Arista Campus LAN Switches vs Cisco Nexus comparison

Arista and Cisco are both solutions in the LAN Switching category. Arista is ranked #7 with an average rating of 9.5, while Cisco is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.4. Arista holds a 5.5% mindshare in LS, compared to Cisco’s 10.4% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Arista users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

Arista Campus LAN Switches

Read 8 Arista Campus LAN Switches reviews

1,105 Views
1,105 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cisco Nexus

Read 108 Cisco Nexus reviews

5,511 Views
2,700 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Arista Campus LAN Switches

Cisco Nexus

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 6, 2025

Arista Campus LAN Switches and Cisco Nexus compete in the network switching market. Cisco Nexus generally has an advantage due to its advanced capabilities, while Arista is appealing for its cost-effectiveness and support.

Features: Arista Campus LAN Switches excel in programmability, easy integration with cloud systems, and a stable operating system. Cisco Nexus offers comprehensive security features, scalability, and modular flexibility, making it a versatile choice.

Room for Improvement: Arista could improve in offering more advanced security features, enhancing its scalability, and expanding its feature set to match competitors. Cisco Nexus might benefit from simplifying initial setup, reducing cost complexity, and streamlining the integration processes with third-party solutions.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Arista is recognized for its straightforward deployment process and robust customer service, ensuring hassle-free integration. Cisco Nexus, although offering extensive support options, can present complex deployment scenarios requiring more technical expertise.

Pricing and ROI: Arista Campus LAN Switches are known for competitive setup costs and favorable ROI due to lower operational expenses. Cisco Nexus might have higher initial costs owing to extensive features but justifies the expense through long-term performance and value, often resulting in higher ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Arista Campus LAN Switches vs. Cisco Nexus Report (Updated: August 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Arista Campus LAN Switches vs. Cisco Nexus

August 2026

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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

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Cisco Nexus

Ranking in LAN Switching

2nd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

108

Ranking in other categories

Data Center Networking (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the LAN Switching category, the mindshare of Arista Campus LAN Switches is 5.5%, up from 2.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Nexus is 10.4%, up from 8.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

LAN Switching Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Cisco Nexus	10.4%
Arista Campus LAN Switches	5.5%
Other	84.1%

LAN Switching

Featured Reviews

Denis Malinovtsev

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.

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Fakhar Mahmood

Sr. Network Administrator at i2c

Migration between data centers has strengthened core connectivity and simplified segmentation

The biggest problems during migration were corporate issues, including dependencies on other devices such as F5, HSMs, and firewalls from Palo Alto. Everything was connected over the core switches, which made this a quite difficult part to manage and to onboard the teams and to understand the impact of the migration. We encountered an issue where we have two data centers, and unknowingly we were configuring the devices with the same VPC number on both devices. By doing that, we were not able to terminate the lease lines over those core switches. According to Cisco, we had to change the VPC number of one of the data center's core switches since they are in a VPC. We are still waiting, and it has been more than five to six years just to change the VPC number and migrate back the lease line. Now we are having cabin switches for the lease line and then the core switch. That VPC number issue was quite surprising for us. However, we have a very frequent issue with Cisco Nexus, particularly with the SFPs. Every time a port or the SFP heats up, it gets faulty. We have almost sixteen Nexus switches per data center. In a year, we experience one or two port issues per annum. We have standard Equinix data centers with standard installations, but somehow the temperature is always maintained and there is no ducting, yet the ports and the SFPs heat up or become faulty. This is a very frequent issue with the SFP-based port.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The CloudVision Portal allows us to centrally manage all of our Arista products."

"The technology is scalable as much as you want."

"I use the solution for connectivity in data centers and LANs, providing Layer 2 and Layer 3 connectivity based on network needs."

"The template functionality saves a lot of time and man-hours, which results in cost and time savings."

"QoS is the most valuable feature because our clients work with VOIP and Critical applications."

"The management portal has improved the way our organization functions."

"The Software Defined switch architecture, runs optimized 2-tier network instead of traditional 3-tier network (Core, Distribution and Access) gives you efficiency and savings."

"Clients are very satisfied with the implementation process."

More Arista Campus LAN Switches pros

"The solution has demonstrated stability thus far."

