Cisco Catalyst Center vs Noction Flow Analyzer
Cisco Catalyst Center
cisco.com
Noction Flow Analyzer
noction.comSide by side
| Figure | Cisco Catalyst Center | Noction Flow Analyzer |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | $165.83/mo |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 4 |
| Spec score · Network Traffic Analysis Software | 7.7 (#13) | 7.9 (#8) |
| Deployment requirements | The Ubuntu KVM virtual appliance minimums include 32 vCPUs, 256 GiB of memory, and a 3-TB SSD. | The product runs on x86_64 with RHEL 8 or 9, or Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 LTS; a dedicated server is recommended, though a suitably specified VM is supported. |
| Founded | 1984 | 2011 |
| Headquarters | San Jose, California, United States | Campbell, California, United States |
| Purpose | Cisco Catalyst Center is a centralized network controller and management dashboard for enterprise network operations. | Noction Flow Analyzer collects, stores, and presents network traffic data for monitoring, reporting, capacity planning, and analysis. |
| Support | Cisco says Catalyst and Cisco DNA software subscriptions include embedded software support and downloads; opening a support case requires a Cisco Service Contract. | Noction says all license types include free 24/7 support. |
Plans
Cisco Catalyst Center
- Cisco DNA AdvantagePriced on request
- Cisco DNA EssentialsPriced on request
Noction Flow Analyzer
- BGP Add-on — monthly$199 a month
- NFA License — monthly$299 a month
- BGP Add-on — yearly$1,990 a year
- NFA License — yearly$2,990 a year
In their own words
Cisco Catalyst Center
Cisco Catalyst Center has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
Noction Flow Analyzer
Noction Flow Analyzer collects, stores, and presents network-traffic data for monitoring, reporting, capacity planning, and analysis. It supports NetFlow, J-Flow, sFlow, IPFIX, NetStream, SNMP, and BGP. Data Explorer filters flow data, while dashboards provide built-in or user-created visualizations. The software can detect abnormal flow patterns and use BGP FlowSpec to drop, throttle, or redirect attack traffic automatically or with moderation. Alert notifications can go by email, webhook, Slack, or Telegram. NFA runs on x86_64 with RHEL 8 or 9, or Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 LTS; a dedicated server is recommended, though a suitably specified virtual machine is supported. Level 3 aggregation is retained for 400 days. The monthly NFA license costs $299 a month and the yearly license $2,990 a year, each covering up to 10,000 flows per second, unlimited devices, interfaces, sites, and users, plus free 24/7 support.