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Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Juniper QFabric comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 6, 2025

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 LAN Switching
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
177
Ranking in other categories
Ethernet Switches (6th), Data Center Networking (1st), AV Over IP Switching (1st)
Juniper QFabric
Ranking in LAN Switching
11th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the LAN Switching category, the mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Switches is 26.4%, down from 30.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Juniper QFabric is 3.0%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
LAN Switching Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco Catalyst Switches26.4%
Juniper QFabric3.0%
Other70.6%
LAN Switching
 

Featured Reviews

Joshua Odunsi - PeerSpot reviewer
Ensures efficient performance and supports network growth with optimal speed
Catalyst Switches are efficient and swift, which is valuable for my organization. I experience optimal speed and effective configuration, making them stand out compared to other switches. The PoE switches offer more ports on SFP, and it is efficient in use. Overall, the switches provide me with the value I expect in terms of speed and efficiency.
Suresh Pathipatti - PeerSpot reviewer
Performs well, is easy to set up, and the vendor maintains the product well
QFabric is the core switch. We also have two Brocade switches for the Fibre level The product works fine. It is an excellent product. There are different element systems and different options for each generation of the tool. We maintain the data center and analyze issues. I have no negative…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution is good for computation and backup."
"There is a lot of improvement in the network segment after replacing the older switches. I have not seen any kind of issue with these switches since deployment. They are pretty much stable."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is reliability."
"The solution is beneficial for interconnecting POE telephones, computers, printers, and buffering networks."
"Stability. We have many Catalyst switches now, and they work without any downtime."
"The most valuable feature is load balancing."
"The solution is highly reliable."
"Cisco offers DNS features over other vendors."
"The solution is easy to use and has good performance."
"The vendor maintains the product well."
"The 40 gig backbone InterConneX was valuable for our use case. It is even faster now. QFabric has spine-leaf technology or topology, which basically makes every single hop only one hop away in terms of connecting from one device to another. It is a pretty good and robust solution. It works pretty well in terms of scalability, and their technical support is amazing."
"The most valuable feature of QFabric for network performance is its stability."
"The solution is stable."
"The most valuable features of this solution are the fabric backplane having upwards of 160 GB of communication. It is a top-of-the-rack solution where you have your directors sitting in the main area and then you have your nodes expanded out to your multiple cabinets. It has a very good design and could be your server backbone."
"It's user-friendly."
"It is known for being agile, flexible, and cost-effective when working with various vendors."
 

Cons

"All other modules have comparatively many more functions or power than regular Catalyst switches."
"The product's high price is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"The solution could improve security."
"Cisco should work to lower its costs. It's quite expensive right now."
"The licensing process could be a bit less complex."
"Cisco Catalyst Switches' pricing can be cheaper."
"The biggest barrier to buying Cisco or using Cisco is the price and also the competition with competitors and with Cisco partners."
"The biggest issue we are having is with bugs and memory loss, which occurs when developing the IOS."
"Improvements could be made to QFabric's life cycle management, particularly in maintaining stable versions and extending product support."
"The stability needs to be improved."
"The pricing structure could be more budget-friendly."
"It would be nice if Juniper provided the system integrator with training, similar to that of Cisco."
"The disruptive upgrade was an issue for us."
"Having support for all OpenFlow versions would be beneficial."
"It works too much on rebooting and there is some memory leakage."
"I do not use GUI's very much for switch stacks. I am always in the CLI. However, I do know that Juniper in the past has lacked on their GUI's, but they have been working on it."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Licensing is on a yearly basis. We usually spend up to $20,000."
"The solution provides a good balance between the features and the cost structure"
"The price of Cisco Catalyst switches is reasonable."
"Catalyst Switches are costly. When I started working with them 25 years ago, prices were a problem too."
"Pricing could be cheaper as well."
"The licenses are definitely expensive. There is a need to make annual payments towards the subscription or licensing costs attached to the solution."
"This is an expensive product."
"I would say that the pricing of the solution falls within the moderate to higher range."
"In terms of price, the QFabric solution is going to be probably in the middle of the road for a fabric solution."
"The pricing is high."
"The price is relatively high, but it offers an advantage over its competitors by providing better performance and functionality."
"The pricing is high and it is possible to find better pricing option solutions on the market, but the licensing model is quite flexible."
"Juniper QFabric is a high-level solution but it could be less expensive."
"The price for Juniper QFabric could improve. There are subscription, maintenance, and add-on feature fees."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business78
Midsize Enterprise29
Large Enterprise78
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise5
 

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 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 stability, especially for the stability of the Access Points and the security of swit...
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. Regarding pricing, there is indeed room for improvement.
What do you like most about Juniper QFabric?
The most valuable feature of QFabric for network performance is its stability.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Juniper QFabric?
Juniper QFabric is not overly expensive. Licensing is required for certain features like vRRP, but setting up a virtual chassis does not necessitate a separate license.
What needs improvement with Juniper QFabric?
Improvements could be made to QFabric's lifecycle management, particularly in maintaining stable versions and extending product support. The rapid release cycle and short life span compared to comp...
 

Also Known As

Cisco Catalyst, Catalyst
QFabric
 

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
MCB Bank
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Catalyst Switches vs. Juniper QFabric and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
869,566 professionals have used our research since 2012.