Fortinet FortiSwitch 1048G vs Ubiquiti Switch Pro Max 24 PoE: Specs & Price Comparison

Fortinet FortiSwitch 1048G

★ 3.5 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 2,160 Gbps full duplex (line rate for packets 128 bytes and larger)
Forwarding Rate: 2,000 Mpps at 64-byte packets (one listing shows 1,607 Mpps)
Ports: 48x SFP/SFP+ (1GbE/10GbE); 6x QSFP28 (100GbE, some listings also state 40GbE)
PoE Budget: N/A (no PoE)
Layer: L2/L3
Stacking support: No traditional stacking; managed by a FortiGate via FortiLink
Packet Buffer: 32 MB
MACsec: Supported on ports
Power Supplies: Dual hot-swappable AC, 1+1 redundant
Form Factor: 1RU rack-mountable
Airflow: Front-to-back
Operating Temperature: 0u00b0C to 45u00b0C per Fortinet quickstart (one reseller lists max 40u00b0C)
Status: One listing marks the model as end of life

✔ Pros: High port density with 48 SFP/SFP+ ports in 1RU; 6x QSFP28 100GbE uplinks for high-bandwidth aggregation; 2,160 Gbps switching capacity with 2,000 Mpps forwarding; Dual redundant hot-swappable AC power supplies; MACsec support for port-level encryption; Tight FortiLink integration for centralized management from a FortiGate; 32 MB packet buffer for bursty data center traffic
✘ Cons: No PoE, so it cannot power endpoints or APs; Very high US list price (about $28,518 MSRP) with street prices around $19,600 to $22,000; Tied to FortiGate/FortiLink for full management, which adds dependency on the Fortinet ecosystem; Reseller datasheets conflict on forwarding rate, uplink speeds, and operating temperature, so official Fortinet datasheet should be verified; Heavy (about 9.1 kg) and needs adequate rack and cooling capacity; At least one listing marks the model as end of life, so availability and support lifecycle should be confirmed
Est. Price: $19,625 - $22,040

Ubiquiti Switch Pro Max 24 PoE

★ 4.1 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 112 Gbps
Non-Blocking Throughput: 56 Gbps
Forwarding Rate: 83.3 Mpps
Ports: 24 total: 8x 2.5GbE PoE++, 8x 1GbE PoE++, 8x 1GbE PoE+, plus 2x 10G SFP+ uplinks
PoE Budget: 400W total (max 60W per port)
Layer: L3
Stacking support: Not confirmed; no physical stacking documented in sources reviewed
MAC Address Table Size: 32,000 entries
Packet Buffer Size: 2 MB
Form Factor: 1U rack-mountable, 442 x 325 x 44 mm, 5.1 kg without brackets
Management: UniFi Network 8.0.24+
Operating Temperature: -5 to 40u00b0C (23 to 104u00b0F)
Certifications: CE, FCC, IC (one listing states NDAA compliant)

✔ Pros: Layer 3 switching in a 24-port 1U chassis; 8x 2.5GbE PoE++ ports for multi-gig wireless and workstation uplinks; 400W total PoE budget with up to 60W per port; 2x 10G SFP+ uplinks; 112 Gbps switching capacity and 56 Gbps non-blocking throughput; managed centrally through UniFi Network; list price of $799 USD from Ubiquiti's US store is competitive for L3 PoE++ hardware
✘ Cons: 400W total PoE budget is limited if many high-power PoE++ devices are connected at once; No physical stacking documented, so scaling beyond one unit needs separate management; Port breakdown is described inconsistently across retailer listings, so the official Ubiquiti datasheet should be checked; Reseller prices vary widely (about $799 to $951 USD, plus higher regional prices); Independent hands-on reviews with measured performance were not found; Requires UniFi Network 8.0.24 or later for management
Est. Price: $799 - $951

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