NETGEAR 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switch (GS108) vs UniFi Flex Mini 2.5G

Researched, not hands-on tested.How we review ›

both judged against network switches at a similar price

The NETGEAR 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switch (GS108) and UniFi Flex Mini 2.5G both score 6.3/10 overall.

The NETGEAR 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switch (GS108) leads on port count and uplinks, noise and efficiency and firmware and support.

The UniFi Flex Mini 2.5G leads on port speeds and management.

They score the same on poE.

NETGEAR 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switch (GS108)

6.3/10verdict: wait for deal

The NETGEAR GS108 is for anyone who needs eight more wired Gigabit ports with no configuration. It suits a desk, a media cabinet or a small lab where quiet running matters. It does not suit buyers who need VLANs, PoE or ports faster than Gigabit.

Typically about £24.99 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK

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UniFi Flex Mini 2.5G

6.3/10verdict: wait for deal

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.

Typically about £52.99 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

Scores, criterion by criterion

Criterion	Weight	NETGEAR 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switch (GS108)	UniFi Flex Mini 2.5G
Port speeds	30%	6/10	7/10
Management	20%	6/10	7/10
Port count and uplinks	15%	5/10	4/10
Noise and efficiency	15%	9/10	8/10
PoE	10%	5/10	5/10
Firmware and support	10%	7/10	5/10
Overall		6.3/10	6.3/10

Specifications

Spec	NETGEAR 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switch (GS108)	UniFi Flex Mini 2.5G
Ports	8 Gigabit RJ-45 copper ports	5 x 2.5 GbE RJ45 ports
Port speeds	10/100/1000 Mbps on each port	2.5G/1G/100M/10M per port
Management	Unmanaged, no VLANs	not listed
PoE budget	None (PoE ports n/a, PoE budget n/a)	not listed
Uplinks (SFP/SFP+)	None listed; Gigabit copper only, no SFP or SFP+ port	None; no SFP/SFP+ uplink ports
Switching capacity	16 Gbps	25 Gbps switching capacity, 12.5 Gbps non-blocking throughput, 19 Mpps forwarding rate, 256 VLANs, 4,000 MAC addresses
Cooling	Fanless	Fanless (retailer listing; not on manufacturer spec page)

Strengths and weaknesses

NETGEAR 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switch (GS108)

+ Fanless, with acoustic noise listed as 0
+ Plug-and-play setup with nothing to configure
+ Limited lifetime warranty and 90 days of support
− Gigabit only, with no 2.5GbE, 10GbE or SFP uplink
− Unmanaged, so no VLANs
− Owners report failures in older revisions after a few years

Skip it if:

Buyers who need VLANs or any switch management
Anyone powering access points or cameras who needs PoE
Users with 2.5GbE or 10GbE devices, or who want an SFP uplink

Read the full NETGEAR 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switch (GS108) review ›

UniFi Flex Mini 2.5G

+ All five ports run 2.5GbE
+ Fanless per retailer listing, with low power draw
+ Managed through UniFi Network, with 256 VLANs
− Only five ports
− No PoE output
− No SFP or SFP+ uplink

Skip it if:

Buyers who need PoE output for access points or cameras
Anyone who needs more than five ports or SFP/SFP+ uplinks
Users who want advanced layer 2 or layer 3 switching features

Read the full UniFi Flex Mini 2.5G review ›

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