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Cisco Catalyst Switches vs NETGEAR Switches comparison

Why PeerSpot?
 

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
5.0
Cisco Catalyst Switches enhance efficiency, reliability, and performance, offering long-term value and cost savings despite mixed investment perceptions.
Sentiment score
6.9
NETGEAR Switches enhance efficiency and profitability through reliability, remote management, and long-term cost savings despite initial investment.
Peace of mind and quality of support and, of course, trouble-free and issue-free workings matter, and I am even willing to pay more for that.
CISO at ADNIC
With Catalyst Switches, I can quickly check interface status, VLANs, MAC addresses, errors, and logs to identify the root cause.
Desktop support Engineer at a outsourcing company with 51-200 employees
I can say in terms of money saved because up until now, in the previous places where I have worked and also now, we still use the older model, the 2960 model Cisco Catalyst Switches, which has been in existence for almost 20 years and up until now it still functions very well.
Electrical control system engineer at Dangote petroleum refinery and petrol chemicals
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.7
Cisco Catalyst Switches support is appreciated for responsiveness, resources, and efficiency despite occasional challenges with multi-tier processes.
Sentiment score
6.8
NETGEAR Switches support is generally effective, though some face challenges with documentation, quick assistance, and complex configurations.
When requesting an RMA, they replace defective items in just one day.
Network Engineer at General Authority OF ZAKAT & TAX
Even if it is slightly more expensive, the main basic thing is how soon or how easily a company can support you if something goes wrong on the switch, which can happen to any brand.
Consultant at Staunch On Demand
On a scale from one to 10, I would rate the technical support of Cisco at 10 out of 10.
student at St. Joseph's College of Engineering
There are issues distinguishing which switches support cloud features.
Managing Director at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.4
Cisco Catalyst Switches offer seamless scalability and flexibility, enabling straightforward network growth and compatibility for future upgrades.
Sentiment score
7.0
NETGEAR Switches provide scalable solutions with virtual stacking, supporting high performance and adaptability for diverse network environments.
We can add more switches, VLANs, users, and network segments without having to redesign the entire environment.
Desktop support Engineer at a outsourcing company with 51-200 employees
The scalability of Cisco Catalyst Switches is very much scalable, as it supports the stacking feature and growth; for instance, with 94K modular switches, based on the requirement, we can even increase modules for more bandwidth.
Unit Nos at Orange
Unlike Meraki, where I can bring a switch online, join it to the portal, and it becomes operational immediately.
Software Developer/ IT Analyst Individual Contributor at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
The scalability of NETGEAR Switches is easy and very beneficial for us.
Assistant Manager ICT at IHS
NETGEAR's scalability through its Insight Cloud system is on par with Ubiquiti's, although it must offer features beyond its competitors.
Managing Director at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
We used to use a lot of the 4300 switches and they're not completely compatible with the new AV line.
Teamleader Av Installers at solufak
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
Cisco Catalyst Switches are stable and reliable, offering long-term performance with minimal issues, recommended for demanding environments.
Sentiment score
7.8
NETGEAR Switches are reliable and efficient, offering high stability with minor glitches easily fixed through firmware updates.
The available monitoring and troubleshooting tools also make it easier to identify and resolve those issues quickly, which helps maintain overall network stability.
Desktop support Engineer at a outsourcing company with 51-200 employees
The stability of Cisco Catalyst Switches in my environment is somewhat problematic: legacy Cisco Catalyst Switches, even though they have licenses and support, present many hardware-related issues, such as interfaces going down very repeatedly, SFP modules failing in most cases, and hardware ports becoming faulty.
Network Security Engineer at a healthcare company with 11-50 employees
What you tell it to do is exactly what it does.
Electrical control system engineer at Dangote petroleum refinery and petrol chemicals
We've experienced failures such as a 16-port dying after three to four years.
Managing Director at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
I rarely see glitches, but we had some minor glitches over the past years, and they were easily resolved.
Teamleader Av Installers at solufak
 

Room For Improvement

Users want Cisco Catalyst Switches to be more affordable, user-friendly, interoperable, with better automation, security, support, and intuitive designs.
NETGEAR Switches need enhanced security, improved management, better performance, and more intuitive interfaces, addressing cost and support concerns.
Cisco should provide some level of software that I can bring on-premise where I can add all my Catalyst switches for central management.
Software Developer/ IT Analyst Individual Contributor at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Support and vulnerabilities are the biggest issues regarding Cisco Catalyst Switches.
Network Architect at a retailer with 5,001-10,000 employees
I would also like better visibility into hardware capabilities and lifecycle status from a single dashboard so we can identify potential issues before they affect users.
Desktop support Engineer at a outsourcing company with 51-200 employees
They should introduce features like dual firmware or dual boot that allow systems to be updated without downtime.
Managing Director at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Real-time analytics would be helpful regarding the analytics aspect, and this feature is not yet present and would be an improvement regarding analytics.
Teamleader Av Installers at solufak
They can improve on the commercial part, specifically the cost, as it is higher than other brands.
Assistant Manager ICT at IHS
 

