Cisco Ethernet Switches vs Ubiquiti UniFi Switches comparison

Cisco Ethernet Switches

Read 129 Cisco Ethernet Switches reviews

30,883 Views
27,762 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches

Read 50 Ubiquiti UniFi Switches reviews

21,940 Views
10,610 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Cisco Ethernet Switches

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 6, 2024

We compared Cisco Ethernet Switches and Ubiquiti UniFi Switches based on our user's reviews in several parameters.

Cisco Ethernet Switches are praised for their cost-saving benefits, fast and reliable connections, advanced features, and ease of management, with some users citing a need for improved speed and reliability. On the other hand, Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are highly valued for seamless integration, excellent performance, scalability, and helpful customer service, though users suggest enhancements in the management interface, firmware updates, and support resources.

Features: The valuable features of Cisco Ethernet Switches include excellent network performance, reliable operations, advanced security measures, and a user-friendly interface. On the other hand, Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are known for seamless integration with other Ubiquiti products, easy management interface, and the ability to expand and scale networks efficiently.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Ethernet Switches have received positive feedback for their pricing, setup cost, and licensing. Users find them affordable and value for money, with a reasonable setup cost that is not overly complex. Ubiquiti UniFi Switches also offer reasonable pricing and a lower setup cost, making them accessible to a wider range of customers. The licensing process is praised for its simplicity and flexibility., Cisco Ethernet Switches have highly satisfactory ROI with significant cost savings, improved network performance, advanced features, and easy management. Ubiquiti UniFi Switches provide positive ROI with cost-effectiveness, reliability, high-quality construction, ease of use, scalability, and versatility.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Ethernet Switches can improve network speed, reliability, connectivity, data transfer, and ease of use. In contrast, Ubiquiti UniFi Switches need enhancements in management interface, firmware updates, stability, reliability, documentation, and support resources.

Deployment and customer support: The reviews for Cisco Ethernet Switches indicate mixed opinions on the duration for establishing a new tech solution, with some users mentioning a three-month deployment and an additional week for setup. However, others reported a one-week timeframe for both deployment and setup. On the other hand, the reviews for Ubiquiti UniFi Switches show varying timeframes, with some users taking three months for deployment and a week for setup, while others completing both tasks in just one week. It is crucial to consider the context in which these terms are used, as deployment and setup may sometimes refer to the same timeframe., Based on user feedback, Cisco Ethernet Switches have highly rated customer service and support. In comparison, Ubiquiti UniFi Switches receive positive remarks for their prompt and helpful assistance, knowledgeable and responsive customer service team.

The summary above is based on 65 interviews we conducted recently with Cisco Ethernet Switches and Ubiquiti UniFi Switches users. To access the review's full transcripts, download our report.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Ubiquiti UniFi Switches Report (Updated: July 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Ubiquiti UniFi Switches

July 2024

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Categories and Ranking

Cisco Ethernet Switches

Ranking in Ethernet Switches

1st

Average Rating

8.6

Number of Reviews

129

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches

Ranking in Ethernet Switches

3rd

Average Rating

8.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2024, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Cisco Ethernet Switches is 18.6%, down from 20.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ubiquiti UniFi Switches is 6.0%, down from 7.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Ethernet Switches

Unique Categories:

No other categories found

Featured Reviews

John Bayangos

Lead Infrastructure Engineer at a educational organization with 1,001-5,000 employees

Jan 11, 2023

We seldom need to reboot them unless there's a bug or it was deployed in an improper environment

Our setups are simple, but it depends on the complexity of the client's infrastructure and requirements. I'm more on the operations side, so everything is already deployed, but when we build a new network, I am involved in configuring the new switches. When we do an RMA for a faulty device, I configure it. It's usually a copy-paste of the configuration, but I can build the design from scratch. The number of people required for deployment and maintenance depends on the size of the environment. A data center usually needs about five or six people to maintain it. You have two people on 12-hour shifts; the rest are senior staff.

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AlexChubarov

Network and CyberSecurity Engineer at Nextro

Oct 7, 2020

A stable solution that provides value for money and comes with a user-friendly interface

Scalability is probably possible, but it is not common to scale these. Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are more suitable if you don't need to create a really big, scalable solution at an enterprise level, and you have two or three switches with a firewall. For a big company, in terms of scalability, Cisco or F5 switches work better than Ubiquiti switches. If you have a good budget, Cisco or F5 would be better. If you would like to scale Ubiquiti UniFi Switches, you probably can. They are probably not difficult to scale. It depends on your skills. I have not scaled them before.

