Homelab

Network Switch Price Tracker

Q: Is buying used enterprise networking gear risky?

Relatively low risk -- switches have no moving parts besides fans, so failure rates are low. Worth checking before you buy: whether the original power supply is included, whether older Cisco gear needs a factory reset to clear the previous owner's configuration, and confirming all ports test good before the return window closes.

Q: Do Ubiquiti switches require a UniFi controller?

For full management -- adopting into the UniFi app, a Cloud Key, or a self-hosted controller -- yes. Most models will still pass traffic and support basic standalone configuration through a local web UI if you never adopt them into a controller, but you lose the unified dashboard and easier VLAN/firmware management that's the main reason people buy into the UniFi ecosystem.

Mikrotik, Ubiquiti UniFi, Cisco Catalyst & TP-Link Omada

Switches get replaced almost as often as drives around here — a new VLAN plan, a jump to 10G, or just outgrowing an 8-port unbox-and-forget switch. This tracks current $/port pricing on managed switches across the four brands homelabbers actually buy, from 1G access switches up through 10G/SFP+ aggregation gear.

Disclaimer: This is a personal tracking tool I built for my own use, not a professional pricing or comparison service. Listings, prices, and outbound links are pulled from third-party sources and can be stale, inaccurate, or broken — I'm not responsible for their accuracy or where a link leads. Always verify details directly with the retailer or source before you rely on them.

Why $/Port, and When It Breaks Down

Port count is the closest thing to an apples-to-apples comparison across switch brands, which is why this page sorts by $/port by default. It works well within a speed class — comparing two 24-port 1G switches, or two 8-port 10G switches, is meaningful.

It breaks down across speed classes, though: an 8-port 10G switch will almost always show a worse $/port than a 24-port 1G switch, because 10G silicon costs more per port. Use the speed filter to keep comparisons fair, and treat $/port as a within-class ranking tool rather than a single universal number.

The Four Brands on This Page

Mikrotik

RouterOS gives you enterprise-grade routing and switching features at a fraction of the price of the other three brands — at the cost of a steeper learning curve than a GUI-first platform.

Ubiquiti UniFi

The most polished GUI-managed ecosystem here, with switches, APs, and gateways unified in one dashboard — at a real price premium and a push toward staying inside their ecosystem.

Cisco Catalyst

The deepest enterprise feature set and the most community documentation of any brand here, since it's what most IT careers are trained on — but often needs a factory reset and careful IOS/license verification.

TP-Link Omada

A budget-friendlier answer to UniFi's unified ecosystem approach, with a smaller but still active community and generally lower prices for comparable specs.

Brand

Speed

PoE

Condition

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Switch	Brand	Speed	PoE	Condition	Ports	Price	$/Port	Deal
Cisco Catalyst 2960X-24TS-L 24-Port Gigabit Managed Switch Catalyst 2960X-24TS-L · eBay	Cisco	1G	—	Used	24-Port	$99.00	$4.13/port	View Deal
Mikrotik CRS326-24G-2S+ 24-Port Gigabit Switch with 2x SFP+ CRS326-24G-2S+ · eBay	Mikrotik	1G	—	Used	24-Port	$119.00	$4.96/port	View Deal
Cisco Catalyst 2960X-24TS-L Switch - Refurbished, Tested Catalyst 2960X-24TS-L · eBay	Cisco	1G	—	Refurbished	24-Port	$139.00	$5.79/port	View Deal
Mikrotik CRS326-24G-2S+ Switch - New Sealed CRS326-24G-2S+ · eBay	Mikrotik	1G	—	New	24-Port	$179.00	$7.46/port	View Deal
Cisco Catalyst 3850-24P 24-Port PoE Managed Switch Catalyst 3850-24P · eBay	Cisco	1G	PoE	Used	24-Port	$179.00	$7.46/port	View Deal
Ubiquiti UniFi Switch 24 PoE USW-24-PoE 24-Port Gigabit UniFi Switch 24 PoE · eBay	Ubiquiti	1G	PoE	Used	24-Port	$199.00	$8.29/port	View Deal
TP-Link Omada TL-SG3428MP 24-Port Gigabit PoE+ Switch Omada 24-Port PoE · eBay	TP-Link	1G	PoE	Used	24-Port	$199.00	$8.29/port	View Deal
TP-Link Omada 24 Port PoE Switch - New Open Box Omada 24-Port PoE · eBay	TP-Link	1G	PoE	New	24-Port	$249.00	$10.38/port	View Deal
Ubiquiti UniFi Switch 24 PoE - New Open Box UniFi Switch 24 PoE · eBay	Ubiquiti	1G	PoE	New	24-Port	$259.00	$10.79/port	View Deal
Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Pro 24 PoE 24-Port with 10G SFP+ Uplinks UniFi Switch Pro 24 PoE · eBay	Ubiquiti	1G	PoE	Used	24-Port	$329.00	$13.71/port	View Deal
Mikrotik CRS309-1G-8S+ 8-Port SFP+ 10G Switch CRS309-1G-8S+ · eBay	Mikrotik	10G / SFP+	—	Used	8-Port	$149.00	$18.63/port	View Deal
Cisco Catalyst WS-C3850-12XS 12-Port SFP+ 10G Switch Catalyst WS-C3850-12XS · eBay	Cisco	10G / SFP+	—	Used	12-Port	$289.00	$24.08/port	View Deal
Mikrotik CRS309-1G-8S+ Switch - New Sealed CRS309-1G-8S+ · eBay	Mikrotik	10G / SFP+	—	New	8-Port	$199.00	$24.88/port	View Deal
Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Aggregation USW-Aggregation 8-Port SFP+ UniFi Switch Aggregation · eBay	Ubiquiti	10G / SFP+	—	Used	8-Port	$229.00	$28.63/port	View Deal

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I buy a PoE switch even if I don't need it yet?

PoE switches cost more, but they future-proof you for access points, cameras, and PoE phones without separate power injectors cluttering your rack. If there's a real chance you'll add PoE devices later and the budget allows it, it's usually worth paying for upfront rather than replacing the switch down the line.

What's the difference between 1G and 10G/SFP+ switches?

1G ports are plenty for typical per-device home and homelab traffic. A 10G/SFP+ switch earns its keep at the aggregation layer — the uplinks between your router, NAS, and main switch — where it removes a common bottleneck when moving large files or running several VMs' worth of network traffic over one link.

Is buying used enterprise networking gear risky?

Relatively low risk — switches have no moving parts besides fans, so failure rates are low. Worth checking before you buy: whether the original power supply is included, whether older Cisco gear needs a factory reset to clear the previous owner's configuration, and confirming all ports test good before the return window closes.

Do Ubiquiti switches require a UniFi controller?

For full management — adopting into the UniFi app, a Cloud Key, or a self-hosted controller — yes. Most models will still pass traffic and support basic standalone configuration through a local web UI if you never adopt them into a controller, but you lose the unified dashboard and easier VLAN/firmware management that's the main reason people buy into the UniFi ecosystem.

What's the catch with old Cisco Catalyst switches?

Many older Catalyst units need a factory reset (write erase + reload) to clear the previous owner's configuration before you can use them. IOS licensing and feature sets also vary by model and image, so if you need a specific capability like routing or advanced QoS, verify the exact IOS version and license tier the listing describes before buying.