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Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center vs Ubiquiti UniFi Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
1.0
Fortinet FortiSwitch offers cost-effective integration and ease of use, with Cisco providing better long-term returns for higher budgets.
Sentiment score
7.3
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches offer cost-effective, reliable performance with seamless integration and management, ideal for small-to-medium enterprises.
The integration of Fortinet infrastructure, including FortiSwitches, is cost-effective compared to Cisco, especially when paired with Fortinet wireless solutions.
Another solution offered to us was more than double the price, making UniFi a cost-effective choice.
We saw a return on investment within a year, although I believe there's more potential to be leveraged.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.9
Fortinet FortiSwitch support is highly rated for responsiveness and reliability, though some users suggest better speed and consistency.
Sentiment score
7.0
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches have mixed support, often relying on third-party resources, with documentation aiding self-reliant users.
Technical partners provide responses within a day for any technical queries.
Customer support needs improvement in terms of speed and reliability.
On a scale from one to 10, I would rate the technical support of Fortinet an eight.
The team is knowledgeable and efficient.
the manuals, installation videos, and resources on the website are very good and straightforward.
They have a large customer base that sometimes faces issues due to a lack of know-how in managing the devices.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.5
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is scalable and cost-effective, ideal for enterprises, with some fiber port limitations noted.
Sentiment score
7.6
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches offer scalable, reliable integration for small to medium businesses with fiber optic expansion options.
When used in a dedicated Fortinet infrastructure, FortiSwitch scalability is better than some other switches, like Cisco, Meraki, or Arista.
Scalability is generally good, with transitions from gigabit to ten giga, twenty-five giga, and forty giga.
I rate the scalability as nine out of ten.
If planning for future scalability, choosing switches that support extra modules for fiber optics is advisable.
While we are satisfied with its use in small environments, other products may be needed in very large companies with more than 30 users.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.4
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is highly stable and reliable, with minor issues mainly due to vendor integration challenges.
Sentiment score
8.6
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are praised for reliable performance, with minor hardware issues occasionally in larger networks and specific conditions.
There is room for improvement as it sometimes takes over an hour to push configurations onto the devices from the management tool.
I did not experience any problems the whole year.
The switches are stable and there have been no outages.
If the system is installed, it runs well, with no issues.
 

Room For Improvement

Pricing is high; improvements needed in automation, integration, user interfaces, management, certifications, features, support, and performance.
Users request better power reliability, pricing, support, simpler features, centralized management, documentation, security, deployment, and advanced functionalities.
Sometimes, customer support does not provide prompt assistance, leaving projects hanging.
There is room to improve the integration between FortiSwitch and other third-party solutions, as challenges arise when integrating with different vendors.
The commercial aspect presents challenges, particularly with pricing, as customers often ask for Juniper or Cisco, brands they are more aware of, which makes awareness about Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center another weak point.
The choice depends on the network architecture and planning for the future scalability requirements.
The current setup is closed and does not allow for integration with non-Ubiquiti VoIP devices or providers outside their ecosystem.
Controlling and reducing network traffic directly from the controller would be beneficial.
 

Setup Cost

Fortinet FortiSwitch is competitively priced, sometimes seen as expensive, offers no extra licensing with FortiGate, and occasional discounts.
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are budget-friendly for SMEs, offering no fees, but have limited features and availability issues.
The Fortinet switches come with no additional cost as they are open source, with only hardware warranties applicable.
Pricing is competitive, although it's not the cheapest option.
Our investment in Ubiquiti is about £30,000, and it's a cost-effective solution since there is no subscription fee.
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches are cost-effective, offering similar performance and features as higher-priced alternatives like Cisco or Ruckus.
Pricing is very favorable, with minimal licensing involved.
 

Valuable Features

Fortinet FortiSwitch offers centralized management, enhanced security, and efficient integration with FortiGate for flexible, cost-effective network control.
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches provide centralized, intuitive management, seamless integration, and scalability, ideal for small and medium businesses.
This feature allows the switch's ports to be used as firewall ports, enhancing network security by enabling IPS and network profiling directly on the ports.
It allows me to create VLANs, implement security measures, and push configurations using a single tool.
The main actual benefit that Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center brought to my customer's environment is secure connectivity while minimizing downtime from unexpected traffic or broadcasting.
The switches enable management from anywhere using the cloud controller, making configuration changes and management easier.
I can manage user connectivity, limit bandwidth, apply MAC address filtering, and it offers POE capabilities.
One of the most valuable features of Ubiquiti UniFi switches is their graphical interface and plug-and-play capability.
 

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
15th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
55
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center is 1.9%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ubiquiti UniFi Switches is 7.5%, up from 6.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches7.5%
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center1.9%
Other90.6%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Rutul SHah - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides seamless traffic control and secure connectivity while minimizing downtime and optimizing resource allocation
There is always room for improvement in Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center because with this switch, they can reduce downtime due to broadcasting issues by denying specific traffic on particular ports. Currently, I am not identifying any weak points of Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center because it meets the customer's use case. However, the commercial aspect presents challenges, particularly with pricing, as customers often ask for Juniper or Cisco, brands they are more aware of, which makes awareness about Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center another weak point.
Thorsten Hansl - PeerSpot reviewer
Manage network traffic effectively with simple console management and helpful support
Before using UniFi Switches, I used a mixture of HP, Dell, Juniper, and some small D-Link switches. The main reason for switching was that the previous switches were old, with no more updates or support. I decided to use UniFi as a unified solution for all my needs, which includes various sizes of switches.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Computer Software Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
University
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business16
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise4
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business44
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise1
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center?
The Fortinet switches come with no additional cost as they are open source, with only hardware warranties applicable.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center?
There is always room for improvement in Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center because with this switch, they can reduce downtime due to broadcasting issues by denying specific traffic on particular po...
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 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...
 

Also Known As

No data available
UniFi Switches
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
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Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center vs. Ubiquiti UniFi Switches and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
867,370 professionals have used our research since 2012.