No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.

Cisco Enterprise Network Functions Virtualization vs VMware NSX comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 3, 2026

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 Enterprise Network Fu...
Ranking in Network Virtualization
4th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
8.0
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
VMware NSX
Ranking in Network Virtualization
1st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
107
Ranking in other categories
Cloud and Data Center Security (6th), Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) (6th), Network Detection and Response (NDR) (10th), Network Automation (4th), Microsegmentation Software (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Network Virtualization category, the mindshare of Cisco Enterprise Network Functions Virtualization is 9.0%, up from 3.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware NSX is 27.3%, down from 43.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Virtualization Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
VMware NSX27.3%
Cisco Enterprise Network Functions Virtualization9.0%
Other63.7%
Network Virtualization
 

Featured Reviews

Majdi Sabbah - PeerSpot reviewer
Consultant Sales Engineer at BT Al-Saudia
Versatile, offering flexibility and scalability
I rely on Cisco Enterprise NFV for various sectors like government, campuses, and hospitality. It is a crucial foundational layer that is mandatory before delivering other services The most valuable feature is its user-friendly management dashboard. It is easy to use and covers everything in one…
TAIYAB HASAN - PeerSpot reviewer
Windows Redhat Linux Vmware & Azure & Cloud & Nutanix Ahv-Vmware & Backup Senior System Administrator at AlDawaa Medical Services
Has improved network visibility and security through micro-segmentation and SDN capabilities
This feature gives us flexibility and allows us to manage everything under one pane. We can see everything on one console, including network operations and behavior. Monitoring and security are among the best features for VMware NSX. For micro-segmentation, it's integrated with our endpoint security. If there are any issues with servers or VMs, it notifies us so we can isolate the servers and investigate. It provides distributed security features such as firewall and intrusion, IDS, IPS. The security level with IPS and IDS in VMware NSX is excellent. It also provides logical switching and routing which gives an extra layer for Layer 2 and Layer 3 switching requirements. The solution provides flexibility, automation, and self-service capabilities, resulting in cost savings as extensive expertise isn't required. Once automation and self-service are implemented, many tasks can be completed automatically. Load balancing is another excellent feature. Multiple servers can run on load balancing features, which is particularly useful since we have many application servers running. Sharing loads between servers provides the best performance.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It is easy to manage, easy to maintain, and stable, and if you set up everything alright, it will give years without any issues."
"The most valuable feature is its user-friendly management dashboard."
"Cisco is in our portfolio, which is one of the reasons that we keep working with them."
"Scalability is not a problem."
"Network Security is one of the most valuable features of Cisco Enterprise Network Functions Virtualization."
"The support system that they have in place is very good and they are easy to reach."
"Routing, switching, and wireless network security are the valuable features of Cisco Enterprise Network Functions Virtualization."
"Overall, I feel that this is a good product and I recommend it."
"The solution is very stable and reliable."
"The most valuable features are its security aspects, especially the IPS and IDS for intrusion detection and protection."
"VMware NSX has improved our customers' organizations through its automation of security policies, delivery of policy by intent, rapid provisioning, and removing security as being a blocker."
"The solution is valuable in that it makes it very easy to protect virtual machines"
"This product is like the layer between traditional networking and virtualization, giving you the flexibility to deploy and have network virtualization on different types of firewalls."
"The initial setup was straightforward. It follows a certain structure and you won't miss a step. It's all on the same level, step by step."
"The best part is the blueprint creation where I can create their things and then move on to the target environment."
"Over the last two years, they've enhanced a lot, especially in regard to integration with OpenStack."
 

Cons

"There is room for improvement in enhancing compatibility with other solutions and vendors."
"It would be helpful if they offered modularized upgrades, such as additional memory or a faster processor."
"This is a software solution, which is less stable than a hardware solution by definition."
"In terms of what could be improved, I would say the cost. The SDN hardware especially is much too expensive, specifically 799 and 9000, which act like a spine and those spines are connecting to the leaves."
"The solution's orchestration part could be improved."
"One of the things that can be improved is trimming all mobile numbers so that it aids in swiftly acquiring information for tablets or any necessary solution."
"I would like to see the principle scan introduce more models, to help with scalability issues."
"An area for improvement in VMware NSX is that it uses up more resources and is heavy on the network. What I'd like to see in the next release of the solution is more automation."
"If you start with a new or greenfield environment, it is okay to implement. However, if there are other solutions already in place, it can be difficult to implement."
"Pricing and licensing could be improved as we are a government entity."
"I would like to have automating reporting built into common service management platforms, such as JIRA, Serviceaide, and ServiceNow."
"Sometimes, it can be difficult to get to a higher level engineer if you need to, but it takes some work to make that case."
"Quite a complex solution."
"It should be more adapted to the physical side of network topology in order to prevent unavailability."
"The scalability is not perfect."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Cisco Enterprise Network Functions Virtualization is an expensive solution."
"There is a separate charge for support."
"All the institutions have to pay monthly for the services in the cloud. They have to pay $30,000 every month for this service every three years."
"VMware NSX is a cheaper product compared to its competitor, Cisco."
"We can't go without NSX, so it's invaluable from this perspective."
"This solution requires a licence."
"The price of VMware NSX is very good compared to other solutions."
"The solution is free and the price for the support can be expensive."
"The product pricing ranges from medium to expensive. I rate the pricing a seven out of ten."
"You can scale NSX if you have the resources, but it's usually expensive and complex to scale up."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Network Virtualization solutions are best for your needs.
909,153 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Government
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise2
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business34
Midsize Enterprise23
Large Enterprise69
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
What are the biggest differences between Cisco ACI and VMware NSX?
There are some very major differences between both the Products and to name a few. -Cisco ACI have physical network gear (9K Switches) where the Code runs in ACI Policy Mode & the UCS server wh...
What are the biggest differences between Cisco ACI and VMware NSX?
Once you know your way around the Cisco ecosystem, using Cisco ACI is not so difficult. It is a global product, so when you change one interface, changes are automatically reflected on every switch...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for VMware NSX?
When measuring complexity and costs for our organization, we consider some parameters for effectiveness. In terms of effectiveness in reducing operational complexity, I measure it to be high on the...
 

Also Known As

Cisco NFV
VMware Nicira, Lastline Defender
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
City of Avondale, Lumeta, Kroll Ontrack, Heartland Payment Systems, Baystate Heallth, Exostar, Tribune Media, iGATE, NTT Communications, Synergent, California Natural Resources Agency, Bloomington Public Schools, Columbia Sportswear, Join Experience S.A, Schuberg Philis
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Enterprise Network Functions Virtualization vs. VMware NSX and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
909,153 professionals have used our research since 2012.