Cisco DNA Center vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor comparison

Cisco and SolarWinds are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Cisco is ranked #11 with an average rating of 8.2, while SolarWinds is ranked #30 with an average rating of 7.8. Cisco holds a 1.4% mindshare in NMS, compared to SolarWinds’s 0.6% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of SolarWinds users who would recommend it.

Cisco DNA Center

Read 43 Cisco DNA Center reviews

7,884 Views
1,892 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

SolarWinds Network Device M...

Read 23 SolarWinds Network Device Monitor reviews

835 Views
802 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: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center vs. SolarWinds Network Device Monitor

September 2025

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Helped 869,771 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

11th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.2

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 October 2025, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Cisco DNA Center is 1.4%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is 0.6%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Cisco DNA Center	1.4%
SolarWinds Network Device Monitor	0.6%
Other	98.0%

Network Monitoring Software

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.

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

"What I found valuable in Cisco DNA Center is the Software-Defined Access Network, so the entire LAN network can be centralized and managed from a single dashboard. Cisco DNA Center is suitable for centralized management and lets you deploy switches in a centralized fashion. You can also do multiple switch port configurations simultaneously and segregate your traffic into multiple fabrics. Another valuable feature of Cisco DNA Center is enhanced security through Scalable Group Tags. Cisco DNA Center can be integrated with your Cisco ISE to enhance the port securities, and this paves the way for Software-Defined Networking in the LAN segment, which is the main advantage of Cisco DNA Center. I also like that you can use Cisco DNA Center for data assurance or correlation. The solution shows your network and client health parameters, which I find convenient for troubleshooting."

"The automation features are significant, reducing configuration time. This means outstanding functionality. By deploying the controller automatically, the rest becomes automated"

"It is a stable solution."

"It is very versatile in terms of analytics."

"DNA Center is scalable."

"The product gives a consolidated view."

"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."

More Cisco DNA Center pros

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

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

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

"The initial setup is straightforward."

"The solution and its interface are elaborate and fully integrate all monitored items for easy analysis and troubleshooting."

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

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

"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."

More SolarWinds Network Device Monitor pros

Cons

"Technical support could be better. The price could be better, and it could be more stable."

"The tool's IoT integration should be better."

"The network, data center, and SD-WAN are all being treated as different services, but I would like to have only one solution to manage all of them."

"The features of Cisco DNA Center and Cisco Prime could have more parity."

"Cisco DNA Center was a new technology for us, at the beginning, it was not easy to do, but Cisco did a lot of training with us to a level we could handle everything. The team is managing itself now without the assistance of Cisco."

"There should be an option for automation of template deployment by using the stored data. It is not easy to save configuration information for lots of devices without using other tools. There should be a tighter, better repository of information that can be merged with the templates."

"The task failure reporting or provisioning failure reporting could be a little bit better in the UI, with more information given to the user."

"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."

More Cisco DNA Center cons

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

"Integration with different tools, such as ServiceNow and Excel, can be improved."

"The security could always be improved."

"The solution is not user-friendly."

"It would be beneficial if SolarWinds Network Device Monitor could provide a feature to monitor CRC errors specifically on individual interfaces rather than the entire device. This would help in detecting intermittent issues and packet drops on main links more accurately, especially when there are CRC errors. It's important for us to be aware of these issues to avoid any voice quality problems or interruptions on our MTS links."

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

"The solution should have AI-powered issue-resolving capabilities"

More SolarWinds Network Device Monitor cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I do know that Cisco does offer some really good promotions for DNA Center to bring the costs down."

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

"The tool's licensing may not come across as something that may be friendly for users."

"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 tool is medium-priced."

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

"Cisco DNA Center is a licensed product with multiple levels of licensing available such as basic, advanced, and essential. I don't have the exact figure, but Cisco DNA Center is costly. For example, the box has information about the essential license and costs a considerable amount of money. You need to pay extra to use advanced features in Cisco DNA Center. My company sees Cisco DNA Center as a solution that's worth the money, which is why it invested in the solution. If you want centralized management for your network, especially when upgrading it, Cisco DNA Center is perfect, but it's more suitable for a large-scale rather than a small-scale network."

"The product is very costly."

More Cisco DNA Center pricing and cost advice

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

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

"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."

"The product is expensive."

"I find the cost of SolarWinds Network Device Monitor reasonable for our company. Though, I'm not aware of the exact licensing cost."

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

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

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

More SolarWinds Network Device Monitor pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Government

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Computer Software Company

11%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	9
Large Enterprise	25

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	14

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?

I am not a positive person regarding SolarWinds Network Device Monitor.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SolarWinds Network Device Monitor?

There are solutions that can perform better, but due to pricing for our corporate implementation, we had to stay with this solution. It accomplishes the necessary tasks, but there is room for impro...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 16% of the time

Juniper Mist Wired Assurance vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 6% of the time

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 5% of the time

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 5% of the time

Fortinet FortiManager vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 5% of the time

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ScienceLogic vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor

Compared 25% of the time

FortiMonitor vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor

Compared 16% of the time

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

Compared 15% of the time

ThousandEyes vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor

Compared 9% of the time

Checkmk vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor

Compared 8% of the time

More SolarWinds Network Device Monitor Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center

October 2025

Download Cisco DNA Center product report

Buyer's Guide

SolarWinds Network Device Monitor

September 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

September 2025

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