Cisco Enterprise Routers vs ExtremeRouting comparison

Cisco and Extreme Networks are both solutions in the Routers category. Cisco is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.2, while Extreme Networks is ranked #12. Cisco holds a 16.1% mindshare in R, compared to Extreme Networks’s 2.5% mindshare. Additionally, 97% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Extreme Networks users who would recommend it.

Cisco Enterprise Routers

Read 110 Cisco Enterprise Routers reviews

2,474 Views
2,375 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

ExtremeRouting

Read 6 ExtremeRouting reviews

272 Views
239 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cisco Enterprise Routers

ExtremeRouting

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 29, 2025

ExtremeRouting and Cisco Enterprise Routers are competing products in the enterprise networking industry. Cisco Enterprise Routers appear to have the upper hand due to their extensive features, advanced security protocols, and comprehensive integration capabilities, justifying their higher price point.

Features: ExtremeRouting offers robust scalability, agile network management, and impressive performance during high-demand scenarios. Cisco Enterprise Routers provide advanced security protocols like IPsec and SSL VPNs, comprehensive integration capabilities, and extensive support for routing policies.

Room for Improvement: ExtremeRouting could enhance its feature set to match sophisticated demands such as advanced security features and integration capabilities. Additionally, improving flexibility and offering more in-depth documentation would be beneficial. Cisco Enterprise Routers would benefit from simplified deployment processes, reduced complexity for new users, and more competitive pricing options for small enterprises.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: ExtremeRouting is known for straightforward deployment processes and efficient customer support, which facilitate quick network integration. Cisco Enterprise Routers, while requiring a more complex setup, are supported by extensive networks and offer robust technical assistance to ease the deployment process.

Pricing and ROI: ExtremeRouting typically offers lower setup costs, appealing to smaller deployments with promising ROI. In contrast, Cisco Enterprise Routers require higher initial investments but offer substantial long-term ROI, especially suited for large-scale infrastructures due to their advanced features and support.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Enterprise Routers vs. ExtremeRouting Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Enterprise Routers vs. ExtremeRouting

December 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 881,082 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 Enterprise Routers

Ranking in Routers

2nd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.0

Number of Reviews

110

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

ExtremeRouting

Ranking in Routers

12th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Routers category, the mindshare of Cisco Enterprise Routers is 16.1%, down from 22.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ExtremeRouting is 2.5%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Routers Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Cisco Enterprise Routers	16.1%
ExtremeRouting	2.5%
Other	81.4%

Routers

Featured Reviews

reviewer2759889

Pre-Sales Technical Specialist at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Has supported robust enterprise deployments and management while pricing and market reach for advanced features need attention

I'm not sure what improvements could be made on the configuration scale since I'm not involved in complete configuration. Currently, it works effectively and they are incorporating AI adoption. Commercially and financially, the pricing is too high. Customers feel that Cisco Enterprise Routers will not offer the most competitive prices. If they can work on pricing, it would be easier for customers who are considering local products. In India, the government has implemented the Make in India initiative, and Cisco has established a manufacturing unit there. Regarding security products, they need to improve market reach, marketing, and training. While Cisco Enterprise Routers are user-friendly for network and wireless platforms, security product configuration and integration are considered complex compared to FortiGate, Check Point, Sophos, and Palo Alto. They have introduced solutions such as Cloud Defense Orchestrator and Firewall Manager (FMC), but the reach of Cisco security products in India needs improvement.

Read full review

Imran Taiyeb Ali

Senior Solutions Specialist at a comms service provider with 201-500 employees

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.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The stability is very good."

"It is issue-free."

"Cisco is a good product that is stable."

"I haven't assessed it in that way, they provided us with excellent service. We had very few issues."

"It's easy to use, and there is a lot of information available on the internet."

"The performance is good."

"It's a very helpful machine and has helped me increase my performance in the network."

"The solution has been highly secure."

More Cisco Enterprise Routers pros

"It is very easy to set up."

"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."

"What I like about Extreme Routing is its impressive performance."

"It is a very scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."

"Provides a good redundancy technique."

