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Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch LAN Switches vs Cisco Catalyst Switches 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

Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch L...
Ranking in LAN Switching
10th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
4.5
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco Catalyst Switches
Ranking in LAN Switching
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
179
Ranking in other categories
Ethernet Switches (5th), Data Center Networking (1st), AV Over IP Switching (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the LAN Switching category, the mindshare of Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch LAN Switches is 4.2%, up from 3.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Switches is 21.8%, down from 30.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
LAN Switching Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco Catalyst Switches21.8%
Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch LAN Switches4.2%
Other74.0%
LAN Switching
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2048676 - PeerSpot reviewer
App. Manager at a political organization with 501-1,000 employees
Reliable network access has improved daily connectivity and simplified graphical management
The specific network design is done by another company, and we just manage the access switches, in fact, the local access switches on the LAN. I don't think there is much prioritization in our network for the moment. I don't think that the users see much about it; it's transparent for users. Whether there is a Cisco switch or an Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch LAN Switch, the user doesn't care. We are not expert users, but we are users for maintaining and keeping the situation alive, not experts of network switch programming. I'm not an expert of the switches to say what's missing. For smaller sites with 10 persons or so, it's sometimes not so easy to choose Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch LAN Switches.
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"These OmniSwitches are very manageable and easy to configure."
"OmniSwitch LAN Switches' performance is very good."
"With Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch LAN Switches everything comes from one vendor. It operates very smoothly."
"The most valuable feature is the ease of configuration."
"Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch LAN Switches provide stable work with no issues, with less downtime and fewer maintenance windows."
"One of the main advantages of the solution is that the configuration is straightforward, offering various configuration options through CLI or web interfaces. I'm satisfied with the customer service and support. The solution is good and people should know about it."
"I rate the technical support an eight or a nine out of ten. So far, they've been very professional and helpful, especially when we need to raise a case for any issue."
"A good feature of Cisco Catalyst is that it records crash log files which can be used to literally identify the cause of a crash because there is a lot of information. And Cisco Catalyst supports the use of external flash disks for storing of images and file systems."
"Cisco Catalyst Switches is very stable, configurable, and durable. It is also easy to manage."
"Catalyst Switches are efficient and swift, which is valuable for my organization."
"The configuration and command set are user-friendly."
"The most valuable features of Cisco Catalyst Switches are that they are very common. If you talk to someone most likely they will have a Cisco Catalyst Switch, they will not mention other names, such as Juniper, ProCurve, Dell, or anything else. The most common product in networking in my country is Cisco. Everywhere you go they talk about Cisco."
"The benefit of the tool is that it is a stable product."
"The main feature is that you will get many more people trained on Cisco Catalyst Switches than other solutions in the market."
"The solution is stable."
 

Cons

"There are some issues with the network firmware being deleted from the switches."
"There is no OEM support in India so RMAs need to be sent to France, which takes a long time if the hardware is faulty."
"n general, the way the product is put together is not well done."
"A customer expressed dissatisfaction with the color of the switches, preferring black over the current color, which is close to white. While the color is not a personal concern, my earlier preference was for all products to be extendable in one large stack since some equipment limits stacking to four elements instead of eight."
"For smaller sites with 10 persons or so, it's sometimes not so easy to choose Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch LAN Switches."
"I would like to see better third-party integration with third-party systems."
"In terms of additional features or improvements, I would like to see more fiber ports, more security features, and perhaps the integration of wireless features into the switch."
"The prices are high. It's more expensive than other similar options."
"Catalyst Switches could be more secure."
"The pricing needs improvement."
"Cisco is weird about their pricing models, so that's one problem. Their operating system is also a little outdated."
"The solution could be easy to use, you need a certificate to use it."
"The configuration options on the Cisco Commerce website could be more efficient."
"The only drawback I saw with Cisco Catalyst Switches is that it's not cloud-managed."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution’s price is at a moderate level."
"The license is purchased one time only, it is a perpetual license with no renewal."
"The price is okay. It's comparable to similar switches."
"OmniSwitch LAN Switches are cheaper than Cisco's switches."
"Cisco Catalyst Switches are a bit expensive."
"The price of Cisco Catalyst switches is reasonable."
"The price is too high for this market."
"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."
"The price must be reduced."
"The new products from Cisco in the market are expensive. My company cannot import Cisco products, so they are mostly unavailable."
"Pricing could be cheaper as well."
"I don't know a lot about the price, but they are affordable compared with other solutions."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Educational Organization
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise2
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business80
Midsize Enterprise29
Large Enterprise79
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch LAN Switches?
The specific network design is done by another company, and we just manage the access switches, in fact, the local access switches on the LAN. I don't think there is much prioritization in our netw...
What is your primary use case for Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch LAN Switches?
I still work with Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch LAN Switches. We work with internet switches, but we also use LAN switches from Alcatel-Lucent. All the switches on the sites or across sites are Alcatel...
What advice do you have for others considering Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch LAN Switches?
Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch LAN Switches work well for us. I would rate this solution a 9 out of 10.
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.
 

Also Known As

Alcatel Lucent OmniSwitch LAN Switches, OmniSwitch, OmniSwitch LAN Switches
Cisco Catalyst, Catalyst
 

Overview

Information not available
 

Sample Customers

Advocate Health Care, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Azienda Ospedaliera della Provincia di Lodi, Centre Hospitalier Carcassonne, Certis Cisco Security, China Tianchen Engineering Corporation Co. LTD, City of Frankfurt, Dongseo University
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
Find out what your peers are saying about Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch LAN Switches vs. Cisco Catalyst Switches and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.
883,011 professionals have used our research since 2012.