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Aruba Switches vs Cisco Ethernet Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 12, 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

Aruba Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
83
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
133
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Aruba Switches is 12.1%, up from 12.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Ethernet Switches is 16.8%, down from 18.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Eunice Thirikwa - PeerSpot reviewer
Stable hotel networking enhances return on investment with valuable modular features
There are issues with the distribution side of Aruba Switches. For instance, the distributor in our country cannot sell to neighboring countries, creating complications in project execution. Improving the distribution network across regions would be beneficial. Also, the SFP modules are significantly more expensive than industry peers, which affects cost-effectiveness.
Pradeep Adhav - PeerSpot reviewer
Network security enhancement with sturdy switches despite high costs
The Cisco Ethernet switches are primarily used as regular core switches for networking, distribution, and access levels. We also utilize Cisco Wi-Fi, VPN, and Wi-Fi controllers The Cisco Ethernet switches have improved our network's security, ensuring it is 100% secure by not allowing any…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Licensing costs are competitive with other solutions on the market."
"Aruba is more stable than Netgear."
"Aruba is very easy to use, the GUI is very good and the command line is quite similar to Cisco, so it is very easy to configure."
"This solution is really easy to use. It is much easier to use than Cisco. It's got a nice web interface for stepping up and an added warranty."
"We can scale as needed."
"The most valuable feature is the switches are reliable and replaced for free if anything goes wrong."
"Aruba Central is very valuable to us."
"This solution is easy to use."
"It is a scalable solution."
"Multicast is an advanced feature that helps alleviate some of our work challenges."
"We can expect Cisco Ethernet Switches to last for years without issue."
"The initial setup is really easy."
"It is very scalable."
"We only use the basic features and we find that it works well."
"Cisco Ethernet Switches are scalable, much more than Jupiter."
"Cisco Ethernet Switches are stable."
 

Cons

"I would like to see something like a Cisco Prime, an application controlling the entire system, switches, and access points."
"The software materials could be improved."
"I think that the performance is getting better but they need to have more powerful switches on the market so that they can capture medium and large businesses."
"The endpoint capabilities could be improved."
"Aruba's switches are older so I'd like to see more upgrades. The newer ones may have that built-in. The product could be more user-friendly."
"Replacement could be automated."
"Aruba Switches could improve the monitoring and increase the scope of their online portal to cover cloud and on-premise deployments."
"There is a long delay in receiving Aruba Switches when ordered. There should not be a long delay in receiving the solution. Additionally, there should be a lifetime warranty to compete with other solutions."
"I don't like the fact that the product is very expensive."
"There is room for improvement in terms of cost."
"The user interface could be improved."
"It would be good for Cisco to provide certification to our engineers for our IT infrastructure. Basically to train and certify our engineers."
"If we can have fewer bugs on our switches, that would be great. We had bugs that caused the switch to reboot. There is probably a problem with the software."
"Cisco should consider adding a GUI as most vendors now offer the ability to manage switches via a graphical user interface, while Cisco switches are managed using pure CLI."
"Its management should be improved."
"The solution really should offer better pricing. It would help them stay competitive."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There are no licensing costs for the Aruba Switches."
"Aruba switches cost between $500 and $600 more than similar products by Huawei, as well as many other brands."
"Pricing for this product is reasonable."
"The pricing is perfect."
"There is a license to use the solution."
"I am paying for the hardware and Aruba Central licenses, but I would like a version of Aruba Central to come out with a light version with a few features turned off. Ubiquiti and other vendors have free tools. I believe they're looking at that, but it's not out yet. I hope they will release that to make it competitive because I'm using an enterprise-class switch for small businesses. We're looking for some of those capabilities, but not all of them."
"The cost is very cheap when you compare it to CISCO."
"The price is reasonable."
"The price is on the higher side."
"Users have to pay an annual licensing fee for Cisco Ethernet Switches, which is expensive."
"The solution is not too expensive."
"Its price is a bit higher than other brands. Indian customers are price-conscious. They should improve its price."
"Price-wise, Cisco Ethernet Switches is a product that falls a little bit on the expensive side."
"When you compare with other products, they are more or less the same price."
"The cost of the solution is by unit."
"It could be cheaper."
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Comparison Review

it_user82779 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 29, 2014
Benefits of Juniper vs Cisco
Both are decent products. I prefer Juniper for the following reasons: 1) Cleaner separation of data plane from control plane. Higher end Cisco devices are better at this but most of the lower end products still seem to be more integrated than I like. 2) The Hierarchical config design means I can…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Educational Organization
8%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Aruba Switches?
Aruba lives up to the expectations of the tech giant hewlett packard enterprise providing excellent networking capabilities at a very affordable price compared to the equivalent from another tech g...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Switches?
I find it to be middle to high. It's not always affordable, but they're losing the pricing market against Huawei, let's just put it like that.
What needs improvement with Aruba Switches?
There isn't much room for improvement. A more granular breakdown in debugging would be beneficial. Apart from that, not much is needed.
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 ...
Which would you choose - Fortinet Fortiswitch secure access or Cisco Ethernet Switches?
We researched Cisco but ultimately chose Fortinet FortiSwitch Secure Access, mostly because of the price. Fortinet FortiSwitch is an ethernet switch solution that provides security and performance...
In terms of ethernet switches, would you go with Cisco or Juniper?
Our organization ran comparison tests to determine whether Cisco or Juniper Ethernet switches were the better fit for us. We decided to go with Juniper. Juniper ethernet switches are a lesser-known...
 

Also Known As

8400 Series, 8320 Series, 5400R Series, 3810 Series, 2930M Series, 2930F Series, 2920 Series, 2540 Series, 2530 Series
Cisco Industrial Ethernet Switches
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Purdue University
Linz AG
Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Switches vs. Cisco Ethernet Switches and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
832,565 professionals have used our research since 2012.