Cisco DNA Center vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor comparison

Cisco and SolarWinds are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Cisco is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.0, while SolarWinds is ranked #30 with an average rating of 8.0. Cisco holds a 1.4% mindshare in NMS, compared to SolarWinds’s 0.6% mindshare. Additionally, 89% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of SolarWinds users who would recommend it.

Cisco DNA Center

Read 42 Cisco DNA Center reviews

9,196 Views
1,931 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

SolarWinds Network Device M...

Read 23 SolarWinds Network Device Monitor reviews

781 Views
750 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Cisco DNA Center

SolarWinds Network Device M...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

SolarWinds Network Device Monitor and Cisco DNA Center compete in the network management category. SolarWinds is favored for ease of use and cost-effectiveness, while Cisco DNA Center stands out with advanced features that can justify its higher price.

Features: SolarWinds Network Device Monitor offers real-time monitoring, alert notifications, and customizable dashboards for quick insights. Cisco DNA Center provides advanced automation, analytics with machine learning, and detailed network visualization.

Room for Improvement: SolarWinds could enhance its integration capabilities, expand its advanced feature set, and provide more comprehensive network control. Cisco DNA Center could streamline deployment, reduce its initial cost, and simplify user interface complexity.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SolarWinds is known for straightforward deployment with minimal setup and responsive customer support. Cisco DNA Center requires a complex deployment model aimed at larger networks, with comprehensive support necessary for implementation.

Pricing and ROI: SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is competitively priced, appealing to small to medium-sized businesses with quick ROI and low setup costs. Cisco DNA Center's higher initial cost offers long-term value through enhanced network efficiency, suitable for larger enterprises.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco DNA Center vs. SolarWinds Network Device Monitor Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center vs. SolarWinds Network Device Monitor

July 2025

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Helped 862,289 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

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

12th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Management Applications (1st), Network Automation (2nd)

SolarWinds Network Device M...

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

30th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Cisco DNA Center is 1.4%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is 0.6%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Ahmed Helmy

Sr. Director, Business Development & Sales Operations at connect professional services

Experience unified visibility and monitoring for enterprise campus and significant time savings and enhanced troubleshooting with reliable support

We have been working with Cisco DNA Center for ten years. Our clients use Cisco DNA Center for unified visibility/monitoring across Enterprise Campus both LAN & WLAN along with Access and fast technical issues troubleshooting The solution provides fast troubleshooting capabilities and fast…

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Vijay Samant

Assistant Manager at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees

Monitor network utilization and manage bandwidth efficiently with live monitoring and reliable fault management capabilities

I use SolarWinds Network Device Monitor for monitoring network utilization, bandwidth utilization, uptime, and downtime. It also assists in incident management SolarWinds Network Device Monitor provides live monitoring capabilities, which are very useful. Its fault management capabilities are…

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The monitoring features are very useful for network engineers."

"Automation helps configure devices without manual intervention, enabling zero-touch provisioning."

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

"The solution helps with the management and orchestration of campaigns. It helps with visibility and analytics. I also like its SDA configuration."

"It gives us automation capabilities for pushing out the configuration to branch networks. It also provides visibility into the health of user network devices."

"The best feature of Cisco DNA Center is the visibility page, where you can see everything on the dashboard, and you don't have to be a technical person to view the issues."

"The most valuable features of the solution are all of its security features...It is a highly scalable solution."

"Cisco is a leading network company."

More Cisco DNA Center pros

"SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is a straightforward product with valuable functionality."

"There are vital features of auto-plugin core ports"

"The most valuable features of SolarWinds Network Device Monitor are the reports. We are configuring the reports, and the first reports are only about the devices. We are configuring the thresholds in order to monitor all the devices."

"Since our devices are spread out across the world, we can see the status of these devices without having to send someone physically to a remote location, which saves money."

"You can create an attractive dashboard and create a hierarchy."

"The most valuable feature of SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is it can alert you when a device is not working."

"Overall, I rate SolarWinds Network Device Monitor ten out of ten."

"SolarWinds is flexible and works with multiple vendor devices."

More SolarWinds Network Device Monitor pros

Cons

"DNA Center has been on the market for a few years and they need to update it."

"As a user, it would be good if I could plug in controllers, suites, and devices from other vendors to Cisco DNA Center."

"The solution can be quite pricey."

"Requires more focus on the digital side of things."

"In terms of the clustering part, there are some concerns."

"When it comes to deploying wireless fields, integrating defaults into the DNS interface can be challenging."

"There is a limitation with the number of VRFs that you can have in your network, and this has caused us problems with some customers."

"One area that needs improvement is the upgrade process."

More Cisco DNA Center cons

"SolarWinds Network Device Monitor could improve by being more user-friendly. The network has so many features which make it difficult to find how to configure how to use it. It is not simple to customize."

"The solution lacks in performance monitoring."

"In terms of price, it could be less expensive."