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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

"I think the VMA architecture is valuable."

"The initial setup is really easy."

"The tool is easy to use, offering numerous options in terms of server connection."

"Cisco as a whole is flexible."

"The features that I have found most valuable are the core reliability and the switching group. All the features are very generic switching features with high reliability. That is the main key point I can highlight."

"I like that it's easy to use."

"The power stacking feature in Cisco Ethernet Switches can be considered the most valuable."

"You can tap into all of the features for your virtual workload environment."

More Cisco Ethernet Switches pros

"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 two most valuable features are the remote access user and the side-to-side connection."

"Because it's a managed switch, I have the ability to set controls and configure traffic priorities, VLAN ports, etc."

"The ability to deploy quickly and then having one central location for all the settings are its most valuable aspects."

"The product's most valuable features include its robust performance and reliability."

"It is very easy to deploy. The deployment time for a single device is a near instant."

"The most valuable feature of Ubiquiti UniFi Switches is the graphic user interface for monitoring, where you can see the status of the device in real-time. I use those features across the campus. I use the APs as my beacons to tell me whether the area of the school of the network is down or not. Those will be the first to alert me that there is a problem with the network or a device. They provide me with more than only monitoring themselves, I use them in order to monitor all the devices."

"Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are stable and support Layer 3. They come with a user-friendly interface. If you're not familiar with the command-line interface or you wouldn't like to configure it by using the command line, they have a user-friendly interface that you can use. They also have good documentation about how to use these switches."

More Ubiquiti UniFi Switches pros

Cons

"Up to a certain network size, it is easy to scale, but after that, it becomes difficult."

"Cisco could also open the API up to work closely with other systems."

"If Cisco Ethernet Switches can work both on-prem and in the cloud, it would be an advantage."

"I don't like the fact that the product is very expensive."

"I would like to see this solution automatically store multiple versions of the configuration file."

"Cisco Ethernet Switches could improve if they removed the command line interface and replaced it with a better GUI. It is too difficult at the moment, we always need to figure out the commands."

"It would be good for Cisco to provide certification to our engineers for our IT infrastructure. Basically to train and certify our engineers."

"It'll also help if it can support more network utilization."

More Cisco Ethernet Switches cons

"They can improve the visibility of networks to match Meraki switches, which have good visibility tools to go through the network. In a Meraki device, you get a clear picture when using the bug interface. You can also see its neighbors and have a clear picture of all connected devices. Ubiquiti UniFi Switches do not have such features that Meraki switches provide."

"It's expensive."

"I would recommend changing the solution to a recognized one, such as Check Point or Fortinet."

"The technical support for this solution could be improved."

"I had some initial problems with the configuration that necessitated contacting technical support."

"One area for improvement would be having a web interface directly on the device itself. That's the one thing that makes them more difficult for less experienced technicians to configure."

"We need to upgrade everything too often."

"One of the downsides of the solution stems from the limited warranty that it offers to users."

More Ubiquiti UniFi Switches cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost of this solution is expensive."

"The price is on the higher side."

"Cisco is quite expensive. In our market, a lot of customers are forced to go with something else because they cannot afford a brand-new Cisco even though they know a Cisco switch will be more reliable."

"Cisco now has more products that are priced for small businesses, so they do have some cheaper models."

"The pricing is reasonable so I rate it a six out of ten."

"The solution can be comparatively cheaper."

"Cisco products are not cheap, which is something that can be improved."

"The solution’s pricing is reasonable."

More Cisco Ethernet Switches pricing and cost advice

"The setup costs are reasonable, and there are no additional licensing fees beyond the initial purchase."

"The price could be improved."

"Ubiquiti UniFi Switches is one of the most cost-effective solutions in the market"

"It's around $179 a device."

"Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are more expensive than other competitors."

"Apart from the basic licensing costs, there are no additional charges attached to the product."

"With Ubiquiti UniFi Switches, you get what you pay for."

"The price of the solution is fair compared to others. However, it is expensive."

