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Cisco Enterprise Routers vs ExtremeRouting comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 29, 2025

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 Routers
Ranking in Routers
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
109
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
ExtremeRouting
Ranking in Routers
6th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Routers category, the mindshare of Cisco Enterprise Routers is 18.9%, down from 24.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ExtremeRouting is 1.8%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Routers Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco Enterprise Routers18.9%
ExtremeRouting1.8%
Other79.3%
Routers
 

Featured Reviews

Donald Ochanda - PeerSpot reviewer
Long-term reliability and high performance ensure seamless operations in challenging environments
Regarding the Wi-Fi connection and setup, we need superior coverage because our market has extensive vegetation. When setting up Cisco Enterprise Routers Wi-Fi in institutions such as campuses, there are always challenges. People often opt for Ubiquiti, not because of their features, but because of the Wi-Fi signal stability. Cisco Enterprise Routers has made improvements in making configurations more user-friendly with dashboards. However, they need to do more as many people prefer simpler configurations rather than using CMD or CLI. The process of procuring Cisco Enterprise Routers equipment through channel partners needs improvement. The partners are limited compared to other products. It's cheaper to purchase Cisco Enterprise Routers equipment from the UK than from a local distributor. When purchased off-channel, the equipment is much cheaper than through the channel. This affects our ability to compete in government tenders where price is crucial, even when we can provide warranty, licenses, and renewability.
Imran Taiyeb Ali - PeerSpot reviewer
A scalable tool that needs to improve its support, software resiliency, and software stability
The support team is not technically that strong. The previous company that owned the product, Nortel, went bankrupt, after which the transition phase of the product didn't go smoothly. Avaya did not do well with the product's design and engineering after taking the product over from Nortel, after which Avaya decided to outsource the tool to my company, meaning we have worked as a vendor with third-party access to the tool in the name of Avaya. The support was very bad initially, but my company could fix the problems of the customers on time since we had better communication skills than technical-solving skills due to our limitations related to the area of device engineering. When it comes to a feature of the product, my company could enable it for the customers or users of the product. If, by any chance, my company found a bug in the tool, then it was a hectic task for our support team to deal with it since it took months to fix it. Currently, Extreme Networks takes care of the support part, and it might have improved. I rate the technical support a four out of ten.

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 feature is the command prompt, which is very user-friendly."
"The performance is good."
"We hardly have issues with Cisco equipment and I believe that reliability is the best part of Cisco."
"The solution is very stable. I have not seen any downtime due to the product freezing or anything like that. It performs well and hasn't required reboots unless it's to troubleshoot with a support service provider needing configuration. It doesn't overheat and it's on 24/7."
"What I like the most is that it's an easy plug and play device to work with."
"The quality is good. Cisco Enterprise Routers are stable and more reliable."
"Cisco is a good product that is stable."
"I like that Cisco Enterprise Routers is a stable solution. Their technical support is also really good."
"It is a very scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"Provides a good redundancy technique."
"It is very easy to set up."
"What I like about Extreme Routing is its impressive performance."
"The routing protocol is the solution's most valuable aspect."
"Looking at the robustness, I do not know whether it would be carrier grade – let's say for hundreds of thousands of users – but it certainly doesn't balk at 10,000 users or less."
 

Cons

"The solution is expensive and difficult to manage."
"Some of our customers have asked that this solution have a 10G connection."
"Cisco is not granular if we compare it to Juniper."
"It would be good if Cisco Enterprise Routers could improve their integration with other vendors. For example the AGLP protocol is supported by Cisco and not by any other vendors."
"The solution needs to offer some security features in a future release."
"The installation can be difficult, Cisco equipment is professional-grade and it requires someone with the skills and knowledge to do it."
"Depending on the customer, the initial setup could be complex."
"Cisco has acquired other companies, and due to this, there are many API-based integrations. There should be one platform that will enable a smooth integration. For example, Cisco acquired ThousandEyes, AppDynamics and Viptela. These are ideal solutions for big companies in terms of WAN connectivity. Cisco needs to ensure that there is a smooth integration mechanism in order to ease this process or point of integration."
"Some of the latest protocols are unavailable."
"It's not evolving as quickly as we would like it to."
"My advice for those looking into ExtremeRouting is: right now all switch manufacturers are backed up for months. If you're looking to implement quickly, I would say shop around a bit because it might be difficult."
"One area for improvement with Extreme Routing is the need for more accessible and comprehensive training."
"The support, software resiliency, and software stability are areas of concern where improvements are required."
"The solution is far too unstable. It's completely unreliable."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"If Cisco Enterprise Routers could be less expensive it would be better. In Turkey, clients prefer cheap solutions, but working solutions."
"The price is reasonable."
"For a boost performance license, the cost is $2,000 to $2,500. There is an additional cost for more scalability."
"The price is very high."
"I rate the product's price a six on a scale of one to ten, where one is low price and ten is high price."
"The price should be reduced."
"Cisco policy is to limit the features and performance through their license."
"It is quite costly for the same feature as compared to Huawei and Juniper. I rate the pricing an eight out of ten."
"We have no issues with the price."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Performing Arts
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business46
Midsize Enterprise24
Large Enterprise42
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

How do Cisco Enterprise routers compare with Mikrotik routers and switches?
Cisco Enterprise Routers are very stable and easy to use. They offer a very solid performance and are very secure. They also have a very good, long lifespan. We feel the command configuration is ve...
What do you like most about Cisco Enterprise Routers?
The most valuable feature of the solution is that it makes it possible for users to use encryption and decryption since our company aims to achieve transparency, and without it, the other system on...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Enterprise Routers?
The pricing is not cheap. When we provide quotations to clients, they often comment on the expense. However, we recommend the solution, and after procurement, all clients are satisfied with Cisco E...
What do you like most about ExtremeRouting?
It is a very scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.
What needs improvement with ExtremeRouting?
I think that all the devices included in Avaya fall under Extreme Networks currently. I am not sure how much Extreme Networks has changed ExtremeRouting, but I think it is in a better condition tha...
What is your primary use case for ExtremeRouting?
My company uses ExtremeRouting for a big LAN environment, where there is a need for ERS switches, including Extreme Networks Core Switches and chassis, so the product is like a big cabinet to reduc...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Avaya Enterprise Routers
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Aegean Motorway, Boingo, Chartwell School, Children's Hospital of Orange County , Department of Justice, Explorer Pipeline, Linz AG, National Rugby League, New South Wales Rural Fire Service, Telecom Italia, Transwestern
Breakthrough Urban Ministries, Black Oak Casino, Glamorgan County Cricket Club, University of San Carlos, Holland Hall School, South Euclid Lyndhurst Schools, Prairie View Networking Academy, City of Troy, Ryerson University, Linamar, City of Redondo Beach, York Region District School Board
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Enterprise Routers vs. ExtremeRouting and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
869,566 professionals have used our research since 2012.