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Aruba Switches vs H3C Ethernet Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

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

Aruba Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
87
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
H3C Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
19th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Aruba Switches is 8.7%, down from 12.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of H3C Ethernet Switches is 2.7%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Aruba Switches8.7%
H3C Ethernet Switches2.7%
Other88.6%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Aneesh K - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Solution Analyst II at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Has supported dynamic user segmentation and centralized management across campus networks
The best features of Aruba Switches are their stability and reliability. Hardware failures are rare because the switches have been running for years, and it is uncommon to encounter hardware issues or impacting bugs. From an operational perspective, Aruba Switches are stable and easy to configure through centralized management solutions. Initially managed through AirWave and now through Central, the configuration can be managed easily with audit records and visibility to switch health and other parameters. Another advantage is that Aruba Switches work seamlessly with ClearPass as a NAC server. This integration allows for dynamic policies, dynamic downloadable user roles, and enables seamless segmentation of users for network security. The real-time analytics provided by Aruba Switches for network efficiency are valuable when needed. All information visible in the analytics dashboard is truly helpful. With Aruba Central's migration to AI capability, additional value is being provided, offering more information and making troubleshooting easier with user-friendly features where you can search for anything and receive relevant results.
KanwarArsalan - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Pre Sales at Business It Solutions
Offers all routing protocols, functionality, and capabilities
H3C switches have strong port aggregation features including dynamic, static, and device aggregation. They also offer broadcast, multicast, or unique system suppression for PPS and BPS. These features are versatile and adaptable to various organizational scenarios, complemented by VLAN support. H3C switches offer VPN support along with various VLAN options like port-based, MAC-based, and protocol-based VLANs, including VLAN mapping and voice VLAN features. They support VLAN interfaces for both IPv4 and IPv6, ensuring compatibility and configuration flexibility. H3C switches are up to date with current market trends, offering features, routing protocols, capabilities, and functionalities that correspond to new trends in networking solutions. I strongly recommend that future users consider H3C switches for their designs, given their performance, specific features, and strong capabilities compared to competitors like Cisco. Overall, I would rate H3C Ethernet Switches as a nine out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"All of the networking products that we use are Aruba, so we use Aruba Central to manage them."
"They are easy to configure and integrate well with the Aruba ecosystem."
"The features I find most valuable in Aruba Switches are their flexibility, reliability, and affordability."
"The most valuable features are stability, ease of management, and the monitoring tool."
"It's stable."
"The most valuable feature is the switches are reliable and replaced for free if anything goes wrong."
"Licensing costs are competitive with other solutions on the market."
"Aruba Switches are always innovating to bring new solutions to the market."
"The best feature of H3C Ethernet Switches is their reliability."
"Offering a five-year warranty, compared to competitors' one-year warranties, is a unique advantage of H3C switches."
"H3C Ethernet Switches is a cheap solution."
"We can configure the switch stack on the internet. Other vendors do not offer this facility. It is fast and easy to manage."
"A good high-performance solution."
"The IMC feature is valuable."
"Network performance is very good, suggesting that stability has not been an issue."
"To date, it has proven to be highly reliable. We have encountered no issues or challenges with it thus far."
 

Cons

"Aruba's operating system changes with every version."
"It's a little less convenient for more simplified management needs."
"We don't have visibility in Aruba Switches and we are thinking of switching to Fortiswitch because it has visibility."
"Aruba's management suite has some room for improvement."
"The log viewer should be improved."
"Aruba Switches could improve the monitoring and increase the scope of their online portal to cover cloud and on-premise deployments."
"It's an expensive product."
"If we compare Aruba and Cisco at the data center layer, Cisco has its Nexus switch. Aruba provides the new 10000 series, but it does not compare with the Nexus switch."
"There is room for improvement in Wi-Fi solutions, which are not optimized."
"The only improvement needed is the significantly better lead time for delivery compared to other American products. In terms of technology, there isn't much difference, especially since X3 is a subsidiary of XP, and they use the same technology. However, the delivery time is notably better."
"The solution’s stability could be improved."
"H3C Ethernet Switches could improve by widening their product range."
"Lacks decent cloud management."
"There is room for improvement in Wi-Fi solutions, which are not optimized."
"There should be more public tools for configuration and comparing products."
"To enhance H3C switches for the next release, improving the user interface is crucial."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing for Aruba Switches is definitely expensive."
"Aruba Switches are very expensive."
"We pay for the clear pass and the controller."
"The pricing was still affordable compared to Cisco, which is usually less affordable for most companies. We are using the solution in a school, we need the price to be affordable."
"Aruba Switches are quite cost-effective."
"I am paying for the hardware and Aruba Central licenses, but I would like a version of Aruba Central to come out with a light version with a few features turned off. Ubiquiti and other vendors have free tools. I believe they're looking at that, but it's not out yet. I hope they will release that to make it competitive because I'm using an enterprise-class switch for small businesses. We're looking for some of those capabilities, but not all of them."
"The price for Aruba is quite a bit cheaper than it is for similar products by Cisco."
"Pricing for this product is reasonable."
"The pricing is very affordable, making it a not-so-expensive choice. On a scale from one to ten, where one is expensive and ten is cheap, I would rate it a seven."
"H3C Ethernet Switches are priced at around $500 per unit, which is very cheap and one of the most competitive prices out there."
"H3C Ethernet Switches are reasonably priced."
"H3C Ethernet Switches is targeted for SMBs because it's cheaper compared to Huawei switches."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Government
6%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Computer Software Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
University
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business49
Midsize Enterprise18
Large Enterprise22
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise2
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Aruba Switches?
Aruba lives up to the expectations of the tech giant hewlett packard enterprise providing excellent networking capabilities at a very affordable price compared to the equivalent from another tech g...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Switches?
The cost of Aruba Switches is based on the price per device. The cost depends on the model. We have 24-port switches, PoE 12-port switches, and bigger switches, so the price varies depending on the...
What needs improvement with Aruba Switches?
Currently, the security integration with Aruba ClearPass is being used for NAC authentication only. Many ACLs and other security features are being managed, but the current security features being ...
What needs improvement with H3C Ethernet Switches?
There is room for improvement in Wi-Fi solutions, which are not optimized.
What is your primary use case for H3C Ethernet Switches?
The primary use case is about managing network infrastructure. The H3C Ethernet Switches are used internally as switches in the system.
 

Also Known As

8400 Series, 8320 Series, 5400R Series, 3810 Series, 2930M Series, 2930F Series, 2920 Series, 2540 Series, 2530 Series
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Purdue University
Ying Wa College, Centro Digital Pictures
Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Switches vs. H3C Ethernet Switches and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
879,259 professionals have used our research since 2012.