Best Dell Active Fabric Manager Alternatives in 2026
The top Dell Active Fabric Manager alternatives are Arista CloudVision, Huawei iMaster NCE-Fabric and ExtremeCloud Orchestrator: 15 data center fabric software our editors would look at instead of Dell Active Fabric Manager, in our ranking order.
Dell Active Fabric Manager: A focused lifecycle tool for designing, deploying, and monitoring Dell VLT fabrics. Where it falls short: management is limited to dell networking switches.
Switching from Dell Active Fabric Manager? For most data center fabric software buyers the best Dell Active Fabric Manager alternative is Arista CloudVision, built for large Arista data-center fabrics. OpenDaylight has a free plan.
Why People Look for a Dell Active Fabric Manager Alternative
- Management is limited to Dell Networking switches
- On-premises, self-hosted deployment requires local infrastructure
- Pricing is handled through sales
- No multi-vendor management — 4 of the alternatives below have it
Quick Picks by What You Need
- Best overallArista CloudVision9.3
Large Arista data-center fabrics
Visit Arista CloudVision - Best free optionOpenDaylight8.2
Has a free plan
Visit OpenDaylight - Best for multi-vendor managementNVIDIA Unified Fabric Manager (UFM)8.5
Multi-vendor management (Dell Active Fabric Manager: no)
Visit NVIDIA Unified Fabric Manager (UFM)
All 15 Dell Active Fabric Manager Alternatives, Ranked
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
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Best forLarge Arista data-center fabrics
- Better than Dell Active Fabric Manager:
- Editor score 9.3 vs 8.7
A broad operations suite for visibility, configuration control and fabric automation.
- API access
9.3/10★★★★★Visit Arista -
Best forHuawei-based VXLAN data-center fabrics
- Better than Dell Active Fabric Manager:
- Editor score 9.2 vs 8.7
A self-hosted fabric controller for teams building Huawei-based VXLAN data-center networks.
9.2/10★★★★★Contact Huawei -
Best forTeams operating EVPN-VXLAN IP fabrics
- Better than Dell Active Fabric Manager:
- Editor score 9.0 vs 8.7
A self-hosted control point for automating Extreme IP fabric deployment and operations.
- Fabric automation
- Fabric assurance
- API access
9.0/10★★★★☆Contact Extreme -
Best forTeams operating intent-based Nokia SR Linux fabrics
- Better than Dell Active Fabric Manager:
- Editor score 8.9 vs 8.7
Design, simulate, deploy, and monitor SR Linux fabrics with intent-based workflows.
- Fabric automation
- Fabric assurance
- API access
8.9/10★★★★☆Visit Nokia -
Best forMid-market and enterprise SONiC fabric operations
- Better than Dell Active Fabric Manager:
- Editor score 8.8 vs 8.7
A self-hosted SONiC fabric manager for blueprint-based configuration and operational monitoring.
- Fabric automation
- Fabric assurance
8.8/10★★★★☆Contact Dell -
Best forTeams managing NVIDIA and SONiC data center fabrics
Fabric assurance for operators who need telemetry, path tracing, and state validation.
- Fabric automation
- Fabric assurance
- API access
8.6/10★★★★☆Visit NVIDIA -
Best forInfiniBand HPC fabric management
- Better than Dell Active Fabric Manager:
- Multi-vendor management
InfiniBand fabric operations with automation, telemetry, validation and scheduler integrations.
- Multi-vendor management
- Fabric automation
- Fabric assurance
Pricing on request · 60-day trial Our NVIDIA Unified Fabric Manager (UFM) verdict → Visit NVIDIA UFM8.5/10★★★★☆Visit NVIDIA UFM -
Best forMid-market and enterprise Brocade SAN operations
A focused, on-premises portal for configuring and monitoring Brocade SAN fabrics.
- Fabric automation
- Fabric assurance
- API access
8.3/10★★★★☆Visit Broadcom -
Best forCisco-centric enterprise data centers
Centralizes Cisco network discovery, provisioning, policy, configuration, and assurance.
- API access
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit Cisco -
Best forTeams needing open-source multi-protocol control
A broad, self-hosted controller for teams building programmable, multi-protocol networks.
8.2/10★★★★☆Explore OpenDaylight -
Best forKubernetes-centric VXLAN/EVPN networks
Centralized fabric automation for cloud-native, multi-tenant VXLAN/EVPN networks.
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit Netris -
Best forMulti-fabric SONiC and VLT environments
- Better than Dell Active Fabric Manager:
- Multi-vendor management
A fabric controller for SONiC and multi-fabric environments, with lifecycle and compliance controls.
