Cisco Enterprise Routers vs HPE Enterprise Routers comparison

Cisco and Hewlett Packard Enterprise are both solutions in the Routers category. Cisco is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.3, while Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #6. Cisco holds a 15.8% mindshare in R, compared to Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s 5.3% mindshare. Additionally, 97% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 85% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users who would recommend it.

Cisco Enterprise Routers

Read 111 Cisco Enterprise Routers reviews

2,671 Views
2,591 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

HPE Enterprise Routers

Read 7 HPE Enterprise Routers reviews

592 Views
586 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

Cisco Enterprise Routers

HPE Enterprise Routers

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 29, 2025

Cisco and HPE Enterprise Routers compete in the enterprise routing category, with Cisco leading in features and reliability, while HPE excels in pricing and manageability.

Features: Cisco Enterprise Routers offer high-performance WAN services, cloud connectivity, and robust security features like IPsec and VPN. HPE Enterprise Routers focus on manageability, affordability, and are ideal for smaller enterprises with simpler configuration needs.

Room for Improvement: Cisco routers are critiqued for high costs and complex WAN integration with a command-line interface that requires expertise. HPE routers, while generally cost-effective, can still be expensive compared to competitors, offering room for a better pricing strategy.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco's routers are mainly used on-premises with some hybrid options, praised for technical support albeit with some responsiveness issues. HPE provides consistent customer service and support with fewer noted issues.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco's pricing is seen as expensive with complicated licensing, yet users acknowledge the long-term ROI from reliability. HPE offers straightforward, cost-effective pricing and licensing models with better upfront value for features included.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Enterprise Routers vs. HPE Enterprise Routers Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Enterprise Routers vs. HPE Enterprise Routers

February 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 Enterprise Routers

Ranking in Routers

2nd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.0

Number of Reviews

111

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

HPE Enterprise Routers

Ranking in Routers

6th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Routers category, the mindshare of Cisco Enterprise Routers is 15.8%, down from 22.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HPE Enterprise Routers is 5.3%, down from 5.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Routers Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Cisco Enterprise Routers	15.8%
HPE Enterprise Routers	5.3%
Other	78.9%

Routers

Featured Reviews

reviewer2759889

Pre-Sales Technical Specialist at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Has supported robust enterprise deployments and management while pricing and market reach for advanced features need attention

I'm not sure what improvements could be made on the configuration scale since I'm not involved in complete configuration. Currently, it works effectively and they are incorporating AI adoption. Commercially and financially, the pricing is too high. Customers feel that Cisco Enterprise Routers will not offer the most competitive prices. If they can work on pricing, it would be easier for customers who are considering local products. In India, the government has implemented the Make in India initiative, and Cisco has established a manufacturing unit there. Regarding security products, they need to improve market reach, marketing, and training. While Cisco Enterprise Routers are user-friendly for network and wireless platforms, security product configuration and integration are considered complex compared to FortiGate, Check Point, Sophos, and Palo Alto. They have introduced solutions such as Cloud Defense Orchestrator and Firewall Manager (FMC), but the reach of Cisco security products in India needs improvement.

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Chi-Zhang

Founder and President at Summit GAM

Has excellent scalability and is cost-effective compared to its competitors

The solution is reasonably priced and easy to configure. By collaborating with Aruba, they have integrated more products to streamline the porting process. Our project team comprises two or three network engineers for regular maintenance and troubleshooting. The workload is not heavy. I rate the solution as an eight and recommend it to network engineers and solution providers.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution has great performance."

"We achieve good performance in our data center."

"The most valuable features are that it is more secure and easy to operate."

"The most valuable feature of Cisco Enterprise Routers is that they are robust and resilient."

"The quality is good. Cisco Enterprise Routers are stable and more reliable."

"Provides good capabilities and performance."

"Its routers are versatile, reliable, and capable."

"Its performance and stability are most valuable. We are using it for the last five years, and it is constantly up. It didn't create any problems for us."

More Cisco Enterprise Routers pros

"It is more durable than other products in the market."

"It makes it easy to update the network technology and manage multiple deals, all without needing technical knowledge."

"Extensive support for cellular range for Wi-Fi technologies"

"These routers help us to provide high availability to our clusters."

"The solution's initial setup is straightforward."

"It has good scalability."

"HPE routers are easier to manage than any other router I've used."

Cons

"Cisco has acquired other companies, and due to this, there are many API-based integrations. There should be one platform that will enable a smooth integration. For example, Cisco acquired ThousandEyes, AppDynamics and Viptela. These are ideal solutions for big companies in terms of WAN connectivity. Cisco needs to ensure that there is a smooth integration mechanism in order to ease this process or point of integration."