Setup Cost

Cisco Catalyst Switches are costly but reliable, with high upfront and licensing costs; competitors offer cheaper alternatives.
NETGEAR Switches offer excellent value and advanced features, making them ideal for budget-conscious buyers like schools and municipalities.
Cisco provides unique features that justify their pricing.
Product Manager at Uop Ipl
Cisco Catalyst Switches are quite pricey.
Network Manager at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
Cisco usually is costly compared to other vendors.
Unit Nos at Orange
Some high-end switches required for specific advanced features, like precision time protocols, can be more expensive.
Managing Director at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
It is an expensive product.
Teamleader Av Installers at solufak
 

Valuable Features

Cisco Catalyst Switches offer reliable, secure, scalable networking with robust features and management, ensuring seamless integration and industry leadership.
NETGEAR Switches provide affordable, easy-to-manage, energy-efficient networking with diverse models and strong security, ideal for small businesses.
Cisco Catalyst Switches are valuable for their reliability and performance.
Product Manager at Uop Ipl
With Meraki access points, I do not have to have a wireless controller for them. I can configure the wireless device directly from the switch, making the setup cleaner, and that is a major reason for my preference.
Software Developer/ IT Analyst Individual Contributor at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Cisco Catalyst Switches provide high performance and security features that stand out in my daily work, where they handle a high volume of traffic with low latency, making them suitable for bandwidth-intensive applications, web applications, VoIP applications, video streaming, and major data center workloads.
Network Security Engineer at a healthcare company with 11-50 employees
The most valuable features are routing and access control.
Assistant Manager ICT at IHS
The precision time protocol feature caught our interest for future use in specific settings like churches, where low latency is required.
Managing Director at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
The best things about NETGEAR Switches are the support they provide and the ease of implementation.
Teamleader Av Installers at solufak
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Catalyst Switches
Ranking in LAN Switching
1st
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
3rd
Ranking in AV Over IP Switching
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
193
Ranking in other categories
Data Center Networking (1st)
NETGEAR Switches
Ranking in LAN Switching
8th
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
7th
Ranking in AV Over IP Switching
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
57
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the LAN Switching category, the mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Switches is 17.6%, down from 26.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NETGEAR Switches is 8.4%, up from 7.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
LAN Switching Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Catalyst Switches17.6%
NETGEAR Switches8.4%
Other74.0%
LAN Switching
 

Featured Reviews

Md Rafique - PeerSpot reviewer
Desktop support Engineer at a outsourcing company with 51-200 employees
Reliable switching has improved segmentation and reduces downtime with faster troubleshooting
One area I would like to see improvement is making configuration and troubleshooting more straightforward, especially for engineers managing a large number of switches. Some tasks can require multiple CLI commands and checking different outputs to identify an issue. Better centralized visibility, more intuitive automation tools, and clearer troubleshooting information would make day-to-day operations more efficient. That said, the CLI gives experienced network engineers a lot of control, so I would see these improvements as making the existing capabilities easier and faster to use rather than replacing them. For on-premises deployment, I would like to see easier centralized management and more automation for larger switch environments. Firmware upgrades, configuration changes, and troubleshooting can take significant time when they have to be handled across many physical devices. Better zero-touch provisioning, simplifying firmware management solutions, stronger integration with monitoring and IT management platforms, and more proactive hardware health alerts would make operations easier. I would also like better visibility into hardware capabilities and lifecycle status from a single dashboard so we can identify potential issues before they affect users.
Tomas Devriese - PeerSpot reviewer
Teamleader Av Installers at solufak
VLAN support has improved audiovisual installations and secures network traffic for our projects
Our major use cases include audiovisual installations and we mainly use the AV line for that. We work with the VLAN support feature The best things about NETGEAR Switches are the support they provide and the ease of implementation. The ease of installation helps with network performance. It helps…
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Outsourcing Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Construction Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Construction Company
9%
Outsourcing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business85
Midsize Enterprise31
Large Enterprise87
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business43
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise11
 

Questions from the Community

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 Cisco Catalyst Switches?
My experience is that Cisco Catalyst Switches can involve a relatively significant upfront investment, especially when you consider the hardware, support, and licensing requirements. The total cost...
What needs improvement with Cisco Catalyst Switches?
One area I would like to see improvement is making configuration and troubleshooting more straightforward, especially for engineers managing a large number of switches. Some tasks can require multi...
How do NETGEAR switches compare with Cisco ethernet switches?
NetGear switches have a lot to offer. They have high availability, zero-downtime stacking, L2 and L3 functionality, and are AV-over-IP ready. NetGear switches also have a command line interface and...
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...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NETGEAR Switches?
If I were to rate price, I would give it eight or nine points. It is an expensive product.
 

Also Known As

Cisco Catalyst, Catalyst
NETGEAR Insight Managed Switches, NETGEAR GC Series, NETGEAR M Series
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Afni, Anilana Hotels and Resorts, Baylor Scott & White Health, Beachbody, Bellevue, Del Papa Distributing, Explorer Pipeline, Mindtree, Omaha World Herald, Radio 538, Sony Corporation, Telecom Italia, Telenor Arena
Blaze Networks
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Catalyst Switches vs. NETGEAR Switches and other solutions. Updated: October 2026.
917,403 professionals have used our research since 2012.