NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch vs Ubiquiti UniFi Flex 2.5G USW-Flex-2.5G-8

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

all judged against network switches at a similar price

The Ubiquiti UniFi Flex 2.5G USW-Flex-2.5G-8 scores 6.9/10 overall, ahead of the NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch at 6.1/10.

The NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch leads on noise and efficiency and firmware and support.

The Ubiquiti UniFi Flex 2.5G USW-Flex-2.5G-8 leads on port speeds, management and port count and uplinks.

They score the same on poE.

The biggest difference is management, where the Ubiquiti UniFi Flex 2.5G USW-Flex-2.5G-8 scores 7/10 to the NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch's 4/10.

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

6.1/10verdict: good, not the best

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.

Typically about £127.77 in the UK when we researched itSearch Amazon UK

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

6.9/10verdict: buy

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.

Typically about £150 in the UK when we researched itSearch Amazon UK

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

Scores, criterion by criterion

Criterion	Weight	NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch	Ubiquiti UniFi Flex 2.5G USW-Flex-2.5G-8
Port speeds	30%	7/10	8/10
Management	20%	4/10	7/10
Port count and uplinks	15%	5/10	8/10
Noise and efficiency	15%	9/10	6/10
PoE	10%	5/10	5/10
Firmware and support	10%	6/10	5/10
Overall		6.1/10	6.9/10

Specifications

Spec	NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch	Ubiquiti UniFi Flex 2.5G USW-Flex-2.5G-8
Ports	5 copper RJ-45 ports	8 access ports (2.5G/1G/100M/10M) plus one 10G RJ45/SFP+ combo uplink
Port speeds	100M/1G/2.5G on each port	Access ports 2.5G/1G/100M/10M; uplink RJ45 10G/5G/2.5G/1G/100M; SFP+ 10G/1G
Management	Unmanaged	Spec sheet lists management interface as Ethernet only; managed through the UniFi console, and a reviewer of the PoE variant reports no web UI
PoE budget	None (non-PoE switch)	No PoE output; powered by USB-C 5V DC 3A or PoE+ input
Uplinks (SFP/SFP+)	not listed	One 10G SFP+ port (10G/1G) and one 10 GbE RJ45 port, as a combo uplink
Switching capacity	25 Gbps switching capacity; 16K MAC entries; 1 MB buffer	60 Gbps switching capacity, 30 Gbps non-blocking throughput, 45 Mpps forwarding rate
Cooling	Fanless	not listed

Strengths and weaknesses

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

+ 2.5G on all five ports with 1G fallback
+ Fanless and silent, according to owners
+ 3-year hardware warranty
− Unmanaged, so no VLAN support
− No PoE on any port
− No SFP or SFP+ uplink ports

Skip it if:

Buyers who need VLANs or any switch management features
Anyone planning to power access points or cameras over PoE
People who want SFP or SFP+ uplinks or more than five ports

Read the full NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch review ›

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

+ Eight 2.5G access ports
+ 10G RJ45/SFP+ combo uplink
+ Small and light, with flexible power options
− No PoE output
− Needs UniFi console; no CLI or SSH reported
− Owners report limited features, no aggregation

Skip it if:

Buyers who need PoE output to power access points or cameras
Admins who want CLI, SSH or a standalone web interface
Anyone who needs link aggregation or several 10G uplinks

Read the full Ubiquiti UniFi Flex 2.5G USW-Flex-2.5G-8 review ›

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