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 8.1, while Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #6. Cisco holds a 17.2% mindshare in R, compared to Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s 5.0% 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 110 Cisco Enterprise Routers reviews

2,475 Views
2,376 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

HPE Enterprise Routers

Read 7 HPE Enterprise Routers reviews

548 Views
548 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

Cisco Enterprise Routers

HPE Enterprise Routers

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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: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Enterprise Routers vs. HPE Enterprise Routers

December 2025

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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

110

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 December 2025, in the Routers category, the mindshare of Cisco Enterprise Routers is 17.2%, down from 23.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HPE Enterprise Routers is 5.0%, down from 5.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Routers Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Cisco Enterprise Routers	17.2%
HPE Enterprise Routers	5.0%
Other	77.8%

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.

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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

"The solution is easy to use, stable and scalable."

"One of the most valuable features of this solution is performance."

"The solution has great performance."

"The routing feature is the solution's most valuable aspect."

"The feature that I have found most valuable is its ability to implement layer three protocols and layer two protocols like OSPS in BSS and BSC environments, with the Nexus Cisco 7000."

"The most valuable features of this solution are MPLS, BGP, and VRF."

"Stable and scalable routers."

"It's highly stable. We rarely see any bugs or abnormalities in our Cisco routers, especially for the ISR series."

More Cisco Enterprise Routers pros

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

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

"The solution's initial setup is straightforward."

"It has good scalability."

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

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

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

Cons

"Cisco is not granular if we compare it to Juniper."

"Cisco has a lot of problems with the graphical interfaces used for management."

"The configuration needs improvement. Most routers, like HP or Aruba, use a UI interface. Those solutions are similar and uniform. It's easier for us compared to Cisco because with Cisco you are not using normal commands. They need to enhance the UI to make it more usable."

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

"The only complaint from customers about Cisco is price-wise; they tend to be on the higher side compared to some competition, making it hard to compete in today's market."

"Their software-defined paradigm requires significant improvement."

"Recently, there seems to be a lot of people who are leaning towards Juniper CLI, which is easier to pick up."

"While scalability is available, it must be paid for."

More Cisco Enterprise Routers cons

"Better management tools are needed."

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

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

"The solution is expensive."

"Compatibility with other platforms could be improved."

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

"Technical support could be better."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Cisco routers are an expensive product."

"We are on a three-year license and since we use the solution in an educational institute it is priced reasonably."

"Cisco Switches are an expensive product in India. Linksys products are cheaper than Cisco Switches."

"The solution is expensive."

"Cisco routers are very pricey."

"It's not probably the best solution if you have a very limited budget, as it can become very expensive to have robust equipment."

"Cisco Enterprise Routers are expensive."

"It's not a fair price, it's a bit too high."

More Cisco Enterprise Routers pricing and cost advice

"It is more reasonably priced than other vendors."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Performing Arts

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

30%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Energy/Utilities Company

Real Estate/Law Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	46
Midsize Enterprise	24
Large Enterprise	43

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...

See all answers

What do you like most about Cisco Enterprise Routers?

The most valuable feature of the solution is that it makes it possible for users to use encryption and decryption since our company aims to achieve transparency, and without it, the other system on...

See all answers

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

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Comparisons

MikroTik Routers and Switches vs Cisco Enterprise Routers

Compared 44% of the time

Huawei Enterprise Routers vs Cisco Enterprise Routers

Compared 19% of the time

Juniper MX Series Routers vs Cisco Enterprise Routers

Compared 10% of the time

OneAccess Enterprise Routers vs Cisco Enterprise Routers

Compared 8% of the time

MikroTik Cloud Router Switch vs Cisco Enterprise Routers

Compared 4% of the time

More Cisco Enterprise Routers Competitors

Cisco Cloud Services Router vs HPE Enterprise Routers

Compared 18% of the time

MikroTik Routers and Switches vs HPE Enterprise Routers

Compared 12% of the time

Juniper MX Series Routers vs HPE Enterprise Routers

Compared 11% of the time

ExtremeRouting vs HPE Enterprise Routers

Compared 9% of the time

ADTRAN NetVanta Routers and Switches vs HPE Enterprise Routers

Compared 8% of the time

More HPE Enterprise Routers Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Enterprise Routers

December 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Routers

November 2025

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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

December 2025

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