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Cisco FabricPath vs Juniper QFabric comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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 FabricPath
Ranking in LAN Switching
6th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Juniper QFabric
Ranking in LAN Switching
8th
Average Rating
8.6
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the LAN Switching category, the mindshare of Cisco FabricPath is 1.6%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Juniper QFabric is 1.4%, down from 2.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
LAN Switching
 

Featured Reviews

OusaidAbaz - PeerSpot reviewer
Extendable and has beneficial spin and leaf architecture
Cisco FabricPath is very fast, stable, extendable, and scalable. It doesn't have issues with patches or problems because it's built on the stable NXOS operating system. In a scenario using FabricPath, the spin and leaf architecture is beneficial. For example, we can use two separate spine switches like 9980s and multiple leaf switches as access switches. These leaf switches are connected using VPC between them, with each switch separated and not directly connected to the spine. This setup improves data center architecture by allowing two ways to arrange destinations, connecting the first connection to the first spine and the second to the second spine. The spines are configured as a virtual chassis. In FabricPath, we can enhance VXLANs, VPNs, and integrate with Cisco ISE for user authentication. It can also be configured with WLC to manage wireless technology, depending on the client's architecture.
Suresh Pathipatti - PeerSpot reviewer
Performs well, is easy to set up, and the vendor maintains the product well
QFabric is the core switch. We also have two Brocade switches for the Fibre level The product works fine. It is an excellent product. There are different element systems and different options for each generation of the tool. We maintain the data center and analyze issues. I have no negative…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The setup is straightforward."
"It's very stable."
"The best features of Cisco FabricPath is performance and reliability."
"The most beneficial feature of Cisco FabricPath for network performance is its reliability."
"The technical support we get from Cisco is excellent. It's the best in the industry. We're more than satisfied with the level of service they provide."
"We have found the solution to be stable."
"It is stable and reliable."
"The technical assistance is good."
"QFabric supports redundancy and includes all of the enterprise and service provider features that customers would want in data center or service provider network."
"The vendor maintains the product well."
"It's user-friendly."
"The most valuable features of this solution are the fabric backplane having upwards of 160 GB of communication. It is a top-of-the-rack solution where you have your directors sitting in the main area and then you have your nodes expanded out to your multiple cabinets. It has a very good design and could be your server backbone."
"The most valuable feature of QFabric for network performance is its stability."
"Juniper QFabric has various advantages including scalability, simplicity, performance, and flexibility."
"The solution is stable."
"It is known for being agile, flexible, and cost-effective when working with various vendors."
 

Cons

"The management features are in need of improvement."
"They should consider upgrading the memory feature of the product."
"I would like one management console to control the network."
"While Cisco products are excellent, the problem is the cost. Cisco products are product, Cisco products are very expensive. I rate Cisco FabricPath three out of 10 for affordability."
"The solution should offer better reporting."
"The cloud version of Cisco Fabric Path could be improved."
"The solution is costly."
"Lacks sufficient integration with SIEM."
"The stability needs to be improved."
"The pricing structure could be more budget-friendly."
"I do not use GUI's very much for switch stacks. I am always in the CLI. However, I do know that Juniper in the past has lacked on their GUI's, but they have been working on it."
"Improvements could be made to QFabric's life cycle management, particularly in maintaining stable versions and extending product support."
"They are working on the virtualization of the actual fabric layer. They are moving away from the original spine-leaf design to a different infrastructure. Instead of having three tiers, which was the director of the interconnected nodes, they cut them back, and they still have that kind of structure."
"It works too much on rebooting and there is some memory leakage."
"Having support for all OpenFlow versions would be beneficial."
"The disruptive upgrade was an issue for us."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is very expensive."
"FabricPath is very reasonably priced."
"I rate it seven out of ten on pricing as it's a bit expensive. It would be better if the price were lower, but we prioritize quality over cost."
"The price of Cisco FabricPath could be reduced, it is expensive in the market here in Sri Lanka. The solution is subscriptions based, if the customer wants any future integrations, or if there are any future enhancements they will have to pay. There are different license options available, such as one or three years purchases."
"The pricing for this product is good."
"The solution falls under the pricier category, but it provides value for the price charged."
"I rate the product's pricing a ten out of ten. Cisco switches cost around 15,000 dollars, and DNS licenses cost around 25,000 dollars. The total amount is 45,000 dollars, which is too expensive."
"The pricing of Cisco FabricPath can be quite high depending on the architecture, but it's justified by the stability it offers."
"The price is relatively high, but it offers an advantage over its competitors by providing better performance and functionality."
"Juniper QFabric is a high-level solution but it could be less expensive."
"The price for Juniper QFabric could improve. There are subscription, maintenance, and add-on feature fees."
"In terms of price, the QFabric solution is going to be probably in the middle of the road for a fabric solution."
"The pricing is high and it is possible to find better pricing option solutions on the market, but the licensing model is quite flexible."
"The pricing is high."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
31%
Government
18%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Financial Services Firm
18%
Computer Software Company
16%
University
13%
Manufacturing Company
11%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco FabricPath?
The tool makes it easy to manage multi-layer networking and increases network efficiency. I haven't faced any challenges in integrating it into our existing infrastructure.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco FabricPath?
The pricing of Cisco FabricPath can be quite high depending on the architecture, but it's justified by the stability it offers.
What needs improvement with Cisco FabricPath?
Cisco FabricPath can be integrated into data centers and remote sites. For example, in a bank, we can extend the architecture to remote branches by implementing switches connected to the first and ...
What do you like most about Juniper QFabric?
The most valuable feature of QFabric for network performance is its stability.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Juniper QFabric?
Juniper QFabric is not overly expensive. Licensing is required for certain features like vRRP, but setting up a virtual chassis does not necessitate a separate license.
What needs improvement with Juniper QFabric?
Improvements could be made to QFabric's lifecycle management, particularly in maintaining stable versions and extending product support. The rapid release cycle and short life span compared to comp...
 

Also Known As

FabricPath
QFabric
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Bellevue, Calligaris, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Management Science Associates, Multi-Customer, Oediv, Roper St. Francis, SNAM
MCB Bank
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco FabricPath vs. Juniper QFabric and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
831,683 professionals have used our research since 2012.