Cisco DNA Center vs Cisco Prime [EOL] comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Cisco DNA Center and Cisco Prime [EOL] are both solutions in the Network Management Applications category. Additionally, 90% of Cisco DNA Center users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of Cisco Prime [EOL] users who would recommend it.

Cisco DNA Center

Read 44 Cisco DNA Center reviews

11,084 Views
4,212 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Cisco Prime [EOL]

Read 35 Cisco Prime [EOL] reviews

91% willing to recommend

Cisco DNA Center

Cisco Prime [EOL]

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 2, 2025

Cisco DNA Center and Cisco Prime are network management solutions from Cisco. Cisco DNA Center appears to have the upper hand due to its integration with Cisco ISE and enhanced features.

Features: Cisco DNA Center provides robust analytics and security features, offering integrated identity services and a centralized dashboard for simplified deployment and monitoring. Its template-driven configuration and visual and wireless assurance features give comprehensive network insights. Cisco Prime, valued for its stability, includes heat map functionalities and inventory monitoring but lacks in-depth analytics and centralized management characteristics.

Room for Improvement: Cisco DNA Center could improve its third-party compatibility, expand VRF capacity, and strengthen integration with older hardware and other Cisco products like Meraki. Enhancements in error reporting and user interface usability are also suggested. For Cisco Prime, outdated interface, lack of support for newer Cisco devices, and limited third-party solution integration hinder its performance. Improved graphical interface and real-time monitoring could further enhance its effectiveness.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Both solutions offer on-premises or cloud deployments, with Cisco DNA Center having a more intuitive deployment process. Customer service is more positively reviewed for DNA Center, though it experiences some delays in support response. Cisco Prime also receives favorable support reviews but has challenges with new product integration.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco DNA Center has a high cost, which can affect smaller businesses, but its features justify the price by delivering significant ROI through time savings. Cisco Prime is more affordable, with bundled deals that can reduce costs, making it a worthwhile investment for large-scale deployments. However, the pricing strategy might be challenging for small enterprises.

To learn more, read our detailed Network Management Applications Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Network Management Applications

September 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 913,924 peers since 2012

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 DNA Center

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Management Applications (2nd), Network Monitoring Software (33rd), Network Automation (2nd)

Cisco Prime [EOL]

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Featured Reviews

Mahir Öztürk

Network Engineer at NGN Bilgi ve İletişim Hizmetleri

Client history has helped resolve past network issues more efficiently

I mostly use the client history feature of Cisco DNA Center. I didn't use the real-time monitoring capability of Cisco DNA Center because I primarily used it for client history regarding issues and problems. I don't use it for real-time monitoring. If there is a problem, I can inspect the situation and see what is happening, which is beneficial.

Read full review

AndrewRichardson

Network Engineer at Edmonton Catholic School Board

Has an easy implementation process, but the performance monitoring feature could be more intuitive

The project implementation was easy overall. Adapting Cisco's solutions to our specific environment required effort, as their documentation only covers some network scenarios. The deployment didn't happen all at once; it was staged and controlled to ensure a smooth transition. We started with a small test environment before gradually rolling it out to all campuses. This gradual approach helped mitigate the risk of any issues arising across multiple locations simultaneously, especially on a critical day like Monday morning. We have a team of three executives working on the process. Their job roles included network specialists and a manager. It requires maintenance, which is included in the annual cost. We receive updates and support as part of the renewal process.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The product's most valuable feature is the visual representation of the switch's front panel."

"I like that we can easily configure any new hardware. It's also easy to deploy and easy to troubleshoot."

"The biggest lesson that I have learned from working with this solution is that this technology is much easier now."

"The advice I would give to other people who want to use Cisco DNA Center is to go for it, particularly if they have Cisco infrastructure, though these days integration could be an issue."

"The monitoring is very valuable to me."

"It does a lot of things automatically, and that's the big thing with it. They're making the software so that you don't need to be as knowledgeable as me on the switching and routing side to get your work done. If you want, you can have DNA troubleshoot your problem for you and give you solutions or fix it itself, if it was something that's just a configuration issue."

"Deployment is easier than it was five or six years ago."

"In terms of software-defined networking, I think it's an outstanding product."

More Cisco DNA Center pros

"The most valuable is the assistance for network support."

"It helps us manage and monitor analytics and fix issues."

"The map overview of our campus environment shows the distribution of RF frequency channels and the distribution of a client, providing us with a great idea of where the busier areas are within our environment to allow us to tweak and tune."

"In terms of reliability especially, Cisco is light years ahead."

"Has a good wireless heatmap and search management features."

"The VLAN mapping function has been most impactful in simplifying our network management tasks."

"The solution is not inexpensive but is worth it for large-scale environments because it saves time, prevents manual errors during deployment, and is easier to troubleshoot."

"Our clients are happy with Prime, the stability is good and it's easy to manage."

More Cisco Prime [EOL] pros

Cons

"The cost is very high."

"Integration with analytic tools and API integrations would be ideal."

"An area that needs improvement is the integration with other vendors."

"The solution can be quite pricey."

"Cisco DNA Center isn't as stable, particularly with the logs, because it doesn't replicate the exact logs."

"The solution's technical support is an area with which my company's clients have a problem. Cisco doesn't provide good technical support unless a user has a big account that Cisco wants to retain."

"In my opinion, the client history in Cisco DNA Center can be longer than 10 days, perhaps extending to 15 or 20 days."

