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Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Juniper QFX Series Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 10, 2024

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
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
7th
Ranking in Data Center Networking
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
175
Ranking in other categories
LAN Switching (1st), AV Over IP Switching (1st)
Juniper QFX Series Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
19th
Ranking in Data Center Networking
5th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Switches is 1.8%, down from 3.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Juniper QFX Series Switches is 0.2%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
 

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.
RafaelTorres - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers automation capabilities and good customer support
Juniper QFX Series Switches offer several features that contribute to improved efficiency. One key advantage is the automation capabilities. This allows us to automate network configuration and management tasks using scripting languages. In our case, at the bank, we use a script for automation to confirm the switch's scalability in the local data center. We expanded the environment to utilize the environment feature with AWS, creating connections between both data centers. This setup allowed us to extend our operations to another data center in Latin America, using AWS and Juniper together.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Customer support answers on time and resolve any issues I have."
"The solution is durable."
"The solution is beneficial for interconnecting POE telephones, computers, printers, and buffering networks."
"The most beneficial features for our network management are their stability and good customer support."
"Configuring the solution is very easy. It's quite a straightforward process, and it's not difficult at all."
"The most valuable feature is how easy it is to use."
"When it comes to Cisco Catalyst Switches, one can say that the legacy switches are stable."
"The most valuable features are the Stacking and the capacity of the switches because they have more throughput. Layer 2 is also part of its rich feature set."
"It's a stable solution."
"Support is good and customer-friendly"
"The QFX series is a good choice for large data centers, particularly for Spine-Leaf architectures."
"Juniper QFX Series Switches provide a good platform for all of our hardware and are easy to use."
"It's really easy to replicate rules. It's the one that I've used; it was CLI-based. You can implement a large set of rules with CLI. You can just copy a script and add additional changes to the source and destination on the part. And so it's easy to do large zone-based rules."
"The most valuable features are the VxLAN and the EVPN."
"EVPN-VXLAN feature offers the most benefits."
 

Cons

"The solution could improve by allowing administrators to create scripts to help automate processes to make tasks easier."
"Any improvements that they make should be in the wireless area of the product."
"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."
"Cisco is a bit complex."
"The delivery dates need to be more expedient."
"Cisco Catalyst Switches should have better performance and be easier to use. Additionally, they should add artificial intelligence features."
"To make it a ten they should simplify the licensing, add the cloud-managed feature, and it should be more cost-effective."
"Price could be lower."
"I faced issues with the deployment and upgrade. In the QFX5110 series, features like ISSU and DSSQ should be improved. Upgrades should be smoother."
"It is very costly."
"There is room for improvement in the pricing model. It is too high."
"The price could be cheaper."
"Integrating QFX switches was the first point of challenge."
"There have been some issues sometimes. When you upgrade the device, it doesn't come up. It gets stuck."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We love Cisco, but the price is very prohibitive."
"The licensing, and maintenance fees are paid on a yearly basis."
"I would rate the features-to-pricing ratio at six out of 10. My advice about licensing is that you should have a perpetual license, not one that is subscription-based."
"There is a license required for the use of this solution and we pay annually."
"These switches are expensive."
"Cisco's prices are not cheap, but the stability is worth it."
"Not one of the cheapest switches in the market. There are a lot of other cheaper switches, but in terms of availability and reliability, Cisco Catalyst Switches meet all requirements."
"Catalyst is very expensive."
"The cost is expensive."
"The price of Juniper QFX Series Switches is expensive because we are running some enterprise hardware. However, they are less expensive than Cisco or HPE hardware."
"The solution is cheap, especially compared to competitors like Cisco."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
67%
Computer Software Company
6%
Government
3%
Manufacturing Company
3%
Computer Software Company
22%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

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.
 

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
Linode, VPRO, West Chester University
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Catalyst Switches vs. Juniper QFX Series Switches and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
845,040 professionals have used our research since 2012.