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 7.8, while Cisco is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.9. Aviatrix holds a 5.1% mindshare in SDN, compared to Cisco’s 14.6% 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

358 Views
131 Comparison Views

83% willing to recommend

Cisco ACI

Read 102 Cisco ACI reviews

1,466 Views
408 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

Aviatrix

Cisco ACI

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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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: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Aviatrix vs. Cisco ACI

June 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)

4th

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

102

Ranking in other categories

Network Virtualization (1st), Cloud and Data Center Security (5th)

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Software Defined Networking (SDN) category, the mindshare of Aviatrix is 5.1%, up from 3.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco ACI is 14.6%, up from 9.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Software Defined Networking (SDN)

Featured Reviews

Bharadhwaj Bathini

System Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees

Seamless integration features for multi-cloud environments with significant challenges regarding security and support

There is room for improvement regarding enhancing its security features in response to modern cybersecurity challenges. This includes implementing advanced security measures like multi-factor authentication when connecting with various technologies and during login processes. Additionally, the user experience could be improved by offering more practical training courses, helping users understand the purpose and capabilities of Aviatrix, especially in scenarios like archiving systems. Offering temporary subscriptions to external users could boost adoption and usage. Clear communication of policies, terms, and conditions is also recommended to ensure users are well-informed about what can and cannot be done. These enhancements would provide a more user-friendly experience.

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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.

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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."

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

"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."

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

"The basic functionality that is the most useful is creating a virtual network on a physical device."

"The initial setup was pretty straightforward. We just moved from one platform to another."

"The most valuable feature of Cisco ACI is that it is eay to manage. We can automate and it can be scripted. Virtual ACI is very good."

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

"This product improved the way our company functions by enabling us to establish our goal of moving to a zero-trust model. That's how Cisco ACI helps us the most."

"This solution is easy to configure, and it is done in an object-oriented manner."

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

"Cisco ACI can separate networks with a buoy interface. That is the most valuable feature."

More Cisco ACI pros

Cons

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

"The solution needs to improve the onboarding architecture."

"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 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."

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

"It needs to be able to function on the cloud."

"The ACI user interface is complex and Cisco should improve it."

"We are waiting to see what happens with the cloud. We want to see if it will scale better."

"In terms of improvement, I would like to see some sort of way to baseline the system in a network-centric fashion."

"One of the things that makes it a lot more complicated is the way contracts are handled in ACI. Contracts are like their own access lists. They can improve the setting up of contracts between devices a lot. It can be simplified."

"Cisco ACI would benefit by providing the option to integrate easily with DNAC in their next release."

"I would like for ACI to manage all of the devices."

"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."

More Cisco ACI cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

"The tool is quite expensive."

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

"The cost is fine."

"Cisco is much more expensive than other vendors, especially when it comes to the licensing."

"The pricing is pretty good for new technology."

"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."

"We don't use all of the features but it's still worth the money."

"The pricing, including both hardware and licenses, is reasonable."

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

"A big company can automate it themselves or spend a lot of money and buy it."

More Cisco ACI pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

21%

Financial Services Firm

15%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Insurance Company

Computer Software Company

21%

Financial Services Firm

10%

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 37% of the time

Meraki SD-WAN vs Aviatrix

Compared 28% of the time

VMware NSX vs Aviatrix

Compared 20% of the time

More Aviatrix Competitors

Cisco Secure Workload vs Cisco ACI

Compared 23% of the time

VMware NSX vs Cisco ACI

Compared 19% of the time

Akamai Guardicore Segmentation vs Cisco ACI

Compared 14% of the time

HPE SDN vs Cisco ACI

Compared 11% of the time

Nuage Networks vs Cisco ACI

Compared 2% of the time

More Cisco ACI Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Software Defined Networking (SDN)

June 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Cisco ACI

June 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

June 2025

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