Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Ultra vs Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9200L: Specs & Price Comparison

Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Ultra

★ 3.7 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 16 Gbps
Forwarding Rate: 12 Mpps (datasheet PDF lists 11.904 Mpps)
Ports: 8 x GbE RJ45 (1G/100M/10M): 7 x PoE+ output, 1 x PoE++ input
PoE Budget: 42W total on base model (PoE++ input or 60W adapter input); 52W with 60W AC adapter variant; 202W with 210W AC adapter variant; max 30W per PoE+ port
Layer: L2 managed (official spec lists Layer 2 features only; no Layer 3 features listed)
Stacking support: Not listed on official spec page

✔ Pros: Compact fanless 8-port GbE switch with 7 PoE+ outputs; Can be powered over PoE via its PoE++ input, so no separate adapter is needed on the base model; Official specs list 16 Gbps switching capacity and 256 supported VLANs; Full set of L2 features including STP/RSTP, port isolation, storm control, port mirroring, jumbo frames and egress rate limiting; Managed through UniFi Network with a small footprint (203 x 76 x 33 mm, 320 g)
✘ Cons: Layer 2 only, with no Layer 3 routing features listed; No stacking or link aggregation (LACP) listed on the official spec page; PoE budget is small on the base model (42W), so it suits only a few PoE devices; PoE budget varies by SKU (42W, 52W, 202W), which can confuse buyers; Requires UniFi Network 8.0.28 or later; No independent professional reviews found, and retailer pricing varies widely
Est. Price: $150 - $243

Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9200L

★ 4.3 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 56 Gbps (24P-4G) to 128 Gbps (24-port 4x10G) and 104 Gbps (48P-4G) to 176 Gbps (48P-4X); varies by SKU and source
Forwarding Rate: 83.33 Mpps (24P-4G) to 190.4 Mpps (24P-4X); 154.76 Mpps (48P-4G) to 261.9 Mpps (48P-4X); varies by SKU and source
Ports (breakdown): 24 or 48 x 10/100/1000 downlink ports (PoE+ on P models, non-PoE on T models; some 48-port PXG variants add mGig ports) plus 4 fixed uplinks: 4 x 1G SFP (-4G) or 4 x 10G SFP+ (-4X)
PoE Budget: 24P models: about 370 W default, up to about 740 W with redundant PSU; 48P models: about 740 W default, up to about 1440 W with two PSUs (sources conflict, e.g. 600 W and 1 kW PSU options quoted)
Layer: L2/L3: Network Essentials provides L2 switching with basic L3 features; Network Advantage adds full dynamic L3 routing
Stacking support: Yes, StackWise-80 with 80 Gbps stacking bandwidth, up to 8 switches (requires stacking module/kit)

✔ Pros: Cisco StackWise-80 stacking of up to 8 units with 80 Gbps stacking bandwidth; 4x10G SFP+ uplink option for higher-bandwidth aggregation; Full PoE+ (802.3at) on P models with budgets up to roughly 1440 W with redundant power; Two licensing tiers (Network Essentials and Network Advantage) let buyers pay only for needed L3 features; Lower price point than Catalyst 9300 for standard campus access deployments
✘ Cons: Uplinks are fixed with no modular expansion slots, which limits future upgrade paths; Full dynamic L3 routing requires the more expensive Network Advantage license; Stacking needs a separate stacking module and is capped at 8 units; Switching capacity and PoE budgets differ widely between SKUs, making spec comparison and sizing confusing; Lower forwarding performance and feature depth than Catalyst 9300 for aggregation or core roles
Est. Price: $1,783 - $4,604

PACKETPERF