Cisco DNA Center vs SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper comparison

Cisco and SolarWinds are both solutions in the Network Management Applications category. Cisco is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.0, while SolarWinds is ranked #22. Cisco holds a 23.6% mindshare in NMA, compared to SolarWinds’s 2.1% mindshare. Additionally, 89% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of SolarWinds users who would recommend it.

Cisco DNA Center

Read 42 Cisco DNA Center reviews

8,684 Views
4,776 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

SolarWinds Network Topology...

Read 2 SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper reviews

296 Views
296 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cisco DNA Center

SolarWinds Network Topology...

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Cisco DNA Center and SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Fortinet and others in Network Management Applications.

To learn more, read our detailed Network Management Applications Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Network Management Applications

July 2025

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Helped 865,295 peers since 2012

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

Cisco DNA Center

Ranking in Network Management Applications

1st

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Monitoring Software (13th), Network Automation (2nd)

SolarWinds Network Topology...

Ranking in Network Management Applications

22nd

Average Rating

9.6

Reviews Sentiment

2.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Network Management Applications category, the mindshare of Cisco DNA Center is 23.6%, down from 29.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper is 2.1%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Management Applications

Featured Reviews

Ahmed Helmy

Sr. Director, Business Development & Sales Operations at connect professional services

Experience unified visibility and monitoring for enterprise campus and significant time savings and enhanced troubleshooting with reliable support

We have been working with Cisco DNA Center for ten years. Our clients use Cisco DNA Center for unified visibility/monitoring across Enterprise Campus both LAN & WLAN along with Access and fast technical issues troubleshooting The solution provides fast troubleshooting capabilities and fast…

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reviewer2687874

Design Engineer at a wholesaler/distributor with 501-1,000 employees

Effective tools simplify network mapping and analysis

I can't really articulate any areas that could be improved with the product right offhand. Just as long as they keep it around, since I know things are going into subscription models. One thing we do appreciate about the tool is that it's essentially a perpetual tool. Once you purchase it and the Engineer's ToolBox, it's been beneficial, serving as another utility tool on the network. I can't think of anything specific offhand for how SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper could improve, because I treat it as a simple utility tool that serves those needs. It scans the network for SNMP and ICMP echoes to map the topologies of the existing network. It's a small utility tool that's very helpful and beneficial, another option for us to utilize, and while there's always room for more features, that typically comes with a cost that we have to weigh.

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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

"Cisco DNA Center is a user-friendly solution."

"People like to use the dashboards to get an overview of their network."

"We have many people from the team who manage a lot of devices. By using Cisco DNA Center, it has taken some of that burden away, we are impressed with it. We did the investment in CAPEX, but in the OPEX was very low."

"It is very versatile in terms of analytics."

"It does a lot of things automatically, and that's the big thing with it. They're making the software so that you don't need to be as knowledgeable as me on the switching and routing side to get your work done. If you want, you can have DNA troubleshoot your problem for you and give you solutions or fix it itself, if it was something that's just a configuration issue."

"Has a good processing feature with a high level of accuracy."

"The most valuable feature of Cisco DNA Center is the AI (Artificial Intelligence) that provides us with valuable information."

"The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it gives some kind of ease in operations, especially since our company is moving from CLI to GUI-based configuration."

More Cisco DNA Center pros

"One of the best features of SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper is that it has over 60 utility tools to utilize, so it offers a lot of different features, more than I have time to discuss at this moment, making it a good extra set of utility tools that we can incorporate onto our network."

"It's user-friendly."

Cons

"It seems to be a little bit more centered toward wireless than wired. You've got more options you can do wirelessly than you can with the wired switches, but it works for what we need it to do. We would like to see a little bit more about the traffic, and we're looking at what's out there to see about that. We are looking at something that might give us a bit more insight into the actual traffic. If they had the full functionality on the wired side, as they do on the wireless side in terms of being able to view traffic and everything, it would be good."

"The tool's IoT integration should be better."

"When it comes to deploying wireless fields, integrating defaults into the DNS interface can be challenging."

