Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Cisco Nexus 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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
6.6
Cisco Catalyst Switches offer long-term ROI through operational efficiency and robustness, despite differing opinions on their cost-effectiveness.
Sentiment score
7.5
Cisco Nexus offers high ROI with stability, efficiency, and reliability, justifying higher costs with long-term productivity gains.
Speeding up our response times and reducing errors and incidents with automation and available APIs.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.9
Cisco Catalyst Switches support receives mixed reviews with varying experiences, but documentation and resources are generally appreciated.
Sentiment score
7.2
Cisco Nexus technical support is efficient and knowledgeable, with mixed experiences but generally positive feedback on reliability and global reach.
Cisco's support is good, one of the best supports that you will get.
I am paying for Cisco support and would rate it nine out of ten.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
Cisco Catalyst Switches offer scalability and flexibility but require careful planning and may incur higher costs for additional features.
Sentiment score
7.8
Cisco Nexus is highly scalable and adaptable, offering seamless expansion and integration despite cost concerns.
Cisco Catalyst Switches are scalable, and I would rate them eight to nine out of ten for scalability.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.3
Cisco Catalyst Switches are praised for their reliability and durability, with minimal issues and high user satisfaction.
Sentiment score
8.0
Cisco Nexus is highly reliable and stable, with minor bugs occasionally reported, maintaining a strong reputation for uptime.
Cisco Catalyst Switches are stable.
Initially, the stability of Cisco Nexus, particularly with the ACI, was problematic due to unstable codes, requiring replacements.
 

Room For Improvement

Cisco Catalyst Switches need improvements in affordability, compatibility, configuration simplicity, security, cloud integration, stability, support, and advanced technology integration.
Cisco Nexus needs enhancements in UI, integration, virtualization, automation, multi-tenancy, pricing, OS intuitiveness, stability, scalability, and AI integration.
Cisco Catalyst Switches could be a little bit cheaper as they are very costly.
The configuration options on the Cisco Commerce website could be more efficient.
There could be improvements in the repeat configuration with some file integration that is currently missing.
When I talk about data centers, which are critical infrastructure and centralized application hubs, the Nexus platforms should be highly stable.
 

Setup Cost

Enterprise buyers find Cisco Catalyst Switches costly but reliable, with complex licensing; improvements for competitive pricing are suggested.
Cisco Nexus is costly with complex licensing but valued for its premium features and long-term enterprise benefits.
Cisco provides unique features that justify their pricing.
Cisco Catalyst Switches are quite pricey.
The price of Cisco Nexus is on the higher side due to the premium services Cisco offers.
 

Valuable Features

Cisco Catalyst Switches provide reliable performance, robust features, and customization, highly valued for stability, scalability, and security.
Cisco Nexus provides high performance and flexibility with features enhancing network efficiency, making it ideal for large-scale networks.
Cisco Catalyst Switches are valuable for their reliability and performance.
Catalyst Switches are efficient and swift, which is valuable for my organization.
The most beneficial features for our network management are their stability and good customer support.
The VPC feature of Cisco Nexus is great because it provides an active-active way of forwarding the traffic and avoids blocking any of the links.
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Catalyst Switches
Ranking in LAN Switching
1st
Ranking in Data Center Networking
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
175
Ranking in other categories
Ethernet Switches (7th), AV Over IP Switching (1st)
Cisco Nexus
Ranking in LAN Switching
3rd
Ranking in Data Center Networking
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
105
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the LAN Switching category, the mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Switches is 29.9%, down from 32.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Nexus is 8.5%, down from 11.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
LAN Switching
 

Featured Reviews

Joshua Odunsi - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Joe Benítez - PeerSpot reviewer
Offer high performance capabilities and enables efficient data transmission and processing
Before Nexus, I used to have Catalyst 6500 switches. Those 6500 series chassis gave us a lot of problems. Too many problems, actually. And we had a Cisco ASA firewall blade within those chassis. And they were running outdated software. So, in fact, it was the firewall blade that caused us too many problems instead of the chassis. The chassis itself was working well and performing fine, but the firewall card was not suitable for our needs. That was one aspect. Additionally, those chassis had been in operation for more than five years. As we are a local government, we have a policy to renew hardware every five years. That's because we need to maintain all the hardware and software in the latest versions and keep up with the technology lifecycle of the technology we use.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which LAN Switching solutions are best for your needs.
842,672 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
67%
Computer Software Company
6%
Government
3%
Manufacturing Company
3%
Computer Software Company
24%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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.
What do you like most about Cisco Nexus?
The product's initial setup phase is very easy.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Nexus?
The price of Cisco Nexus is on the higher side due to the premium services Cisco offers. Despite the cost, it offers valuable features and services.
What needs improvement with Cisco Nexus?
When I talk about data centers, which are critical infrastructure and centralized application hubs, the Nexus platforms should be highly stable. Initially, the codes I received through ACI were qui...
 

Also Known As

Cisco Catalyst, Catalyst
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

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
Advanced Medical Transport, Banco de Guayaquil, Baylor Scott & White Health, BH Telecom, Bowling Green State University, Calligaris, Children's Hospital Colorado, City of Biel, Del Papa Distributing, Department of Justice, Dimension Data, Dualtec Cloud Builders, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Grupo Industrial Saltillo (GIS), Hertz, K&L Gates , LightEdge, Lone Star College System, Management Science Associates, Mindtree, NBC Olympics, Quest, Sony Corporation, The Department of Education in Western Australia, Valley Proteins
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Catalyst Switches vs. Cisco Nexus and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
842,672 professionals have used our research since 2012.