Aviatrix vs Cisco ACI comparison

Aviatrix and Cisco are both solutions in the Software Defined Networking (SDN) category. Aviatrix is ranked #3 with an average rating of 7.8, while Cisco is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.8. Aviatrix holds a 5.2% mindshare in SDN, compared to Cisco’s 15.5% mindshare. Additionally, 83% of Aviatrix users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 85% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

Aviatrix

Read 6 Aviatrix reviews

362 Views
177 Comparison Views

83% willing to recommend

Cisco ACI

Read 101 Cisco ACI reviews

1,577 Views
468 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

Aviatrix

Cisco ACI

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 4, 2025

Cisco ACI and Aviatrix are competing in the network management domain. Aviatrix has the upper hand with superior cloud integration capabilities, while Cisco ACI excels in on-premises management, making it favorable for traditional data centers.

Features:Cisco ACI is known for its end-to-end visibility, streamlined workflow automation, and robust data center management. Aviatrix stands out with its dynamic routing, global transit architecture, and advanced security controls for cloud environments.

Room for Improvement:Cisco ACI could improve its integration and adaptability to modern cloud environments. It can be challenging to deploy in large systems. Aviatrix could enhance its user interface for better usability and work on increasing compatibility with more enterprise-level on-premises systems.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service:Cisco ACI offers a complex deployment model suited for large enterprises, supported by comprehensive customer service. Aviatrix features a flexible model optimized for rapid cloud integration and provides agile customer support for cloud-native needs.

Pricing and ROI:Cisco ACI involves higher upfront costs due to hardware dependencies but offers ROI through comprehensive data center management. Aviatrix provides a cost-effective solution with cloud usage-based pricing, delivering financial benefits in cloud-centric use cases.

To learn more, read our detailed Aviatrix vs. Cisco ACI Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Aviatrix vs. Cisco ACI

April 2025

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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)

3rd

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

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

6.5

Number of Reviews

101

Ranking in other categories

Network Virtualization (1st), Cloud and Data Center Security (6th)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Software Defined Networking (SDN) category, the mindshare of Aviatrix is 5.2%, up from 3.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco ACI is 15.5%, up from 7.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Software Defined Networking (SDN)

Featured Reviews

Govinda Mengji

Specialist Master | Manager at Deloitte

Has multiple capabilities which are not present in other products in the market

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.

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Raj Metkar

Director, Head of Networks at MUFG, EMEA

Provides scalability, ease of migration for future DC moves, multi-tenancy and programmability

Cisco's MSO (Multi-Site Orchestrator) or NDO has room for improvement. Cisco monitors ACI through a product called NDI. I find it very frustrating that Cisco has multiple monitoring platforms. It has DNAC for monitoring Cisco NX-OS, campus switches, and any other routers and switches you would have in the environment. That same thing does not work for Cisco ACI monitoring. MEraki cloudbasd platform for Meraki which will get extended to Campus monitoring, to be honest Cisco never got Monitoring 100% right from days of CiscoWorks to Prime to current platforms. To monitor and manage Cisco ACI, you need to have another platform called NDI and Cisco Dashboard Insights. What frustrates me about Cisco is that it never has a central, single pane of glass platform for all its solutions. It has one thing for Cisco ACI and another thing for campus switches. I would really appreciate it if Cisco came up with something centralized to monitor everything. I haven't thought about anything since the Cisco NDO is quite advanced, and you can deploy your cloud networking through it. I don't know how many people use it. I might explore it as my cloud orchestration tool in the future. We do a lot of cloud automation using our scripts like TerraForm, but I would like to see people using NDO more. We could have more case studies on how many people use NDO for their cloud orchestration. That might be a much easier journey for people when they move from an on-premises data center into a cloud and move from one cloud to another cloud. That is where I personally see an orchestrator being effectively used for multiple deployments.

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

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

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

"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."

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

"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."

"The most valuable features are the automation with the different systems for the software development and the ability to provision switches in hours rather than days."

"It has benefited my organization by saving us a lot of time."

"It has reduced our day-to-day operations by at least half."

"The security component is its most valuable feature."

"I recommend Cisco ACI due to its reliable tech support, timely updates for security, traffic management, and ease of management."

"It provides flexibility, so you can install it everywhere."

"The most valuable feature is the throughput that it offers."

"One of the most valuable features is centralized management. The other is the ability to create policies by routing."

More Cisco ACI pros

Cons

"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."

"The solution needs to improve the onboarding architecture."

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

"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"

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

"The user interface should be made easier."

"It is challenging for people who don't understand the programming language, making it difficult to migrate. With technology, there are two verticals. One is hardware driven and the other is software driven. Most people in our domain understand networking, but they don't understand programming. When we migrate, some programming is required."

"Cisco should provide more examples of code in their website. Something that other people can use. There is a great place in the development area."

