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Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Huawei 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

Cisco Catalyst Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
3rd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
187
Ranking in other categories
LAN Switching (1st), Data Center Networking (1st), AV Over IP Switching (1st)
Huawei Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
13th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
60
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Switches is 4.5%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Huawei Ethernet Switches is 3.2%, up from 3.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Catalyst Switches4.5%
Huawei Ethernet Switches3.2%
Other92.3%
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.
Muhammad Kabir Salihu - PeerSpot reviewer
Deputy Director at NITDA
Cost-effective performance enhanced by security features with easy configurations
I mainly use Huawei Switches and also work with Huawei Wireless. I deal with both Huawei and Cisco Switches, and I find Huawei to be more cost-effective Huawei has helped to save costs and is cost-effective, which also helps save time for the company. The performance of Huawei is good, and it…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The product offers very good routing and ranking capabilities."
"The hardware is the most reliable, I saw some Catalyst in hot and dusty racks, working hard and with no issues from a lot of years."
"A very expandable solution."
"Since Cisco Catalyst Switches don't go online, they are secured."
"The main valuable features for me are the ease of configuration, the CLI, and the GUI."
"Over the years, I've found that it works very well."
"The configuration is the most valuable feature of this solution; it is easy to use."
"Cisco Catalyst Switches are quite scalable, stable, and reliable, and our organization strength is around 15,000 using it."
"Huawei Ethernet switches have a price advantage over other solutions; you can buy about four Huawei switches for the price of one Cisco switch."
"Huawei Ethernet Switches also have effective network switching features."
"I was using Cisco Aruba HP Engine previously and switched because Huawei Ethernet Switches are user-friendly."
"They are very user-friendly. Handling Huawei is very easy."
"The technical documentation available is very good. The technical support for the customer is also good - I would give it 8 out of 10."
"The solution has been pretty solid so far."
"They have the ability, since they have a very big R&D team, to create an upgrade for any feature or patch very easily."
"The most valuable features are the ease of configuration, availability of a GUI apart from the command line, and basic features such as VLAN configuration and routing between VLANs."
 

Cons

"The general price of the solution could be cheaper."
"The only drawback I saw with Cisco Catalyst Switches is that it's not cloud-managed."
"There needs to be some improvement with the Cisco DNA licensing activation process, it is difficult at the moment."
"The addition of more security and privilege levels to Cisco Catalyst Switches is required as it is one of the areas with certain shortcomings."
"The product's high price is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"Their centralized management could be better. There should be some kind of software for centralized management so that I don't need somebody else to manage it."
"While the solution was very good for its time, this may not be so, at present, for big, leading enterprises, such as a bank consisting of 10,000 people."
"The biggest issue we are having is with bugs and memory loss, which occurs when developing the IOS."
"Huawei Switch can make further advancements, as the current CLI lacks functionality. The majority of tasks are performed through the CLI, making it difficult for those without technical expertise to work with. They should enhance the CLI of the access switches to make them more user-friendly. The GUI of the Ethernet Switches should also be improved to allow non-technical users to perform technical tasks with ease. Additionally, the documentation of the solution could improve."
"It could potentially be difficult to get parts depending on where you live."
"The knowledge base needs to be improved and expanded."
"In the future, incorporating AI features into Ethernet switches, particularly in the controller base, would be beneficial."
"I had issues with patching the IOS. But right now I think Huawei has improved very much in the advanced technology and is more stable now. I think patch and bug fixes should be announced on a scheduled basis."
"Huawei Ethernet Switches are scalable but can be improved."
"The documentation needs to be better"
"But you might be sacrificing security or risking involvement in a politically unstable situation."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"If you consider Cisco's price with the Dell, you will definitely lose with Cisco. But Cisco has a major area of equipment in general. Cisco has routers, firewalls, NAC, certain video conferencing, Apple phones, and different security solutions. But Dell doesn't have such areas, Dell only has switching architecture."
"It has a very high cost, but understandably, due to its very good quality."
"They are a little bit expensive. We are a public institution, so we go through other traders, and sometimes, they put in their own surplus price because it is a government contract. Cisco products are expensive, especially when you compare them to Huawei."
"The cost of this solution could be less expensive, and we are on an annual license."
"The prices of Cisco devices are too high."
"Cisco switches are expensive. Their price range is based not only on what the product does but also the name in the industry. They are good at what they do. If you need a better product, there are other lineups available."
"The price can definitely be lower."
"These switches are expensive."
"The price of Huawei ethernet switches is cheap."
"The exact pricing varies based on how many units you purchase."
"I rate the tool's pricing a five out of ten."
"Huawei Ethernet Switches are very competitively priced, almost 4 out of 10.However, the low price point may sometimes raise concerns about quality for some companies."
"From the initial purchase, you will pay for a license and you do not need to pay for a license again. The price depends on the size of the infrastructure."
"The tool's price is affordable and I would rate it a five out of ten. The prices are fixed with no additional cost involved."
"We have a one-year license. There are no additional costs besides the licensing fee."
"The initial setup is straightforward."
report
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Construction Company
9%
Computer Software Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Construction Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business83
Midsize Enterprise29
Large Enterprise85
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business30
Midsize Enterprise13
Large Enterprise20
 

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?
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.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Huawei Ethernet Switches?
Huawei Ethernet Switches offer very competitive and aggressive product pricing compared to other brands.
What needs improvement with Huawei Ethernet Switches?
Huawei should focus more on security. They need more products on the security side to improve the security portion.
What is your primary use case for Huawei Ethernet Switches?
The primary use case for Huawei Ethernet Switches is for network purposes, including SaaS services.
 

Also Known As

Cisco Catalyst, Catalyst
No data available
 

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
Newcastle University, Jingyang District of Deyang City in Sichuan Province, Southwest China, Glasgow Rangers Soccer Team, RMIT, Insurance Industry Association of Zhejiang Province, China, APT Satellite Holdings Limited (APT)
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Catalyst Switches vs. Huawei Ethernet Switches and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
900,838 professionals have used our research since 2012.