"What I want to see in Cisco DNA Center in the future is more support for other platforms so that you can manage third-party products, such as Fortinet."

More Cisco DNA Center cons

"Cisco can only be used for Cisco environments and is not compatible with other vendors."

"I would love for Cisco Prime to show bandwidth usage and consumption, but I can't monitor bandwidth usage at a given time."

"Lacking in integration with a SIEM tool."

"There is room for improvement in the Access layer."

"The solution can be slow at times."

"The user interface of Cisco Prime could be more user-friendly and increase its performance."

"The product needs to improve its stability."

"The solution is considered legacy and DNAC has overcome it because of centralized controls that allow a complete LAN network to be moved to centralized management."

More Cisco Prime [EOL] cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Licensing for Cisco DNA Center is a little bit expensive, just like any Cisco solution. Its cost could still be improved."

"The licensing cost for Cisco DNA Center is not more than that of other solutions."

"Cisco DNA Center is too expensive."

"The solution is expensive."

"We have a three-year license with them."

"Affordability is a problem because it's created for large enterprises only. So, some customers, even if their engineers want the solution, might have problems with budget limitations."

"The partnership price is notably high, but it ultimately depends on the chosen business model."

"We get a yearly license at the time we buy the product."

More Cisco DNA Center pricing and cost advice

"The price of Cisco Prime was reasonable because we purchased it as part of a Cisco One package. The package was a bundle of Cisco solutions together, such as Cisco ISE and CMX. The price is reasonable com compared to other solutions."

"I rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten."

"We update the license every five years."

"You need to get special quotes from the company for each order."

"The product's performance monitoring feature could be more intuitive."

"If we have a license for Cisco DNA, we can use the same license for Cisco Prime."

"Cisco Prime is an expensive solution."

"The product is expensive compared to other vendors in the market."

More Cisco Prime [EOL] pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Network Management Applications solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

913,924 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

Government

Comms Service Provider

Construction Company

13%

Government

Financial Services Firm

Outsourcing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	12
Midsize Enterprise	9
Large Enterprise	24

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	24

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco DNA Center?

After evaluating other solutions, we will provide feedback.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco DNA Center?

The deployment of Cisco DNA Center was complex due to the fact that on the data center side, we have a Juniper infrastructure, which created some complexity, though not significant. The deployment ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Cisco DNA Center?

In my organization, we currently have some Cisco devices such as access switches, and we also have infrastructure, but that is not part of our responsibility. We do not manage that infrastructure. ...

See all answers

Ask a question

Earn 20 points

Comparisons

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 6% of the time

Cisco Networking Platform vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 6% of the time

Cisco Catalyst Center vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 4% of the time

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 4% of the time

Juniper Mist Wired Assurance vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 3% of the time

More Cisco DNA Center Competitors

DX Spectrum vs Cisco Prime [EOL]

Compared 11% of the time

ExtremeCloud IQ vs Cisco Prime [EOL]

Compared 10% of the time

Fortinet FortiManager vs Cisco Prime [EOL]

Compared 8% of the time

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs Cisco Prime [EOL]

Compared 8% of the time

Huawei eSight vs Cisco Prime [EOL]

Compared 6% of the time

More Cisco Prime [EOL] Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center

September 2026

Download Cisco DNA Center product report

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Prime [EOL]

September 2026

Download Cisco Prime [EOL] product report

Also Known As

DNA Center

Cisco Prime Infrastructure

Overview

Cisco DNA Center delivers powerful centralized security, automation, and comprehensive analytics for enhanced network management. With an intuitive dashboard and integration with Cisco devices, it reduces errors, boosts efficiency, and ensures seamless wired and wireless network operations.

Organizations leverage Cisco DNA Center for network management and automation, offering increased visibility into traffic flows and efficient device provisioning. It supports real-time data transmission, network segmentation, and integrates with ISE. Features like wireless assurance, centralized management, and AI-driven insights into network health promote an efficient network environment while addressing compliance issues. However, improvements are necessary for better third-party integration, affordability, and more user-friendly documentation.

What are the solution's most important features?

Comprehensive Analytics: Provides in-depth network insights through real-time data.
Centralized Security: Unifies security management, offering enhanced protection.
Network Management: Simplifies device configuration and policy compliance.
Automation Capabilities: Reduces human error and facilitates efficient network operations.
AI-Driven Assurance: Delivers insights into network health for proactive management.

What benefits and ROI should users look for?

Increased Efficiency: Streamlines operations by reducing manual tasks.
Improved Security: Enhances protection through centralized policies.
Cost Effective: Simplifies management, potentially lowering operating costs.
Enhanced Visibility: Offers comprehensive data for better decision-making.

In industries like healthcare, finance, and education, Cisco DNA Center's advanced features facilitate the management of complex network infrastructures and aid in achieving compliance efficiently. Its ability to manage LANs and WLANs supports diverse networking environments including greenfield projects and SPN setups.

Cisco

Cisco Prime products deliver next-generation management by supporting an intuitive workflow-oriented user experience and integrated lifecycle operations across Cisco architectures, technologies, and networks.

Cisco

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Mohawk Industries, Universidad EAFIT, Halton Healthcare

Buyer's Guide

Network Management Applications

September 2026

Download Free Report

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Fortinet, Skyline Communications and others in Network Management Applications. Updated: September 2026.

DOWNLOAD NOW

913,924 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our list of best Network Management Applications vendors.

We monitor all Network Management Applications reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.