"The main disadvantage of SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is the licensing cost, which is expensive."

"SolarWinds pricing is on the higher side, and in India, every customer is cautious about commercial aspects."

"The solution is not user-friendly."

"If everything were in the package so that everything was ready to go out of the box, that would be ideal."

"The reporting feature needs improvement because we are unable to configure reports that were included during initial implementation."

More SolarWinds Network Device Monitor cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"I rate the product's pricing an eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is very cheap, and ten is very expensive."

"The product is very costly."

"Cisco DNA Center is expensive."

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

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

"The price could be better. It's a very expensive tool."

"Our licensing agreement is for three years."

More Cisco DNA Center pricing and cost advice

"Thankfully, it doesn't take a lot of manpower to install and deploy."

"I rate the product's price as three to three and a half or on a scale of one to ten, where one means low price, and ten means high price."

"When compared with other solutions SolarWinds is more expensive."

"The enterprise license is good for the SolarWinds Network Device Monitor. However, it is expensive, they should reduce their price."

"SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is not an expensive solution."

"The price of the SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is good."

"The product is expensive."

"Well, we had a perpetual license and the renewal was $20 to $25,000."

More SolarWinds Network Device Monitor pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

10%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Computer Software Company

14%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco DNA Center?

The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it gives some kind of ease in operations, especially since our company is moving from CLI to GUI-based configuration.

See all answers

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?

We have utilized the software-defined access (SDA) feature of Cisco DNA Center. The AI-driven needs enhancements and Integration and unification of visibility and monitoring to include other areas ...

See all answers

What do you like most about SolarWinds Network Device Monitor?

I rate the product's initial setup process a nine on a scale of one to ten, where one means it is a difficult phase and ten is an easy process.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SolarWinds Network Device Monitor?

SolarWinds pricing is on the higher side, and in India, every customer is cautious about commercial aspects.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SolarWinds Network Device Monitor?

SolarWinds Network Device Monitor should include automatic diagrams in its network solutions. Additionally, there is a challenge with having to add an additional polling engine after 10,000 element...

See all answers

Comparisons

Cisco Catalyst Center vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 13% of the time

Juniper Mist Wired Assurance vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 7% of the time

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 6% of the time

Fortinet FortiManager vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 6% of the time

HPE Intelligent Management Center vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 5% of the time

More Cisco DNA Center Competitors

ScienceLogic vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor

Compared 25% of the time

IBM SevOne Network Performance Management (NPM) vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor

Compared 22% of the time

FortiMonitor vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor

Compared 20% of the time

Checkmk vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor

Compared 10% of the time

Zabbix vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor

Compared 8% of the time

More SolarWinds Network Device Monitor Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center

July 2025

Download Cisco DNA Center product report

Buyer's Guide

SolarWinds Network Device Monitor

June 2025

SolarWinds Network Device Monitor report

Download SolarWinds Network Device Monitor product report

Also Known As

DNA Center

Network Device Monitor

Overview

Cisco DNA Center offers a comprehensive platform for network automation and management, providing detailed analytics, enhanced security, and streamlined operations for both wired and wireless networks.

Cisco DNA Center integrates with Cisco infrastructure to deliver efficient network automation and management, helping organizations improve network visibility, security, and control. It supports AI-driven analytics and automated workflows to enhance operational efficiency and reduce errors. Challenges include compatibility with third-party systems, steep learning curve, and complex deployment. Its interface facilitates centralized control, vital for troubleshooting, policy management, and configuration management, with support for zero-touch provisioning and SD-Access.

What are the key features of Cisco DNA Center?

Robust Analytics: Provides detailed insights into network health with AI-driven analytics.
Centralized Security: Integrates with ISE for comprehensive security management.
Automated Device Management: Simplifies device provisioning and configuration transfers.
Wi-Fi Analytics: Offers deep insights into wireless network performance.
Zero-Touch Provisioning: Streamlines new device deployments with minimal human intervention.
Scalable Segmentation: Efficiently segments network traffic ensuring security and performance.

What benefits should users consider?

Operational Efficiency: Automation reduces potential errors and streamlines workflow.
Enhanced Security: Integration with Cisco ISE bolsters security capabilities.
Network Visibility: Comprehensive dashboards and analysis tools enhance monitoring.
Troubleshooting: Real-time monitoring aids in identifying and resolving issues swiftly.

In sectors such as healthcare, finance, and retail, Cisco DNA Center is utilized for its ability to enhance security and compliance, manage large-scale networks, and provide detailed analytics for better operational decision-making. Its support for location tracking and policy automation ensures efficient network management across diverse environments.

Cisco

Network Device Monitor is a free tool that makes it easy to monitor the real-time performance and health of a single device on your network with a desktop dashboard that alerts you when your device is in trouble.

SolarWinds

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Air Rarotonga

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center vs. SolarWinds Network Device Monitor

July 2025

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