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Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches vs Cisco Catalyst Switches comparison

Why PeerSpot?
 

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

Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch E...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
23rd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
12
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco Catalyst Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
3rd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
191
Ranking in other categories
LAN Switching (1st), Data Center Networking (1st), AV Over IP Switching (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches is 1.4%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Switches is 4.5%, up from 2.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Catalyst Switches4.5%
Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches1.4%
Other94.1%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

MK
Operational Manager at Astrah Technologies
Has enabled reliable access control with good scalability
The primary use case is access control and normal LAN usage, including internet and email. For example, I have deployed the solution in airport scenarios where there are many users The most valuable feature for me is the stability of the switches. They do not hang often and are very reliable,…
MS
Electrical control system engineer at Dangote petroleum refinery and petrol chemicals
Reliable switching has delivered long‑term uptime, strong PoE support, and predictable performance
Cisco Systems Catalyst Switches are highly regarded for their performance, reliability, and enterprise-grade capabilities. My main reservation, however, is the pricing. The cost of Cisco Catalyst Switches—and Cisco products in general—is relatively high, especially in many African markets where organizations often need to balance budget constraints with required functionality. There are alternative vendors that offer comparable features at a lower price point. While they may not always match Cisco’s ecosystem, stability, or full feature depth, many businesses still choose them because of the significant cost savings. Another consideration is licensing, which can add to the overall total cost of ownership depending on the deployment model and required features. Overall, Cisco Catalyst Switches remain premium enterprise solutions, but when compared with other OEMs, their higher acquisition and licensing costs can be a major deciding factor for cost-conscious organizations.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The fibre ports that are 10 Gb capacity helped with the travel of a lot of regular as well as video data. Fibre can handle a lot more virtual data than copper twisted-pair, so we got a lot more data and a lot more traffic signals back through the fibre ports, faster, than with copper."
"Enables direct access to clusters."
"We are able to customize this solution based on the customer's requirements."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the wireless access points that enable direct access to clusters, and this is also a very stable and scalable solution."
"The solution doesn't have many proprietary protocols like Cisco's. It mainly uses standard protocols like VRRP (similar to Cisco's HSRP), Spanning Tree, and Rapid Spanning Tree, which can sometimes cause integration issues."
"It's easy to extend the stack, We don't use the smaller switches, but it's going well for the rest."
"OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches' best features are it's easy to deploy, manage, and maintain, with services coming through one vendor."
"Overall, everything worked as they said it would."
"If you are looking for something long-term, something to invest in a network infrastructure that is going to stand the test of time, and you want something that is very durable, very predictable, stable, and scalable, then you should go with Cisco Catalyst Switches."
"Cisco Catalyst Switches are reliable."
"Our clients are able to get analytics on how often people are in rooms or using a certain area of a building, and by doing this, in the future, they can often opt for a slightly smaller space and use multi-purpose rooms instead, achieving higher efficiency and lower overhead for rent and other things."
"We decreased budgets on the support corporate network and increased user satisfaction."
"I highly appreciate the durability and the availability"
"Catalyst Switches perform very well, and the network is stable."
"We are satisfied with the solution; it demonstrates good performance."
"It has become easier for us to troubleshoot and find issues faster in the management software for the switches, and it saves us troubleshooting time because if the network is down it has a big impact on production."
 

Cons

"The solution could be more user friendly and there are issues with technical support where the response time is sometimes very slow."
"In future versions, I would like to see improvements in networking speed."
"OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches would be improved if cloud-based technology was provided in the Gulf region."
"I find the CLI hard to use. I wish we could do more in the GUI interface."
"There needs to be better integration with the interface."
"The product would be better if it were completely compatible with other switching products."
"The price should be lowered so that we can capture more of the market for Ethernet switches."
"My customer's team is not able to understand the loophole with Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches, but apart from that, there are no issues."
"The pricing is on the high end. Recently, at the beginning of this year, we actually did a comparison of Cisco and HP products."
"The cost of the solution is quite high. There are other cheaper options."
"Their price should be cheaper. We lose a lot of work because of the price that they have."
"In the next release, they should lower the price. It's too expensive."
"The support team’s response and resolution time must be faster."
"I can't use older Cisco devices with newer versions of the controller or switches. For example, if a switch was manufactured in 2014, I can't use it with a controller made in 2019. I have to change the switch so that I can upgrade my network or my devices. I don't have the option to update the version I have on the image of the AP or the controller."
"The switches could be improved."
"We need to rely on other devices to provide management features."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing for OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches is a one-time purchase with no additional costs."
"Pricing is cheap compared to other vendors. When we benchmark the tool against Meraki, Cisco, and others, it is usually more affordable."
"The pricing is reasonable compared to Aruba and HPE."
"It is an expensive solution."
"It is very pricey. You have to pay for support."
"The pricing is on the high end."
"Pricing from Cisco is expensive but we pay for the reliability."
"Pricing of Cisco equipment is high, but I think these switches are worth the price."
"The price of this solution could be reduced, it is expensive and I am using an annual license."
"The licenses are definitely expensive. There is a need to make annual payments towards the subscription or licensing costs attached to the solution."
"We love Cisco, but the price is very prohibitive."
"The general price of the solution could be cheaper."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Outsourcing Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Construction Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Outsourcing Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Construction Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise3
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business84
Midsize Enterprise30
Large Enterprise87
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches?
In terms of pricing, Alcatel is cheaper than Cisco, however, MikroTik is the cheapest. I cannot comment on the pricing reasonability as I am a technical person, and decisions are made by those who ...
What needs improvement with Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches?
The commands for the switches could be easier as I find them more complex compared to those of Cisco.
What is your primary use case for Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches?
The primary use case is access control and normal LAN usage, including internet and email. For example, I have deployed the solution in airport scenarios where there are many users.
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 is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Catalyst Switches?
The price is very high. Compared to others, I find the price a bit high when compared to Juniper and Allied Telesis.
What needs improvement with Cisco Catalyst Switches?
I cannot identify specific disadvantages with the product. However, the areas that have potential to be better are the timeline for the system and switch delivery. The delivery timelines for the pr...
 

Also Known As

Alcatel-Lucent Ethernet Switches, OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches
Cisco Catalyst, Catalyst
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Bayonette, California State University (CSU), Centre Hospitalier Carcassonne, Centro Universitšrio de Brasilia (UniCEUB), China Tianchen Engineering Corporation Co. LTD, Citta Della Speranza, City of Frankfurt, City of Ogden, City of Vila Franca de Xira
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
Find out what your peers are saying about Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch Ethernet Switches vs. Cisco Catalyst Switches and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
913,683 professionals have used our research since 2012.