Cisco Secure Network Analytics vs NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG comparison

Cisco and NETSCOUT are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Cisco is ranked #37 with an average rating of 8.0, while NETSCOUT is ranked #76. Cisco holds a 0.9% mindshare in NMS, compared to NETSCOUT’s 0.5% mindshare. Additionally, 88% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of NETSCOUT users who would recommend it.

Cisco Secure Network Analytics

Read 61 Cisco Secure Network Analytics reviews

6,940 Views
2,568 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

Read 13 NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG reviews

1,503 Views
1,413 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Cisco Secure Network Analytics

NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

Cisco Secure Network Analytics and NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG are competing in network security and monitoring. Cisco has an edge in pricing and support, while NETSCOUT offers more comprehensive features, appealing to those prioritizing advanced capabilities.

Features: Cisco Secure Network Analytics offers comprehensive threat detection, extensive network visibility, and effective anomaly detection. NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG provides in-depth traffic analysis, real-time insights, and advanced network performance monitoring.

Room for Improvement: Cisco could enhance its advanced analytics and depth of traffic insights. Users may also suggest improvements in flexibility for diverse infrastructure needs. NETSCOUT may improve its user interface, reduce initial setup complexity, and provide more cost-effective options for smaller enterprises.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG offers a flexible deployment model and is supported by responsive customer service. Cisco Secure Network Analytics is known for straightforward setup and robust support, although some users find NETSCOUT's flexibility preferable despite its initially complex deployment.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Secure Network Analytics is typically more affordable, offering a favorable ROI with lower setup costs. NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG, while costlier upfront, provides significant long-term benefits through its advanced capabilities, making it a choice for businesses focused on feature richness.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Secure Network Analytics vs. NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Secure Network Analytics vs. NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

April 2026

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Helped 891,869 peers since 2012

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 Monitoring Software

37th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) (4th), Network Detection and Response (NDR) (7th), Cisco Security Portfolio (9th)

NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

76th

Average Rating

8.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Cisco Secure Network Analytics is 0.9%, down from 1.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG is 0.5%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Cisco Secure Network Analytics	0.9%
NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG	0.5%
Other	98.6%

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Muhammad Harun-Owr-Roshid

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.

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Michael Gideon Genita

Associate System Engineer at SMS Global Technologies, Inc.

Easy to set up with good documentation and helpful support

I'm using it for a customer The packet flow switch is the most valuable aspect of the solution. It's an easy product to set up. We can scale the solution if we need to. It's stable. The documentation is well-written and quite useful. It's compatible with other products. Under the pocket flow…

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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

"The most valuable part is that Stealthwatch is part of a portfolio of security devices from Cisco. Cisco literally can touch every single end point, every single ingress and egress point in the network. Nobody else has that."

"StealthWatch lets me see the ports running in and out and the country. It has excellent reporting, telemetry, and artificial intelligence features. With the telemetry, I can set thresholds to detect sudden changes and the alarms go through the PLC parts. I can see all the ports running on that trunk."

"The solution allowed us to not only get gain insight but also start collaborating with other tools."

"When we saw what Lancope can do, not just from a visibility perspective, but from a network and security perspective, we jumped on board."

"The most valuable features are encrypted threat analysis and the ability to run jobs on entire flows."

"The solution has increased our threat detection rate. Cisco Stealthwatch has not reduced our incident response times. It has not reduced the amount of time it takes us to detect immediate threats. It has reduced false positives."

"There are already many functionalities, so I don't think there is anything to improve."

"The most valuable feature about this solution is that it gives me insight of my network."

More Cisco Secure Network Analytics pros

"An issue that used to take days is now fixed within minutes to an hour."

"This solution has saved us hours (three to four) per problem when troubleshooting."

"This solution has cut our overall troubleshooting time, sometimes going down to a few hours over what might have taken one to two days to fully troubleshoot an issue, and it has helped to increase our application uptime as we try to keep the five nines."

"The real-time troubleshooting and application segregation that you can do within it."

"The most valuable features are speed and cost."

"When we have mobile operators who are signal partners, where one is the roaming host and another is the roamer, we are able to see their traffic. Their packets are able to detect if any faults to develop, and at what point they fail."

"It helps us get to root cause quickly. With utilization and consumption of bandwidth, we can usually see what application is taking as much as they should (or shouldn't), then account for it accordingly."

"From a troubleshooting perspective, it allows us to quickly search all data TAP points in the network and helps our network engineers get to root cause quickly."

More NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG pros

Cons

"Cisco could improve the administration for the customers."

"The usability of this solution needs to be improved."

"Its granularity for RBAC roles-based access control needs improvement."

"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."

"There could be better integration on the programming side, which uses Python."

"I would like Cisco to make it easier for the administrators to use it."

"The usability of this solution needs to be improved."

"This is an expensive solution and the license is expensive."

More Cisco Secure Network Analytics cons

"The scalability has some limitations and quirks to it. I would like to be able to upgrade rather than replace the whole thing."

"The monitoring and reporting tool needs improvement. Users want more information, such as the level of detail when doing a packet analysis. They want more detail to be able to isolate down to a specific point."

"The NetFlow Collectors could handle more flows per minute."

"Only problems that we have had are fiber issues going into the TAPs or vSTREAMs, which are usually local site issues."

"I would like to see an improved level of stitching between IPs."

