Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] comparison

Cisco and Dell Technologies are both solutions in the LAN Switching category. Additionally, 95% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Dell Technologies users who would recommend it.

Cisco Catalyst Switches

Read 186 Cisco Catalyst Switches reviews

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4,397 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Dell PowerConnect Switches ...

Read 34 Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] reviews

90% willing to recommend

Cisco Catalyst Switches

Dell PowerConnect Switches ...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 2, 2025

Cisco Catalyst Switches and Dell PowerConnect Switches are competitors in the network equipment market. Cisco has an edge due to its robust feature set, superior reliability, and advanced security, whereas Dell stands out for affordability and ease of configuration.

Features: Cisco Catalyst Switches offer advanced security features such as Port Security, VLAN support, and Power over Ethernet (PoE), ensuring high reliability for enterprise environments. Their stacking capabilities allow for enhanced stability and uptime. In contrast, Dell PowerConnect Switches are appreciated for their value, offering essential features like PoE and VLAN at a more accessible price point. They are straightforward to configure and integrate well into existing infrastructures.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Catalyst Switches are often criticized for their high cost and complex licensing structure, leading calls for better pricing models and simpler configurations. Users also desire faster technology updates and improved third-party solution integration. Dell PowerConnect Switches face challenges in scalability and stability over longer periods, and they lack advanced features required for high-demand environments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Deploying Cisco Catalyst Switches usually demands technical expertise and they are primarily used in on-premises setups with limited cloud options. While customer service is well-regarded, it can be slow and costly. Dell PowerConnect Switches are generally easier to deploy due to simpler configurations, being used commonly in on-premises and hybrid cloud environments. Dell's customer service is reliable, albeit occasionally slow in response.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Catalyst Switches are considered expensive, justified by some users due to the product’s quality and stability. Licensing and subscription fees add to the costs, positioning Cisco as a premium option. Meanwhile, Dell PowerConnect Switches are noted for their economic pricing, offering a cost-effective solution for smaller setups with quicker returns on investment, though they offer fewer features and limited scalability compared to Cisco.

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LAN Switching

May 2026

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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

Cisco Catalyst Switches

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.4

Number of Reviews

186

Ranking in other categories

LAN Switching (1st), Ethernet Switches (3rd), Data Center Networking (1st), AV Over IP Switching (1st)

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

Mutari Sallau

Electrical control system engineer at Dangote petroleum refinery and petrol chemicals

Reliable switching has delivered long‑term uptime, strong PoE support, and predictable performance

Cisco Systems Catalyst Switches are highly regarded for their performance, reliability, and enterprise-grade capabilities. My main reservation, however, is the pricing. The cost of Cisco Catalyst Switches—and Cisco products in general—is relatively high, especially in many African markets where organizations often need to balance budget constraints with required functionality. There are alternative vendors that offer comparable features at a lower price point. While they may not always match Cisco’s ecosystem, stability, or full feature depth, many businesses still choose them because of the significant cost savings. Another consideration is licensing, which can add to the overall total cost of ownership depending on the deployment model and required features. Overall, Cisco Catalyst Switches remain premium enterprise solutions, but when compared with other OEMs, their higher acquisition and licensing costs can be a major deciding factor for cost-conscious organizations.

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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.

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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

"Stability. We have many Catalyst switches now, and they work without any downtime."

"We use the VLANs to separate library, office, and individual apartments. With some of the reporting that receive, we're able to take and track down where people like to put in their own wireless routers. Sometimes they will take a DSL modem from AT&T that they brought from home, hook it in backward, and it will give rogue addresses causing issues."

"I have found that the protocols that Cisco Catalyst Switches support are beneficial for my customers."

"The most valuable features of Cisco Catalyst Switches are that they are very common."

"I like Cisco Catalyst Switches because most of the time, we can do what we want with the product."

"Cisco Catalyst Switches are easy to use, simple to configure, and straightforward to upgrade. Additionally, CDN has been very helpful for separation."

"It uses many protocols to ease operations, such as CDP and the interoperability of other Cisco products."

"Cisco Catalyst Switches have very good performance and are reliable."

More Cisco Catalyst Switches pros

"It's much less expensive than Cisco, and yet it has the same functionalities."

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

"This solution comes with a lifetime warranty."

"This is a stable product and I have not experienced any bugs."

"For me, excellent, never had any issue."

"The functionality is very good."

"The security is the most valuable aspect of this solution. It also has good storage and resource handling."

"The features I've found most valuable are that the product is very easy to configure and inexpensive."

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] pros

Cons

"Their price should be cheaper. We lose a lot of work because of the price that they have."

"I would evaluate the tech support as "fair". They have multi-tiered support and especially the level-one and two don't know what they are doing."

"These switches should have better compatibility with software-defined technology."

