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Arista Networks Platform vs Cisco Catalyst Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 2, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
6.5
Arista Networks offers excellent ROI with higher costs, being cheaper than Cisco and requiring less deployment time and staff.
Sentiment score
6.0
Cisco Catalyst Switches provide high ROI with consistent performance, durability, and operational reliability, despite initial cost concerns.
We save on employees and also save time because it is easy to install.
Network Engineer at Castlenet Consulting Limited
I saved between five to six hours using Arista Networks Platform, as it takes less time to actually add your APs to the dashboard and deployment is quite fast and easy.
Network Engineer at Castlenet Consulting Limited
From an investment standpoint, deploying Cisco Catalyst Switches offers tangible benefits, including cost reductions.
Unit Nos at Orange
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.6
Arista Networks Platform offers highly regarded, prompt technical support, though some users note documentation lacks depth and concern over initial costs.
Sentiment score
6.9
Cisco Catalyst Switches support is mixed; users praise documentation but criticize slow responses and varying expertise levels.
All network engineers from the organization were present in the program, and the Arista engineer provided a solution in less than five minutes.
Network Engineer at Castlenet Consulting Limited
They provide instant support and maintain commitments regarding replacement products.
CEO/Consultant at CIL
We would rate the customer support as a nine to 9.5 out of ten.
Technical project manager at Castlenet Consulting Limited
When requesting an RMA, they replace defective items in just one day.
Network Engineer at General Authority OF ZAKAT & TAX
On a scale from one to 10, I would rate the technical support of Cisco at 10 out of 10.
student at St. Joseph's College of Engineering
Cisco support is very good and responsive.
Unit Nos at Orange
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
Arista Networks Platform offers seamless scalability and ease of expansion to support diverse and large-scale data center environments.
Sentiment score
7.6
Cisco Catalyst Switches provide scalable solutions for diverse deployments, supporting seamless network growth and expansion in varied environments.
Scalability is a key feature of Arista, owing to the possibilities to manage the entire data center network from a single console.
AVP Enterprise Sales at Ashtech Infotech (India) Pvt.Ltd.
We can easily scale up with Arista Networks Platform, as it is not difficult, and they have a platform that encourages scalability.
Technical project manager at Castlenet Consulting Limited
The scalability of Cisco Catalyst Switches is very much scalable, as it supports the stacking feature and growth; for instance, with 94K modular switches, based on the requirement, we can even increase modules for more bandwidth.
Unit Nos at Orange
Cisco Catalyst Switches are scalable, and I would rate them eight to nine out of ten for scalability.
Network Manager at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
Arista Networks Platform is stable and reliable, with minimal downtime, supported by strong performance and a robust customer base.
Sentiment score
8.2
Cisco Catalyst Switches are praised for their reliability and stability despite occasional minor hardware issues, making them a preferred choice.
I have not had any downtime using Arista Networks Platform.
Network Engineer at Castlenet Consulting Limited
We have been working with Arista Networks Platform for the past five years, and we can say it is stable.
Technical project manager at Castlenet Consulting Limited
Cisco Catalyst Switches are stable.
Network Manager at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Arista Networks needs improved documentation, integration, pricing, and features like microsegmentation to align better with user expectations.
Cisco Catalyst Switches need improved third-party integration, simpler licensing, better documentation, user-friendly configurations, and enhanced security and AI features.
Feature-wise, it addresses most customer requirements.
AVP Enterprise Sales at Ashtech Infotech (India) Pvt.Ltd.
Arista Networks is currently less popular as they were initially more focused on data centers than campus networks.
CEO/Consultant at CIL
Currently, I don't see much AI integration with Cisco Catalyst Switches; though they've started, it still needs improvement.
Unit Nos at Orange
It is the highest cost in the market.
Network Engineer at General Authority OF ZAKAT & TAX
Cisco Catalyst Switches could be a little bit cheaper as they are very costly.
Network Manager at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Setup Cost

Arista Networks is often seen as expensive, but some find its value and features competitive against Cisco.
Cisco Catalyst Switches are reliable but costly, with complex licensing; potential buyers seek competitive pricing and bulk purchase discounts.
The customer price for an Arista router is approximately $7,000 USD, while Cisco's is around $18,000.
CEO/Consultant at CIL
Arista products are perceived as costly, especially compared to competitors like Cisco.
AVP Enterprise Sales at Ashtech Infotech (India) Pvt.Ltd.
Cisco provides unique features that justify their pricing.
Product Manager at Uop Ipl
Cisco usually is costly compared to other vendors.
Unit Nos at Orange
Cisco Catalyst Switches are quite pricey.
Network Manager at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Valuable Features

