TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

Save this comparison

Save this comparison

Add Product

Recommended Comparisons

    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Cisco Catalyst Switches

    Score9.1 out of 10
    N/ACisco's Catalyst is one of that company's brand of network switches.N/A

    RealVNC Connect

    Score9 out of 10
    N/ARealVNC® Connect is a secure remote access solution from RealVNC. It can be used to connect to a remote device anywhere in the world to view its desktop in real-time and take control as though sitting in front of it.

    $99

    per year (one concurrent session)

    Pricing
    Cisco Catalyst SwitchesRealVNC Connect
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Essentials
    $8.25
    per month (billed annually) per concurrent session
    Plus
    $16.50
    per month (billed annually) per concurrent session (add up to 3)
    Premium
    $29.75
    per month (billed annually) per concurrent session (add up to 5)
    Enterprise
    Custom Pricing
    per year
    Enterprise
    Custom Pricing
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Cisco Catalyst SwitchesRealVNC Connect
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—Plans work on a Per Concurrent Session basis. Each plan gives access to a bundled number of devices, but limits apply to the amount of devices that can be connected at any given time. The Premium plan includes On-Demand Assist, a useful tool for providing just-in-time remote support to end-users without them needing RealVNC Connect installed on their device.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Cisco Catalyst SwitchesRealVNC Connect
    Considered Both Products
    Cisco
    No answer on this topic
    RealVNC
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    98%
    Would buy again
    600 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    11 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    96%
    Delivers good value for the price
    531 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    10 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    98%
    Happy with the feature set
    600 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    11 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    97%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    490 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    7 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    98%
    Implementation went as expected
    568 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    11 Answers
    Features
    Cisco Catalyst SwitchesRealVNC Connect
    Remote Administration
    Comparison of Remote Administration features of Cisco Catalyst Switches and RealVNC Connect
    Feature
    Cisco Catalyst Switches
    -
    Ratings
    RealVNC Connect
    7.3
    32 Ratings
    8% below category average
    Screen sharing00 Ratings9.028 Ratings
    File transfer00 Ratings8.015 Ratings
    Instant message00 Ratings6.119 Ratings
    Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication00 Ratings7.05 Ratings
    Access to sleeping/powered-off computers00 Ratings6.09 Ratings
    Over-the-Internet remote session00 Ratings9.030 Ratings
    Initiate remote control from mobile00 Ratings9.019 Ratings
    Remote management of servers & workstations00 Ratings4.76 Ratings
    Centralized management dashboard00 Ratings7.116 Ratings
    Session record00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    Annotations00 Ratings5.36 Ratings
    Monitoring and Alerts00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
    Multi-platform remote control00 Ratings9.011 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Cisco Catalyst SwitchesRealVNC Connect
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    N-able Take Control
    Score7.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    RUCKUS Ethernet Switches
    Score1 out of 10
    Remote Desktop Manager
    Score9.6 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Cisco Ethernet Switches
    Score9.1 out of 10
    BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
    Score9.1 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Cisco Catalyst SwitchesRealVNC Connect
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.0
    (774 ratings)
    9.7
    (38 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.9
    (40 ratings)
    8.0
    (8 ratings)
    Usability
    8.6
    (46 ratings)
    8.0
    (4 ratings)
    Availability
    8.8
    (14 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    9.3
    (14 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.6
    (38 ratings)
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    9.0
    (5 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.0
    (12 ratings)
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    Configurability
    8.8
    (10 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    8.1
    (9 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    9.2
    (14 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    7.9
    (36 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    8.2
    (37 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Cisco Catalyst SwitchesRealVNC Connect
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Cisco
    Well-suited for big companies like mine, where we have a lot of users that we have to connect together. Getting all the switches into one big stack that you can just manage all at one time is fantastic for ease of use. Not suited for maybe smaller mom and pop shops or smaller companies that don’t have as many. They could probably go with something much easier to manage.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RealVNC
    It is very easy to use if the remote device is already set up to receive connections, so if you are setting up devices before deploying them, it is a great tool to have. It is well-suited to use when shadowing users or using it as a teaching tool. There are other products that are better if you are trying to help someone on a one-use basis.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Cisco
    • Easy-to-use management interfaces. The CLI commands go across the whole Cisco Catalyst Switches 9000 series, so it makes it easy, the code being the same on the 9000 series. Just being able to do port channels, trunks, and connecting up edge switches to it with the Cisco Catalyst Switches 9000 Series.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RealVNC
    • VNC Connect does an excellent job in remotely connecting to a computer through either your local area network or even another computer on the internet. As long as the VNC Connect services is installed and the client is running in the background.
    • VNC Connect provides password protection to prevent unauthorized users from attempting to remotely access your computer. There's an option to have a separate password to remotely view vs view & access a computer. You can even add an additional level of security by turning on the feature to require Windows login credentials.
    • VNC Connect provides an additional set of controls after a remote connection has been established with another computer. You can have special keystrokes like Ctrl+Alt+Del sent as a command sequence to the other computer as well as access more than a single screen when in use at the remote computer location.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Cisco
    • One thing is that these, every time Cisco gets a new switch, they just make an amendment to the power supply, so they'll just put a knob on it. So let's say if you lose any power supply unit, you'll have to purchase another one, which costs a lot of extra money because we have a lot of another power supply units from the redundant, which we can use, but we can't now because they have just tweaked the modeling of that. Which makes no sense, particularly to me because it's an extra money making machine kind of a thing. But that's fine.
