No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.

Cisco Nexus 9000 Series vs D-Link Ethernet Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 1, 2026

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 Nexus 9000 Series
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
16th
Average Rating
9.2
Reviews Sentiment
4.6
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
Data Center Networking (7th)
D-Link Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
14th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
31
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Featured Reviews

Fakhar Mahmood - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Network Administrator at i2c
Has consistently supported high availability with reliable performance and minimal disruption
Cisco Nexus 9000 Series and the routers are good, but the FMC or FTDs still need some improvement. We have Palo Alto firewalls and Next-Generation Firewalls in our environment. In comparison to the main firewall, we moved from Cisco FTDs to Palo Alto. We still have FTDs in our environment, but the majority of the firewalls have been moved to Palo Alto. They are more user-friendly, give more visibility, and are more efficient. The performance is better than Cisco. With the new features, Cisco is having some improvement for the FTD. I am currently evaluating the FTDs. The new version has better features like the encrypted visibility engine and user-based changes in FMCs, and other things are quite useful for us. FTDs do have limitations and other issues. We communicated that limitation and feature support to the Cisco account manager. We do have support for the devices. We currently have a weekly call with Cisco and they are making progress regarding new versions of the FMCs and introducing new features. The performance of deployment has improved quite a bit compared to four or five years ago.
SyedTaha - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of IT and Information Security at GLEEDS USA INC
Cost has remained low while implementation proceeds without complications
To capture the critical traffic to prioritize is not something I work with in advanced QoS features. Regarding VLAN support in bandwidth management, we are not utilizing VLAN for the infrastructure as we have a minimal requirement for VLAN, so we have not yet implemented any of the features relevant to the virtual LANs. It's very hard to answer the question about minor improvements D-Link Ethernet Switches could do with their products because the products I'm dealing with are just plug-and-play, unmanaged switches. It would be more appropriate to comment on features if I had been using Layer 2 or Layer 3 switches for at least a couple of months. I don't think there are any disadvantages I can point out for the product.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We are using the core capabilities of Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Ethernet switches, and it is performing well."
"Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is quite a complex machine, but we are using a very simple configuration with basic Nexus switching, and we don't have many issues with Cisco Nexus 9000 Series at the moment in our present infrastructure."
"Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is very durable and very reliable, and there has never been any issue with it."
"Performance has been great with no abnormal behaviors detected, and the network remains stable even in failover scenarios, supporting vast environments with high availability."
"The stability and reliability of Cisco Nexus 9000 Series are robust, and once you put it on, it does not just fail; that takes a long time, maybe even years."
"RealPresence works effectively."
"This product is very affordable, especially compared to Cisco."
"D-Link Ethernet Switches have assisted us in numerous ways, particularly with security implementations through firewalls and integrations, and there have been no security breaches or network disturbances for the past one and a half years."
"D-Link has a good VPN feature and quality of service."
"These switches are very easy to install because there is no configuration."
"We use the solution for the network and ethernet connection."
"There are no stability issues with D-Link Ethernet switches."
"I have no complaints about the stability or reliability of D-Link Ethernet Switches."
"The two models that I've got are just fantastic."
 

Cons

"Cost-wise, Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is very expensive."
"We find that Cisco has been left behind by the other vendors. The other vendors have adopted new technology, and we find Cisco lagging behind."
"The SFP modules we are using have had issues. We have Cisco modules, but they frequently heat up or there are packet error issues."
"For Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches, I think we need to work on the HSRP. Whenever it flaps or something happens, it creates an issue."
"I would rate the technical support for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series an eight out of ten. This rating is not because of their lack of expertise, but just the assignment period."
"In future releases, I would like to see improved security and an improved CLI (Command-Line Interface)."
"I'd like to see a central management system included as part of their license, not as a separate purchase. Currently, we have to manage switches independently. A central portal for managing all switches and providing visibility would be great."
"The D-Link Ethernet Switches have to be replaced because they are difficult to manage and security is poor. They should add centralized manageability to make the solution better, it will allow administrators to better know what is happening on the network."
"D-Link Ethernet Switches' switching capacity is low. The solution should improve stability and not support Cisco or Juniper networks."
"Currently, D-Link Ethernet Switches are often not used in large data centers due to issues with performance and scalability."
"The availability could be improved."
"It should be more stable, and it should have good integration with the cloud. It should support configuration, supervision, and control through the cloud."
"We have issues with the stability."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"It has a good return on investment. It has indeed saved us resources significantly."
"It is an affordable solution."
"The solution's pricing is reasonable."
"This product is very affordable, especially compared to Cisco."
"There is not a license required for this solution and it is priced well."
"The price of D-Link Ethernet Switches is in the 4,000 to 5,000 rupees or 65 to 100 USD range. The price of the solution is not expensive."
"These units vary in price from $200 to one thousand dollars. They're available for a one-time purchase."
"The solution is budget-friendly"
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Ethernet Switches solutions are best for your needs.
902,988 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
26%
Construction Company
15%
Outsourcing Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Construction Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business18
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise8
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Cisco Nexus 9000 Series?
At this point, not much could be improved about Cisco Nexus 9000 Series. Automation GUI based is not the core of the 9000, so this is a different device or a different solution. I do not find anyth...
What is your primary use case for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series?
My usual use cases for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series involve various companies, particularly when they are in need of a new automation solution or just an upgrade of the data center.
What advice do you have for others considering Cisco Nexus 9000 Series?
I am very satisfied with this solution. However, it is more about whether it is actually possible to do the solutions, and normally people already know what they want. They only need to have the ri...
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 ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for D-Link Ethernet Switches?
D-Link Ethernet Switches are 30% cheaper than Cisco switches. Pricing has not been a concern since it is already included in the capex.
What needs improvement with D-Link Ethernet Switches?
To capture the critical traffic to prioritize is not something I work with in advanced QoS features. Regarding VLAN support in bandwidth management, we are not utilizing VLAN for the infrastructure...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
George Mason University, Somerville House, Hiperwall, New Brunswick School District 16, The Fulcrum Group, Bremond Independent School District, University of Texas Health Science Center, Grand Canyon Skywalk, SUN Area Career & Technology Center, Abington Senior High School
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Nexus 9000 Series vs. D-Link Ethernet Switches and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
902,988 professionals have used our research since 2012.