Cisco Ethernet Switches vs Mellanox Switches comparison

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Cisco Logo
32,935 views|29,657 comparisons
96% willing to recommend
Mellanox Technologies Logo
3,814 views|2,678 comparisons
80% willing to recommend
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Cisco Ethernet Switches and Mellanox Switches based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Ethernet Switches solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Mellanox Switches Report (Updated: May 2024).
771,157 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Anil Ergunsah
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"The most valuable features of this solution are the auto-complete functionality and the end-to-end functionalities such as routing with the channel.""The solution is a high-end router that can handle a huge network with tons of traffic.""Good and stable operational experience with nearly no loss of hardware and very few software bugs.""Cisco switches have several valuable features like VLAN mapping. We seldom use that, but we find the security configurations helpful, like high availability with trading port channels and MAC filtering.""The features that I have found most valuable are that it is easy to use and it has good technical support.""You can tap into all of the features for your virtual workload environment.""The quality of service is one of the main reasons we use Cisco in our organization. It's quite high and very reliable. The switches also end up working for a long time, so there's less need to replace them as often as others. We have some switches in our company that has been running since 2006, for example. They are quite old, but they still work.""I like their after-sales support more than anything because it's very good."

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"It is a very easy-to-use product.""The most valuable features of this solution are its functionality.""From what I've been told, a valuable feature of Mellanox switches is they're quite user-friendly.""The most valuable features of Mellanox Switches are the powerful hardware and the software is open. They're using Linux operating system. You can do and install many things, and it performs well.""The most valuable features of Mellanox Switches are the size, power consumption, and the vast amount of features.""The tool is very configurable because it runs on a Linux operating system."

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Cons
"Cisco switches are good as they are, but it would be a major feature if they have built-in routers. Some of the Microchip switches have routers built in the same device. They have a router switch. For some of the sites, we deploy such switches because the client does not want a separate router and a separate switch. So, we go for a router switch with maybe 24 ports. Some of them are fiber, and some of them are ethernet. It would be a major improvement to what Cisco is already doing. Behind the scenes, a lot of scripting and stuff like this is happening. A lot of workload can be lifted if Cisco had a good GUI. If you look at Microchip switches, they have a good GUI in addition to the CLI.""It'll also help if it can support more network utilization.""The price could be better.""When you contact support, they don't give you the expert at first, they give you the beginner. Only after going around in a circle do they give you experts. Why don't they just give the expert from the beginning?""The typical areas of concern for Cisco Ethernet Switches are not technical but cost including support costs. I’ve never liked the fact that end users cannot download security patches without a support contract. I’ve had trouble getting approval to renew Cisco support contracts due to the cost.""There could be an improvement in the licensing by reducing the price of the different types, such as essential, advantage, and premium.""The initial setup for on-prem versions is complex and requires a trained, certified engineer.""The price is an area with a shortcoming in the solution."

