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 8.2, while SolarWinds is ranked #11 with an average rating of 10.0. Cisco holds a 21.8% mindshare in NMA, compared to SolarWinds’s 2.1% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of SolarWinds users who would recommend it.

Cisco DNA Center

Read 43 Cisco DNA Center reviews

7,884 Views
4,257 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

SolarWinds Network Topology...

Read 2 SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper reviews

294 Views
294 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cisco DNA Center

SolarWinds Network Topology...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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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 in this report how the two Network Management Applications solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco DNA Center vs. SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center vs. SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper

September 2025

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Helped 868,787 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

6.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Monitoring Software (11th), Network Automation (2nd)

SolarWinds Network Topology...

Ranking in Network Management Applications

11th

Average Rating

9.6

Reviews Sentiment

2.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Network Management Applications category, the mindshare of Cisco DNA Center is 21.8%, down from 28.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper is 2.1%, up from 1.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Management Applications Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Cisco DNA Center	21.8%
SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper	2.1%
Other	76.1%

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

"I like that we can easily configure any new hardware. It's also easy to deploy and easy to troubleshoot."

"Scalability in Cisco DNA Center is good; we are using it for Software-Defined Access solution, and we haven't reached our device limit yet— from my experience, we can easily manage numerous devices."

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

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

"DNA Center is scalable."

"Automation is another key highlight. With automation, you can automate everything through a single port."

"We can monitor all devices and get the required information using the product."

"The product offers an intuitive and automated way to manage user networks. It gives me an insight into the network health."

More Cisco DNA Center pros

"It's user-friendly."

"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."

Cons

"Requires more focus on the digital side of things."

"The product doesn’t have good monitoring capabilities."

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

"Cisco could improve the security side of their solutions."

"The features of Cisco DNA Center and Cisco Prime could have more parity."

"The solution’s security side could be improved."

"There is a limitation with the number of VRFs that you can have in your network, and this has caused us problems with some customers."

"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."

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."

"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 tool's licensing may not come across as something that may be friendly for users."

"Our licensing agreement is for three years."

"Cisco DNA Center is a licensed product with multiple levels of licensing available such as basic, advanced, and essential. I don't have the exact figure, but Cisco DNA Center is costly. For example, the box has information about the essential license and costs a considerable amount of money. You need to pay extra to use advanced features in Cisco DNA Center. My company sees Cisco DNA Center as a solution that's worth the money, which is why it invested in the solution. If you want centralized management for your network, especially when upgrading it, Cisco DNA Center is perfect, but it's more suitable for a large-scale rather than a small-scale network."

"We have a three-year license with them."

"It is an expensive solution."

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

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%

Energy/Utilities Company

11%

Government

11%

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	9
Large Enterprise	25

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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What needs improvement with SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper?

In general, I use it for scanning IT and OT devices for networks and laying out their topology mapping. The industry I use it for is manufacturing. We specifically don't use it as our network manag...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper?

The Engineer's Toolset is something I use hand-in-hand with the Topology Mapper, and it complements it well. Regarding pricing and licensing with SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper, I haven't faced...

See all answers

Comparisons

Cisco Catalyst Center vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 16% of the time

Juniper Mist Wired Assurance vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 6% of the time

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 5% of the time

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 5% of the time

Fortinet FortiManager vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 5% of the time

More Cisco DNA Center Competitors

Aruba Airwave vs SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper

Compared 28% of the time

Cisco Catalyst Center vs SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper

Compared 28% of the time

Fortinet FortiManager vs SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper

Compared 19% of the time

More SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center

September 2025

Download Cisco DNA Center product report

Buyer's Guide

Network Management Applications

August 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

Cisco DNA Center vs. SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper

September 2025

Free Report: Cisco DNA Center vs. SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco DNA Center vs. SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.

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