Arista Networks Platform excels in cost-efficiency, scalability, and advanced features with reliable management, deployment, and support.
Cisco Catalyst Switches are robust, versatile, and scalable, featuring advanced management and supporting diverse network infrastructures with excellent documentation.
The best features Arista Networks Platform offers are the dashboards where you can see all your APs that have been deployed and installed across all locations, making it quite unique to access, manage, and monitor performance from that dashboard.
Technical project manager at Castlenet Consulting Limited
Features include plug-and-play auto-discovery, allowing centralized configuration and management.
CEO/Consultant at CIL
The access points are easy to install and the switches are easy to install. I can install seven or eight access points in less than two hours.
Network Engineer at Castlenet Consulting Limited
Cisco Catalyst Switches are valuable for their reliability and performance.
Product Manager at Uop Ipl
The most beneficial features for our network management are their stability and good customer support.
Network Manager at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
Catalyst Switches are efficient and swift, which is valuable for my organization.
I.T INFRASTRUCTURE/SECURITY ADMINISTRATOR at Haggai Mortgage Bank Ltd
 

Categories and Ranking

Arista Networks Platform
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
11th
Ranking in Data Center Networking
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
30
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco Catalyst Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
5th
Ranking in Data Center Networking
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
178
Ranking in other categories
LAN Switching (1st), AV Over IP Switching (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Arista Networks Platform is 3.2%, up from 3.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Switches is 3.5%, up from 1.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco Catalyst Switches3.5%
Arista Networks Platform3.2%
Other93.3%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Adeagbo Olamide - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Engineer at Castlenet Consulting Limited
Cloud-managed access points have simplified deployments and saved significant installation time
I have been using Arista Networks Platform for three years now. Arista Networks Platform is easy to use, and after deployment of the access points, the dashboard makes it easy and convenient to use with easy navigation, which is excellent. The access points on Arista Networks Platform operate in the cloud through the GUI where you operate the access points and perform all configurations for the access points on the platform. In terms of performance with Arista Networks Platform, I would give it a perfect score as it has not failed me before. The only time I had an issue with Arista was when the access point went into rest mode, probably after a power outage in an infrastructure. After contacting Arista and attending an Arista program, I was guided through a solution via the Arista GUI, which I implemented, and since then, the performance has been excellent. In terms of security, I have no issues with Arista; it performs really well in terms of security. Arista Networks Platform is very convenient overall. Arista Networks Platform has really boosted our organization to the extent that our organization does not want to think about any other platform except Arista in terms of access points and switches. We are just diving into the switch area. In terms of time saved with Arista Networks Platform, the access points are easy to install and the switches are easy to install. I can install seven or eight access points in less than two hours. It is really easy to install and time-saving. In terms of cost, I think it is cost-efficient compared to others in the same field.
AG
Unit Nos at Orange
Reliable support boosts confidence while initial setup complexities highlight improvement areas
Challenges I've encountered mostly involve the RMA part for hardware replacement, which doesn't happen regularly, but sometimes I face challenges due to limited parts in India; they offer different model devices as a stopgap arrangement. It's quite difficult to specify features I would want to see in future updates because that varies from model to model. I would definitely recommend Cisco Catalyst Switches to other users. We do maintenance for Cisco Catalyst Switches. For maintenance, we usually need three people from different regions working as a single team; our engineers handle both projects and maintenance, so there isn't a specific engineer just for maintenance. I work with firewalls and next-generation firewalls. Overall, I would rate the solution as an eight out of ten.
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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Ethernet Switches solutions are best for your needs.
880,511 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
University
6%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Educational Organization
6%
Comms Service Provider
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business15
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise12
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business79
Midsize Enterprise29
Large Enterprise79
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Arista Networks Platform?
Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Arista Networks Platform?
I do not handle the pricing for Arista Networks Platform as other departments handle the costing. I am a network engineer in my company.
What needs improvement with Arista Networks Platform?
I have not had any issues with Arista Networks Platform in terms of improvements. I would only advise that they should dive deeper into the Nigerian market and make it easily accessible.
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 do you like most about Cisco Catalyst Switches?
We are a vendor for the healthcare sector, especially hospitals, and normally, we use a full Cisco solution for stability, especially for the stability of the Access Points and the security of swit...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Catalyst Switches?
For pricing satisfaction, I'd say it will be six to seven because Cisco usually is costly compared to other vendors. Regarding pricing, there is indeed room for improvement.
 

Also Known As

7000 Series
Cisco Catalyst, Catalyst
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

American Internet Services
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 Networks Platform vs. Cisco Catalyst Switches and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
880,511 professionals have used our research since 2012.