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Cisco Enterprise Routers vs ExtremeRouting comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 29, 2025

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 Enterprise Routers
Ranking in Routers
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.0
Number of Reviews
118
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
ExtremeRouting
Ranking in Routers
10th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Routers category, the mindshare of Cisco Enterprise Routers is 16.7%, down from 17.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ExtremeRouting is 3.7%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Routers Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Enterprise Routers16.7%
ExtremeRouting3.7%
Other79.6%
Routers
 

Featured Reviews

Muhammad IrfanGhauri - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Solutions at Comtech Associate
Enterprise routing has delivered advanced security integration and supported AI data centers
The licensing part of Cisco Enterprise Routers is a bit tricky nowadays. With DNA, they have introduced DNA licensing. If they make it more simplistic with respect to customer understanding, I think it would be a good selling point for them. The licensing model could be a bit too high or a bit too complex. They need to make it simplified. It would be good for their business. With respect to enterprise routing, I would like to see additional features in the future to make it closer to a ten. Previously, Cisco has integrated many technologies into their router and multiple security features. However, since they have created a separate firewall product line, Firepower, I still want them to integrate more security features into their enterprise-grade router as well. Content filtering, application control, and website filtering are features that should be integrated into the router. They have multiple options, so with respect to technology, I am expecting that they integrate security more and Voice over IP features more easily into the router. For the customer, this makes their life easier in the sense that a single box can give them multiple solutions. I think they are already providing 5G interfaces, and there are options available.
Imran Taiyeb Ali - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Solutions Specialist at a comms service provider with 201-500 employees
A scalable tool that needs to improve its support, software resiliency, and software stability
The support team is not technically that strong. The previous company that owned the product, Nortel, went bankrupt, after which the transition phase of the product didn't go smoothly. Avaya did not do well with the product's design and engineering after taking the product over from Nortel, after which Avaya decided to outsource the tool to my company, meaning we have worked as a vendor with third-party access to the tool in the name of Avaya. The support was very bad initially, but my company could fix the problems of the customers on time since we had better communication skills than technical-solving skills due to our limitations related to the area of device engineering. When it comes to a feature of the product, my company could enable it for the customers or users of the product. If, by any chance, my company found a bug in the tool, then it was a hectic task for our support team to deal with it since it took months to fix it. Currently, Extreme Networks takes care of the support part, and it might have improved. I rate the technical support a four out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We can easily comply with the industry standards, their hardware is quite robust, and there are a lot of trained resources available in the market to hire."
"The stability is very good."
"The solution's initial setup process is easy."
"The product can help teach valuable life lessons about what not to do when building a network."
"We use the solution for our DataCom Network and various others."
"The most valuable feature is the flexibility of the devices. Also, from a feature perspective, Cisco Enterprise Routers are complete."
"The best feature regarding security is the shutdown port capability; the fact that you can shut down an unused port is great with Cisco Enterprise Routers."
"It's got fantastic throughput which meets most of the network Gbps/Tbps data throughput in Next-Generation Networks (NGN) that are in use in today's industry."
"It is a very scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"Looking at the robustness, I do not know whether it would be carrier grade – let's say for hundreds of thousands of users – but it certainly doesn't balk at 10,000 users or less."
"What I like about Extreme Routing is its impressive performance."
"It is very easy to set up."
"Provides a good redundancy technique."
"Overall, ExtremeRouting requires less technical depth in order to implement the infrastructure than Cisco, for example."
"We evaluated Cisco routers as well, but we chose ExtremeRouting because it was more user-friendly, budget-friendly, cheap compared to Cisco, and has an easy configuration process."
"Technical support is very good, especially when you compare it to other vendors we have here."
 

Cons

"The solution could improve by having multiple features inclusive of the router, such as a free firewall and VPN. Additionally, it should be a generic box that can act as a router, firewall, and switch."
"I have found the price to be expensive for the solution. Other products are coming to the market that are not as expensive, Cisco should reduce their price to be more comparable."
"There needs to be an integration with SD-WAN for the solution."
"These routers are not easy to use for non-professional users, so simplification is something that would improve this product."
"The only other thing we struggled with from time to time is when we were configuring access points through a controller."
"The process of procuring Cisco Enterprise Routers equipment through channel partners needs improvement. The partners are limited compared to other products."
"The scalability of this solution needs to be improved because the amount of data gets larger and larger as does the network."
"The only concern we have across all of the products is the price."
"Some of the latest protocols are unavailable."
"We are concerned with how the solution will evolve to the next generation of Contact Center. It's not evolving as quickly as we would like it to."
"One area for improvement with Extreme Routing is the need for more accessible and comprehensive training."
"My advice for those looking into ExtremeRouting is: right now all switch manufacturers are backed up for months. If you're looking to implement quickly, I would say shop around a bit because it might be difficult."
"The solution is far too unstable. It's completely unreliable."
"We have not had a very good experience with customer service and support."
"It's not evolving as quickly as we would like it to."
"The support, software resiliency, and software stability are areas of concern where improvements are required."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The license of Cisco Enterprise Routers is too expensive compared to other solutions. As we try to increase the bandwidth, it gets even more expensive. There is an annual license needed to use the solution."
"I would rate the solution's pricing a nine out of ten and it is yearly."
"Normally, we pay for the licenses upfront. I think it's mostly just a perpetual, once-off license."
"Cisco routers are an expensive product."
"The solution is expensive."
"The price of this solution is high."
"It's not a fair price, it's a bit too high."
"I like the price of the solution."
"We have no issues with the price."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Outsourcing Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Healthcare Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business51
Midsize Enterprise24
Large Enterprise46
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

How do Cisco Enterprise routers compare with Mikrotik routers and switches?
Cisco Enterprise Routers are very stable and easy to use. They offer a very solid performance and are very secure. They also have a very good, long lifespan. We feel the command configuration is ve...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Enterprise Routers?
In terms of licensing, I think it is straightforward. I do not see any issues with licensing for a specific feature, support, or anything else.
What needs improvement with Cisco Enterprise Routers?
Looking at the product portfolio, most features are covered. There are different types of interfaces available, whether Ethernet Gigabit or 10 Gigabit, along with various interface modules and diff...
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Also Known As

No data available
Avaya Enterprise Routers
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Aegean Motorway, Boingo, Chartwell School, Children's Hospital of Orange County , Department of Justice, Explorer Pipeline, Linz AG, National Rugby League, New South Wales Rural Fire Service, Telecom Italia, Transwestern
Breakthrough Urban Ministries, Black Oak Casino, Glamorgan County Cricket Club, University of San Carlos, Holland Hall School, South Euclid Lyndhurst Schools, Prairie View Networking Academy, City of Troy, Ryerson University, Linamar, City of Redondo Beach, York Region District School Board
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Enterprise Routers vs. ExtremeRouting and other solutions. Updated: November 2026.
920,769 professionals have used our research since 2012.