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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 August 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Switches is 4.6%, up from 2.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Huawei Ethernet Switches is 3.1%, 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 Switches4.6%
Huawei Ethernet Switches3.1%
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

"It has a very high cost, but understandably, due to its very good quality."
"It's got one feature, and that's handling extreme temperatures."
"The equipment for networking is the best for an organization."
"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."
"The solution highly scalable."
"The hardware and the security are the product's valuable features"
"It can be expanded."
"The product’s scalability and performance are valuable."
"The solution has been pretty solid so far."
"The most important feature that our clients look for in this solution is that it will perform how it says it will perform for the best price and that it will provide good support."
"The CLI syntax."
"For small shops and IT businesses, this solution comes at an affordable price point."
"We use Huawei Ethernet Switches for business networks and connectivity."
"The performance of Huawei is good, and it provides security capabilities."
"What we like the most is that the price is reasonable and it's easy to manage."
"What I like about Huawei is that it has a very fast response to troubleshooting problems and regulates reports with very great production."
 

Cons

"The price of a Cisco Catalyst Switches license is expensive. There is a big problem with their pricing structure."
"They should also have a graphic interface for the switches too without the command line."
"We need to rely on other devices to provide management features; other solutions provide more features and Catalyst Switches is not user-friendly, even the configuration is difficult for our new engineers."
"The product’s pricing needs improvement."
"Cisco is dedicated to providing their customers with the latest technology, but it comes with a price. It's expensive when compared to competitors' products."
"Any improvements that they make should be in the wireless area of the product."
"They should be cheaper."
"They need to implement sFlow, other than that, I can't think of anything else that needs to be improved — I am happy."
"The tool's support is not good, making it an area where improvements are required."
"I had issues with patching the IOS."
"I would like to see more training opportunities available."
"The solution's marketing could be better. It spends money on marketing but doesn't highlight the most important features. Sometimes, it provides too much information, which can confuse customers."
"But you might be sacrificing security or risking involvement in a politically unstable situation."
"Deploying Huawei Ethernet Switches in an organization offers advantages, especially if the decision is made early in the process and the company opts for a single-vendor approach. This simplifies implementation and customization, often resulting in lower prices and tailored solutions from Huawei. However, excessive customization can lead to support issues and challenges in knowledge transfer during employee turnover."
"The solution can improve by adding virtualized switch functionality."
"We would like to have a greater level of automation using this solution. The customer support could also be faster."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I would say that the pricing of the solution falls within the moderate to higher range."
"The pricing of these devices can be better."
"​The price should go down instead of up. ​"
"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."
"It is worth the money. The product is expensive, but the service they provide is very good, which makes it worth it."
"The pricing of Cisco Catalyst Switches could be better in general. There is an annual license required."
"These switches are expensive."
"We love Cisco, but the price is very prohibitive."
"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."
"It's a reasonable price, cheaper than some other vendors."
"The solution's price is reasonable compared to other products like Cisco."
"I would say that the product is cost-effective."
"The pricing is good so is rated an eight out of ten."
"Huawei has the same licensing model as Cisco, so both are working on the subscription model."
"A cost-effective product"
"The product is competitively priced in its market."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Ethernet Switches solutions are best for your needs.
908,858 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Construction Company
9%
Outsourcing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Construction Company
9%
Manufacturing 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?
My experience with pricing, setup costs, and licensing was not all good. Licensing is quite a nightmare in the Cisco world, and I wish we had simplified licensing.
What needs improvement with Cisco Catalyst Switches?
Regarding the impression of end-to-end visibility offered by Cisco, I would love to have more visibility. What I want to see in the future regarding Cisco Catalyst Switches is more integrations bet...
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: August 2026.
908,858 professionals have used our research since 2012.