    • Another thing is these ports, I believe they are a bit less of, if I can say the quality of the oldest switches, they were quite sturdy. As I said earlier, the new switches, they're very light and when you lift them you feel it. So that's one thing, which I think the quality or the material which we are using has gone down.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RealVNC
    • Its a pretty straight forward product - I would like to see more tools with a "wow" factor.
    • Panel colors are blah - I would like more eye-catching colors.
    • A more consistent look with all platforms - like Mac & PC.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Cisco
    They are consistently reliable and this switch in particular is a very affordable solution. We can place the Cisco Catalyst 1000 Series Switches gear in areas that we normally would not place a switch because it is affordable enough to make it justifiable. And because it is a reliable solution, we are confident it will continue to provide service over the long haul.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RealVNC
    VNC is a solid product for the price. It simply works and its reliable across different platforms. Some products state they work well in the Mac environment but don't deliver. This one does what it says. Connections are reliable, but of course, this depends on internet connections. The product works well over wireless connections as well. It delivers on what a remote tool should deliver on. My technicians are happy with the product and customers appreciate the ease of use when letting us connect to their systems. Some also appreciate the remote support while they are multi-task.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Cisco
    Cisco by and far does a great job with the Catalyst line. From a layer 2 dumb switch all the way up to ISP carrier grade switching within the Catalyst portfolio. The best part about it is command parity among the various tiers of product. The only differences are going to lie in what features are available per switch.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RealVNC
    It's a niche product and in that niche they try to cater to as many use cases as they can. Other as a TCO aspect i don't see many use cases where you can't use this product as the one tool for all remote session use cases in your company
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Cisco
    We have very few is any outages due to a Cisco hardware failure. Some of our gear is exposed to some pretty harsh environments, and they keep on ticking!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RealVNC
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    Cisco
    No, the packets flow. Sometimes you will see collisions and broadcast storms can happen which will slow performance but that can be fixed and the packets will flow.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RealVNC
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Cisco
    We rarely have issues with the product. I have only had to contact support one time since we put it in and that was to see if another vendor was giving me accurate information on an issue I was having.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RealVNC
    VNC Connect is a reliable product that has been around for a long time. It is reasonably priced and works well in the Mac & PC environment. When you have a small team that supports many users we need tools that we can rely upon and that will get the job done on the first try. Many customers appreciate the quick assistance and can multi-task while our team works on their computer issues remotely. From a customer service point of view, this tool gives us transparency and efficient effectiveness.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Cisco
    Cisco Networking Academy partners with many local Colleges and High Schools to provide great hands-on training. You do need to drive to learn the topic. The in-class session only go so far. You really need to apply this to the real world. Cisco makes it easy for business to connect via CLC or Cisco Learning Credits.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RealVNC
    No answers on this topic
    Online Training
    Cisco
    My own personal research to get the information I want is very handy and helped me many times
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RealVNC
    The training is very informative, quick and to the point. All of the details one would need are present so the user doesn't have to go searching for additional information just to use the application. The layout of the training was also neat and concise, some of the other training sessions for other companies I've done in the past were confusing and not well thought out, this one is much more superior
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Cisco
    The implementation of the Cisco Catalyst 1000 Series Switches is fairly seamless, especially if you are familiar with Cisco products. We have had Brocade switch gear in place too, and the differences between the manufacturers [are] not a major issue.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RealVNC
    No problem at all, love the product.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Cisco
    2960s, 9200s, 9400s, 3650s, 3800s. I think that this product is a lot better. I know I just complained about the noise, but it’s still much quieter than our other ones. So we do have a couple of public deployments, and once we swap these out, they complained less. Sometimes we have small offices that get the gear in with them, and these sound less like a jet engine. And yeah, these are a lot easier to manage as well. Everything in the same family. It’s a lot.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RealVNC
    VNC is light and sleek with the quick setup, was impressed with the quick setup despite poor Internet connection outdoor. TeamViewer is good, but the pricing is not as good as VNC. Both do the basic job, but VNC still outperform TeamViewer in terms of performance and ease of use.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Cisco
    We are exclusive Cisco at our organization. In truth part of the reason is, with one type of switch and one manufacturer, it is easier to support. It is also easier to give consistent training to our staff in our tech department
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RealVNC
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    Cisco
    • energy costs dropped by around 11 per cent on the access layer
    • management has become easier with DNA Center
    • ISSU software upgrades and fabric deployments have significantly reduced "planned" down times
    • network speed has increased, latency is at an all-time best within our own LAN
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RealVNC
    • I have just used the software for about 1 month and so far so god. I am saving time whenever I can access my client's computers from my desk as opposed to having to leave my office to go to their offices. Saves me time and the client money.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Cisco Catalyst Switches Screenshots

    Product screenshotScreenshot of Catalyst 9200 SeriesScreenshot of Catalyst 9300 SeriesScreenshot of Catalyst 9400 SeriesScreenshot of Catalyst 9400 Series Additional ViewScreenshot of Catalyst 9500 Series

    RealVNC Connect Screenshots

    Screenshot of the Device List in the Connect v8 desktop appScreenshot of On-Demand Assist, which can be used to start a remote support session using a single-use code.