Comparing USW-24 vs. USW-48

The UniFi USW-24 and USW-48 are both part of Ubiquiti’s line of Layer 2 managed switches. They serve as fundamental building blocks for wired segments of a UniFi network and are often deployed in environments needing centralized switch management through the UniFi Controller.

While they look similar on paper, the key differences lie in scale and throughput. Let's dive in!

🚨 Before we dive in, please don't self-host your UniFi Controller if you take care of client networks. Sooner or later this will cause issues! It's fine for home users, but definitely not recommended for IT service businesses and MSPs. If you want secure, reliable and a scalable hosting solution check out UniHosted.

Table of Contents

• USW-24 vs. USW-48
• Detailed comparison
• Final Thoughts

USW-24 vs. USW-48

Both models are designed for indoor use and offer 1 Gbps Ethernet ports with SFP uplinks for fiber connections. Neither supports Power over Ethernet (PoE), so they’re suited for deployments where PoE isn’t necessary — like connecting desktops, printers, or non-powered access points.

The real differences come down to size and performance:

• USW-24 offers 24 Gigabit Ethernet ports.
• USW-48 doubles that with 48 ports.

This scaling also affects the switching capacity and forwarding rate:

• USW-24: 52 Gbps switching capacity, 38.6 Mpps forwarding rate.
• USW-48: 104 Gbps switching capacity, 77.4 Mpps forwarding rate.

If you're working with a medium-sized network and plan for future expansion, the USW-48 gives you breathing room. But if you're limited by rack space or simply don't need the port count, the USW-24 is a compact alternative with solid throughput.

Detailed comparison

Final Thoughts

Both switches are dependable choices for Layer 2 switching without PoE, and your decision really comes down to port count and throughput needs. If you're building a high-density rack or aggregating traffic from multiple access points or switches, the USW-48 gives you headroom. For simpler setups or branch locations, the USW-24 does the job cleanly.

If you’re hosting your UniFi controller in the cloud, we offer UniHosted as a managed option that pairs well with these switches. Let us take care of hosting while you focus on the network.

If you would like me to personally walk you through UniHosted, you can schedule a call with me here.