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

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

all judged against network switches at a similar price

The NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch and Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Flex Mini both score 6.1/10 overall.

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

The Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Flex Mini leads on management.

They score the same on port count and uplinks and poE.

The biggest difference is management, where the Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Flex Mini scores 8/10 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

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

Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Flex Mini

6.1/10verdict: good, not the best

The UniFi Switch Flex Mini is for people who run, or plan to run, a UniFi network and want a small managed switch. It offers five Gigabit ports, VLAN support and controller management in a 150 g fanless-listed box. It does not suit buyers who need PoE output, SFP uplinks or faster-than-Gigabit links.

Typically about £33 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 MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch	Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Flex Mini
Port speeds	30%	7/10	5/10
Management	20%	4/10	8/10
Port count and uplinks	15%	5/10	5/10
Noise and efficiency	15%	9/10	8/10
PoE	10%	5/10	5/10
Firmware and support	10%	6/10	5/10
Overall		6.1/10	6.1/10

Specifications

Spec	NETGEAR MS305 5-Port Multi-Gigabit (2.5G) Unmanaged Switch	Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Flex Mini
Ports	5 copper RJ-45 ports	5 RJ45 ports, 1GbE
Port speeds	100M/1G/2.5G on each port	10/100/1000 Mbps per port
Management	Unmanaged	UniFi Network Controller management with VLAN support (1,000 VLANs), port isolation, mirroring and rate limiting; requires UniFi Network 5.12.5 or later
PoE budget	None (non-PoE switch)	No PoE output; one port accepts 802.3af/at PoE input only
Uplinks (SFP/SFP+)	not listed	None; RJ45 ports only, no SFP/SFP+
Switching capacity	25 Gbps switching capacity; 16K MAC entries; 1 MB buffer	Switching capacity 10 Gbps; 5 Gbps non-blocking throughput; 7 Mpps forwarding rate
Cooling	Fanless	Heat dissipation 6.824 BTU/hr (excluding PoE output); no fan listed on manufacturer page

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 Switch Flex Mini

+ Controller management with up to 1,000 VLANs
+ No fan listed; 2.5 W maximum power draw
+ Small and light: 107 x 70 x 21 mm, 150 g
− Gigabit only, with no SFP or SFP+ uplink
− No PoE output to power other devices
− Needs UniFi Network 5.12.5 or later for management

Skip it if:

Buyers who need PoE output to power access points or cameras
Anyone who wants SFP/SFP+ uplinks or faster-than-Gigabit ports
People who do not want to run a UniFi controller

Read the full Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Flex Mini review ›

More comparisons

Compare all network switches · Best network switches