Aviatrix vs Cisco ACI comparison

Aviatrix and Cisco are both solutions in the Software Defined Networking (SDN) category. Aviatrix is ranked #4 with an average rating of 10.0, while Cisco is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.8. Aviatrix holds a 6.2% mindshare in SDN, compared to Cisco’s 11.8% mindshare. Additionally, 87% of Aviatrix users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 85% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

Aviatrix

Read 8 Aviatrix reviews

921 Views
497 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

Cisco ACI

Read 103 Cisco ACI reviews

3,660 Views
1,318 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

Aviatrix

Cisco ACI

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 25, 2026

Cisco ACI and Aviatrix both compete in the network management and cloud solution spaces. Cisco ACI seems to have an upper hand in automating complex network operations while Aviatrix leads in cross-cloud connectivity.

Features: Cisco ACI is known for supporting over 64,000 tenant networks and one million endpoints, offering full integration with vCenter and robust automation features. Its programmability allows flexible policy management, while its centralized management eases network configuration. Aviatrix, in contrast, is cloud-agnostic and provides real-time topology visualization, seamless multi-cloud connections, and comprehensive troubleshooting tools, such as Flightpath and packet capture.

Room for Improvement: Cisco ACI requires advancements in ease of configuration and third-party integrations, as the learning curve remains steep. Aviatrix should focus on enhancing its security features, particularly in intrusion detection, as well as expanding IPv6 support.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco ACI is generally deployed on-premises or in private clouds, with a noted complexity in initial setup often requiring significant technical expertise. Its customer service is generally reliable but varies by region. Aviatrix offers versatility in cloud deployments and is recognized for responsive customer service, although its support resources are not as extensive as Cisco's.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco ACI is considered costly but justifiable for large enterprises due to its quality and comprehensive support, resulting in significant ROI through automation and central management. Aviatrix uses a consumption-based pricing model, which although flexible, can become costly due to high licensing fees. Both solutions are seen as investments, with Cisco ACI users reporting better cost efficiencies due to its advanced features.

To learn more, read our detailed Aviatrix vs. Cisco ACI Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Aviatrix vs. Cisco ACI

February 2026

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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

Aviatrix

Ranking in Software Defined Networking (SDN)

4th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Cisco ACI

Ranking in Software Defined Networking (SDN)

2nd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

103

Ranking in other categories

Network Virtualization (1st), Cloud and Data Center Security (7th)

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Software Defined Networking (SDN) category, the mindshare of Aviatrix is 6.2%, up from 4.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco ACI is 11.8%, down from 13.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Software Defined Networking (SDN) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Cisco ACI	11.8%
Aviatrix	6.2%
Other	82.0%

Software Defined Networking (SDN)

Featured Reviews

reviewer1469877

Senior Network & Security Administrator at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

Centralized console has streamlined multi‑cloud management and supports automated operations

Apart from the centralized management console, Aviatrix gives the additional advantage or simplifies the way we manage the cloud environments. When it comes to troubleshooting or more networking-related issues, the native cloud solution has limited options available within the cloud environment. Aviatrix provides those additional benefits to manage effectively when managing troubleshooting or issues. Aviatrix is making our day-to-day job easier and also saving a lot of time because it gives options for cloud-to-cloud peering, as well as a transit hub and spoke architecture. It simplifies how we manage the multi-cloud environment through the single console, and the connectivity options become very easier. Aviatrix supports the automation platform. It supports Infrastructure as Code (IAC), which makes deployment faster with automation. This reduces operational overhead. Aviatrix has positively impacted my organization by making management and administration easier, allowing us to manage all the cloud infrastructure from a single console. There is less overhead on operations due to automation support, and cloud network segmentation has become more advanced.

