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Cisco Ethernet Switches vs Ubiquiti UniFi Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 9, 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 Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
134
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Cisco Ethernet Switches is 15.6%, down from 18.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ubiquiti UniFi Switches is 6.4%, down from 7.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Pradeep Adhav - PeerSpot reviewer
Network security enhancement with sturdy switches despite high costs
The Cisco Ethernet switches are primarily used as regular core switches for networking, distribution, and access levels. We also utilize Cisco Wi-Fi, VPN, and Wi-Fi controllers The Cisco Ethernet switches have improved our network's security, ensuring it is 100% secure by not allowing any…
John Balogh - PeerSpot reviewer
Centrally managed solution makes it easy to build one configuration and apply it to new devices
We have one or two UniFi switches, but they don't really compete with the Ciscos. It's a nice environment as far as keeping track of things and being able to manage ports, turn off rogue users, and stuff like that. The access points have been pretty convenient compared to Meraki, Lucent, Cisco, or any of the other bigger vendors that I used to deal with for other consulting projects. Ubiquiti is one step above the consumer level. They cost a little bit more, but they just seem to be drop-dead reliable, and they're keeping up with the latest standards. Their latest versions of access points are all Wi-Fi 6, and they don't take very much power when there aren't a lot of users. It's really easy to build one configuration and just apply it to new devices. It's a check mark box: Do I want this to be the staff VLAN, or the public VLAN, or the Voice over IP VLAN, or the security VLAN, or the house wiring VLAN, or the building logistics VLAN? You just check things off and then you make groups, so if you click on it, it applies all the appropriate things automatically. It makes it very easy. This solution is good for the prosumer, small office, medium office, under 500 people range, but probably over 50 people and maybe distributed around five or 10 sites. That's a pretty good sweet spot as far as the price for the equipment and the configurability, and it's just drop-dead reliable. It's been boring, which is what I love because I don't get any calls in the middle of the night that something isn't working.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"You get good support for Cisco Ethernet Switches versus other products in the market."
"The solution is a high-end router that can handle a huge network with tons of traffic."
"Being able to deal with multiple VLANs to segment the network logically is the biggest feature for us. The management of these switches is okay for us. These switches work very well, and they meet our needs."
"A stable product that is absolutely dependable."
"What I like the most is the performance and the latency that Cisco provides."
"Cisco is the world leader in these systems. The expertise they have is very good compared to others. We can trust Cisco from a technical perspective."
"The tool is easy to use, offering numerous options in terms of server connection."
"Its performance and reliability are valuable."
"Because it's a managed switch, I have the ability to set controls and configure traffic priorities, VLAN ports, etc."
"One of the most valuable features of Ubiquiti UniFi switches is their graphical interface and plug-and-play capability."
"UniFi Switches' best feature is the ability to switch voltage from 24 to 48, and it's almost the only device on the market with this feature."
"The customers who buy the access points use the standard Ubiquiti management systems because they're freeware tools. We usually get all the requests and materials from the customer, who knows exactly what he wants."
"The value here with using the Ubiquiti products across the board is that they're almost all single-pane management and the single-pane management is included. It's a huge benefit."
"The ability to manage firmware revisions."
"Overall the solution functions very well."
"The most valuable feature for us is the VPN."
 

Cons

"The price could be better."
"Cisco products are expensive compared to any other solution. Now, there are many competitors that give the same level of services - such as Juniper or Aruba."
"The solution's reliability should be improved."
"Cisco needs to include new features to attract new customers."
"The dashboard needs some minor improvements."
"The solution needs to work on lowering the amount of bugs. We find them quite regularly."
"There is a need for improvement on the ordering and delivery side for Cisco Ethernet switches."
"In terms of what could be improved, there is the bulk issue that is sometimes experienced with Cisco products we've used."
"New products don't integrate well with their management platform. Sometimes you have to go directly to the box or the switch to do the management."
"I'd like there to be better reporting for the solution."
"Ubiquiti's technical support can be rated between seven and ten. They have a large customer base that sometimes faces issues due to a lack of know-how in managing the devices."
"If Ubiquiti UniFi Switches had some live support instead of community support, that would go a long way."
"There is currently an issue with supply of switches which needs to be sorted out."
"We need to upgrade everything too often."
"The solution needs to improve its documentation because it is quite poor."
"It's expensive."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is very expensive."
"I pay a fixed price on it. I'm not the person on the pursing, so I don't really compare."
"This is an expensive solution, but you are paying for stability."
"Its price is a bit higher than other brands. Indian customers are price-conscious. They should improve its price."
"The last time I bought a 24-port switch, which was a while ago, I paid about five or six thousand Euros. In this part of the world, that's quite expensive for us."
"There is a license required for this solution and the price could be better."
"The pricing is reasonable, and for small business it is acceptable."
"The solution has different prices depending on the features that you want to have."
"Ubiquiti UniFi Switches is one of the most cost-effective solutions in the market"
"The price should be improved."
"Ubiquiti switches are quite affordable and you don't have to pay extra for support."
"I feel that the price of this solution is definitely reasonable compared to all of the others."
"The setup costs are reasonable, and there are no additional licensing fees beyond the initial purchase."
"The price could be improved."
"With Ubiquiti UniFi Switches, you get what you pay for."
"I rate the tool's pricing a five out of ten."
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Comparison Review

it_user82779 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 29, 2014
Benefits of Juniper vs Cisco
Both are decent products. I prefer Juniper for the following reasons: 1) Cleaner separation of data plane from control plane. Higher end Cisco devices are better at this but most of the lower end products still seem to be more integrated than I like. 2) The Hierarchical config design means I can…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Educational Organization
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Would you recommend replacing a Cisco Catalyst Switch by a D-link one?
Hello Mesfin It depends on the real scenario, the cisco 2960 is a very good device and they usually have routing functions but there are many different models within the same 2960 line, and on the ...
Which would you choose - Fortinet Fortiswitch secure access or Cisco Ethernet Switches?
We researched Cisco but ultimately chose Fortinet FortiSwitch Secure Access, mostly because of the price. Fortinet FortiSwitch is an ethernet switch solution that provides security and performance...
In terms of ethernet switches, would you go with Cisco or Juniper?
Our organization ran comparison tests to determine whether Cisco or Juniper Ethernet switches were the better fit for us. We decided to go with Juniper. Juniper ethernet switches are a lesser-known...
Which switches are better - Ubiquiti Unifi or Netgear?
Ubiquiti Unifi offers a great set of features. For starters, it is easy to configure and implement, and also doesn’t require a learning curve because it is easy to use. It is also simple to reconfi...
Which are better - Ubiquiti UniFi switches or MikroTik routers and switches?
Ubiquiti Unifi is a great solution. For starters, it is easy to configure and implement, and doesn’t require a learning curve because it is easy to use. It is also simple to reconfigure an AP or ga...
What do you like most about Ubiquiti UniFi Switches?
We have integrated the tool for PoE switches and non-PoE switches. Its most valuable feature is SD-WAN. UniFi SD-WAN can access all statistics and performance data in one interface, enabling us to...
 

Also Known As

Cisco Industrial Ethernet Switches
UniFi Switches
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Linz AG
Staypineapple
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Ubiquiti UniFi Switches and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
849,190 professionals have used our research since 2012.