Best network switches with 2.5GbE (2026)

Zyxel XMG1915-10E

The Zyxel XMG1915-10E is for people who want 2.5GbE on most ports and 10G uplinks in a quiet, fanless switch. It suits homelabbers and small offices whose devices bring their own power, since it has no PoE. It does not offer copper 10GbE, so buyers who want that need to look at SFP+ modules or other models.

MikroTik CRS310-8G+2S+IN

The MikroTik CRS310-8G+2S+IN is for homelabbers and small-office admins who want 2.5GbE access ports with 10G SFP+ uplinks. It suits people who are happy to configure VLANs, link aggregation and ACLs in RouterOS. It is a poorer fit for anyone who needs PoE or wants a low-power, set-and-forget switch.

10.5W idle · £24.21/year to run · £258.20 over three years, all in

Ubiquiti UniFi Flex 2.5G USW-Flex-2.5G-8

The UniFi Flex 2.5G USW-Flex-2.5G-8 is for people who run a UniFi setup and want eight 2.5G ports in a small switch. It adds a 10G combo uplink, which suits a link back to a faster switch or router. It is a poor fit for anyone who needs PoE output, a CLI or a standalone web interface.

Zyxel XGS1210-12

The Zyxel XGS1210-12 is for homelabbers and small offices that want a quiet, fanless switch with a couple of faster links. It suits someone connecting a server or NAS over 2.5GbE copper or 10G SFP+ while the other devices stay on Gigabit. It is a poor fit if you need PoE or LACP bonding.

3.95W idle · £9.11/year to run · £152.32 over three years, all in

TP-Link TL-SG3210XHP-M2

The TL-SG3210XHP-M2 is for people building a small rack-based network who need PoE+ and real managed-switch features. It suits setups with 2.5GbE access points or cameras and 10G SFP+ uplinks. It is a poor fit for quiet rooms because it has two fans.

17.24W idle · £39.75/year to run · £459.25 over three years, all in

NETGEAR MS108EUP Ultra60 PoE++ Multi-Gig Plus Switch

The MS108EUP is for people who want a silent switch that powers demanding PoE devices and carries 2.5GbE on every port. It suits home offices, small sites and homelabs with PoE++ cameras, access points or similar devices and a need for basic VLANs. It is less suited to anyone who needs a fibre or 10G uplink, or a fully managed feature set.

Ubiquiti UniFi Flex Mini 2.5G

The UniFi Flex Mini 2.5G is for people who run UniFi gear and want multi-gig speeds on a small five-port switch. It suits a home office or homelab that needs a few 2.5GbE devices linked and managed from the UniFi Network application. It is a poor fit for anyone who needs PoE output, more than five ports or fibre uplinks.

1.3W idle · £3.00/year to run · £61.98 over three years, all in

NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch

The NETGEAR MS305 is for anyone who wants to move a small wired network to 2.5GbE without configuring anything. It suits a desk, a home office or a homelab shelf where five ports and silence matter more than VLANs or PoE. Buyers who need segmentation, powered devices or fibre uplinks should look at other models.

4W idle · £9.22/year to run · £155.44 over three years, all in

TP-Link TL-SG105-M2

The TL-SG105-M2 is for people who want a simple five-port switch with 2.5GbE on every port. It suits a desk, a small home network or a homelab that needs faster links but no VLANs or PoE. It is a plug-in switch with no management interface listed.

TP-Link TL-SX1008

The TL-SX1008 is for homelabbers and small offices who want eight 10GbE copper ports with no configuration. It suits people linking a NAS, servers and workstations over standard RJ45 cabling, including 2.5GbE and 5GbE devices. It does not suit anyone who needs VLANs, SFP+ uplinks or a silent switch.

12W idle · £27.67/year to run · £402.00 over three years, all in

QNAP QSW-1105-5T

This switch is for people who want to move a small wired network from gigabit to 2.5GbE without any setup. It suits a desk, a home office or a homelab corner where noise matters and VLANs are not needed. Buyers who want management features, PoE or extra uplinks need a different model.

4W idle · £9.22/year to run · £120.81 over three years, all in