"I'd like them to make the product more user-friendly."

"The stability depends on who is using the tool, because you only can get as much out of the tool as you put into it."

"The solution is not great, but it is not bad."

More NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

"Licensing is on a yearly basis."

"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."

"Our fees are approximately $3,000 USD."

"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."

"NetFlow is very expensive."

"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"

"The yearly licensing cost is about $50,000."

More Cisco Secure Network Analytics pricing and cost advice

"I would like it to be more scalable with less spend."

"To capture more with the solution that we bought, you have to buy another InfiniStreamNG, and there are only four ports in the back."

"It can be scalable. It just costs too much. With a company as big as ours, it gets too expensive to accommodate every single site."

"This product could be cheaper."

"The scalability is good, but it comes at a cost. E.g., if you need 100 InfiniStream because you are sending gigs or terabytes of data to one InfiniStream, then you will have to purchase another InfiniStream, which are not cheap."

"The price is a little high."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Computer Software Company

Government

Manufacturing Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Construction Company

10%

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	7
Large Enterprise	52

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	8

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, ...

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What needs improvement with Cisco Stealthwatch?

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What is your primary use case for Cisco Stealthwatch?

Our customers mainly use Cisco Secure Network Analytics to get whole network visibility and easy troubleshooting to find actual problems and also to mitigate loopholes or findings immediately to pr...

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Compared 14% of the time

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Compared 13% of the time

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Compared 10% of the time

NIKSUN NetVCR vs NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

Compared 10% of the time

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Compared 7% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Secure Network Analytics

April 2026

Download Cisco Secure Network Analytics product report

Buyer's Guide

NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

April 2026

Download NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG product report

Also Known As

Cisco Stealthwatch, Cisco Stealthwatch Enterprise, Lancope StealthWatch

InfiniStreamNG, NETSCOUT ISNG, Infinistream

Overview

Cisco Secure Network Analytics enhances network security through integrated threat detection and detailed traffic visibility, optimizing performance with AI analytics and strong platform integrations.

Cisco Secure Network Analytics offers deep visibility into network traffic, with tools like network maps and server response times. Its AI-driven analytics help detect threats, focusing on east-west traffic. Integration with platforms such as pxGrid and ISE complements its capabilities. Reporting and telemetry help in identifying bandwidth issues, yet improvements are desired in AI for better data organization. Installation complexity and false positives present challenges, and managing network loads effectively is a recognized need.

What are the key features of Cisco Secure Network Analytics?

Deep Visibility: Provides comprehensive insights into network traffic and server behavior.
Network Maps: Enhances understanding of traffic flow and infrastructure layout.
AI Analytics: Uses AI for superior threat detection and anomaly recognition.
Integration: Compatible with platforms like pxGrid and ISE for enhanced security management.
Telemetry: Delivers detailed bandwidth usage and traffic analysis reports.

How does Cisco Secure Network Analytics provide value?

Enhanced Security: Elevates threat detection and response capabilities.
Traffic Insights: Identifies encrypted and anomalous network behaviors.
Compliance Support: Assists in meeting industry standards for data protection.
Endpoint Protection: Guards network endpoints against potential threats.

Industries such as banking, defense, and police rely on Cisco Secure Network Analytics for securing networks against threats. Its capability to provide insights into encrypted traffic and facilitate device auditing makes it a sought-after choice for those requiring extensive network visibility. Users appreciate its application for threat prevention and response in demanding sectors.

Cisco

NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG delivers fast, cost-efficient network visibility with a single pane of glass view, featuring real-time traffic analysis, dependency mapping, and performance metrics for comprehensive management.

InfiniStreamNG stands out for its real-time insights into network activity, providing a unified platform for managing network components. Its deep packet inspection, scalability, and compatibility make it an essential tool for IT professionals looking to optimize network performance and resolve issues quickly. User-friendly interface enhancements are anticipated for improved usability, alongside early product lifecycle notifications due to extensive certification periods.

What are the key features of NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG?

Speed: Enhances real-time traffic analysis and performance monitoring.
Network Visibility: Provides a comprehensive view with single pane device management.
Packet Inspection: Supports deep packet inspections for detailed data analytics.
Stability and Scalability: Ensures reliable performance and adapts to varying network sizes.
Compatibility: Seamlessly integrates with other technologies for smooth operations.

What are the benefits and ROI of using NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG?

Quick Issue Resolution: Identifies and addresses network issues swiftly.
Efficient Utilization: Offers insights for optimizing resource use and network management.
Proactive Monitoring: Facilitates early detection of potential issues to maintain performance.
Application Performance Tracking: Monitors app connectivity and performance effectively.
KPI Evaluation: Provides comprehensive data for informed decision-making.

NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG is implemented across industries for packet collection and analysis, serving network monitoring and troubleshooting needs. Companies in telecommunications monitor LTE roaming traffic, while financial institutions rely on it for analyzing banking data. It supports application connectivity checks and proactive remote site monitoring, becoming integral in evaluating KPIs and reporting network issues.

NETSCOUT

Sample Customers

Edge Web Hosting, Telenor Norway, Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, Webster Financial Corporation, Westinghouse Electric, VMware, TIAA-CREF

U.S. Department of Defense

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Secure Network Analytics vs. NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

April 2026

Free Report: Cisco Secure Network Analytics vs. NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Secure Network Analytics vs. NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.

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