Read full review

Rahul Khandelwal

Network Technical Manager at KPMG

Enables streamlined data center management with automation and application-centric design

The main features of Cisco ACI that I really appreciate are the application-centric and network-centric designs, allowing you to create your network according to your application. That's helpful, and it's good for one-time implementation. The automation capabilities are really helpful. We deployed one data center using Terraform, and after deployment, many automation features are available, which can be very helpful. Based on my experience, Cisco ACI provides substantial capability; you can design your network accordingly and it's part of the SDN family, providing many benefits to the organization, especially when moving from traditional network infrastructure. Many organizations are actually using the old traditional Nexus infrastructure or some old data center devices. It gives you significant control and one-time implementation capabilities, and it also provides better performance and security. Functionality-wise, Cisco ACI provides integration using automation. We implemented it through Terraform, which was easy. Those features are available, so I don't think any new features are needed right now; something new could come up, but they have implemented many improvements over the years.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It has enhanced the way I can deploy and manage VPCs and other connectivity services, provided valuable insights into latency, ports used, and top talkers, and offered effective troubleshooting tools."

"The product has greatly improved our organization by saving costs for multiple direct connections and simpler cloud configurations."

"The connections are seamless, and we can access the static clouds on the platform itself. We are also able to trace the issues. The most valuable features of the solution are security, user interface, and performance."

"The most valuable feature of Aviatrix is that it saves us a lot of time."

"This tool resolves the overlapping of CIDR’s IP addresses in a multi-cloud environment, which is its best feature. The product also gives packet-level details on the data that has been put from one cloud to another. Currently, no other solution in the market can give this kind of detail. There is also the high VPN connectivity which gives high throughput. Internet service providers have a limitation on large migrations like 10 Gigabytes or 2 to 2.3 GBPS. However, this tool gives you a functionality where you can bundle multiple tunnels into one tunnel. Thereafter, you can transfer the data from one environment to another or from on-prem to the cloud."

"Aviatrix has positively impacted my organization by making management and administration easier, allowing us to manage all the cloud infrastructure from a single console."

"Within the Aviatrix ecosystem, you could connect different clouds, and the intricacies of low-level commands and configurations were abstracted away."

"Its exceptional capability to seamlessly integrate with various cloud services makes it the preferred choice for multi-cloud deployments."

"It improves security and automation."

"There are many features which are useful, like the automatic completion of the VXLAN."

"I rate Cisco ACI nine out of ten due to its impressive features."

"Their technical support is very good. We had a problem and Cisco gave us the best engineer to resolve the issue."

"Now, our customers have tiers of management that have meetings with about the simplest tasks because it has to be approved from upper management and senior management and by the time it gets to the engineer that's going to deploy it, it takes way too long. With the solution, they can delegate a person who would be in charge of running the ACI as a whole, and it will be much faster because it doesn't have to go through the whole chain of command for the simple task of deploying one little machine on one port in the data center."

"With its programmability, you can do stuff to policies to make them more flexible, allowing you to connect devices in new ways."

"The flexibility of adding new components with minimal impact on existing services running in the data center is a key benefit of this ACI-based solution."

"What's most valuable in Cisco ACI is that it isn't like the legacy infrastructure where you have a lot of complexity in a TTR architecture. What I like most about Cisco ACI is that you can control those devices from a single console, even if you have three hundred devices. You can manage the entire infrastructure from a single point of contact, so Cisco ACI is a time saver. Another exclusive feature of Cisco ACI is its API interface that lets you enhance automation within the environment. You can manage your entire data center from a single interface through Cisco ACI. If you want to upgrade three hundred devices in one click, you can do that, and within one hour, all three hundred devices will be upgraded. I also like that Cisco keeps enhancing the product by adding different features, so there have been five major releases of Cisco ACI. Another valuable feature of the solution is that it's more user-friendly than Aruba and Juniper."

More Cisco ACI pros

Cons

"Aviatrix should include more integrated security features like intrusion detection and lateral movement detection."

"There could be an easy availability of multiple features in the profile."

"There can be a steep learning curve for users who are not familiar with it or multi-cloud networking concepts"

"The solution needs to improve the onboarding architecture."