"Technical support could be better. The price could be better, and it could be more stable."

"Cisco DNA Center was a new technology for us, at the beginning, it was not easy to do, but Cisco did a lot of training with us to a level we could handle everything. The team is managing itself now without the assistance of Cisco."

"The solution's integration feature can be better."

"Cisco DNA Center should improve its configuration management. It is better to have a dev version before pushing it."

"DNA Center has been on the market for a few years and they need to update it."

More Cisco DNA Center cons

"This is a relatively expensive product."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing cost for Cisco DNA Center is not more than that of other solutions."

"Our licensing agreement is for three years."

"The price could be better. It's a very expensive tool."

"The solution is expensive."

"Cisco DNA Center is too expensive."

"I rate the product's pricing an eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is very cheap, and ten is very expensive."

"The partnership price is notably high, but it ultimately depends on the chosen business model."

"The price of the solution is expensive. The hardware is licensed on the device, but the hardware on the server is expensive."

More Cisco DNA Center pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Government

Financial Services Firm

Educational Organization

12%

Government

11%

Computer Software Company

11%

Energy/Utilities Company

11%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco DNA Center?

The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it gives some kind of ease in operations, especially since our company is moving from CLI to GUI-based configuration.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco DNA Center?

After evaluating other solutions, we will provide feedback.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco DNA Center?

We have utilized the software-defined access (SDA) feature of Cisco DNA Center. The AI-driven needs enhancements and Integration and unification of visibility and monitoring to include other areas ...

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Comparisons

Cisco Catalyst Center vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 14% of the time

Juniper Mist Wired Assurance vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 7% of the time

Fortinet FortiManager vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 6% of the time

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 6% of the time

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 5% of the time

More Cisco DNA Center Competitors

Aruba Airwave vs SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper

Compared 29% of the time

Cisco Catalyst Center vs SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper

Compared 26% of the time

Fortinet FortiManager vs SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper

Compared 18% of the time

More SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center

August 2025

Download Cisco DNA Center product report

Buyer's Guide

Network Management Applications

July 2025

SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper report

Download SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper product report

Also Known As

DNA Center

SolarWinds NTM

Overview

Cisco DNA Center offers a comprehensive platform for network automation and management, providing detailed analytics, enhanced security, and streamlined operations for both wired and wireless networks.

Cisco DNA Center integrates with Cisco infrastructure to deliver efficient network automation and management, helping organizations improve network visibility, security, and control. It supports AI-driven analytics and automated workflows to enhance operational efficiency and reduce errors. Challenges include compatibility with third-party systems, steep learning curve, and complex deployment. Its interface facilitates centralized control, vital for troubleshooting, policy management, and configuration management, with support for zero-touch provisioning and SD-Access.

What are the key features of Cisco DNA Center?

Robust Analytics: Provides detailed insights into network health with AI-driven analytics.
Centralized Security: Integrates with ISE for comprehensive security management.
Automated Device Management: Simplifies device provisioning and configuration transfers.
Wi-Fi Analytics: Offers deep insights into wireless network performance.
Zero-Touch Provisioning: Streamlines new device deployments with minimal human intervention.
Scalable Segmentation: Efficiently segments network traffic ensuring security and performance.

What benefits should users consider?

Operational Efficiency: Automation reduces potential errors and streamlines workflow.
Enhanced Security: Integration with Cisco ISE bolsters security capabilities.
Network Visibility: Comprehensive dashboards and analysis tools enhance monitoring.
Troubleshooting: Real-time monitoring aids in identifying and resolving issues swiftly.

In sectors such as healthcare, finance, and retail, Cisco DNA Center is utilized for its ability to enhance security and compliance, manage large-scale networks, and provide detailed analytics for better operational decision-making. Its support for location tracking and policy automation ensures efficient network management across diverse environments.

Cisco

Automate device discovery and mapping
Build multiple maps from a single scan
Export network diagrams to Visio
Auto-detect changes to network topology
Perform multi-level network discovery
Address regulatory PCI compliance

SolarWinds

Buyer's Guide

Network Management Applications

July 2025

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