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

Aruba Instant On Switches vs Cisco Catalyst Switches comparison

 

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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
4.6
Aruba Instant On Switches are ideal for startups and development areas, offering simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and easy deployment.
Sentiment score
4.9
Cisco Catalyst Switches are praised for durability, offering long-term reliability and cost efficiency despite a higher initial investment.
I can say in terms of money saved because up until now, in the previous places where I have worked and also now, we still use the older model, the 2960 model Cisco Catalyst Switches, which has been in existence for almost 20 years and up until now it still functions very well.
Electrical control system engineer at Dangote petroleum refinery and petrol chemicals
From an investment standpoint, deploying Cisco Catalyst Switches offers tangible benefits, including cost reductions.
Unit Nos at Orange
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.4
Aruba Instant On Switches customer service is generally positive, though some report slow responses; enterprise versions offer lifetime warranty.
Sentiment score
6.8
Opinions on Cisco Catalyst Switches' support are mixed; strong advanced support but initial tier may be slow or repetitive.
It would be good to have our own account so we can access and deal directly with technical support, for example, in the community.
System Engineer at University of Kelaniya
I would rate them an eight on a scale of one to ten because the support was good.
Engagement Manager at a marketing services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
It is not fast or knowledgeable.
System Engineer at Juniper Networks
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
TAC really depends on the engineer; you could end up with a three, but then we can reach out to our account team and ask for help, or re-queue the case.
Senior Network Analyst at a university with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.7
Aruba Instant On Switches offer scalable integration for small businesses, easy setup, but limited enterprise-level features and configurations.
Sentiment score
7.4
Cisco Catalyst Switches provide high scalability, seamlessly integrating with existing infrastructure despite cost and configuration complexities.
The product scalability can be deployed on a very large network scale.
Presale Network Security at a consumer goods company with 1-10 employees
I would rate the scalability of Aruba Instant On Switches as an eight regarding the ability of the product to adapt to our needs.
System Engineer at University of Kelaniya
Aruba Instant On Switches is a scalable solution with no problems.
System Engineer at Juniper Networks
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
Unlike Meraki, where I can bring a switch online, join it to the portal, and it becomes operational immediately.
Software Developer/ IT Analyst Individual Contributor at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
The auto-scaling and zero-touch provisioning kind of support for Nexus switches is lacking.
Network Security Engineer at a healthcare company with 11-50 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
Aruba Instant On Switches are stable, reliable, easy to manage, and rated highly by users, despite limited enterprise features.
Sentiment score
8.1
Cisco Catalyst Switches are highly reliable, long-lasting, and efficient, with occasional minor glitches but strong user praise and support.
In terms of stability and scalability, I have not faced any performance issues with Aruba; it functions very well.
Presale Network Security at a consumer goods company with 1-10 employees
I would rate the stability of Aruba Instant On Switches as an eight out of ten.
System Engineer at Juniper Networks
The stability of Cisco Catalyst Switches in my environment is somewhat problematic: legacy Cisco Catalyst Switches, even though they have licenses and support, present many hardware-related issues, such as interfaces going down very repeatedly, SFP modules failing in most cases, and hardware ports becoming faulty.
Network Security Engineer at a healthcare company with 11-50 employees
What you tell it to do is exactly what it does.
Electrical control system engineer at Dangote petroleum refinery and petrol chemicals
Cisco Catalyst Switches are stable.
Network Manager at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Aruba Instant On Switches need improved scalability, security, AI features, management interface, documentation, VLAN support, stability, and diagnostics.
Cisco Catalyst Switches receive criticism for high prices, complex licensing, outdated interfaces, and insufficient compatibility and support features.
Aruba Instant On Switches could be improved by utilizing more AI features.
Engagement Manager at a marketing services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
If they can apply more security features to Aruba Instant On Switches, such as network access control including ClearPass, then that would be great.
Presale Network Security at a consumer goods company with 1-10 employees
Cisco should provide some level of software that I can bring on-premise where I can add all my Catalyst switches for central management.
Software Developer/ IT Analyst Individual Contributor at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Support and vulnerabilities are the biggest issues regarding Cisco Catalyst Switches.
Network Architect at a retailer with 5,001-10,000 employees
Currently, I don't see much AI integration with Cisco Catalyst Switches; though they've started, it still needs improvement.
Unit Nos at Orange
 

Setup Cost

Aruba Instant On Switches are cost-effective with an all-inclusive pricing model, rivaling Cisco but pricier than Ubiquiti.
Cisco Catalyst Switches are costly but valued for reliability, though buyers seek competitive pricing and find licensing complex.
Economically, its price is acceptable for us.
System Engineer at University of Kelaniya
With Aruba Instant On Switches, you need to pay for a yearly license.
System Engineer at Juniper Networks
The pricing was good because they do not nickel and dime on costs.
Engagement Manager at a marketing services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Cisco provides unique features that justify their pricing.
Product Manager at Uop Ipl
Cisco Catalyst Switches are quite pricey.
Network Manager at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
Cisco usually is costly compared to other vendors.
Unit Nos at Orange
 