"The Cisco Nexus switches are the best and most reliable solution for us in my previous company, which was a telecom service provider."

"The most valuable features are the access layer security, OpenConfig, and OpenFlow."

"When it comes to data centers, Cisco Nexus is the best."

"The flexibility, how accurately the VPCs operate as well as the redundancy built into it with the VPCs are the most valuable features."

"Cisco Nexus and Cisco Catalyst have processing power and offer good utilization of Cisco devices."

"The product has a stable and strong server panel switch."

"The scalability of Cisco Nexus is good. We've had them for the entire lifetime. We've never had to upgrade them yet."

More Cisco Nexus pros

Cons

"It would be ideal if the solution was less expensive."

"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."

"I would like to see a version available with eight or sixteen ports."

"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."

"One of the issues that we have been faced with here in Brazil is that we don't have any list times for delivery."

"The licensing cost is pretty heavy. That is something that they need to definitely work upon."

"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."

"Data center access is stable and high speed but it is not compatible with Cisco's server hardware devices. The solution can be technically improved and can have features like automation, better visibility, better functionality, and cheap pricing."

"There is limited guidance in terms of the use and configuration of Cisco Nexus for specific use cases. The documentation is not comprehensive, and you have to do a lot of online research."

"There are limitations on some of the lower level 9K solutions where you can't do the same things that you would normally be able to do, like for instance the number of static maps that you can configure on it."

"There is room for improvement in the pricing. The solution is expensive. Compared to other vendors, it's costly for similar products."

"Overall, I wish it was a more intuitive OS."

"Cisco Nexus is expensive."

"We lag on the configuration. The changes make a difference in troubleshooting."

"The subscription model and price could be better."

More Cisco Nexus cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price is not that good, but our clients value the solution despite the price."

"The only licensing costs are for CloudVision, although the upfront price of the device is not cheap."

"This is a very expensive product."

"We only have a yearly support contract, as we do not use any of the subscription-based functions at this time."

"Our licensing fees are approximately $2,000 USD per year."

"We have three hundred to four hundred data centers of Nexus. So the coverage associated with Smart Net is 27 by 4, is basically what we spend each year. If the incentives get better, which I know they're working on, it would be great but right now we're buying year to year."

"Our licensing fees are paid annually."

"The price of this solution is good when compared to others in the market."

"The license on a yearly basis is $200,000."

"The price of the product is reasonable."

More Cisco Nexus pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

14%

Construction Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Marketing Services Firm

Construction Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Outsourcing Company

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	1

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	19
Midsize Enterprise	17
Large Enterprise	83

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...

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What needs improvement with Arista Campus LAN Switches?

See all answers

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...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Nexus?

We are a reseller, and we sell products to our customers.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco Nexus?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Cisco Nexus?

Cisco Nexus is used in data centers with a simple Nexus OS deployment model. In our environment, we do not use programmability with Cisco Nexus. The switches are used very basically in our infrastr...

See all answers

Comparisons

Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Arista Campus LAN Switches

Compared 20% of the time

Cisco FabricPath vs Arista Campus LAN Switches

Compared 17% of the time

Dell PowerSwitch N-Series vs Arista Campus LAN Switches

Compared 11% of the time

Juniper QFabric vs Arista Campus LAN Switches

Compared 9% of the time

HPE ProCurve vs Arista Campus LAN Switches

Compared 9% of the time

More Arista Campus LAN Switches Competitors

Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Cisco Nexus

Compared 12% of the time

Juniper QFX Series Switches vs Cisco Nexus

Compared 11% of the time

Arista Networks Platform vs Cisco Nexus

Compared 8% of the time

ExtremeSwitching vs Cisco Nexus

Compared 7% of the time

Dell PowerEdge R-Series vs Cisco Nexus

Compared 7% of the time

More Cisco Nexus Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

LAN Switching

August 2026

Download Arista Campus LAN Switches product report

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Nexus

August 2026

Download Cisco Nexus product report

Overview

Arista Campus LAN Switches offer efficient network integration and management, enhancing LAN deployment with superior telemetry and streamlined designs, delivering scalability and cost-efficiency.

