TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. NETGEAR Ethernet Switches

Save this comparison

Save this comparison

Add Product

Recommended Comparisons

    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Cisco Ethernet Switches

    Score9.1 out of 10
    N/ACisco offers Ethernet switches.N/A

    NETGEAR Ethernet Switches

    Score9.5 out of 10
    N/ANETGEAR offers Ethernet Switches.N/A
    Pricing
    Cisco Ethernet SwitchesNETGEAR Ethernet Switches
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Cisco Ethernet SwitchesNETGEAR Ethernet Switches
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Cisco Ethernet SwitchesNETGEAR Ethernet Switches
    Considered Both Products
    Cisco
    Chose Cisco Ethernet Switches
    Cisco is more enterprise level, more reliable, and generally more feature rich but also very expensive. That being said old or refurbished Cisco switches are much more affordable and in comparison to even new switches from the competitor they are still a great value even …
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Ethernet Switches
    Cisco is by far the superior of all switches I have used. I would recommend them as the learning curve is very low and dependability is extremely high.
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Ethernet Switches
    We used to implement a lot of NETGEAR ProSafe Managed Switches before the Cisco SG Switches. They were also inexpensive and offered basic management, VLAN, and PoE features. However, management was beyond quirky, VLAN setup was a chore, and we had lots of reliability issues. …
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Ethernet Switches
    The only choices that was D-link and Netgear Ethernet swithes, and there is no comparison between them and Cisco. The only other enterprise switches that I have experience with are HP Procurve, and again there is simply no comparison. Cisco blows them out of the water on …
    Incentivized
    NETGEAR
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    5 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    5 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    80%
    Delivers good value for the price
    4 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    5 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    5 Answers
    80%
    Happy with the feature set
    4 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    5 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    5 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    5 Answers
    Best Alternatives
    Cisco Ethernet SwitchesNETGEAR Ethernet Switches
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    RUCKUS Ethernet Switches
    Score10 out of 10
    RUCKUS Ethernet Switches
    Score10 out of 10
    Enterprises
    HPE Aruba Networking Switches
    Score8.7 out of 10
    Cisco Ethernet Switches
    Score9.1 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Cisco Ethernet SwitchesNETGEAR Ethernet Switches
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.2
    (12 ratings)
    8.5
    (6 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Cisco Ethernet SwitchesNETGEAR Ethernet Switches
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Cisco
    Cisco is a name well known in the IT field. The technology is tried and true and they have built a reputation on a solid platform. Though many people do not like the cost of the devices and the continued fees associated with long term ownership, you get what you pay for. I dont hesitate to recommend Cisco because I know people will get a solid product that will last a long time.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    NETGEAR
    Great for entry-level networking, and the cost-to-quality ratio is great for the average consumer. I've used them in a crawl space that is not climate controlled, and it just works and provides the switching capabilities I need. These are great for users that don't have a ton of experience and can simply try to troubleshoot with a simple power cycle.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Cisco
    • Easy setup and configuration. While the web UI has its quirks, setting up VLANs and other tasks which can be exceedingly complicated on other switches, are much easier on Cisco SG switches. You also have the ability to upload an existing configuration to switches, which can speed up the task of deploying many identical switches.
    • Features for the price. Getting a 48 port L3 switch with PoE+ for less than $2,000 is a great value.
    • Reliability. We have hundreds of the SG switches in dozens of client sites, many in harsh conditions, and they just keep going.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    NETGEAR
    • Manage extra connections in a switched network.
    • Provide good throughput for those extra connections.
    • Easy to add into an existing network environment.
    Read full review
    Cons
    Cisco
    • The web UI has taken a turn for the worse with the latest firmware on the SGx50 models -- the bifurcation between basic and advanced modes and the changes to the way VLANs are modified is a step backward in my opinion.
    • The power bricks on smaller models are enormous. I'm sure, however, keeping this circuitry external to the switch is what keeps my switches running year after year in hot environments.
    • Fans can be a bit loud on larger switches -- this is true of pretty much any 1U device though.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    NETGEAR
    • Better advertisement about advanced enterprise features. My experience is with smaller switches and not with the fully managed switches.
    • Additional management tools to monitor multiple switches in the environment. Similar to Cisco Network Assistant.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Cisco
    for their relialiabilty
    Read full review
    NETGEAR
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Cisco
    Cisco is more enterprise level, more reliable, and generally more feature rich but also very expensive. That being said old or refurbished Cisco switches are much more affordable and in comparison to even new switches from the competitor they are still a great value even though they are used. I like Ubiquiti switches as well but Cisco is usually better overall.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    NETGEAR
    While the Ubiquiti are much easier to manage remotely through their cloud controllers, the Netgear is much more reliable in harsh environments than the other simple switches we use, as they seem less susceptive to high temperatures and humidity. (TP-Link and Zycel are the other major brands we use for simple switches.)
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Cisco
    • Failure on Cisco Switches, from my experience, is rare in the first 5 years the device is up.
    • I have see the Cisco 6500 switches go 5 years without a reboot, which is nothing short of amazing.
    • The service that you get is top notch and available 24/7, and you really cannot put a price on that.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    NETGEAR
    • Keeps our investment in infrastructure connections low because they can provide those connections.
    • A lower cost alternative to adding in wall connections.
    • Sometimes they can cause collision issues due to traffic across them.
    Read full review
    ScreenShots