Arista Networks Platform vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] comparison

Arista and Dell Technologies are both solutions in the Data Center Networking category. Additionally, 100% of Arista users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Dell Technologies users who would recommend it.

Arista Networks Platform

Read 30 Arista Networks Platform reviews

3,808 Views
1,333 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Dell PowerConnect Switches ...

Read 34 Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] reviews

90% willing to recommend

Arista Networks Platform

Dell PowerConnect Switches ...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Arista Networks Platform and Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Dell Technologies, Arista and others in Data Center Networking.

To learn more, read our detailed Data Center Networking Report (Updated: January 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Data Center Networking

January 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 881,384 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

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Ethernet Switches (10th), Data Center Networking (3rd)

Dell PowerConnect Switches ...

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

8.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Featured Reviews

Adeagbo Olamide

Network Engineer at Castlenet Consulting Limited

Cloud-managed access points have simplified deployments and saved significant installation time

I have been using Arista Networks Platform for three years now. Arista Networks Platform is easy to use, and after deployment of the access points, the dashboard makes it easy and convenient to use with easy navigation, which is excellent. The access points on Arista Networks Platform operate in the cloud through the GUI where you operate the access points and perform all configurations for the access points on the platform. In terms of performance with Arista Networks Platform, I would give it a perfect score as it has not failed me before. The only time I had an issue with Arista was when the access point went into rest mode, probably after a power outage in an infrastructure. After contacting Arista and attending an Arista program, I was guided through a solution via the Arista GUI, which I implemented, and since then, the performance has been excellent. In terms of security, I have no issues with Arista; it performs really well in terms of security. Arista Networks Platform is very convenient overall. Arista Networks Platform has really boosted our organization to the extent that our organization does not want to think about any other platform except Arista in terms of access points and switches. We are just diving into the switch area. In terms of time saved with Arista Networks Platform, the access points are easy to install and the switches are easy to install. I can install seven or eight access points in less than two hours. It is really easy to install and time-saving. In terms of cost, I think it is cost-efficient compared to others in the same field.

Read full review

LarsEvans

Chief Technology Officer / Chief Information Security Officer at Lorton Data, Inc.

Reliable and useful for network segmentation

The solution's most valuable feature stands up well. The tool is reliable, and it stands up well. The solution works fine and lasts a long time. I think if you speak about the features that have a flow and you can measure, it is hard to say. I don't spend a lot of my time with the tool, but I know that Dell APEX is the solution's cloud. I would say the VLAN features are important. The VLAN features are really useful because network segmentation is important. I would say the tool is easy to program. I don't know if the tool has any security features that I am aware of other than the fact that the solution is for networking. The VLAN and the ability to segment your networks are easy, which is its security feature.

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

"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."

"The solution is very stable."

"The user-friendly policy manager lets us apply different controls for various user groups easily."

"The most valuable features of Arista include low latency, scalability, and sustainability of the products."

"They support open standard features."

"Arista Networks Platform is comfortable, easy to deploy, and easy to manage, with non-blocking technology. Additionally, it has a useful CloudVision platform and automation capabilities."

"The solution is scalable."

"It provides telemetry and visibility for many metrics that are not supported by most of the other vendors. Out of the box, no third party solutions are needed."

More Arista Networks Platform pros

"The tool is reliable, and it stands up well. The solution works fine and lasts a long time."

"We have these switches installed in an environment with hardware from many other vendors, and so far, so good."

"The product is reliable."

"The technology is good and the interface is simple. We haven't had any bugs, disconnections or delays."

"Dell offers very good support."

"The platform's most valuable features are network switch functionality and fiber switch capabilities."

"PowerConnect Switches' stability is satisfactory."

"Dell PowerConnect Switches have a VTL feature similar to Cisco's VSS. With VTL, using this technology, you can cluster two switches together to increase redundancy in the environment."

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] pros

Cons

"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."

"The solution is quite expensive. One of the negative aspects of it is the pricing."

"From VMware, I think the cost of the tools is very high."

"They should have a more stable code."

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

"My company does face issues in terms of interoperability when it comes to the product, making it an area that needs to be fixed."

"A smoother transition between ISPs during failover would improve the user experience by reducing unnecessary notifications and interruptions."

"The solution’s pricing could be better."

