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

Cisco Secure Network Analytics vs ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer comparison

 

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 Secure Network Analytics
Ranking in Network Traffic Analysis (NTA)
5th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
62
Ranking in other categories
Network Monitoring Software (33rd), Network Detection and Response (NDR) (6th), Cisco Security Portfolio (8th)
ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer
Ranking in Network Traffic Analysis (NTA)
8th
Average Rating
9.2
Reviews Sentiment
5.6
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
Network Troubleshooting (8th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) category, the mindshare of Cisco Secure Network Analytics is 8.6%, down from 14.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer is 2.7%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Secure Network Analytics8.6%
ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer2.7%
Other88.7%
Network Traffic Analysis (NTA)
 

Featured Reviews

Muhammad Harun-Owr-Roshid - PeerSpot reviewer
CEO at BRIGHT-i SYSTEMS LIMITED
Have streamlined network visibility and troubleshooting while seeing benefits from AI integration
In terms of improvements for Cisco Secure Network Analytics, from the implementation point of view, now that AI is in use, some other features need to be upgraded considering AI solutions. Proper management of the database is also important; it should be centralized for easier data collection from a single database. When precise manual analysis is needed, it's sometimes difficult, so having a centralized database will allow network admins to find actual scenarios more effectively, especially since some information may not be visible on the GUI. Cisco should upgrade their hardware part to run the database, because sometimes it cannot handle the load while all features are running in the network. The database management should indeed be centralized because while AI runs behind the systems, central management is essential. For example, in a network with 100 Cisco switches, a few routers, firewalls, and access points, all data generated should be preserved in a central database. This approach simplifies management and analysis for troubleshooting, as GUI interfaces may not always provide visible information. Centralizing the database will allow for better understanding of which information is preserved for each specific device.
Sherin Mirza - PeerSpot reviewer
Competency Center Lead Full Stack Development at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
Improved network visibility has enabled faster incident resolution and collaborative monitoring
When I open ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer, I start by checking the dashboard for any alerts. There are no features that came up during implementation that I am not using today, and we are happy with whatever we configured. ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer does change how my team works together and improves collaboration. I would advise someone considering ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer that it is a good product, economical, and has a better interface and dashboard to monitor network activity. I give this product a rating of 10.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature about this solution is that it gives me insight of my network."
"It has improved our internal knowledge of what's going on with the network, and that's helpful."
"The ROI was immediate for us, in regard to how we implemented it."
"It's easy to set up. The deployment takes one or two days. You need to collect the data from a device and then direct it to the portal."
"It is a good application, providing for real-time monitoring of the organization of data. It can basically identify points of peak traffic where possible issues are being caused."
"Cisco products are incredibly stable, boasting a 200% stability."
"Cisco Stealthwatch has improved our organization because it has brought visibility that we didn't have previously before implementing it."
"The most valuable feature is NetFlow. The beginning of any security investigation starts with NetFlow data."
"The impact of ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer on our team's daily operations is immediate, shifting the entire department from a fire-fighting mindset to a proactive management style."
"I give this solution a rating of 10 out of 10 and absolutely recommend it based on our experience."
"I would advise someone considering ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer that it is a good product, economical, and has a better interface and dashboard to monitor network activity."
"ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer has detection capabilities for flow, event, and service flow."
 

Cons

"It would be better to let people know, up front, that is doesn't give you nice, clear information, as seen in the demos, without Cisco ISE installed."
"The reporting of day-to-day metrics still has room for improvement."
"The configuration of the solution was quite complex."
"The initial setup was complex."
"The expensive nature of the tool is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"If they can make this product more web-based, that would be amazing."
"It's a good solid solution but integration with Network Access Control products with Cisco ISE would be good."
"The customizability of the UI should improve."
"ManageEngine's product has some performance issues. It runs very slowly when the system is large and does not support high availability for big flow and high-level operations."
"In ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer, we have to set custom thresholds to get alerted if there is a problem in network connectivity. It would be helpful if we could automate the tool such that we don't have to set thresholds manually, and the tool automatically alerts us when it detects issues."
"The single biggest friction point I experience with ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer comes down to database storage management and disk space explosion, as flow data records literally record every single conversation passing throughout the monitored interfaces."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The yearly licensing cost is about $50,000."
"There are additional licenses needed for the number of so-called network flows. It's hard to plan the number of flows you need in the network, this is a problem. The price of the Cisco Stealthwatch is relatively inexpensive"
"This is an expensive product. We have quit paying for support because we don't want to have to upgrade it and keep paying for it."
"​Licensing is done by flows per second, not including outside (in traffic)."
"The solution is expensive. It costs several hundred thousand dollars per year (depending on how many flows you are collecting)."
"It is worth the cost."
"One of the things which bugs me about Lancope is the licensing. We understand how licensing works. Our problem is when we bought and purchased most of these Lancope devices, we did so with our sister company. Somewhere within the purchase and distribution, licensing got mixed up. That is all on Cisco, and it is their responsibility. They allotted some of our sister company's equipment to us, and some of our equipment to them. To date, they have never been able to fix it."
"Today, we are part of the big Cisco ELA, and it is a la carte. We can get orders for whatever we want. At the end of the day, we have to pay for it in one big expense, but that is fine. We are okay with that."
Information not available
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) solutions are best for your needs.
909,725 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Construction Company
9%
Government
8%
Outsourcing Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Construction Company
13%
Educational Organization
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business12
Midsize Enterprise7
Large Enterprise52
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Stealthwatch?
Regarding cost, for the Bangladesh context, Cisco Secure Network Analytics is a little bit high-priced because we are a developing country, making it tough to manage affordable solutions. However, ...
What needs improvement with Cisco Stealthwatch?
Several features often look very promising during evaluation or implementation but end up being used only lightly in day-to-day operations. Advanced reporting and scheduled compliance reports look ...
What is your primary use case for Cisco Stealthwatch?
My main use case for Cisco Secure Network Analytics has been network visibility and anomaly-based threat detection within the enterprise environment. In security operations and VAPT-related activit...
What needs improvement with ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer?
The single biggest friction point I experience with ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer comes down to database storage management and disk space explosion, as flow data records literally record every sin...
What is your primary use case for ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer?
My main use case for ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer is bandwidth monitoring. When I open ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer, the first thing I do is check the immediate priority and address any problems....
 

Also Known As

Cisco Stealthwatch, Cisco Stealthwatch Enterprise, Lancope StealthWatch
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Edge Web Hosting, Telenor Norway, Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, Webster Financial Corporation, Westinghouse Electric, VMware, TIAA-CREF
Metro Rail, Micron21, Lotus F1 Team, Elizabeth Board of Education, Queen’s University Belfast, DHL, Praxair, Adventist Health, Wipro Infotech, Tropical Shipping USA
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Secure Network Analytics vs. ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
909,725 professionals have used our research since 2012.