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Cisco DNA Center vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor comparison

Cisco and SolarWinds are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Cisco is ranked #13 with an average rating of 8.0, while SolarWinds is ranked #27 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 100% of SolarWinds users who would recommend it.
Cisco DNA Center
Read 41 Cisco DNA Center reviews
  • 1,823 Views
  • 1,148 Comparison Views
89% willing to recommend
SolarWinds Network Device M...
Read 22 SolarWinds Network Device Monitor reviews
  • 725 Views
  • 600 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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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.

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To learn more, read our detailed Cisco DNA Center vs. SolarWinds Network Device Monitor Report (Updated: April 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Cisco DNA Center vs. SolarWinds Network Device Monitor
April 2025
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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
13th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
41
Ranking in other categories
Network Management Applications (1st), Network Automation (2nd)
SolarWinds Network Device M...
Ranking in Network Monitoring Software
27th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
22
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Cisco DNA Center is 1.4%, up from 0.7% 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

AvrahamSonenthal - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficiently manages our wireless network and provides valuable monitoring features
The platform's biggest benefit has been in managing our wireless network. Having a single pane of glass to control all wireless controllers and access points and to monitor activity has been a significant advantage. We're a small federal agency with around 300 network devices, so automation is a minor focus. It's more relevant for larger networks. The main benefits we've seen are in inventory management and the potential for configuration automation. However, I recommend using the DNA Centre only for larger networks with over a thousand devices; otherwise, it may not be cost-effective. Before proceeding, ensure that your devices are compatible with DNA Center, as not all Cisco devices are supported. Also, investing in proper training is different from plug-and-play. I rate it an eight.
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Vijay Samant - PeerSpot reviewer
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

"We have many people from the team who manage a lot of devices. By using Cisco DNA Center, it has taken some of that burden away, we are impressed with it. We did the investment in CAPEX, but in the OPEX was very low."
"The most valuable features of Cisco DNA Center are wireless assurance and visibility."
"It is a stable solution."
"The most valuable features of the solution are all of its security features...It is a highly scalable solution."
"Cisco VXLAN is a protocol that has been around for some time, but the practical implementation and operational capability of Cisco DNA Center bring it to life."
"The monitoring features are very useful for network engineers."
"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 solution helps in user microsegmentation."
More Cisco DNA Center pros
"The most valuable feature of SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is monitoring."
"The product is useful for switches and IP phones."
"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."
"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."
"The deployment process is quick."
"The most valuable feature of SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is it can alert you when a device is not working."
"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."
"SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is a straightforward product with valuable functionality."
More SolarWinds Network Device Monitor pros
 

Cons

"They should include UTM features in the product."
"When it comes to deploying wireless fields, integrating defaults into the DNS interface can be challenging."
"The product has many features that do not work properly."
"The solution can be quite pricey."
"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."
"An area for improvement in Cisco DNA Center is the latency in data correlation. For example, sometimes, when an issue happens, and I check the logs, I can't find the corresponding log. There's a delay in log replication, so this is what needs improvement in Cisco DNA Center. Reporting in Cisco DNA Center could also be improved because it only has a few templates, and you can't customize it based on your requirements. There aren't many options available in Cisco DNA Center regarding reporting, versus Cisco Prime, which has excellent features for different levels of detailed reports. I'd like to see real-time data replication in the next release of Cisco DNA Center, similar to what's done in Meraki. Data in Meraki is real-time with no delay, so data is immediately replicated in the cloud. Currently, there's a lag in Cisco DNA Center, and addressing that lag is the enhancement I'd like to see in Cisco DNA Center. The solution also needs to be more user-friendly."
"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."
"I would like is to have a small information pointer available. It could be a plus feature that I want to implement. When I hover my mouse over the user interface, it should provide a brief explanation. It would be helpful to have it incorporated into the UI."
More Cisco DNA Center cons
"SolarWinds Network Device Monitor lacks the granularity of other monitoring tools like LiveNX."
"Integration with different tools, such as ServiceNow and Excel, can be improved."
"The reporting feature needs improvement because we are unable to configure reports that were included during initial implementation."
"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."
"Although I haven't explored all of the features available, I wouldn't mind if the software were made to be a bit more customizable."
"The solution is not user-friendly."
"The solution lacks in performance monitoring."
"There is no mobile version of this product, and our team should be able to access it using a mobile device."
More SolarWinds Network Device Monitor cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price could be better. It's a very expensive tool."
"The solution is a little bit expensive but depends a lot on the customer's usage. If you use it in the right place, you can easily pay for it."
"The partnership price is notably high, but it ultimately depends on the chosen business model."
"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 licensing cost for Cisco DNA Center is not more than that of other solutions."
"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."
"Cisco DNA Center is expensive."
"Our licensing agreement is for three years."
More Cisco DNA Center pricing and cost advice
"Well, we had a perpetual license and the renewal was $20 to $25,000."
"The price of the SolarWinds Network Device Monitor is good."
"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."
"When compared with other solutions SolarWinds is more 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 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."
More SolarWinds Network Device Monitor pricing and cost advice
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
16%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Computer Software Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Government
9%
 

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?
The cost is very high.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Cisco DNA Center?
The system is working fine for me currently.
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 Logo
Cisco Catalyst Center vs Cisco DNA Center
Compared 11% of the time
Juniper Mist Wired Assurance vs Cisco DNA Center Logo
Juniper Mist Wired Assurance vs Cisco DNA Center
Compared 7% of the time
SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs Cisco DNA Center Logo
SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs Cisco DNA Center
Compared 6% of the time
Fortinet FortiManager vs Cisco DNA Center Logo
Fortinet FortiManager vs Cisco DNA Center
Compared 6% of the time
Meraki Dashboard vs Cisco DNA Center Logo
Meraki Dashboard vs Cisco DNA Center
Compared 5% of the time
More Cisco DNA Center Competitors
IBM SevOne Network Performance Management (NPM) vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor Logo
IBM SevOne Network Performance Management (NPM) vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor
Compared 29% of the time
ScienceLogic vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor Logo
ScienceLogic vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor
Compared 27% of the time
FortiMonitor vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor Logo
FortiMonitor vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor
Compared 27% of the time
Checkmk vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor Logo
Checkmk vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor
Compared 10% of the time
Zabbix vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor Logo
Zabbix vs SolarWinds Network Device Monitor
Compared 7% of the time
More SolarWinds Network Device Monitor Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Cisco DNA Center
May 2025
Cisco DNA Center reportDownload Cisco DNA Center product report
Buyer's Guide
SolarWinds Network Device Monitor
April 2025
SolarWinds Network Device Monitor reportDownload 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
April 2025
Free Report: Cisco DNA Center vs. SolarWinds Network Device Monitor
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