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Cisco Catalyst Switches vs HPE Ethernet Switches comparison

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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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
4.9
Cisco Catalyst Switches offer long-term reliability and efficiency, though high costs lead to mixed returns for some users.
Sentiment score
1.0
HPE Ethernet Switches offer reliable ROI through low power, stable performance, reduced maintenance, and lifetime warranty despite high prices.
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
Currently, I see no value for money or return on investment.
Lead Engineer at THE TATA POWER COMPANY LIMITED
From an investment standpoint, deploying Cisco Catalyst Switches offers tangible benefits, including cost reductions.
Unit Nos at Orange
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.7
Cisco Catalyst Switches support is praised for knowledge and responsiveness, but efficiency varies by region and contract status.
Sentiment score
7.8
HPE Ethernet Switches customer service is praised for quick response, though support satisfaction varies, with improved regional response times.
When requesting an RMA, they replace defective items in just one day.
Network Engineer at General Authority OF ZAKAT & TAX
Even if it is slightly more expensive, the main basic thing is how soon or how easily a company can support you if something goes wrong on the switch, which can happen to any brand.
Consultant at Staunch On Demand
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
We attach SKUs that offer an advanced replacement of the hardware in the worst-case scenario.
General Manager at Zenith Business Solutions
Their customer service and support are quite good.
IT Specialist at Dense Media Separation Powders (Pty) LTD
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.4
Cisco Catalyst Switches are favored for scalability, performance, and adaptability, despite some feature challenges, supporting large networks effectively.
Sentiment score
7.9
HPE Ethernet Switches are valued for scalability and modularity, though opinions vary on manageability and future-proofing.
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
HPE Ethernet Switches are highly scalable.
General Manager at Zenith Business Solutions
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
Cisco Catalyst Switches offer stable, reliable performance with minimal bugs, noted for consistent uptime and long-term resilience.
Sentiment score
8.5
HPE Ethernet Switches are praised for reliability, durability, and stability, often rated highly for challenging projects and long-term use.
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
Since we operate medical infrastructure, we try to avoid downtime as much as possible.
Enterprise Network Architect at UCLA
We had one incident where an electric overload occurred, and it still managed to stay operational.
IT Specialist at Dense Media Separation Powders (Pty) LTD
HPE Ethernet Switches are very reliable and have high stability.
General Manager at Zenith Business Solutions
 

Room For Improvement

Cisco Catalyst Switches need improved cost, compatibility, simplicity, scalability, user interface, security, cloud integration, and advanced programmability.
Users want improved UI, stability, security, better support, lower pricing, enhanced scalability, and more automation in HPE Ethernet Switches.
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
Incorporating them into an existing infrastructure with competitor products is a challenging task which could be better streamlined.
General Manager at Zenith Business Solutions
The price should be reduced in comparison to Cisco, as sometimes we cannot use the HPE one at the core level, where generally public users are using Cisco.
Sr.Manager-IT at imi kolkata
 

Setup Cost

Cisco Catalyst Switches, though costly, are valued for reliability and performance, with complex licensing adding to expense considerations.
HPE Ethernet Switches are seen as affordable and offer a good price-performance balance compared to competitors like Cisco.
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
When compared to Cisco, Aruba is about 40% cheaper.
General Manager at Zenith Business Solutions
The price of HPE Ethernet Switches is reasonable and less than other OEM brands.
Sr.Manager-IT at imi kolkata
 

Valuable Features

Cisco Catalyst Switches excel in PoE, security, scalability, and integration, offering reliability, ease of use, and effective support.
HPE Ethernet Switches offer scalability, reliability, strong management, and PoE support with intuitive interfaces and robust security features.
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
They are highly scalable and stable, which is vital for large enterprises that require reliable performance.
General Manager at Zenith Business Solutions
The security features of the HPE Ethernet Switches are good.
Sr.Manager-IT at imi kolkata
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Catalyst Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
3rd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
191
Ranking in other categories
LAN Switching (1st), Data Center Networking (1st), AV Over IP Switching (1st)
HPE Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
13th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
104
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Switches is 4.5%, up from 2.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HPE Ethernet Switches is 3.5%, up from 2.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Catalyst Switches4.5%
HPE Ethernet Switches3.5%
Other92.0%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

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.
KK
General Manager at Zenith Business Solutions
Security, reliability, and cost-effectiveness drive success across different business scales
HPE Ethernet Switches are very much covered on the security front due to their ClearPass technology, which is exceptional. They are highly scalable and stable, which is vital for large enterprises that require reliable performance. Additionally, HPE Ethernet Switches offer a cost-saving advantage as they are approximately 40% cheaper than comparable Cisco solutions. The integration of the switches is very straightforward, making them an attractive choice for many organizations.
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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Ethernet Switches solutions are best for your needs.
913,924 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Outsourcing Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Construction Company
8%
Outsourcing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Construction Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business84
Midsize Enterprise30
Large Enterprise87
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business62
Midsize Enterprise19
Large Enterprise32
 

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 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?
The price is very high. Compared to others, I find the price a bit high when compared to Juniper and Allied Telesis.
What needs improvement with Cisco Catalyst Switches?
I cannot identify specific disadvantages with the product. However, the areas that have potential to be better are the timeline for the system and switch delivery. The delivery timelines for the pr...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HPE Ethernet Switches?
When compared to Cisco, Aruba is about 40% cheaper. However, Huawei would be even cheaper than Aruba. We can't compare HPE Ethernet Switches with Huawei directly because of different price ranges.
What needs improvement with HPE Ethernet Switches?
HPE Ethernet Switches have room for improvement in the initial setup and integration process, especially when incorporating them into an existing infrastructure with competitor products. It's a cha...
What is your primary use case for HPE Ethernet Switches?
Our primary use case for HPE Ethernet Switches is in various business segments. I focus on the oil and gas segment, and I also work with private segment medium-sized organizations. My team handles ...
 

Also Known As

Cisco Catalyst, Catalyst
HP Ethernet Switches
 

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
Emirates Palace Hotel
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Catalyst Switches vs. HPE Ethernet Switches and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
913,924 professionals have used our research since 2012.