- Multi-vendor management
- Fabric automation
- Fabric assurance
7.8/10★★★★☆Contact Dorado -
Best forTeams managing SONiC and EVPN/VXLAN switch fleets
- Better than Dell Active Fabric Manager:
- Multi-vendor management
A hybrid controller for automating PicOS switch provisioning, configuration and lifecycle tasks.
- Multi-vendor management
- Fabric automation
- Fabric assurance
7.7/10★★★★☆Contact Pica8 -
Best forMid-market and enterprise teams operating SONiC fabrics
- Better than Dell Active Fabric Manager:
- Multi-vendor management
SandWork automates SONiC overlay and underlay operations, with intent checks and device management.
- Multi-vendor management
- Fabric automation
- Fabric assurance
7.6/10★★★★☆Visit site -
Best forTeams building self-hosted virtual network overlays
A focused way to build logical L2/L3 overlays across VM and container environments.
7.5/10★★★★☆Visit site
Dell Active Fabric Manager Alternatives: Common Questions
What is the best alternative to Dell Active Fabric Manager?
Arista CloudVision: #1 in our Data Center Fabric Software ranking, with an editor score of 9.3 out of 10. A broad operations suite for visibility, configuration control and fabric automation.
Is there a free alternative to Dell Active Fabric Manager?
Yes. OpenDaylight and Open Virtual Network have a free plan or a free tier.
Why do people look for Dell Active Fabric Manager alternatives?
Management is limited to Dell Networking switches; On-premises, self-hosted deployment requires local infrastructure; Pricing is handled through sales.
How do I switch from Dell Active Fabric Manager?
Export your data from Dell Active Fabric Manager (most tools have an export in their settings). Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one. Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on. Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel Dell Active Fabric Manager.
How to Switch from Dell Active Fabric Manager
- Export your data from Dell Active Fabric Manager (most tools have an export in their settings).
- Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one.
- Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on.
- Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel Dell Active Fabric Manager.
Dell Active Fabric Manager vs Each Alternative
| # | Tool | Paid from | Fabric automation | Supported fabrics | Multi-vendor management | Fabric assurance | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Dell Active Fabric Manager | Yes | Layer 2 VLT; Layer 3 distributed core; Layer 3 Routed VLT | No | Yes | 8.7 | |
| 1 | Arista CloudVision | 9.3 | |||||
| 2 | Huawei iMaster NCE-Fabric | 9.2 | |||||
| 3 | ExtremeCloud Orchestrator | Yes | Small data-center (non-Clos), 3-stage IP Clos, 5-stage IP Clos; BGP underlay with BGP or EVPN overlay; EVPN-VXLAN | No | Yes | 9.0 | |
| 4 | Nokia Fabric Services System | Yes | leaf-spine, backbone, border leaf, EVPN-capable SR Linux fabrics | No | Yes | 8.9 | |
| 5 | Dell SmartFabric Manager | Yes | SONiC | No | Yes | 8.8 | |
| 6 | NVIDIA NetQ | Yes | NVIDIA Cumulus, NVIDIA NVLink, NVIDIA Spectrum Ethernet, SONiC | No | Yes | 8.6 | |
| 7 | NVIDIA Unified Fabric Manager (UFM) | Yes | InfiniBand | Yes | Yes | 8.5 | |
| 8 | Broadcom SANnav Management Portal | Yes | Brocade Fibre Channel fabrics running supported Brocade Fabric OS | No | Yes | 8.3 | |
| 9 | Cisco Catalyst Center | 8.2 | |||||
| 10 | OpenDaylight | Free | 8.2 | ||||
| 11 | Netris | 7.9 | |||||
| 12 | Dorado Cruz Fabric Controller | Yes | SONiC; two-tier VLT; Layer 3 OSPF; L2/L3 VLAG with OSPF; Layer 3 BGP; VXLAN with BGP EVPN; LAN/SAN; MCLAG | Yes | Yes | 7.8 | |
| 13 | Pica8 AmpCon Network Controller | Yes | L2/L3; EVPN/VXLAN | Yes | Yes | 7.7 | |
| 14 | PANTHEON.tech SandWork | Yes | SONiC; VXLAN overlay and underlay; MC-LAG | Yes | Yes | 7.6 | |
| 15 | Open Virtual Network | Free | 7.5 |
Head-to-Head
- Dell Active Fabric Manager vs Arista CloudVision
- Dell Active Fabric Manager vs Huawei iMaster NCE-Fabric
- Dell Active Fabric Manager vs ExtremeCloud Orchestrator
- Dell Active Fabric Manager vs Nokia Fabric Services System
- Dell Active Fabric Manager vs Dell SmartFabric Manager
- Dell Active Fabric Manager vs NVIDIA NetQ
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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