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Cisco Catalyst Switches vs ExtremeSwitching vs Rackswitch comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Data Center Networking category, the mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Switches is 17.7%, down from 23.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ExtremeSwitching is 7.1%, up from 5.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Rackswitch is 2.3%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Data Center Networking Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Catalyst Switches17.7%
ExtremeSwitching7.1%
Rackswitch2.3%
Other72.9%
Data Center Networking
 

Featured Reviews

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.
Meric-Dinc - PeerSpot reviewer
Director, Solutions at TopTel
Automated fabric networking has simplified large deployments and now streamlines complex operations
The best features in ExtremeSwitching that I appreciate include the technology known as Extreme Fabric, which our customers find miraculous because it enables automated networks. With fabric technology, customers are very happy since they don't need to perform new configurations in the core, distribution, or access site, but only some configuration in access switch ports, as the network automatically knows where services start and end. It is definitely secure and very easy to install. We are utilizing ExtremeSwitching's automated network management feature, and when we sell our products to clients, we always offer Extreme Site Engine or now Platform One for cloud. Having this automated network management helps streamline operations by requiring less manpower, as infrastructure is hard to manage, but with the visualization provided by network management systems, clients only need to use a few clicks to deploy new services. There is no need to create multiple ports or VLANs, allowing even one or two individuals to operate very large networks. ExtremeSwitching's intuitive management interface has improved network performance significantly. For instance, Extreme Networks currently utilizes a very good AI system. When users need to perform configurations like MLAG, they can simply log in, ask for the configuration, and receive recommendations. This capability makes clients very happy because the management software inspects the entire network and provides valuable recommendations that lead to significant improvements.
it_user1068 - PeerSpot reviewer
Tech Support Staff at a tech company with 51-200 employees
Rackswitch is very easy to use and perfect for small businesses with small budgets.
Rackswitch consumes less power, eliminates delays, has a low latency, has airflow like the one found in servers for cooling purposes at a low cost and are redundant, is flexible, is reliable, and has a high level of performance. They are also scalable and of very high performance caliber with some already made virtualized.Rackswitch is easy to acquire, deploy and manage. It has an OpenFlow feature that minimizes complexity and allows for easy creation of virtualized networks.They are also fault tolerant, multicast and compatible with switches from other vendors.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The scalability is good."
"In terms of technology, Cisco is the leader in everything. I'd rather buy a second-hand Cisco switch than a brand new switch from a competitor. They're that reliable and resilient."
"This solution has been good to us, it's very solid."
"One of the most valuable features is the MatchBox Switch."
"Cisco Catalyst is one of the most famous and popular devices for campus networks, widely used in most of the country."
"The new series has lots of great features, it's really lovely. From a management perspective, or a policy creation perspective, which we are seeing in the Catalyst 9000 series it is great."
"Technical support is always very helpful and fast to respond."
"Catalyst switches are our dedicated solution for connecting everything into one big domain."
"The return on investment is high."
"The solution has inspection firewalls that can do a deep packet inspection on a port basis."
"Setup was easy. It only took a couple of hours to set up."
"In the case of small businesses, the solution is budget-friendly and easy to configure."
"ExtremeSwitching is a good, stable platform."
"The solution is stable, reliable, and fast, with excellent flexibility and scalability, and once we've deployed the switches we haven't had any issues with the system configuration or problems in operation."
"It is very reliable because one of the reasons is the non-blocking architecture of Extreme Networks."
"Advice that I would give to people considering switches is that I think Extreme products are pretty feature-rich and they are definitely worth considering alongside the competition."
"Rackswitch consumes less power, eliminates delays, has a low latency, has airflow like the one found in servers for cooling purposes at a low cost and are redundant, is flexible, is reliable, and has a high level of performance."
 

Cons

"The solution could improve by having a video IP feature."
"It can be a little more cheaper."
"The solution could improve security."
"An area for improvement would be the documentation and training on configuring this product."
"The price could be better. It's expensive."
"The product is expensive."
"In terms of additional features or improvements, I would like to see more fiber ports, more security features, and perhaps the integration of wireless features into the switch."
"The solution could improve by having a video IP feature."
"ExtremeSwitching's software stability could be improved, as it sometimes crashes."
"Their pricing could be a bit cheaper, as Huawei switches offer better pricing."
"The price is expensive. We pay for a license, but you have to pay more if you want to increase the number."
"The pricing of the universal switches is an area of concern that needs to be improved."
"There are latency issues that need to be addressed."
"ExtremeSwitching switches are not prevalent in the industry, so it's harder to go online and research how to deploy their APs or switches. There is a broader user community for Cisco and Juniper because they've been around for a while and everybody has a bit of knowledge they can publish online."
"ExtremeSwitching has many features but having come from Cisco environments, there is a steep learning curve to learning all the functionality."
"All the solutions in this market are lacking cyber asset attack, surface management."
"Rackswitches are very complex and you must be skilled to configure and use them."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of this solution is reasonable."
"The price of these switches is on the upper end. It is around $3,500 plus for a 24-Port switch. These switches are more expensive than Linksys and TP-Links, but you get what you pay for. If you look at the pros and cons per switch, you can justify the cost compared to a lesser and cheaper brand."
"The solution is probably the most expensive, but users who want the best need to pay the premium."
"There is a one-time license, but we pay for the smart net license every three years for support."
"This is expensive, even when compared to competitors' products."
"The licenses are definitely expensive. There is a need to make annual payments towards the subscription or licensing costs attached to the solution."
"Pricing from Cisco is expensive but we pay for the reliability."
"The price is on the higher side."
"There is no license required to use the solution. The hardware controller is expensive, and this is why I prefer controlling ExtremeSwitching on the cloud."
"ExtremeSwitching offers very good pricing plans for their licenses. Compared to their rivals, ExtremeSwitching's prices are very affordable and reasonable. This is why our customers are happy to pay for their service critical support. ExtremeSwitching also offers a great portal to track clients, further satisfying our customers. They are always happy to pay for the service every month. The pricing is very reasonable."
"It is not a subscription-based model, and there is no licensing concept. We have to pay for hardware AMC. We have hardware on our premises and for the hardware support, we have to go for the annual maintenance contract with the partner."
"We paid 25,000 to 30,000 INR."
"The product is expensive."
"The pricing and licensing are good with the cloud."
"On pricing, ExtremeSwitches are going to beat most of the major competition."
"There is a cost for ExtremeSwitching and if you want the support and maintenance, there are additional costs. My clients typically pay for the support and maintenance annually."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
8%
Construction Company
6%
Manufacturing Company
15%
Construction Company
12%
University
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business80
Midsize Enterprise29
Large Enterprise79
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business12
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise7
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

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 func...
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 stabi...
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. ...
What do you like most about ExtremeSwitching?
The product offers a single management platform for multiple models of switches. The tool also allows users to manage...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ExtremeSwitching?
Regarding pricing, I find it very competitive, especially in Turkey, where markets in the Middle East and Africa tend...
What needs improvement with ExtremeSwitching?
From a marketing perspective, I would like to see Extreme Networks expand its product line to include small and mediu...
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Also Known As

Cisco Catalyst, Catalyst
No data available
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Overview

 

Sample Customers

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
Blue Waters
Altus IT, SL-Rasch, COMAS, Balluff GmbH, CANCOM IT Solutions, Kings College London
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Dell Technologies, Juniper and others in Data Center Networking. Updated: March 2026.
885,789 professionals have used our research since 2012.