No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.

Arista Campus LAN Switches vs Cisco Catalyst Switches comparison

Why PeerSpot?
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 6, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Arista Campus LAN Switches
Ranking in LAN Switching
7th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco Catalyst Switches
Ranking in LAN Switching
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
202
Ranking in other categories
Ethernet Switches (2nd), Data Center Networking (1st), AV Over IP Switching (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the LAN Switching category, the mindshare of Arista Campus LAN Switches is 5.6%, up from 3.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Switches is 17.5%, down from 26.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
LAN Switching Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Catalyst Switches17.5%
Arista Campus LAN Switches5.6%
Other76.9%
LAN Switching
 

Featured Reviews

DM
Chief Technology Officer at ictbit
Unified monitoring has transformed campus deployments and provides rapid EVPN-VXLAN rollouts
Regarding improvements to Arista Campus LAN Switches, nothing comes to mind about the switches themselves; they are really fast and have all the technologies and protocols that exist in the market. However, on the management system, I would improve it because as a network engineer, I want a chatbot that can communicate in a native language with the monitoring system to get answers regarding my network faults. There are no problems particularly with the product, but there is room for improvement regarding licensing and the chatbot for all Arista products.
Md Rafique - PeerSpot reviewer
Desktop support Engineer at a outsourcing company with 51-200 employees
Reliable switching has improved segmentation and reduces downtime with faster troubleshooting
One area I would like to see improvement is making configuration and troubleshooting more straightforward, especially for engineers managing a large number of switches. Some tasks can require multiple CLI commands and checking different outputs to identify an issue. Better centralized visibility, more intuitive automation tools, and clearer troubleshooting information would make day-to-day operations more efficient. That said, the CLI gives experienced network engineers a lot of control, so I would see these improvements as making the existing capabilities easier and faster to use rather than replacing them. For on-premises deployment, I would like to see easier centralized management and more automation for larger switch environments. Firmware upgrades, configuration changes, and troubleshooting can take significant time when they have to be handled across many physical devices. Better zero-touch provisioning, simplifying firmware management solutions, stronger integration with monitoring and IT management platforms, and more proactive hardware health alerts would make operations easier. I would also like better visibility into hardware capabilities and lifecycle status from a single dashboard so we can identify potential issues before they affect users.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"QoS is the most valuable feature because our clients work with VOIP and Critical applications."
"I use the solution for connectivity in data centers and LANs, providing Layer 2 and Layer 3 connectivity based on network needs."
"The feature sets are pretty cool. They've got almost everything that the competition offers."
"Clients are very satisfied with the implementation process."
"The solution's most valuable feature is its stability because Arista falls in an industry that is very similar to Cisco."
"The technology is scalable as much as you want."
"The management portal has improved the way our organization functions."
"The template functionality saves a lot of time and man-hours, which results in cost and time savings."
"The solution has high performance and we do not have to troubleshoot the network."
"They don't ever fail and they have a long service life."
"It helps keep our network connections in a healthy state."
"They have a robust monitoring system."
"The availability of resources for learning about the product and doing evaluation of any issues is excellent."
"The biggest advantage of having this solution is that it is easy to find engineers, and they are cheaper than hiring HP engineers."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is communication."
"Cisco Catalyst Switches have positively impacted my organization by allowing us to have reliable performance and effectively switch traffic as required."
 

Cons

"It would be ideal if the solution was less expensive."
"I think there's still room for improvement. Arista Campus LAN Switches are not highly scalable as they are hardware-based. If hardware requirements exceed capacity, the product needs to be changed, which can impact service."
"I would like to see a version available with eight or sixteen ports."
"One of the issues that we have been faced with here in Brazil is that we don't have any list times for delivery."
"I do think they could improve their licensing model. Today, I need to pay for a license, for a switch, for support, and it costs money; it is not cheap."
"The complex setup phase is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"The licensing cost is pretty heavy. That is something that they need to definitely work upon."
"We have to renew the license every three years, which can be a challenge for customers. Arista, like other vendors, now follows a license-based system."
"The biggest barrier to buying Cisco or using Cisco is the price and also the competition with competitors and with Cisco partners."
"The management of Cisco Catalyst Switches could be improved."
"The delivery dates need to be more expedient."
"The newer models are not so stable. Other products like 6800, 3750, were stable but starting from 3850 it got worse. We have a lot of issues and a lot of bugs. It's a new product so it's understandable but it should be improved."
"The support is not the quickest."
"There needs to be some improvement with the Cisco DNA licensing activation process, it is difficult at the moment."
"The price could be better. For Cisco, there is no need for improvement except for the price. It's expensive."
"Cisco Catalyst Switches could be a little bit cheaper as they are very costly."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The only licensing costs are for CloudVision, although the upfront price of the device is not cheap."
"The price is not that good, but our clients value the solution despite the price."
"It is reasonably priced because we have already conducted a tender, allowing Cisco and other vendors to compete for the best price."
"The product is quite expensive."
"There needs to be some improvement with the Cisco DNA licensing activation process, it is difficult at the moment."
"This is an expensive product."
"It is overpriced. Some devices can be very expensive. Most of the clients have a contract with Cisco for two or three years."
"There is a license required for the use of this solution and we pay annually."
"The price is on the higher side."
"The price of this solution could be reduced, it is expensive and I am using an annual license."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which LAN Switching solutions are best for your needs.
921,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Outsourcing Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Construction Company
9%
Outsourcing Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Construction Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise1
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business86
Midsize Enterprise30
Large Enterprise99
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Arista Campus LAN Switches?
Regarding pricing, it is not cheap. While it is an enterprise solution, comparing it to low-level switches like Fortinet and Netgear, it is much more expensive. However, comparing it to Cisco and J...
What needs improvement with Arista Campus LAN Switches?
Regarding improvements to Arista Campus LAN Switches, nothing comes to mind about the switches themselves; they are really fast and have all the technologies and protocols that exist in the market....
What is your primary use case for Arista Campus LAN Switches?
I work as a consultant and integrator, using Arista Networks platform in my customers' networks. I deal with switches by Arista, which is mostly what we use Arista for. I am familiar with Arista Ca...
Would you recommend replacing a Cisco Catalyst Switch by a D-link one?
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 ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Catalyst Switches?
My experience is that Cisco Catalyst Switches can involve a relatively significant upfront investment, especially when you consider the hardware, support, and licensing requirements. The total cost...
What needs improvement with Cisco Catalyst Switches?
One area I would like to see improvement is making configuration and troubleshooting more straightforward, especially for engineers managing a large number of switches. Some tasks can require multi...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Cisco Catalyst, Catalyst
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

University of Winchester, AWE, picturemaxx, Medical Mutual, Leonix, CloudEra, National Physical Laboratory, Tri-State G&T, AIS, Morph, SingTel, SDSC, BBC
Afni, Anilana Hotels and Resorts, Baylor Scott & White Health, Beachbody, Bellevue, Del Papa Distributing, Explorer Pipeline, Mindtree, Omaha World Herald, Radio 538, Sony Corporation, Telecom Italia, Telenor Arena
Find out what your peers are saying about Arista Campus LAN Switches vs. Cisco Catalyst Switches and other solutions. Updated: November 2026.
921,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.