More Ubiquiti UniFi Switches pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

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

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Comparison Review

it_user82779

Engineer at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees

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…

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

12%

Retailer

Manufacturing Company

Government

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 ...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

Comparisons

Aruba Switches vs Cisco Ethernet Switches

Compared 24% of the time

Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access vs Cisco Ethernet Switches

Compared 17% of the time

D-Link Ethernet Switches vs Cisco Ethernet Switches

Compared 10% of the time

NETGEAR Switches vs Cisco Ethernet Switches

Compared 6% of the time

Meraki MS Switches vs Cisco Ethernet Switches

Compared 6% of the time

More Cisco Ethernet Switches Competitors

NETGEAR Switches vs Ubiquiti UniFi Switches

Compared 18% of the time

Aruba Switches vs Ubiquiti UniFi Switches

Compared 14% of the time

MikroTik Routers and Switches vs Ubiquiti UniFi Switches

Compared 12% of the time

Meraki MS Switches vs Ubiquiti UniFi Switches

Compared 7% of the time

D-Link Ethernet Switches vs Ubiquiti UniFi Switches

Compared 5% of the time

More Ubiquiti UniFi Switches Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Ethernet Switches

July 2024

Download Cisco Ethernet Switches product report

Buyer's Guide

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches

June 2024

Download Ubiquiti UniFi Switches product report

Also Known As

Cisco Industrial Ethernet Switches

UniFi Switches

Learn More

Cisco

Video not available

Ubiquiti Networks

Overview

Cisco Ethernet Switches scale to meet the needs of networks of all sizes. They are Secure, Reliable and Seamless.

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are managed Gigabit switches (Available with 24 or 48 RJ45 Gigabit ports) designed to meet all your network needs while delivering excellent performance. The switches’ excellent network performance is combined with fiber connectivity that includes two SFP ports and the ability to process traffic without putting packet loss at risk.

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches Are:

Easy to deploy
Simple to use
Affordable
Reliable and stable

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches Support These Three Output Modes:

PoE: Uses IEEE 802.3af standard to deliver up to 15.4W.
PoE+: Uses IEEE 802.3at standard to deliver up to 30W.
PoE++: Uses IEEE 802.3bt standard to deliver up to 60W.

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches Support These Three Input Modes:

US-8 (PoE, PoE+)
USW-Flex (PoE, PoE+, PoE++)
USW-Flex Mini (PoE, PoE+)

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches Features:

Scalability
Stability
Reliable hardware
Alarm alerting system
Dual-band
PoE+ flexibility
Fiber connectivity
User-friendly GUI
Mesh networking
Secure management
High speed
Excellent dashboards
Reporting and detailed analytics
Multi-site management
Deep packet inspection

Benefits of Ubiquiti UniFi Switches:

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are silent because they are designed without a fan.
They help simplify your network infrastructure and cabling.
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches offer 24 to 48 port switch versions to work with.
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches provide redundant power if the internal power supply fails.
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches include the forwarding capacity to simultaneously process traffic on all ports at line rate without any packet loss.
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are rated as affordable when compared with competitors.
Available with 24 or 48 RJ45 Gigabit ports
Configuration with Ubiquiti UniFi is easy; It's simple to configure or reconfigure an AP or gateway quickly.
By having a mobile app, Unifi makes it easy to check on sites and to configure APs individually if necessary.
With Ubiquiti UniFi Switches, you can operate your IP cameras and phones through a single network cable.

Reviews from Real Users

A PeerSpot user who is a Director of Technical Operations/CTO at a consultancy says "The ability to deploy quickly and then having one central location for all the settings are its most valuable aspects."

"The integration with the controller is one of the most valuable features of these switches. They are also very stable. For example, we have some equipment that we haven't touched for four years that is still reliable," says Doru I., Senior solutions architect at Aplix Technologies

Murali S., Management Consultant at a consultancy, explains that “For the world where you have to balance traffic and traffic loads and bandwidth, their GUI makes it really easy because the switches, though they are enterprise grade level two or level three switches, the GUI is designed so that it's easy to set up VLANs where you need to control your traffic so that your phones don't break up and get choppy because of other people loading the network down too heavily."

Sample Customers

Linz AG

Staypineapple

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Ubiquiti UniFi Switches

July 2024

Free Report: Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Ubiquiti UniFi Switches

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Ubiquiti UniFi Switches and other solutions. Updated: July 2024.

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We monitor all Ethernet Switches 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.