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Arista Campus LAN Switches vs Cisco Catalyst Switches comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 6, 2025

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

Arista Campus LAN Switches
Ranking in LAN Switching
11th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco Catalyst Switches
Ranking in LAN Switching
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
177
Ranking in other categories
Ethernet Switches (7th), Data Center Networking (1st), AV Over IP Switching (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the LAN Switching category, the mindshare of Arista Campus LAN Switches is 2.9%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Switches is 27.7%, down from 31.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
LAN Switching
 

Featured Reviews

Moshiur-Rahman Khan - PeerSpot reviewer
A switching solution that provides seamless connectivity but has a high renewal cost
We have numerous implementations of Arista switches. Cisco has a significant issue. It cannot maintain its service commitment regarding daily LAN returns, leading to client dissatisfaction. There are substantial delivery delays. Furthermore, Cisco currently charges double for the same product, which impacts cost-effectiveness. We found an issue with Arista Campus LAN Switches regarding license renewals. We have to renew the license every three years, which can be a challenge for customers. Arista, like other vendors, now follows a license-based system. In the past, we could purchase a Cisco system that would run without needing continuous license renewals. However, the current model requires regular license renewals, typically every three years, similar to Arista's approach. The renewal cost for Arista licenses is quite high. For instance, Cisco's renewal cost is about 22% of the total system cost, and Aroware also has a 22% renewal cost. In contrast, Arista's renewal cost is almost 55% or more, presenting a significant challenge for customers.
Joshua Odunsi - PeerSpot reviewer
Ensures efficient performance and supports network growth with optimal speed
Catalyst Switches are efficient and swift, which is valuable for my organization. I experience optimal speed and effective configuration, making them stand out compared to other switches. The PoE switches offer more ports on SFP, and it is efficient in use. Overall, the switches provide me with the value I expect in terms of speed and efficiency.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The feature sets are pretty cool. They've got almost everything that the competition offers."
"The CloudVision Portal allows us to centrally manage all of our Arista products."
"The technology is scalable as much as you want."
"QoS is the most valuable feature because our clients work with VOIP and Critical applications."
"The solution's most valuable feature is its stability because Arista falls in an industry that is very similar to Cisco."
"I use the solution for connectivity in data centers and LANs, providing Layer 2 and Layer 3 connectivity based on network needs."
"Technical support is very helpful, even during implementation."
"Technical support is very responsive and helpful."
"The product is stable, and it performs well."
"Cisco Catalyst Switches are very stable."
"The solution highly scalable."
"It is an infrastructure tool, so it is just providing a backend service. Its most useful feature is that it operates on a regular basis. It is reliable."
"We use the VLANs to separate library, office, and individual apartments. With some of the reporting that receive, we're able to take and track down where people like to put in their own wireless routers. Sometimes they will take a DSL modem from AT&T that they brought from home, hook it in backward, and it will give rogue addresses causing issues."
"Catalyst switches are highly stable and easy to use. It's a technology well known by most engineers."
 

Cons

"I think there's still room for improvement. Arista Campus LAN Switches are not highly scalable as they are hardware-based. If hardware requirements exceed capacity, the product needs to be changed, which can impact service."
"We have to renew the license every three years, which can be a challenge for customers. Arista, like other vendors, now follows a license-based system."
"I would like to see a version available with eight or sixteen ports."
"The complex setup phase is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"One of the issues that we have been faced with here in Brazil is that we don't have any list times for delivery."
"It would be ideal if the solution was less expensive."
"Cisco Catalyst Switches do not have an open architecture and you have to buy into the Cisco architecture to be able to use them."
"The configuration options on the Cisco Commerce website could be more efficient."
"I would like to see a graphical user interface for the configuration."
"Dell switching is coming up with a solution where you can put your own OS inside their switching infra. That is where they are talking about open networking. We can show that our Cisco is also an open-source. We are open to different switching operating systems if the customer is willing to put it in. We can support multiple operating systems inside the switching infrastructure. It removes the hardware and software dependency on each other. That is where I think there can be room for improvement. Then we can talk about open networking and that is where Cisco can also come up with open networking access."
"Cisco Catalyst Switches' pricing can be cheaper."
"Cisco forces end-users to accept billing for some capabilities or services that they may not want."
"Cisco should focus more on this type of product instead of on data center switches. They stopped improving the software of these switches and they are focusing on the data center. They should focus on this type of product, more than any other thing."
"Personal automatization is a feature that should be addressed."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price is not that good, but our clients value the solution despite the price."
"The only licensing costs are for CloudVision, although the upfront price of the device is not cheap."
"I rate the product price a nine on a scale of one to ten, where one is low price and ten is high price."
"Cisco's prices are not cheap, but the stability is worth it."
"Cisco Catalyst Switches are very expensive."
"It is expensive."
"It's very pricey. Compared to competitors, it's a lot more expensive."
"The prices of Cisco devices are too high."
"Cisco Catalyst Switches is an expensive solution."
"Try to buy everything you need in bulk purchases and ask Cisco for volume discounts."
report
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Arista Campus LAN Switches?
I have cross-checked because this network is a ten-gig network. We are using the multigig switches, which Cisco also has. We found that Cisco's cost is 100%, while the cost of the multi-gig switche...
What needs improvement with Arista Campus LAN Switches?
I think there's still room for improvement. Arista Campus LAN Switches are not highly scalable as they are hardware-based. If hardware requirements exceed capacity, the product needs to be changed,...
What is your primary use case for Arista Campus LAN Switches?
I use the solution for connectivity in data centers and LANs, providing Layer 2 and Layer 3 connectivity based on network needs.
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 do you like most about Cisco Catalyst Switches?
We are a vendor for the healthcare sector, especially hospitals, and normally, we use a full Cisco solution for stability, especially for the stability of the Access Points and the security of swit...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Catalyst Switches?
For pricing satisfaction, I'd say it will be six to seven because Cisco usually is costly compared to other vendors. Regarding pricing, there is indeed room for improvement.
 

Also Known As

No data available
Cisco Catalyst, Catalyst
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

University of Winchester, AWE, picturemaxx, Medical Mutual, Leonix, CloudEra, National Physical Laboratory, Tri-State G&T, AIS, Morph, SingTel, SDSC, BBC
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 Arista Campus LAN Switches vs. Cisco Catalyst Switches and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
865,384 professionals have used our research since 2012.