"It would be good if they added some machine learning which would allow us to abandon the rigid rules for processing traffic priorities and, at the same time, save money, because equipment with similar logic (like DPI) is much more expensive."

"The pricing could be better. Cisco is quite expensive."

"The technical response could be faster in the future."

"It is not easy for everyone to configure the product's initial setup part, making it an area where improvements are required."

"The solution is expensive."

More Cisco Catalyst Switches cons

"I think accessibility and management could be improved."

"Scalability, especially with the power connect series is something that you have to take into account before starting the project because any changes to an ongoing project can be difficult."

"I expect Dell PowerConnect switches to be a zero-touch or a plug-and-play device, but it is not so easy to implement and it is still not a plug-and-play or zero-touch device."

"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."

"What's lacking in Dell PowerConnect Switches is SD-WAN integration, and this is what needs to be improved in it. All enterprises now move towards SD-WAN infrastructure, and because Dell PowerConnect Switches don't currently support SD-WAN, the product would be replaced, considered a secondary switch, or linked up to a different switch. Integration or support for SD-WAN is what I'd like to see in the next version of Dell PowerConnect Switches."

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

"The pricing could always be a bit lower."

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

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing of Cisco Catalyst Switches could be better in general. There is an annual license required."

"The cost of a license before COVID and before the lockdown was approximately three lakh 70,000 in Indian Rupees. After this COVID situation, the cost has gone down to two lakh 46,000 rupees."

"We are a large company and the price is reasonable because we have received a discount. However, the full price is expensive."

"I cannot say that the pricing is reasonable because it's a little above our expectations. If we consider the recent price increases, it is not acceptable anymore."

"The general price of the solution could be cheaper."

"The price must be reduced."

"Cisco's prices are not cheap, but the stability is worth it."

"It is expensive."

More Cisco Catalyst Switches pricing and cost advice

"The product has a low price for the features it provides."

"If you want to purchase a new Dell PowerConnect Switch, you will pay up to $1,600, but I bought them used. I bought the four Dell PowerConnect Switches that I used for $1,000."

"In my opinion, it is a product that is priced somewhere in the middle, making it a well-priced solution in the middle. It is not a very cheap product."

"Inexpensive"

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

"Its price is okay. Sometimes, it is lower than a Cisco solution."

"The price of these switches is okay."

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

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Computer Software Company

Healthcare Company

Construction Company

17%

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	83
Midsize Enterprise	29
Large Enterprise	83

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

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 ...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Catalyst Switches?

For deployment costs, we handled the network infrastructure setup internally, so there was little to no external implementation cost. One major advantage of Cisco Systems products is the strong ava...

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What needs improvement with Cisco Catalyst Switches?

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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...

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What is your primary use case for Dell PowerConnect Switches?

Dell PowerConnect Switches are primarily used at the distribution layer, but as the product evolved, higher models became available. These newer models can function closer to the core network or th...

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Compared 14% of the time

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Compared 10% of the time

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Compared 8% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Catalyst Switches

May 2026

Download Cisco Catalyst Switches product report

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

May 2026

Download Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] product report

Also Known As

Cisco Catalyst, Catalyst

PowerConnect Switches

Overview

Cisco Catalyst Switches are renowned for their Power over Ethernet capabilities, performance stability, and dependable security. They support features like DHCP, stacking, and dynamic routing, offering ease of management, scalability, and reliability across different sectors.

Cisco Catalyst Switches are valued for their robust architecture and global reputation, supported by numerous trained professionals. They ensure consistent performance and adaptability across industries such as finance, education, and hospitality. With features like CLI and software integration, these switches offer ease of management, scalability, and strong technical support. Users appreciate modularity, speed, and network segmentation versatility. There is room for improvement in cost reduction, licensing simplification, usability, third-party integration, and security enhancements. Calls for improved configuration, product compatibility, faster support, and advanced training are noted.

What are the key features of Cisco Catalyst Switches?

PoE Capability: Ensures efficient power delivery with network connectivity.
Stable Performance: Maintains network reliability under various conditions.
Dependable Security: Offers robust security features to safeguard networks.
Ease of Management: Provides management simplicity through CLI and software integration.
Modularity: Allows scalable and flexible network configurations.

Why should users consider Cisco Catalyst in their reviews?

Scalability: Enables network growth with seamless integration.
Reliability: Consistent and dependable network performance.
Technical Support: Access to strong, professional technical support services.
Versatility in Network Segmentation: Efficiently organizes and manages network traffic.

Organizations utilize Cisco Catalyst Switches for diverse applications, including data centers, campuses, and WAN connectivity. Supporting enterprise networking, VLAN configurations, and user access, they integrate smoothly with existing infrastructure. These switches enhance connectivity for access layers, core components, and edge networking, catering to industries like finance, education, and hospitality for reliable and scalable performance.

Cisco

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

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

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

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