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Cisco Catalyst Switches vs PTX Series Routers comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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 Data Center Networking
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
179
Ranking in other categories
LAN Switching (1st), Ethernet Switches (7th), AV Over IP Switching (1st)
PTX Series Routers
Ranking in Data Center Networking
8th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
8.0
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Data Center Networking category, the mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Switches is 16.2%, down from 22.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of PTX Series Routers is 5.9%, up from 5.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Data Center Networking Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Catalyst Switches16.2%
PTX Series Routers5.9%
Other77.9%
Data Center Networking
 

Featured Reviews

AG
Unit Nos at Orange
Reliable support boosts confidence while initial setup complexities highlight improvement areas
Challenges I've encountered mostly involve the RMA part for hardware replacement, which doesn't happen regularly, but sometimes I face challenges due to limited parts in India; they offer different model devices as a stopgap arrangement. It's quite difficult to specify features I would want to see in future updates because that varies from model to model. I would definitely recommend Cisco Catalyst Switches to other users. We do maintenance for Cisco Catalyst Switches. For maintenance, we usually need three people from different regions working as a single team; our engineers handle both projects and maintenance, so there isn't a specific engineer just for maintenance. I work with firewalls and next-generation firewalls. Overall, I would rate the solution as an eight out of ten.
Atul Torne - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Backbone Architect at a comms service provider with 501-1,000 employees
Allows for frequent manipulation and configuration with good technical support
It is a highly scalable solution. We mainly use it for 100 gig connectivity. It also allows for frequent manipulation or configuration, but we never use those features We have been using this solution for over five years. It is comparatively stable. It is a scalable solution. The technical…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most important features are that Cisco is one of the most robust switches, it is easy to configure, and the documentation is pretty good."
"Cisco Catalyst Switches have very good performance and are reliable."
"This is a very stable and mature platform with a proven record of reliability."
"The solution is beneficial for interconnecting POE telephones, computers, printers, and buffering networks."
"These switches are stable, work well, and are easy to use."
"The main features of the solution are its reliability and security."
"Catalyst switches are our dedicated solution for connecting everything into one big domain."
"I am satisfied with the Cisco support."
"It is a highly scalable solution, and we mainly use it for 100 gig connectivity."
"It also allows for frequent manipulation or configuration."
 

Cons

"The product could offer more integrations with other solutions."
"The solution could improve security."
"We'd like Cisco to integrate with other solutions, including their own."
"They need to implement sFlow, other than that, I can't think of anything else that needs to be improved — I am happy."
"The solution was stable 10 years ago, there is room for improvement in this area."
"The delivery dates need to be more expedient."
"One feature that I would like to add is for the following: At times, when I add an access list for a hostname, it doesn't actually add the hostname, it adds the IP address."
"It is overpriced. Some devices can be very expensive."
"It would be good if they added a redundant routing engine."
"It would be good if they add a redundant routing engine."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price is on the higher side."
"The solution provides a good balance between the features and the cost structure"
"We are a large company and the price is reasonable because we have received a discount. However, the full price is expensive."
"It is overpriced. Some devices can be very expensive. Most of the clients have a contract with Cisco for two or three years."
"It has a very high cost, but understandably, due to its very good quality."
"There needs to be some improvement with the Cisco DNA licensing activation process, it is difficult at the moment."
"Cisco's prices are not cheap, but the stability is worth it."
"The price of a Cisco Catalyst Switches license is expensive."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Construction Company
6%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business80
Midsize Enterprise29
Large Enterprise79
No data available
 

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.
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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
LINX, Zayo Group
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Dell Technologies, Arista and others in Data Center Networking. Updated: March 2026.
886,174 professionals have used our research since 2012.