Arista Networks Platform vs Brocade Ethernet Switches comparison

Arista and Broadcom are both solutions in the Ethernet Switches category. Arista is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.5, while Broadcom is ranked #25 with an average rating of 8.0. Arista holds a 3.2% mindshare in ES, compared to Broadcom’s 1.1% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Arista users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Broadcom users who would recommend it.

Arista Networks Platform

Read 27 Arista Networks Platform reviews

5,382 Views
3,944 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Brocade Ethernet Switches

Read 11 Brocade Ethernet Switches reviews

1,517 Views
1,166 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Arista Networks Platform

Brocade Ethernet Switches

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

Arista Networks Platform and Brocade Ethernet Switches are competing in the enterprise networking category. Arista Networks Platform holds an advantage with its innovative programmability and automation, while Brocade Ethernet Switches are favored for their robust feature set and scalability.

Features: Arista Networks Platform offers programmability, comprehensive network automation, and integration capabilities for efficient operations. Brocade Ethernet Switches provide a performance-oriented feature set, high scalability, and versatile connectivity options.

Room for Improvement: Arista Networks Platform could enhance its user interface, improve integration with legacy systems, and reduce complexity in configuration. Brocade Ethernet Switches need more intuitive management tools, streamlined firmware updates, and additional automation features.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Brocade Ethernet Switches ensure a straightforward deployment process with supportive service interventions. Arista Networks Platform enhances ease-of-use through intuitive interfaces and superior automation features. Arista's customer service is lauded for prompt responsiveness and proactive support.

Pricing and ROI: Arista Networks Platform, despite a higher initial setup cost, offers advanced features leading to substantial ROI. Brocade Ethernet Switches have a more cost-effective entry point, balancing price and performance for a noteworthy ROI, particularly in scalability scenarios.

To learn more, read our detailed Arista Networks Platform vs. Brocade Ethernet Switches Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Arista Networks Platform vs. Brocade Ethernet Switches

April 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 847,862 peers since 2012

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

Arista Networks Platform

Ranking in Ethernet Switches

10th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Data Center Networking (2nd)

Brocade Ethernet Switches

Ranking in Ethernet Switches

25th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Arista Networks Platform is 3.2%, down from 4.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Brocade Ethernet Switches is 1.1%, down from 1.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Ethernet Switches

Featured Reviews

MarekSzafrański

Senior Core Network Engineer at Eurofins

Affordable for enterprise-sized companies

Speaking about whether the product enhanced our company's data center scalability, I would say that it was a solution that was used in a banking company, where it served as a replacement for Cisco. Though Arista Networks Platform is similar to Cisco IOS CLI, I feel that the former product offers better prices compared to the latter tool. Arista Networks Platform office is more efficient at a lower cost. I recommend the product to those who plan to use it. The tool is stable and cheaper than Cisco. I would say that Arista Networks Platform is 100 percent compatible with the existing infrastructure in my company. The impact of the tool's network telemetry on our company's troubleshooting practices was just good for the scope for which I need the product. I rate the overall tool a nine out of ten.

Read full review

Youssef Ezzerouali

System infrastructure engineer at Capgemini

Effective range, scalable, and simple implmentation

The most valuable feature of Brocade Ethernet Switches is the good range of access it provides Brocade Ethernet Switches could improve by having better compatibility with web management of older versions. I have been using Brocade Ethernet Switches for approximately three years. The solution is…

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature is the Linux shell, which is useful for troubleshooting or capturing traffic."

"If someone uses Arista Networks Platform, I believe they are secured."

"It is very stable. It has good hardware and very stable code. It provides good value for its price. They are a very lean type of organization, so they are very responsive, and they're able to focus more on their platform versus having multiple products out there."

"It's an extremely reliable platform for the network switches we use."

"The solution is very stable."

"The most valuable aspect of Arista Networks products is their ease of configuration, especially when compared to Cisco products. When we implement advanced features for data centers such as BGP EVPN and VXLAN, Arista's configuration process is similar to that of Cisco's process, but at the same time it is simply much easier, clearer, and more understandable."

"They support open standard features."

"The solution has good load latency. They're the market leader in this aspect right now."

More Arista Networks Platform pros

"The switches last for a very long time."

"It is easy to configure and provides good technical support."

"The technical support is good."

"The most valuable feature of Brocade Ethernet Switches is the good range of access it provides."

"It has good integration with HPE Primera. They have smart zoning in which the administration is very easy. You don't have to do anything. Zoning and other things are done automatically if you just enable the smart zoning. That's one very good thing in HP."

"There's a zone for each server and services in the storage."

"The initial setup was really straightforward and easy."

"I have not had any issues with our Brocade switches."

More Brocade Ethernet Switches pros

Cons

"Arista Networks Platform should focus on improving the compatibility or integration with Cisco solutions."

"The stability of this solution needs to be improved as part of the next upgrade."

"They need to enhance their code and their EOS. They need to improve some security features, and there are quite a number of bugs in their system. So, they need to work on that piece. In the next release, we need to have a modular feature. Instead of providing an integrated solution, they should go for something modular. They need to come up with modular highly scalable models. Even at the chassis layer, I want to see some improvement."