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"Mellanox Switches were easier before Nvidia bought Mellanox and then their new version of the operating system changed. They started with Ennui, and now they only use Linux. If they returned to their previous CLI it would be a good option for starters. The new CLI is more difficult to use but more powerful than the older one. It has its advantages.""If you compare this solution with Cisco, utilization in Cisco is more popular and it is more friendly.""The scalability is working fine at the moment, but there's always room for improvement. As of right now, I don't know of any improvements to suggest.""The configuration is a bit different from Cisco, and therefore, for me at least, there's a bit of a learning curve.""Mellanox Switches could improve by adding some features that can make it easier for integrating the switches in some managing and monitoring platforms, such as Elastic or similar software for monitoring data with the data center in a more holistic way."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "Not inexpensive. Price will vary widely depending on the chosen product and size of the deployment."
  • "Pricing for this product is high but the cost is worth it if you can afford it."
  • "The pricing is reasonable, and for small business it is acceptable."
  • "The price of this solution is good."
  • "This is an expensive solution, but you are paying for stability."
  • "The last time I bought a 24-port switch, which was a while ago, I paid about five or six thousand Euros. In this part of the world, that's quite expensive for us."
  • "These switches are expensive, but they are an excellent buy and definitely have value for the investment."
  • "We are happy with the pricing from Cisco."
  • More Cisco Ethernet Switches Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "It's an open-source solution."
  • "The pricing is very competitive. The licensing costs are fine."
  • "The price of Mellanox Switches is reasonable compared to other solutions. The price and quality ratio was very good. There is a one-time license purchase that is needed."
  • "There is a license to use the switch ports of Mellanox Switches."
  • More Mellanox Switches Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Comparison Review
    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:Hello Mesfin It depends on the real scenario, the cisco 2960 is a very good device and they usually have routing functions but there are many different models within the same 2960 line, and on the… more »
    Top Answer:We researched Cisco but ultimately chose Fortinet FortiSwitch Secure Access, mostly because of the price Fortinet FortiSwitch is an ethernet switch solution that provides security and performance… more »
    Top Answer:Our organization ran comparison tests to determine whether Cisco or Juniper Ethernet switches were the better fit for us. We decided to go with Juniper. Juniper ethernet switches are a lesser-known… more »
    Top Answer:The most valuable features of Mellanox Switches are the powerful hardware and the software is open. They're using Linux operating system. You can do and install many things, and it performs well.
    Top Answer:There is a license to use the switch ports of Mellanox Switches.
    Top Answer:Mellanox Switches were easier before Nvidia bought Mellanox and then their new version of the operating system changed. They started with Ennui, and now they only use Linux. If they returned to their… more »
    Ranking
    1st
    out of 34 in Ethernet Switches
    Views
    32,935
    Comparisons
    29,657
    Reviews
    32
    Average Words per Review
    388
    Rating
    8.9
    17th
    out of 34 in Ethernet Switches
    Views
    3,814
    Comparisons
    2,678
    Reviews
    2
    Average Words per Review
    356
    Rating
    8.5
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Cisco Industrial Ethernet Switches
    Mellanox SN2700
    Learn More
    Overview
    Cisco Ethernet Switches scale to meet the needs of networks of all sizes. They are Secure, Reliable and Seamless.

    The Mellanox Open Ethernet switch family delivers the highest performance and port density with a complete chassis and fabric management solution enabling converged data centers to operate at any scale while reducing operational costs and infrastructure complexity. This family includes a broad portfolio of Top-of-Rack (TOR) switches that range from 12 to 128 ports, with Ethernet data rates of 1GbE, 10GbE, 25GbE, 40GbE, 50GbE and 100GbE per port. These switches allow the building of cost-effective and scalable switch fabrics, from a few nodes to tens-of-thousands of nodes.

    Sample Customers
    Linz AG
    CNPC, Korea Consumer Agency, Nutanix, Roxo Systems, StorPool, Atlantic.Net, INFN, StarWind, NYSE Technologies, Creative Consultants, ENKI
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Comms Service Provider12%
    Computer Software Company11%
    Educational Organization10%
    Financial Services Firm7%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company15%
    Government9%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Financial Services Firm7%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company24%
    Manufacturing Company13%
    Government8%
    Financial Services Firm7%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business40%
    Midsize Enterprise24%
    Large Enterprise36%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business27%
    Midsize Enterprise18%
    Large Enterprise55%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business27%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise58%
    Buyer's Guide
    Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Mellanox Switches
    May 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Mellanox Switches and other solutions. Updated: May 2024.
    771,157 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Cisco Ethernet Switches is ranked 1st in Ethernet Switches with 128 reviews while Mellanox Switches is ranked 17th in Ethernet Switches with 6 reviews. Cisco Ethernet Switches is rated 8.6, while Mellanox Switches is rated 7.8. The top reviewer of Cisco Ethernet Switches writes "It's a solidly stable product from a leader in the field". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Mellanox Switches writes "Powerful hardware, reliable performance, and advantageous open-source OS". Cisco Ethernet Switches is most compared with Aruba Switches, Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access, D-Link Ethernet Switches, Ubiquiti UniFi Switches and H3C Ethernet Switches, whereas Mellanox Switches is most compared with Arista Networks Platform, Aruba Switches, Broadcom StrataXGS, HPE Ethernet Switches and Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches. See our Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. Mellanox Switches report.

    See our list of best Ethernet Switches vendors.

    We monitor all Ethernet Switches reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.