Aruba Instant On Switches vs Cisco Catalyst Switches comparison

Aruba Instant On Switches vs. Cisco Catalyst Switches

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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

Aruba Instant On Switches

Ranking in LAN Switching

2nd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Cisco Catalyst Switches

Ranking in LAN Switching

1st

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

175

Ranking in other categories

Ethernet Switches (7th), Data Center Networking (1st), AV Over IP Switching (1st)

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the LAN Switching category, the mindshare of Aruba Instant On Switches is 10.5%, up from 8.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Switches is 29.4%, down from 32.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

LAN Switching

Featured Reviews

MashukThakur

Senior Wireless Engineer at FASTtelco

A centrally managed switches ideal for small and medium businesses but does not have any console access

The solution does not have any console access. For example, if you do not have internet access on your side and you need to configure anything, you should at least have CLI access to do something or manage the solution to put to some IP. It will only work if we have a TSCT on the network. We can port and configure the initial settings before we get the Instant On Switches. I am not working deeply on Instant On devices. I have only installed it in a couple of accommodation sites. Even today, one customer has ordered to install 80 pieces of Instant On. I’ve to order additional 94 access points. I was confused about whether to go with Aruba Instant On or AP-505. Instant On has limited accessibility but AP-505 have cloud or local access on normal infrastructure. This would be better and easier to configure. So, there are further improvements in regard to console access and some limitations with access.

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Joshua Odunsi

I.T INFRASTRUCTURE/SECURITY ADMINISTRATOR at Haggai Mortgage Bank Ltd

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.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Instant On Switches' best feature is the 1930, which is stackable."

"The solution provides GUI control, making it particularly suitable for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and small office/home office (SOHO) networks."

"The solution is plug-and-play and auto-configured."

"Regarding the feature, my clients are currently favoring it because it enables them to switch back to phone functionality."

"The product's initial setup phase is very simple."

"The simplicity of the tool's GUI is good."

"Aruba Central provides various AI features that we can use. It collects data on health and performance issues for wireless and wired clients."

"The dashboard for clients is very nice."

More Aruba Instant On Switches pros

"The benefit of the tool is that it is a stable product."

"These are a proven technology and I haven't had any problem with them."

"The CLI is pretty much the same across all switching and routing platforms from Cisco, making deployment of new switches, replacement of damaged equipment, or upgrades to newer platforms very easy."

"One main feature with Cisco is you know you are going to get a very good switching infrastructure that is secure."

"Customer support answers on time and resolve any issues I have."

"The main valuable features for me are the ease of configuration, the CLI, and the GUI."

"As far as technology is concerned, Cisco improves the client-to-client business."

"The solution offers great scalability."

More Cisco Catalyst Switches pros

Cons

"Some customers have made complaints about Aruba Instant On Switches' stability."

"You cannot use many VLANs, like VLAN 10, VLAN 20, VLAN 30, and VLAN 100 on Aruba Instant On AP."

"The support needs improvement."

"We would like to see more documentation."

"In the next version, they should add a firewall from a single source."

"Some L3 features could be included in the solution."

"Room for improvement would be if they consolidated administration from multiple locations."

"The pricing is competitive but could be improved."

More Aruba Instant On Switches cons

"The licensing process could be a bit less complex."

"This product could be improved with cheaper pricing."

"First of all, there are some features that take a long time to get implemented, and other vendors have them for a long time before them. For example, it took a long time to have a way to commit change with the timer, so it gets undone if the user doesn't accept the change after it's done. Like, having to say the changes be done, and everything works fine. In the end, everything works fine, but it didn't exist. That's just an example of stuff that came late to Catalyst."

"Personal automatization is a feature that should be addressed."

"The current catalyst is probably outdated so we will most likely move to the newer version of the solution soon."

"Out of the competition, Cisco switches are easily the most expensive."

"They need to implement sFlow."

"The solution could improve by allowing administrators to create scripts to help automate processes to make tasks easier."

More Cisco Catalyst Switches cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Aruba Instant On Switches is slightly cheaper than Cisco."

"Aruba Instant On Switches is not expensive."

"The license for Instant On Switches is free."

"It is an expensive solution."

"The pricing is cheap."

"The product is not cheaply priced, especially when compared to the other vendors in the market."

"The pricing is quite low compared to other products, which is good for the customer."

"The product has good pricing."

More Aruba Instant On Switches pricing and cost advice

"The price of this solution could be reduced, it is expensive and I am using an annual license."

"Try to buy everything you need in bulk purchases and ask Cisco for volume discounts."

"Highly priced"

"It is reasonably priced because we have already conducted a tender, allowing Cisco and other vendors to compete for the best price."

"Cisco Catalyst Switches is a very expensive solution."

"This is expensive, even when compared to competitors' products."

"The product is quite expensive."

"The solution is probably the most expensive, but users who want the best need to pay the premium."

More Cisco Catalyst Switches pricing and cost advice

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845,040 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

18%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

Educational Organization

67%

Computer Software Company

Government

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Aruba Instant On Switches?

The solution has a simple deployment and zero border.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Instant On Switches?

I think the pricing for the switches is reasonable.

What needs improvement with Aruba Instant On Switches?

I have run into a couple of problems with the switches. Recently, one of the newer stacks stopped working and had to be rebooted individually. They don't have a lot of diagnostics tools, which coul...

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?

Although Juniper is cheaper, Cisco provides unique features that justify their pricing.

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Product Reports

Aruba Instant On Switches

Download Aruba Instant On Switches product report

Cisco Catalyst Switches

Download Cisco Catalyst Switches product report

Also Known As

Aruba Instant On 1930 Switches

Cisco Catalyst, Catalyst

Overview

The Aruba Instant On 1930 switches features advanced, smart-managed, fixed configuration Gigabit switches designed for small businesses that are easy-to-deploy and affordable. They’re made to handle today’s bandwidth-heavy applications like voice and video conferencing, enabling consistent connectivity to enhance performance. Using either the Instant On mobile app or the cloud-based web portal, you can quickly set up, monitor and manage the 1930 switch series from anywhere at any time. What’s more, up to 30 W PoE power delivery is available out-of-the-box for your class 4 PoE devices, like access points, surveillance cameras and VoIP phones, all easily managed from the same platform.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Cisco Catalyst Switches are a reliable and scalable network switching and routing solution, focusing on VLANs and VLAN switching. They are used as access switches, distribution switches, and core switches in various environments, deployed on-premises, and used for long connections. The switches are easy to configure, install, and upgrade and offer good pricing.

The most valuable features include warranty and firmware support, stability, security, good performance, flexibility, etc. The Cisco Catalyst Switches have provided a stable solution for the organizations and are widely used, trusted, and well-known in the networking industry.

Cisco

Sample Customers

KEMET, Vestavia Hills City Schools, Dropbox

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

Aruba Instant On Switches vs. Cisco Catalyst Switches