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Brocade Ethernet Switches vs NETGEAR Switches comparison

 

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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Brocade Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
24th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
11
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
NETGEAR Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
3rd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
LAN Switching (3rd), AV Over IP Switching (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Brocade Ethernet Switches is 1.0%, down from 1.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NETGEAR Switches is 8.3%, down from 9.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
NETGEAR Switches8.3%
Brocade Ethernet Switches1.0%
Other90.7%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Youssef Ezzerouali - PeerSpot reviewer
Effective range, scalable, and simple implmentation
The most valuable feature of Brocade Ethernet Switches is the good range of access it provides Brocade Ethernet Switches could improve by having better compatibility with web management of older versions. I have been using Brocade Ethernet Switches for approximately three years. The solution is…
Umang Shah - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficient routing and access control with an easy setup
We use NETGEAR Switches for networking, particularly for switch-to-switch connectivity. We connect them with core switches, especially for camera installation NETGEAR Switches have increased the throughput and speed of internal communication, and have improved our network efficiency. The most…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The initial setup was really straightforward and easy."
"The most valuable feature of Brocade Ethernet Switches is the good range of access it provides."
"The reliability of Brocade is the most valuable feature. The solution has been up and running for over ten years without any fail, fixes required, or breakdowns. It is a very strong piece of equipment."
"The technical support is good."
"It is easy to configure and provides good technical support."
"I have not had any issues with our Brocade switches."
"It has good integration with HPE Primera. They have smart zoning in which the administration is very easy. You don't have to do anything. Zoning and other things are done automatically if you just enable the smart zoning. That's one very good thing in HP."
"There's a zone for each server and services in the storage."
"We have one client that has three Insight switches and when we make a change to their network... we can make the configuration change and push it down to all three switches at once. We don't have to individually log on to each switch to make the change."
"I'm satisfied with the stability of NETGEAR Switches."
"There is a lot of helpful documentation that helps with the configuration process."
"The most important feature is the failover, the LACP links. That's the dual set it allows. We have redundant core switches and, if one fails or one network adapter fails, the other one can take over without problems."
"NETGEAR Switches has valuable cybersecurity features."
"NETGEAR Switches have increased the throughput and speed of internal communication, and have improved our network efficiency."
"Technical support is helpful and quick to respond."
"The ability to manage them is the big valuable feature. The ease of use is great."
 

Cons

"The solution could be more secure."
"It could be made easier to configure with a graphical interface."
"It should be simpler. There are still some things that can be simpler in the Brocade switches."
"Brocade Ethernet Switches could improve by having better compatibility with web management of older versions."
"There are some performance issues."
"These switches are no longer supported."
"Brocade Ethernet Switches need a better interface and centralized management."
"No graphical interface."
"The scalability and warranty should also be improved."
"What I'd like to see is more compatibility with virtual stacking, so that 4300-series switches and 3300-series switches will actually stack together and that virtual switch stacks, themselves, are not limited to just six devices, so that they can create larger loops with more bandwidth and more redundancy."
"My one issue with it is that not all the features of the switch can currently be managed via the portal. For some of the more advanced features, you still have to configure the switch."
"The ‘how-to’ guides could do with some improvements. We got in trouble following the stacking and Dante set-up guides. If these would have been accurate, we would not have lost three days."
"There is a technical problem they can't seem to solve. It doesn't support multicast packets. In layman's terms, Mac computers can't print over the network."
"NETGEAR should focus on eliminating single points of failure."
"Centralized monitoring is there, but competitors like Cisco Prime are at a higher level of centralized monitoring."
"Netgear switches could be cheaper."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of Brocade Ethernet Switches is expensive."
"Insight pricing is okay. It's very competitive. The costs of the hardware and additional services weren't low because Unify is much cheaper, but the costs conformed to the market. When you look at the hardware specs, the price and the warranty, the complete package was much better than any other vendor. If you consider those three main aspects of Netgear Insight and Netgear Insight devices, and you put them next to Ubiquity or Cisco Meraki, or even TP-Link, in our opinion, it's better hardware, it has a better warranty, and for the price you have to pay, it's a pretty good product."
"The pricing is very good for 10GbE switches and you get a lot of throughput. It is about 60 percent of the costs of other switches from competitive manufacturers, which is really good."
"You get what you pay for. From a price comparison, there are cheaper switch makers on the market that are definitely less expensive than NETGEAR. They give you the same functionality, but they don't come with a name. There are solutions like Ubiquiti that are very good. They have the ease of setup, and I find NETGEAR battling a little bit in comparison to Ubiquiti."
"I sold someone a SonicWall and they had to redo their subscription every year. It was a $300 or $400 subscription they had to pay every year... With NETGEAR... it's only a $10 or $20 subscription per device for the whole year... and you have your license and you have all your support."
"I would rate the tool's pricing a nine out of ten."
"It is a slightly expensive product."
"It's a great price-to-performance solution. I think it's singularly the best price-per-performance we can find, if not just straight performance to begin with... The cost of hardware and additional services is lower, absolutely. I wouldn't say "low," but we found it to be lower than other options, and that helps us resell this back to customers who are looking at other things like a Cisco Meraki..."
"This is a one-time purchase and there are no licensing fees."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Government
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Computer Software Company
13%
University
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise5
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business41
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise11
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Brocade Ethernet Switches?
To improve, it could be made easier to configure with a graphical interface.
What is your primary use case for Brocade Ethernet Switches?
I use Brocade Ethernet Switches because they are scalable. I recommend them since they are easy to configure. They are connected and used every day in our operations.
What advice do you have for others considering Brocade Ethernet Switches?
I would recommend Brocade Ethernet Switches because they are easy to configure and have good technical support. I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
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 do you like most about NETGEAR Switches?
Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten. I have not faced any issues with the product whatsoever.
 

Also Known As

No data available
NETGEAR Insight Managed Switches, NETGEAR GC Series, NETGEAR M Series
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Ajubeo, Akquinet AG, Big Data Analytics Provider Boligkontoret Danmark Bristol is Open, CDE Lightband, Cicero School District 99, City and County of San Francisco, Department of Emergency, City of Chattanooga, Cloudscale.sh
Blaze Networks
Find out what your peers are saying about Brocade Ethernet Switches vs. NETGEAR Switches and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
868,787 professionals have used our research since 2012.