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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 (7th), Data Center Networking (1st), AV Over IP Switching (1st)
Juniper QFabric
Ranking in LAN Switching
8th
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 August 2025, in the LAN Switching category, the mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Switches is 27.7%, down from 31.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Juniper QFabric is 2.4%, up from 1.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
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

"These switches are flexible and user-friendly."
"The product is convenient to deploy."
"Since Cisco Catalyst Switches don't go online, they are secured."
"The 802.1X port security and other security features work well and help keep the network secure."
"The product offers very good routing and ranking capabilities."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is reliability."
"It works well."
"This is a feature-rich product and the newer models have improved features that allow for many new possibilities."
"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."
"The solution is stable."
"The most valuable feature of QFabric for network performance is its stability."
"It is known for being agile, flexible, and cost-effective when working with various vendors."
"The vendor maintains the product well."
"It's user-friendly."
"Juniper QFabric has various advantages including scalability, simplicity, performance, and flexibility."
"QFabric supports redundancy and includes all of the enterprise and service provider features that customers would want in data center or service provider network."
 

Cons

"The solution offers a bit of complexity and you need a specialized workforce."
"The general price of the solution could be cheaper."
"The solution’s licensing could be improved."
"The configuration options on the Cisco Commerce website could be more efficient."
"Stability could be better."
"For zero-touch deployment, we have to work around a little bit initially because the switches are not exactly zero-touch provision ZTP. Currently, I don't see much AI integration with Cisco Catalyst Switches; though they've started, it still needs improvement."
"Their price should be cheaper. We lose a lot of work because of the price that they have."
"Currently, Catalyst is completely proprietary with Cisco. They should have programmability options, through open-source controllers."
"It would be nice if Juniper provided the system integrator with training, similar to that of Cisco."
"Having support for all OpenFlow versions would be beneficial."
"It works too much on rebooting and there is some memory leakage."
"The pricing structure could be more budget-friendly."
"Improvements could be made to QFabric's life cycle management, particularly in maintaining stable versions and extending product support."
"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."
"The disruptive upgrade was an issue for us."
"They are working on the virtualization of the actual fabric layer. They are moving away from the original spine-leaf design to a different infrastructure. Instead of having three tiers, which was the director of the interconnected nodes, they cut them back, and they still have that kind of structure."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I rate the product price a nine on a scale of one to ten, where one is low price and ten is high price."
"Pricing could be cheaper as well."
"Could always be cheaper."
"The prices of Cisco devices are too high."
"This is expensive, even when compared to competitors' products."
"The product is quite expensive."
"We are a large company and the price is reasonable because we have received a discount. However, the full price is expensive."
"We have a contract for service with this partner, meaning we don't purchase the license or equipment directly."
"The pricing is high and it is possible to find better pricing option solutions on the market, but the licensing model is quite flexible."
"The price is relatively high, but it offers an advantage over its competitors by providing better performance and functionality."
"In terms of price, the QFabric solution is going to be probably in the middle of the road for a fabric solution."
"The price for Juniper QFabric could improve. There are subscription, maintenance, and add-on feature fees."
"Juniper QFabric is a high-level solution but it could be less expensive."
"The pricing is high."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Government
7%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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: July 2025.
865,384 professionals have used our research since 2012.