"I find that the pricing, setup costs, and licensing for Aviatrix are on the higher side."

"There is room for improvement regarding enhancing its security features in response to modern cybersecurity challenges."

"The tool has a very limited local presence in the GCC market. I am based in Dubai, UAE and it would be very difficult for me to reach out to US staff for technical discussion during the tool’s implementation. The tool needs to focus on the GCC market which includes UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, etc. There is nobody to help you out in this region."

"For Multipod we need Layer 3 devices that support multicast. Customers ask: "Why can't ACI do that? Why do we need a dedicated Layer 3 device for this?" If they go for Multi-Site there is no need for that, ACI can do it. So Cisco needs to increase the Multipod features in ACI."

"Better troubleshooting features would be helpful. In ACI, it can be a big mess, a real headache to troubleshoot a single issue... The troubleshooting part, and the information that ACI gives you, sometimes don't give you a proper, inside picture of what's going on within the fabric."

"The GUI is not easy to use."

"The learning curve is long. It's very difficult to learn Cisco ACI. As a result, our customers usually have difficulty working with this solution."

"Its scalability and reliability capabilities should be enhanced."

"The initial setup was a bit complex. ACI was just out at that time, and there wasn't support at that time."

"We deployed a lot of Fabrics to multiple sites, which was a bit complex."

"The integration has room for improvement. There should be a drag-and-drop interface for configuring the integration where you connect some arrows to boxes, and the system takes care of the configuration. Right now, they have something similar, but it's limited. You have to take care of some things yourself. That is one area that the solution can work on. It's easy now, but it's much easier in other solutions."

More Cisco ACI cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The tool is quite expensive."

"Aviatrix is a pretty expensive solution."

"It operates on a consumption-based model and the expenses depend on factors such as the number of virtual machines you use and the resources consumed."

"During the initial phase, it operates as an open-source and it's a free tool."

"If you compare the licensing and total cost of ACI, it's cheaper than NSX because of the licensing fees. If you are going for full NSX features it will be too expensive, especially the next-generation firewalling feature."

"It's expensive but the product is very good. I have never found another partner like Cisco with a solution like this and with great support."

"Cisco ACI is more expensive than Juniper, however, ACI is not the most expensive option."

"We used Cisco Professional Services for the deployment. They were outstanding, but very expensive."

"Yearly, we pay around one point two million for the solution."

"Cisco's pricing is very expensive."

"This is an expensive solution."

"The licensing cost for ACI is expensive - I would rate its price 2.5 out of five."

More Cisco ACI pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

11%

Outsourcing Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Retailer

Financial Services Firm

12%

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	1
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	5

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	21
Midsize Enterprise	19
Large Enterprise	87

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aviatrix?

The cost should be compared to the pricing of native services, which often include a data processing component.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Aviatrix?

One area that could use improvement is IPv6 support.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Aviatrix?

I am leveraging additional connectivity features, applying zero trust within the cloud network, simplifying cloud network management, and gaining more insights into what is happening within the env...

See all answers

What are the biggest differences between Cisco ACI and VMware NSX?

There are some very major differences between both the Products and to name a few. -Cisco ACI have physical network gear (9K Switches) where the Code runs in ACI Policy Mode & the UCS server wh...

See all answers

What are the biggest differences between Cisco ACI and VMware NSX?

Once you know your way around the Cisco ecosystem, using Cisco ACI is not so difficult. It is a global product, so when you change one interface, changes are automatically reflected on every switch...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco ACI?

Cost is one thing that could be improved, as it is heavy for an emerging market like ours.