"An area of improvement would be the way the licenses are managed because, at the moment, you pay for a license for each router as opposed to paying a once-off cost."

"The security could improve for Cisco Enterprise Routers. I understand there's a security appliance that is separate, but in terms of the router, there can be improvements made to prevent unwanted users from accessing the router or trying to manipulate the traffic that is passing through it."

"We would like to see the security improved."

"It would be better if Cisco Enterprise Routers were more secure."

"Cisco Enterprise Router's price could improve, they are expensive."

"The price could be better"

"It would be good if Cisco Enterprise Routers could improve their integration with other vendors. For example the AGLP protocol is supported by Cisco and not by any other vendors."

More Cisco Enterprise Routers cons

"Compatibility with other platforms could be improved."

"They should work on lowering their prices in Brazil to stay competitive with rivals and offer customers more affordable options."

"Better management tools are needed."

"I'd like to see more security features, like support for different types of encryptions."

"Its customer service could be better for older equipment models."

"The solution is expensive."

"Technical support could be better."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Cisco is way too expensive for small and medium businesses. They must lower their prices in the lower range equipment."

"The licensing fee is okay and matches industry standards, which is the benchmark."

"The solution is expensive."

"The pricing of Cisco routers is reasonable at times. But, here in my country, it is expensive because we get the product from outside our country, which involves a lot of processes...Only owing to the features it provides, it is reasonable."

"If it could be cheaper that would be good, but I would rate it as a four out of five for price, with one being very expensive and five being very affordable."

"There is a router-only, perpetual license available for this product, but additional features will mean additional charges."

"The price should be reduced."

"The license of Cisco Enterprise Routers is too expensive compared to other solutions. As we try to increase the bandwidth, it gets even more expensive. There is an annual license needed to use the solution."

More Cisco Enterprise Routers pricing and cost advice

"It is more reasonably priced than other vendors."

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881,455 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Marketing Services Firm

13%

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Performing Arts

Computer Software Company

25%

Manufacturing Company

Energy/Utilities Company

Marketing Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	46
Midsize Enterprise	24
Large Enterprise	44

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	1

Questions from the Community

How do Cisco Enterprise routers compare with Mikrotik routers and switches?

Cisco Enterprise Routers are very stable and easy to use. They offer a very solid performance and are very secure. They also have a very good, long lifespan. We feel the command configuration is ve...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Enterprise Routers?

It is expensive, but I am not the person purchasing the products; I just handle the configuration.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco Enterprise Routers?

The software cannot be updated usually. The price is very high here in Egypt. Cisco devices are the most expensive. The AI technology must be included in the future to make it even better. They nee...

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Comparisons

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Compared 39% of the time

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Compared 10% of the time

OneAccess Enterprise Routers vs Cisco Enterprise Routers

Compared 9% of the time

MikroTik Cloud Router Switch vs Cisco Enterprise Routers

Compared 5% of the time

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Compared 16% of the time

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Compared 14% of the time

ADTRAN NetVanta Routers and Switches vs HPE Enterprise Routers

Compared 12% of the time

Juniper MX Series Routers vs HPE Enterprise Routers

Compared 12% of the time

ExtremeRouting vs HPE Enterprise Routers

Compared 10% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Enterprise Routers

January 2026

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Buyer's Guide

Routers

January 2026

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Also Known As

No data available

HP Enterprise Routers

Overview

The high-performance Cisco Enterprise Routers are the market leader due to their breadth of advanced support for LAN/WAN services, redundancy, reliability, and performance.

Cisco

HP Enterprise Routers navigates more devices and simplify complex networks with intelligent management of open standards routing. HP Enterprise Routers offer products: Fixed Port Routers- It connects workplace with internet access, Modular Routers- a fully-modular and Virtual & Wireless Routers-It quickly connects business with wireless routing. HP Enterprise Routers also provide features routers: HPE FlexNetwork MSR2000 Router Series & HPE FlexNetwork VSR1000 Virtual Services Router Series.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Sample Customers

Aegean Motorway, Boingo, Chartwell School, Children's Hospital of Orange County , Department of Justice, Explorer Pipeline, Linz AG, National Rugby League, New South Wales Rural Fire Service, Telecom Italia, Transwestern

Transdanubian Regional Waterworks Corporation (DRV)

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Enterprise Routers vs. HPE Enterprise Routers

February 2026

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