Designed for effective deployment in network environments, Arista Campus LAN Switches utilize a Software Defined architecture that enhances network efficiency and provides savings with scalability. Responsible for fast EVPN-VXLAN deployment, these switches ensure superior telemetry capabilities while integrating seamlessly into networks through Arista EOS and open APIs. Their Quality of Service supports VOIP and critical applications. With CloudVision management and template functionality, deployment is simplified, reducing the need for excess hardware. Despite these advantages, enhancements in native language chatbot management, port options, and license renewal costs are desired by users. Scalability is affected by hardware constraints, and there is a call for faster delivery times and simplified setup.

What are the key features of Arista Campus LAN Switches?

CloudVision Management: Simplifies network operations through a centralized management platform.
EVPN-VXLAN Deployment: Facilitates rapid Layer 2 and 3 connectivity across the campus.
Superior Telemetry: Provides comprehensive network monitoring and insights.
Arista EOS & Open APIs: Ensures flexibility and interoperability within diverse networks.
Quality of Service: Optimizes performance for VOIP and critical applications.
Template Functionality: Reduces deployment costs through automated configurations.

What benefits and ROI should users expect?

Cost Efficiency: Reduces the number of switches required, saving operational costs.
Scalability: Enables effective network growth through software-defined capabilities.
Interoperability: Allows cohesive integration within existing network setups.
Productivity Boost: Simplifies maintenance and upgrades, leading to increased productivity.

Consultants and integrators utilize Arista Campus LAN Switches to enhance customer network environments, supporting both campus and data center needs. These switches are employed effectively by resellers for clients like community centers and are integral for system engineers managing Layer 2 and 3 connectivity. Deployment is streamlined using a controller-based template for efficient configuration across multiple sites.

Arista

Cisco Nexus delivers flexibility, scalability, and performance for data centers, offering stability and ease of management. The integration with third-party security and high port density support are key features, making it ideal for core network infrastructures.

Cisco Nexus stands out in data centers for backbone switching and network management, known for its modularity and Virtual Port Channels. Organizations value its capacity for handling large data volumes and automation capabilities. The system's redundancy features enhance reliability in complex network environments. Despite its strengths, technical support, licensing complexity, and integration require improvement. Users benefit from features like Active/Active FEX connectivity and wish for enhancements in routing support, interface usability, and documentation. Cost concerns and port overheating issues are noted, with calls for better training and simplified configurations.

What are the key features of Cisco Nexus?

Modularity: Enables customization and upgradability.
Virtual Port Channels (VPCs): Offers resilience and high availability.
Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF): Supports routing domains within a network device.
High Port Density: Allows connection of multiple devices in a compact space.
Automation: Simplifies network management and operations.
Redundancy Features: Provides network reliability and uptime.

What benefits and ROI should users expect from Cisco Nexus?

Scalability: Supports growing network demands.
Stability: Offers a reliable operational environment.
Efficiency: Enhances data center connectivity and management.
Security Integration: Works seamlessly with third-party security solutions.
High Performance: Optimizes data handling and throughput.

In enterprise settings, Cisco Nexus is essential for switching, routing, and server connection aggregation. It's integral in spine-and-leaf architectures for scalability in multi-tenant environments, often integrated with hyper-converged technology to ensure reliable, secure server connectivity. Implementations span industries, each leveraging its strength for improved network efficiency.

Cisco

Sample Customers

University of Winchester, AWE, picturemaxx, Medical Mutual, Leonix, CloudEra, National Physical Laboratory, Tri-State G&T, AIS, Morph, SingTel, SDSC, BBC

Advanced Medical Transport, Banco de Guayaquil, Baylor Scott & White Health, BH Telecom, Bowling Green State University, Calligaris, Children's Hospital Colorado, City of Biel, Del Papa Distributing, Department of Justice, Dimension Data, Dualtec Cloud Builders, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Grupo Industrial Saltillo (GIS), Hertz, K&L Gates , LightEdge, Lone Star College System, Management Science Associates, Mindtree, NBC Olympics, Quest, Sony Corporation, The Department of Education in Western Australia, Valley Proteins

Buyer's Guide

Arista Campus LAN Switches vs. Cisco Nexus

August 2026

Free Report: Arista Campus LAN Switches vs. Cisco Nexus

Find out what your peers are saying about Arista Campus LAN Switches vs. Cisco Nexus and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.

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