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Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches vs Ubiquiti UniFi Switches comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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 N9300 Series Smart Sw...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
26th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
8.1
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
5th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Featured Reviews

Thu Al-Faqar Salah - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Engineer at V2X
Modern data center fabric has delivered zero packet drops and simplified traffic control
Regarding improvements for Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches, I think the only issue that could prevent users from using these devices is the smart licensing, as the license model could be much simpler and more cost-effective. Managing Cisco licensing and tiered subscriptions involves unnecessary operational overhead for deployment and renewal. Also, if you are planning to use ACI mode, most of the concepts such as VRF, EPG, and tenant will change. When deploying in ACI mode, the architecture has a steep learning curve, as the policy-driven model requires expensive and specialized training, and many concepts will change for traditional network engineers, requiring them to adapt and learn. Additionally, most of the issues I faced are related to hardware cost specifically, so if we could get a model that is less costly and more cost-effective with simpler licensing, it would be much better. Regarding further improvements, I remember something about the upgrade process. When we did the upgrade for the N9300, changing the image took us around 12 to 15 minutes, which was really a long time. This happened for more than one switch, so I do not know if it is a bug or if this is something normal, but I think they need to address it.
Donald Ochanda - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Manager at Network Security and Crypto
Has delivered reliable performance over the years but still needs improvements in advanced networking features
I generally recommend Ubiquiti UniFi Switches for medium-sized corporate clients, as most of them don't mind the brand as long as the system works. With major corporate clients, they still have the mentality that Cisco is superior in the market, but medium-sized clients are easier to deploy at that level. Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are improving technically since my last implementation. Our field engineers report significant improvements, and I was involved in Kenya's last general elections where we used Ubiquiti equipment, both wireless and switching, which performed excellently. My assessment of Ubiquiti UniFi Switches' centralized management is that, while I haven't interacted with it extensively, it works similarly to Cisco and Meraki platforms. Field engineers should be able to provide better answers regarding this feature. The port isolation feature on Ubiquiti UniFi Switches is standard, which I believe is appropriate considering they provide standard security features on the port.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The integration is very good, and there is very low CPU utilization, so multiple users can work without any problem."
"Performance-wise, Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches is a great machine to work with."
"When you buy a Cisco device, you are going to forget about it after plugging it in because the device is powerful."
"Cisco products are very strong and stable."
"It's been working fine, it's been stable, and there are no interruptions."
"The ability to deploy quickly and then having one central location for all the settings are its most valuable aspects."
"They're a great product and they work well, it's just difficult to get hold of switches now with the chip shortage, but if you're going to be doing projects with a lot of clients who will use Ubiquiti switches, my recommendation is to buy a couple of extra switches and have them in stock."
"I would recommend implementing this solution because it's quite easy."
"The product's initial setup phase is very straightforward."
"I highly recommend Ubiquiti UniFi Switches due to their ease of management and cost efficiency."
"It offers very good control."
"The stability so far has been very good, with no downtime and no outages."
 

Cons

"It is expensive. Compared to Aruba and Dell, it is a little bit costly."
"Regarding improvements for Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches, I think the only issue that could prevent users from using these devices is the smart licensing, as the license model could be much simpler and more cost-effective."
"The price is something negative for Cisco that I see."
"To use Ubiquiti UniFi Switches, a controller needs to be installed on a device."
"It's expensive."
"Ubiquiti tends to end-of-life things faster than other companies do. Cisco tends to be in the 8-, 10-, 12-year time frame, and Ubiquiti tends to be in the 4- or 5-year time frame."
"There is currently an issue with supply of switches which needs to be sorted out."
"They can improve the visibility of networks to match Meraki switches, which have good visibility tools to go through the network."
"I would like to see improvements in their PBX-related features."
"I would like to see the security features improved."
"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."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"It's challenging to compare Ubiquiti UniFi Switches and other brands directly due to the significant price difference, especially between US brands like Cisco and Aruba versus others. However, compared to US brands, Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are more cost-effective. On the other hand, if compared with brands from China, it might seem expensive."
"The price of this product is cheap."
"Ubiquiti is much more affordable than enterprise brands."
"Ubiquiti switches are quite affordable and you don't have to pay extra for support."
"It is expensive."
"Ubiquiti is very reasonable."
"With Ubiquiti UniFi Switches, you get what you pay for."
"The setup costs are reasonable, and there are no additional licensing fees beyond the initial purchase."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Manufacturing Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Construction Company
7%
Outsourcing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business46
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise1
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches?
Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches is expensive. Compared with Aruba and Dell, it is a little bit costly.
What needs improvement with Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches?
As for any negative points, I think there is nothing significant. The only thing that Cisco may focus on commercially is the SmartNet. From my experience, I have worked with many MNCs where SmartNe...
What is your primary use case for Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches?
The major use case that we have with Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches is that our current switches are old and getting into end of life from Cisco. This is the reason we started looking for the ri...
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 is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Ubiquiti UniFi Switches?
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are cost-effective, offering similar performance and features as higher-priced alternatives like Cisco or Ruckus.
 

Also Known As

No data available
UniFi Switches
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
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Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches vs. Ubiquiti UniFi Switches and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
915,341 professionals have used our research since 2012.