"The routing protocol is the solution's most valuable aspect."

Cons

"Sometimes, I find it hard to learn how some features of the router work. So, these are the issues that may arise when a user might not have knowledge about the product."

"This solution is scalable but it does need some improvements."

"The price could be lowered."

"The only other thing we struggled with from time to time is when we were configuring access points through a controller."

"The installation can be difficult, Cisco equipment is professional-grade and it requires someone with the skills and knowledge to do it."

"The only disadvantage is that the router comes with specific interfaces, typically two or three, and adding another interface requires an additional card, which increases the cost."

"There needs to be an integration with SD-WAN for the solution."

"The product's price is an area of concern where improvements are required to be made by making it cheaper."

More Cisco Enterprise Routers cons

"One area for improvement with Extreme Routing is the need for more accessible and comprehensive training."

"Some of the latest protocols are unavailable."

"It's not evolving as quickly as we would like it to."

"The support, software resiliency, and software stability are areas of concern where improvements are required."

"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."

"The solution is far too unstable. It's completely unreliable."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is no licensing cost."

"We are on a three-year license and since we use the solution in an educational institute it is priced reasonably."

"It's expensive and the pricing could be improved."

"The solution is costly for small businesses."

"Normally, we pay for the licenses upfront. I think it's mostly just a perpetual, once-off license."

"The price is reasonable."

"There is a license required for the use of this solution."

"It is quite costly for the same feature as compared to Huawei and Juniper. I rate the pricing an eight out of ten."

More Cisco Enterprise Routers pricing and cost advice

"We have no issues with the price."

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Routers solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Performing Arts

Government

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	46
Midsize Enterprise	24
Large Enterprise	43

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...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Enterprise Routers?

It is expensive, but I am not the person purchasing the products; I just handle the configuration.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco Enterprise Routers?

The software cannot be updated usually. The price is very high here in Egypt. Cisco devices are the most expensive. The AI technology must be included in the future to make it even better. They nee...

See all answers

Ask a question

Earn 20 points

Comparisons

MikroTik Routers and Switches vs Cisco Enterprise Routers

Compared 42% of the time

Huawei Enterprise Routers vs Cisco Enterprise Routers

Compared 18% of the time

HPE Enterprise Routers vs Cisco Enterprise Routers

Compared 12% of the time

Juniper MX Series Routers vs Cisco Enterprise Routers

Compared 10% of the time

OneAccess Enterprise Routers vs Cisco Enterprise Routers

Compared 9% of the time

More Cisco Enterprise Routers Competitors

Juniper MX Series Routers vs ExtremeRouting

Compared 30% of the time

MikroTik Routers and Switches vs ExtremeRouting

Compared 30% of the time

HPE Enterprise Routers vs ExtremeRouting

Compared 21% of the time

MikroTik Cloud Router Switch vs ExtremeRouting

Compared 19% of the time

More ExtremeRouting Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Enterprise Routers

January 2026

Download Cisco Enterprise Routers product report

Buyer's Guide

Routers

January 2026

Download ExtremeRouting product report

Also Known As

No data available

Avaya Enterprise Routers

Overview

The high-performance Cisco Enterprise Routers are the market leader due to their breadth of advanced support for LAN/WAN services, redundancy, reliability, and performance.

Cisco

Avaya Enterprise Routers Ethernet Routing Switch 4000 Series is a Stackable Chassis system providing high-performance, convergence-ready and resilient Ethernet switching connectivity. Available as a range of models supporting 10/100/1000 switching and routing, Power-overEthernet, Powerover-Ethernet+ and 10 Gigabit Ethernet uplink options, the Ethernet Routing Switch 4000 Series is ideally suited for mainstream Wiring Closet and other network Edge deployments.

Extreme Networks

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

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Enterprise Routers vs. ExtremeRouting

December 2025

Free Report: Cisco Enterprise Routers vs. ExtremeRouting

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Enterprise Routers vs. ExtremeRouting and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Cisco Enterprise Routers vs. ExtremeRouting report.

See our list of best Routers vendors.

We monitor all Routers reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.