"Figuring out how to implement the product for clients is the area we struggle with the most every day. Perhaps an enhancement would be artificially intelligent solutions, but that would be further down the road."

"Biannually, there is a new design delivered by Cisco. Thus, you are always running behind the new design, and it never stops. With Cisco ACI, this has been a nightmare."

"An area for improvement in Cisco ACI is security, which Cisco needs to enhance in the solution. Though Cisco ACI uses a whitelist model, you must purchase an external product, such as a security firewall solution, to make whitelisting work, which the customer could find expensive. For example, you're a customer who has Cisco ACI, and the solution doesn't have IP-based filtering, so as a customer, you've purchased Cisco ACI. However, you still need to buy another product for security, and some customers wouldn't like that. However, some customers prefer to go with Cisco ACI because of its scalability and flexibility versus other solutions such as Juniper and Aruba. Technical support for Cisco ACI also needs improvement, particularly in product knowledge."

"Training for this product is available from institutions but it is not available online where you can get users trained easily."

"The way the objects are oriented on it are not as straightforward as they should be."

More Cisco ACI cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

"Aviatrix is a pretty expensive solution."

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

"The tool is quite expensive."

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

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

"It is quite expensive. It is not at all on the cheap or medium side."

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

"Cisco ACI costs depend on how many sites you have. One simple site with a simple installation, including two leaves, two spines, and some fibers, would cost $200,000 to $300,000 for the licenses. The solution is a bit expensive, but it's a good investment if you want your data centers to work without interruption."

"This is an expensive solution."

"I don't believe there is any licensing required."

"We have seen time improvement using the product."

More Cisco ACI pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

22%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Insurance Company

Computer Software Company

22%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Aviatrix?

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

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aviatrix?

Aviatrix is a pretty expensive solution. Users have to pay a yearly licensing fee for the solution and the support. You can't buy the product without support.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Aviatrix?

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

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 do you like most about Cisco ACI?

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.

See all answers

Comparisons

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Aviatrix

Compared 39% of the time

Meraki SD-WAN vs Aviatrix

Compared 27% of the time

VMware NSX vs Aviatrix

Compared 18% of the time

More Aviatrix Competitors

Cisco Secure Workload vs Cisco ACI

Compared 23% of the time

VMware NSX vs Cisco ACI

Compared 20% of the time

Akamai Guardicore Segmentation vs Cisco ACI

Compared 15% of the time

Illumio vs Cisco ACI

Compared 10% of the time

DriveNets Network Cloud vs Cisco ACI

Compared 3% of the time

More Cisco ACI Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Software Defined Networking (SDN)

May 2025

Download Aviatrix product report

Buyer's Guide

Cisco ACI

May 2025

Download Cisco ACI product report

Overview

The Aviatrix solution consists of two components: the Aviatrix Gateway, which is deployed on-premises or in the cloud; and the Aviatrix Cloud Controller, which orchestrates and manages one or more Gateways.

Aviatrix

Cisco ACI automates data center networking, centralizing management and configuration of diverse network environments. It's used for micro-segmentation, replacing legacy networks, and deploying software-defined networking.

Cisco ACI enables seamless integration with cloud platforms and multi-site connectivity. It ensures high availability and redundancy, supports network-centric applications, enhances security, and facilitates agile service implementations across different regions and data centers. The platform offers high throughput, ease of configuration, centralized management, and programmability. Users find value in its single management interface, policy-based routing, Service Graphs, and simplified deployment. Cisco ACI also excels in scalability, automation, low latency, and supports data center expansion efficiently.

What are the key features of Cisco ACI?

High Throughput: Ensures fast data transmission and network efficiency.
Ease of Configuration: Simplifies setup and changes to network configurations.
Centralized Management: Provides a single interface for managing the entire network.
Micro-Segmentation: Enhances security by isolating network segments.
Integration with VMware: Seamlessly integrates with VMware environments.
Scalability: Easily expands to accommodate growing organizational needs.
Automation Capabilities: Reduces manual tasks through advanced automation.
Policy-Based Routing: Optimizes network traffic based on set policies.

What benefits should users look for when evaluating Cisco ACI?

Seamless integration with cloud platforms and multi-site connectivity.
High availability and redundancy ensuring consistent service uptime.
Enhanced security with micro-segmentation and policy-based control.
Agility in service implementations across regions and data centers.
Efficiency in network management with centralized control.

Organizations in industries such as finance, healthcare, and technology implement Cisco ACI to modernize data centers, improve security, and streamline network operations. Its capabilities support expanding infrastructure, integrating with cloud services, and managing complex network architectures with minimal effort.

Cisco

Sample Customers

Hyatt, Robert Half, GREE

Bowling Green State University, du, Qatar University

Buyer's Guide

Aviatrix vs. Cisco ACI

April 2025

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