More Arista Networks Platform cons

"I expect it to be a zero-touch or a plug-and-play device. To some extent, it is, but we need to know the architecture, and we need to know what exactly we are doing. It is not so easy to implement. It depends on what exactly we are doing and it is still not a plug-and-play or zero-touch device. In the upcoming version, they can make it zero-touch, where we can just power it on and start using it. They can have some templates for different scenarios, such as when you are using it for the data center or adding it to your existing infrastructure."

"When it comes to the configuration, there should be documentation and interactive help available to assist people who have experience with products from other vendors."

"It would be great to have modules that integrate with SDN solutions such as Cisco ACI, Arista SDN, Huawei Agile, and IBM."

"I can't think of what we would want in the next release."

"Dell is sometimes slow to provide updates to firmware."

"The pricing could always be a bit lower."

"Their hardware is not reliable, it's faulty."

"The product price is an area of concern where improvements are required."

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

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

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

"If one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the product price as seven out of ten."

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

"It is pretty pricey for a networking platform. It is on par with Cisco."

"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."

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

More Arista Networks Platform pricing and cost advice

"The product is cheaper than Cisco and licensing is yearly. We have to pay additional costs for support."

"I would rate the pricing as a seven or eight."

"The price of these switches is okay."

"The solution is less expensive and more cost-efficient."

"If one is the cheapest price and ten is the most expensive, I rate the product price as an eight or nine. The tool is not cheap."

"The initial cost was high but since they have lasted for over ten or twenty years they are worth it."

"Pricing for Dell PowerConnect Switches is quite competitive compared to Cisco and HP pricing. Dell has cheaper pricing and the company is trying to push for sales for its switching infrastructure because right now, the current market is dominated by Cisco. In the US market, there's Cisco, HP, Juniper, and Arista which you can buy for data center switching meant for different kinds of enterprises and ISPs. Dell PowerConnect Switches, on the other hand, is a product for people who need smaller setups or individual switches, especially those looking for a cheaper product and basic switching, though you can also buy a complete suite packaged with the switches."

"This solution is much cheaper than comparable products by Cisco."

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Data Center Networking solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

881,384 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

University

Manufacturing Company

12%

Computer Software Company

10%

Energy/Utilities Company

10%

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	15
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	12

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	21
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	6

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?

I do not handle the pricing for Arista Networks Platform as other departments handle the costing. I am a network engineer in my company.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Arista Networks Platform?

I have not had any issues with Arista Networks Platform in terms of improvements. I would only advise that they should dive deeper into the Nigerian market and make it easily accessible.

See all answers

What do you like most about Dell PowerConnect Switches?

Dell PowerConnect Switches have a VTL feature similar to Cisco's VSS. With VTL, using this technology, you can cluster two switches together to increase redundancy in the environment.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell PowerConnect Switches?

The solution is cheaper than Cisco.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Dell PowerConnect Switches?

Some proprietary commands available in Cisco are preferred by users accustomed to Cisco systems. These users might hesitate to switch because they want to continue using familiar commands and see t...

See all answers

Comparisons

Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Arista Networks Platform

Compared 21% of the time

Cisco Ethernet Switches vs Arista Networks Platform

Compared 9% of the time

Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches vs Arista Networks Platform

Compared 8% of the time

Aruba Switches vs Arista Networks Platform

Compared 7% of the time

Meraki MS Switches vs Arista Networks Platform

Compared 5% of the time

More Arista Networks Platform Competitors

Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

Compared 39% of the time

NETGEAR Switches vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

Compared 19% of the time

HPE ProCurve vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

Compared 16% of the time

Dell PowerSwitch N-Series vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

Compared 14% of the time

Cisco Nexus vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

Compared 13% of the time

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Arista Networks Platform

January 2026

Download Arista Networks Platform product report

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

January 2026

Download Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] product report

Also Known As

7000 Series

PowerConnect Switches

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

PowerConnect Switches family offers a set of flexible, manageable and comprehensive switch solutions supporting up to 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) and optimized Internet iSCSI (iSCSI) performance with Dell Storage solutions, ideal for enterprise and campus LAN environments alike.

Dell Technologies

Sample Customers

American Internet Services

Amerijet Holdings Inc., CGD Securities, MavenWire, Tulane University

Buyer's Guide

Data Center Networking

January 2026

Download Free Report

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Dell Technologies, Arista and others in Data Center Networking. Updated: January 2026.

DOWNLOAD NOW

881,384 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our list of best Data Center Networking vendors.

We monitor all Data Center Networking 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.