Valuable Features

Aruba Instant On Switches provide affordable, reliable, and user-friendly networking solutions with VLAN support, scalability, and easy management.
Cisco Catalyst Switches offer stability, PoE, robust security, scalability, and ease of configuration with high-speed performance and flexible management.
Aruba Instant On Switches improves the user experience by providing simplicity and reliability.
System Engineer at Juniper Networks
The first valuable aspect of Aruba Instant On Switches is the price because it is affordable, and it is easy to deploy and not complicated regarding licensing because when you purchase it once, you can enjoy it for more than five years or lifetime.
Presale Network Security at a consumer goods company with 1-10 employees
The best features of Aruba Instant On Switches include the ability to remotely monitor the access points and any troubles on the network.
Engagement Manager at a marketing services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Cisco Catalyst Switches are valuable for their reliability and performance.
Product Manager at Uop Ipl
With Meraki access points, I do not have to have a wireless controller for them. I can configure the wireless device directly from the switch, making the setup cleaner, and that is a major reason for my preference.
Software Developer/ IT Analyst Individual Contributor at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Cisco Catalyst Switches provide high performance and security features that stand out in my daily work, where they handle a high volume of traffic with low latency, making them suitable for bandwidth-intensive applications, web applications, VoIP applications, video streaming, and major data center workloads.
Network Security Engineer at a healthcare company with 11-50 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Aruba Instant On Switches
Ranking in LAN Switching
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
33
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco Catalyst Switches
Ranking in LAN Switching
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
186
Ranking in other categories
Ethernet Switches (3rd), Data Center Networking (1st), AV Over IP Switching (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the LAN Switching category, the mindshare of Aruba Instant On Switches is 6.1%, down from 9.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Switches is 18.3%, down from 28.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
LAN Switching Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Catalyst Switches18.3%
Aruba Instant On Switches6.1%
Other75.6%
LAN Switching
 

Featured Reviews

MI
System Engineer at University of Kelaniya
Solution offers straightforward management and compatibility, though user support needs direct access improvement
Sometimes some features are not available. For example, the network discovery protocol, LLDP, is not available on some of the switches. When we look at the CLI management, we are considering Cisco, and we are familiar with the Cisco commands. In that case, at the command level, Cisco is much better than Aruba Instant On Switches. Considering the configuration and the CLI level and some of the features, Cisco has better offerings than Aruba Instant On Switches. There are Netgear and some other low-cost switches, but the quality of those is not aligned with our organization's requirements. Overall, I rate Aruba Instant On Switches a seven out of ten.
MS
Electrical control system engineer at Dangote petroleum refinery and petrol chemicals
Reliable switching has delivered long‑term uptime, strong PoE support, and predictable performance
Cisco Systems Catalyst Switches are highly regarded for their performance, reliability, and enterprise-grade capabilities. My main reservation, however, is the pricing. The cost of Cisco Catalyst Switches—and Cisco products in general—is relatively high, especially in many African markets where organizations often need to balance budget constraints with required functionality. There are alternative vendors that offer comparable features at a lower price point. While they may not always match Cisco’s ecosystem, stability, or full feature depth, many businesses still choose them because of the significant cost savings. Another consideration is licensing, which can add to the overall total cost of ownership depending on the deployment model and required features. Overall, Cisco Catalyst Switches remain premium enterprise solutions, but when compared with other OEMs, their higher acquisition and licensing costs can be a major deciding factor for cost-conscious organizations.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which LAN Switching solutions are best for your needs.
900,125 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
12%
Computer Software Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Construction Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Construction Company
8%
Computer Software Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise8
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business83
Midsize Enterprise29
Large Enterprise84
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Instant On Switches?
With Aruba Instant On Switches, you need to pay for a yearly license. If you have yearly support, you have to pay for that. For Aruba Instant On Switches, there are not really any extra costs in ad...
What needs improvement with Aruba Instant On Switches?
I would not like to improve something; the only thing is what occurred last week.
What is your primary use case for Aruba Instant On Switches?
Almost everyone in our company is using Aruba Instant On Switches today.
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?
Those aspects regarding pricing, setup, cost, and licensing are managed by management, so I am not directly involved.
What needs improvement with Cisco Catalyst Switches?
I believe that Cisco Catalyst Switches could be improved by being given AI capability and advanced licensing, which would be beneficial.
 

Also Known As

Aruba Instant On 1930 Switches
Cisco Catalyst, Catalyst
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

KEMET, Vestavia Hills City Schools, Dropbox
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 Aruba Instant On Switches vs. Cisco Catalyst Switches and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
900,125 professionals have used our research since 2012.