See all answers

Comparisons

VMware NSX vs Aviatrix

Compared 22% of the time

Alkira Cloud Services Exchange (CSX) vs Aviatrix

Compared 14% of the time

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Aviatrix

Compared 14% of the time

Meraki SD-WAN vs Aviatrix

Compared 13% of the time

Megaport vs Aviatrix

Compared 6% of the time

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VMware NSX vs Cisco ACI

Compared 18% of the time

Cisco Secure Workload vs Cisco ACI

Compared 17% of the time

Akamai Guardicore Segmentation vs Cisco ACI

Compared 10% of the time

Illumio vs Cisco ACI

Compared 10% of the time

HPE SDN vs Cisco ACI

Compared 6% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Software Defined Networking (SDN)

February 2026

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Buyer's Guide

Cisco ACI

February 2026

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Also Known As

Aviatrix Enterprise Contract

No data available

Overview

Aviatrix specializes in solving CIDR IP overlap issues in multi-cloud environments while providing superior packet-level data insights and high VPN connectivity capabilities.

Aviatrix delivers seamless integration with AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, ensuring efficient connectivity across major platforms. Its robust security, intuitive usage, and cloud-agnostic nature help manage network constraints while automating processes and adopting zero trust principles. With real-time topology views, consistent Terraform modules, and efficient troubleshooting tools, it simplifies cloud network management. Desired improvements include strengthened presence in the GCC market, enhanced security features, better user training, and improved onboarding processes. Advances in integrated security measures and effective training could reduce the learning curve.

What are Aviatrix's most important features?

CIDR IP Overlap Resolution: Address overlapping IP issues in multi-cloud setups.
High VPN Connectivity: Ensures robust connectivity for migrations.
Cloud Service Integration: Seamless integration across AWS, Azure, and GCP.
Real-Time Topology: Offers a dynamic view of network architecture.
Security: Implements robust security protocols for data safety.

What benefits and ROI can users expect from Aviatrix?

Time-Saving: Streamlines processes to save valuable time.
Enhanced Security: Strengthens network protection across platforms.
Ease of Use: Simplifies cloud network management with a user-friendly interface.
Connectivity: Ensures high connectivity between cloud providers.

In industries like finance, healthcare, and technology, Aviatrix is employed to manage cloud environments with enhanced security and connectivity. Organizations automate networking processes, applying zero trust principles while maximizing management efficiencies. Effective implementation allows for streamlined operations and valuable insights.

Aviatrix

Cisco ACI provides advanced capabilities with features like seamless integration with VMware and APIs for programmability. It offers centralized management for streamlined operations, efficient micro-segmentation, and robust security, addressing modern data center needs.

Cisco ACI brings automation to data center infrastructure, enabling transitions from legacy to modern environments with centralized management. Organizations benefit from optimized server farms, seamless integration with VMware, and support for Kubernetes, making it suitable for large-scale environments. Offering support for healthcare, finance, and public sectors, Cisco ACI facilitates tasks such as virtual networking and multi-site connectivity with application-centric and network-centric designs.

What are the key features of Cisco ACI?

Seamless Integration with VMware: Ensures smooth operation with existing virtualized environments.
Programmability via APIs: Offers flexibility in network configuration and management through APIs.
Centralized Management: Provides a unified view of the network, simplifying oversight.
Automation: Reduces manual configuration workload, speeding up deployment.
Scalability: Adapts to growing network demands with ease.
Robust Security: Enhances protection against threats with comprehensive security measures.
Efficient Micro-Segmentation: Improves network segmentation for security and efficiency.

What benefits or ROI should users look for when evaluating Cisco ACI?

Streamlined Operation: Reduced complexity in network management.
Enhanced Performance: Improved network and application efficiency.
Cost Efficiency: Better resource allocation reduces operational costs.
Improved Security: Advanced features for increased protection.
Scalability: Allows growth without significant redesigns.

In the healthcare industry, Cisco ACI supports secure and efficient data management, accommodating regulatory needs and enhancing patient data handling. Financial institutions benefit from robust security and seamless integration with existing infrastructures, facilitating smooth transaction processing. In the public sector, it's utilized for reliable network management and servicing a diverse range of applications.

Cisco

Sample Customers

Hyatt, Robert Half, GREE

Bowling Green State University, du, Qatar University

Buyer's Guide

Aviatrix vs. Cisco ACI

February 2026

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