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Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches vs Juniper QFX Series Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 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

Juniper EX Series Ethernet ...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
13th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
68
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Juniper QFX Series Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
19th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
Data Center Networking (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches is 2.7%, down from 4.1% 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

PRADIPJOSHI - PeerSpot reviewer
Virtual chassis technology enhances connectivity and simplifies management
Juniper EX series switches offer great technology, particularly their Virtual Chassis technology, which is an excellent feature for stacking switches and functions like a single virtual switch. The EX series provides a separation of control, management, and data planes, reducing the attack surface area, ensuring a lesser extent of vulnerability. The PoE budget is commendable, and they manage connectivity effectively.
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

"The most valuable feature of this solution is the Junos operating system."
"It is very valuable for SRX devices and we have found it very easy to configure."
"It is a scalable solution."
"The solution has a high level of network functionality."
"The setup phase was straightforward."
"The Virtual Chassis, because you have a centralized administration of a set of switches which makes the operation more efficient.​"
"The product is very helpful in troubleshooting."
"Juniper Ethernet Switches' most valuable feature is the Juniper-Mist cloud, which facilitates management of the switches and access points."
"EVPN-VXLAN feature offers the most benefits."
"The most valuable features are the VxLAN and the EVPN."
"It's a stable solution."
"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."
"Support is good and customer-friendly"
"The QFX series is a good choice for large data centers, particularly for Spine-Leaf architectures."
 

Cons

"They should integrate VPN functionality with the solution."
"Juniper Ethernet Switches' tech support is hard to reach and slow."
"The durability of the devices could be better."
"Jupiter Switches' configuration is a little difficult to understand."
"There are multiple areas of improvement in Juniper EX series switches. In terms of speed and pricing, while Juniper provides good quality services, some clients still find the price very high compared to other competitors. Also there is a need for certain features to be enhanced like clear our configuration process which will help to make Juniper switches more stronger. However, there are also multiple challenges including understanding and configuration of certain aspects difficult without assistance. Despite these kinds of challenges, there have been multiple solutions and huge potential of improvement in Juniper."
"The management tools are limited in their abilities, and suffer from upgrade problems."
"Juniper needs to get their code up to par because it isn't stable enough for a leaf and spine design."
"The protocols can be tunneled, but on a global basis, not on an interface, and this is a feature that should be added."
"It is very costly."
"There have been some issues sometimes. When you upgrade the device, it doesn't come up. It gets stuck."
"Integrating QFX switches was the first point of challenge."
"There is room for improvement in the pricing model. It is too high."
"I faced issues with the deployment and upgrade. In the QFX5110 series, features like ISSU and DSSQ should be improved. Upgrades should be smoother."
"The price could be cheaper."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"They offer a more competitive pricing structure compared to one of the competitors."
"The pricing is very aggressive."
"The price could be cheaper."
"We only pay for support."
"Juniper Ethernet Switches' pricing is high, but that's reflected across the market."
"The initial cost of the solution can be expensive."
"There is a subscription payment model or you can purchase licenses on a one, two, and five-year basis. If you want decent support, the solution is not expensive."
"Juniper Ethernet Switches are cheaper than Cisco or HP."
"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 cost is expensive."
"The solution is cheap, especially compared to competitors like Cisco."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Ethernet Switches solutions are best for your needs.
846,617 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Comparison Review

it_user82779 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 29, 2014
Benefits of Juniper vs Cisco
Both are decent products. I prefer Juniper for the following reasons: 1) Cleaner separation of data plane from control plane. Higher end Cisco devices are better at this but most of the lower end products still seem to be more integrated than I like. 2) The Hierarchical config design means I can…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Educational Organization
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
University
7%
Computer Software Company
22%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
7%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

In terms of ethernet switches, would you go with Cisco or Juniper?
Our organization ran comparison tests to determine whether Cisco or Juniper Ethernet switches were the better fit for us. We decided to go with Juniper. Juniper ethernet switches are a lesser-known...
What advice do you have for others considering Juniper Ethernet Switches?
Juniper EX model is ok for the campus network as the ex4300 is EOL in a few years and the new ex4400 is the standard. Now for the QFX model, 5k/10k in CRB mode IP fabric Ethernet switching is horri...
What is your primary use case for Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches?
Throughout my experience, I've deployed Juniper EX switches in various environments, from small enterprise networks to large-scale data centers. In every instance, they have consistently delivered ...
 

Also Known As

Juniper Ethernet Switches
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

BlackLotus, Staminus, Community Bank, BAS Group, Cloud Dynamics, Privalia, Fluidata, and Tesla Motors.
Linode, VPRO, West Chester University
Find out what your peers are saying about Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches vs. Juniper QFX Series Switches and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
846,617 professionals have used our research since 2012.