop Ipl
Cisco Catalyst Switches are quite pricey.
Network Manager at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
Cisco usually is costly compared to other vendors.
Unit Nos at Orange
Our prices are very competitive when compared to Cisco and Aruba.
Director, Solutions at TopTel
ExtremeSwitching is priced in the mid-range, not too expensive nor too cheap.
Engineer at NewLogics
Some high-end switches required for specific advanced features, like precision time protocols, can be more expensive.
Managing Director at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
It is an expensive product.
Teamleader Av Installers at solufak
 

Valuable Features

Cisco Catalyst Switches provide reliable performance, excellent security, scalability, and ease of management, ideal for high-demand enterprise environments.
ExtremeSwitching is favored for its robust performance, intuitive management, security features, scalability, and efficient network administration.
NETGEAR Switches provide affordable, easy-to-manage, energy-efficient networking with diverse models and strong security, ideal for small businesses.
Cisco Catalyst Switches are valuable for their reliability and performance.
Product Manager at Uop Ipl
With Meraki access points, I do not have to have a wireless controller for them. I can configure the wireless device directly from the switch, making the setup cleaner, and that is a major reason for my preference.
Software Developer/ IT Analyst Individual Contributor at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Cisco Catalyst Switches provide high performance and security features that stand out in my daily work, where they handle a high volume of traffic with low latency, making them suitable for bandwidth-intensive applications, web applications, VoIP applications, video streaming, and major data center workloads.
Network Security Engineer at a healthcare company with 11-50 employees
The most valuable feature of ExtremeSwitching is the Extreme Fabric, specifically the switching fabric.
Engineer at NewLogics
The best features in ExtremeSwitching that I appreciate include the technology known as Extreme Fabric, which our customers find miraculous because it enables automated networks.
Director, Solutions at TopTel
The most valuable features are routing and access control.
Assistant Manager ICT at IHS
The precision time protocol feature caught our interest for future use in specific settings like churches, where low latency is required.
Managing Director at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
The best things about NETGEAR Switches are the support they provide and the ease of implementation.
Teamleader Av Installers at solufak
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the LAN Switching category, the mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Switches is 18.3%, down from 28.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ExtremeSwitching is 7.8%, up from 6.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NETGEAR Switches is 8.0%, up from 7.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
LAN Switching Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Catalyst Switches18.3%
NETGEAR Switches8.0%
ExtremeSwitching7.8%
Other65.9%
LAN Switching
 

Featured Reviews

MS
Electrical control system engineer at Dangote petroleum refinery and petrol chemicals
Reliable switching has delivered long‑term uptime, strong PoE support, and predictable performance
Cisco Systems Catalyst Switches are highly regarded for their performance, reliability, and enterprise-grade capabilities. My main reservation, however, is the pricing. The cost of Cisco Catalyst Switches—and Cisco products in general—is relatively high, especially in many African markets where organizations often need to balance budget constraints with required functionality. There are alternative vendors that offer comparable features at a lower price point. While they may not always match Cisco’s ecosystem, stability, or full feature depth, many businesses still choose them because of the significant cost savings. Another consideration is licensing, which can add to the overall total cost of ownership depending on the deployment model and required features. Overall, Cisco Catalyst Switches remain premium enterprise solutions, but when compared with other OEMs, their higher acquisition and licensing costs can be a major deciding factor for cost-conscious organizations.
Meric-Dinc - PeerSpot reviewer
Director, Solutions at TopTel
Automated fabric networking has simplified large deployments and now streamlines complex operations
The best features in ExtremeSwitching that I appreciate include the technology known as Extreme Fabric, which our customers find miraculous because it enables automated networks. With fabric technology, customers are very happy since they don't need to perform new configurations in the core, distribution, or access site, but only some configuration in access switch ports, as the network automatically knows where services start and end. It is definitely secure and very easy to install. We are utilizing ExtremeSwitching's automated network management feature, and when we sell our products to clients, we always offer Extreme Site Engine or now Platform One for cloud. Having this automated network management helps streamline operations by requiring less manpower, as infrastructure is hard to manage, but with the visualization provided by network management systems, clients only need to use a few clicks to deploy new services. There is no need to create multiple ports or VLANs, allowing even one or two individuals to operate very large networks. ExtremeSwitching's intuitive management interface has improved network performance significantly. For instance, Extreme Networks currently utilizes a very good AI system. When users need to perform configurations like MLAG, they can simply log in, ask for the configuration, and receive recommendations. This capability makes clients very happy because the management software inspects the entire network and provides valuable recommendations that lead to significant improvements.
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…
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Computer Software Company
7%
Construction Company
6%
Manufacturing Company
15%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Construction Company
10%
Energy/Utilities Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Construction Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
University
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business82
Midsize Enterprise29
Large Enterprise79
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business12
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise8
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business43
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise11
 

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 func...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Catalyst Switches?
For deployment costs, we handled the network infrastructure setup internally, so there was little to no external impl...
What needs improvement with Cisco Catalyst Switches?
Cisco Systems Catalyst Switches are highly regarded for their performance, reliability, and enterprise-grade capabili...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ExtremeSwitching?
Regarding pricing, I find it very competitive, especially in Turkey, where markets in the Middle East and Africa tend...
What needs improvement with ExtremeSwitching?
From a marketing perspective, I would like to see Extreme Networks expand its product line to include small and mediu...
What is your primary use case for ExtremeSwitching?
We are utilizing Extreme products in many cases, including a significant project in Antalya, Turkey, involving five f...
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, a...
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 ...
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

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

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Afni, Anilana Hotels and Resorts, Baylor Scott & White Health, Beachbody, Bellevue, Del Papa Distributing, Explorer Pipeline, Mindtree, Omaha World Herald, Radio 538, Sony Corporation, Telecom Italia, Telenor Arena
Blue Waters
Blaze Networks
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Netgear and others in LAN Switching. Updated: May 2026.
896,563 professionals have used our research since 2012.