"Something that you will often hear about Arista products is that the price is a bit too high and, like with Cisco, we sometimes have problems with our customers because of its pricing."

"Arista Networks is currently less popular as they were initially more focused on data centers than campus networks. They should expand further into campus networks."

"An area for improvement in Arista Networks Platform is its integration, e.g. it needs to have more integration with its new products. Incorporating more security and cloud is also another area for improvement in the platform."

"A weakness would be that in our company, we don't have many people within our team who support the product because there are different vendors, and most of them are not tier-one vendors, so the skills required sometimes are just not there."

"The solution’s pricing could be better."

More Arista Networks Platform cons

"Brocade Ethernet Switches could improve by having better compatibility with web management of older versions."

"The solution could be more secure."

"No graphical interface."

"There are some performance issues."

"It should be simpler. There are still some things that can be simpler in the Brocade switches."

"Brocade Ethernet Switches need a better interface and centralized management."

"It could be made easier to configure with a graphical interface."

"These switches are no longer supported."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The customer price for an Arista router is approximately $7,000 USD, while Cisco's is around $18,000."

"Specific tools definitely require a license for the subscription. But we are not using these tools in our environment. In terms of licensing, you need to spend approximately $10,000 per month."

"I remember that when our customers were offered the Arista Networks Platform, they used a checklist to compare the prices between Arista and Cisco for their requirements, and found that the prices were almost the same."

"There is an annual license required to use the Arista Networks Platform."

"Network devices are generally expensive. However, during the evaluation, Arista was the most inexpensive vendor."

"Cost wise, Arista Networks Platform is more expensive than other networking solutions."

"Arista is very expensive. Not everybody is in a position to spend $70,000 to $80,000 for one switch."

"Arista Networks Platform was cheaper than Cisco. I have heard that the product is affordable for enterprise-sized companies."

More Arista Networks Platform pricing and cost advice

"The price of Brocade Ethernet Switches is expensive."

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Ethernet Switches solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

847,862 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

University

Computer Software Company

16%

Manufacturing Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Arista Networks Platform?

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Arista Networks Platform?

Arista products are perceived as costly, especially compared to competitors like Cisco.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Arista Networks Platform?

Currently, Arista is too costly for its customers. Feature-wise, it addresses most customer requirements. However, we sometimes face challenges when integrating with proprietary protocols and solut...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Brocade Ethernet Switches?

To improve, it could be made easier to configure with a graphical interface.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Brocade Ethernet Switches?

I use Brocade Ethernet Switches because they are scalable. I recommend them since they are easy to configure. They are connected and used every day in our operations.

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Brocade Ethernet Switches?

I would recommend Brocade Ethernet Switches because they are easy to configure and have good technical support. I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

See all answers

Comparisons

Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Arista Networks Platform

Compared 19% of the time

Meraki MS Switches vs Arista Networks Platform

Compared 11% of the time

Cisco Nexus vs Arista Networks Platform

Compared 10% of the time

Aruba Switches vs Arista Networks Platform

Compared 9% of the time

HPE Ethernet Switches vs Arista Networks Platform

Compared 2% of the time

More Arista Networks Platform Competitors

Cisco Ethernet Switches vs Brocade Ethernet Switches

Compared 42% of the time

NVIDIA Mellanox vs Brocade Ethernet Switches

Compared 12% of the time

Aruba Switches vs Brocade Ethernet Switches

Compared 10% of the time

Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches vs Brocade Ethernet Switches

Compared 10% of the time

Huawei Ethernet Switches vs Brocade Ethernet Switches

Compared 7% of the time

More Brocade Ethernet Switches Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Arista Networks Platform

April 2025

Download Arista Networks Platform product report

Buyer's Guide

Ethernet Switches

March 2025

Download Brocade Ethernet Switches product report

Also Known As

7000 Series

No data available

Overview

Arista Networks Platform is a stable and reliable solution for data center features, specifically for non-blocking switches used for spine-leaf connectivity with servers hooked to these switches. It also provides multi-layer switches for client networks, particularly in the banking sector.

Arista products are preferred for their stability, good hardware, ease of adoption and configuration, responsive and helpful support, and high throughput ratings. The solution has helped prevent screen loss and business outages in the media industry and is designed for next-generation data centers.

Arista

From the world's first Ethernet fabric technology, to an open controller that eliminates vendor lock-in, to a switch stack that you can distribute throughout your campus, Brocade Ethernet Switches give you choices. Whether that means functionality, vendors, or even locations beyond the wiring closet, every option is secure, economical, and easily manageable.

Broadcom

Sample Customers

American Internet Services

Ajubeo, Akquinet AG, Big Data Analytics Provider Boligkontoret Danmark Bristol is Open, CDE Lightband, Cicero School District 99, City and County of San Francisco, Department of Emergency, City of Chattanooga, Cloudscale.sh

Buyer's Guide

Arista Networks Platform vs. Brocade Ethernet Switches

April 2025

Free Report: Arista Networks Platform vs. Brocade Ethernet Switches

Find out what your peers are saying about Arista Networks Platform vs. Brocade Ethernet Switches and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

847,862 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Arista Networks Platform vs. Brocade Ethernet Switches report.

See our list of best Ethernet Switches vendors.

We monitor all Ethernet Switches reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.