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Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Huawei 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:
 

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)
Huawei Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
14th
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 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 Huawei Ethernet Switches is 3.2%, down from 3.3% 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

"These switches are very stable, we haven't had any problems, and we also have some old switches that are working for almost ten years."
"The performance is great."
"One main feature with Cisco is you know you are going to get a very good switching infrastructure that is secure."
"I have found that the protocols that Cisco Catalyst Switches support are beneficial for my customers."
"The solution is easy to use, very stable, and the performance has been very reliable."
"The most beneficial features for our network management are their stability and good customer support."
"Catalyst switches are highly stable and easy to use, and it's a technology well known by most engineers."
"The most valuable feature is the ease of configuring a switch."
"The performance of Huawei is good, and it provides security capabilities."
"The solution has been pretty solid so far."
"It is also easy to implement in the first place."
"The solution easily integrates and operates well with Cisco."
"It is straightforward to set up, the solution is stable and the performance is good, we can scale the solution, and we have found the pricing to be reasonable."
"Huawei Ethernet Switches support multiple vendors. You can integrate them according to the network scenario. Their power consumption is low."
"There aren't any licensing costs, it's a one-off payment at the beginning and then you can use them for as long as you like."
"The solution is very inexpensive, the documentation is very good, and technical support is also very good."
 

Cons

"At first glance this switch looks exactly like an Ethernet switch, I would recommend that there be verbage in the documentation on exactly what gbit connectors are required."
"Their price should be cheaper. We lose a lot of work because of the price that they have."
"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."
"It is kind of expensive."
"The initial setup can be easier in cases where the policy and ruleset are complex."
"I use the Cisco Catalyst Switches command-line interface(CLI) a lot out in the field, but there are some web interfaces features that are available that I haven't used very much. I'm more comfortable with the CLI, but the web interfaces are very lacking."
"Cisco switches are really expensive compared to other solutions, which is something that should be improved."
"Dell switching is coming up with a solution where you can put your own OS inside their switching infra. That is where they are talking about open networking. We can show that our Cisco is also an open-source. We are open to different switching operating systems if the customer is willing to put it in. We can support multiple operating systems inside the switching infrastructure. It removes the hardware and software dependency on each other. That is where I think there can be room for improvement. Then we can talk about open networking and that is where Cisco can also come up with open networking access."
"I didn't like the Huawei Switches because of the different versions resetting the configuration issue. Huawei doesn't support Layer 3 modes while TOE and ARP have some issues."
"The solution can improve by adding virtualized switch functionality."
"Integration could be improved. The price could also be lower."
"The product should improve cloud capability."
"The tool's support is not good, making it an area where improvements are required."
"Huawei should focus more on security. They need more products on the security side to improve the security portion."
"The configuration is very difficult even for someone who is already familiar with the configuration process."
"It’s hard to get technical support."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"When compared with other products, the solution is kind of on the expensive side."
"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."
"Cisco Catalyst Switches is a very expensive solution."
"These switches are expensive."
"Pricing from Cisco is expensive but we pay for the reliability."
"It would be great for the user if Cisco lowered the prices for their routers and switches."
"We have a contract for service with this partner, meaning we don't purchase the license or equipment directly."
"The cost of a license before COVID and before the lockdown was approximately three lakh 70,000 in Indian Rupees. After this COVID situation, the cost has gone down to two lakh 46,000 rupees."
"The price of Huawei ethernet switches is cheap."
"A cost-effective product"
"Huawei Ethernet Switches are cheaper than other competitors."
"It's a reasonable price, cheaper than some other vendors."
"Compared to other brands, I think that the price is quite fair."
"The solution's price is reasonable compared to other products like Cisco."
"Huawei comes with a lot of features out of the box that you have to pay extra for with other products. They do charge extra in the licensing for certain additional features."
"The product is competitively priced in its market."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Outsourcing Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Construction Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Construction Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

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 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?
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 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: September 2026.
913,924 professionals have used our research since 2012.