Arista Networks Platform vs NVIDIA Mellanox comparison

Arista and NVIDIA are both solutions in the Ethernet Switches category. Arista is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.5, while NVIDIA is ranked #20 with an average rating of 8.7. Arista holds a 3.2% mindshare in ES, compared to NVIDIA’s 2.0% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Arista users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 83% of NVIDIA users who would recommend it.

Arista Networks Platform

Read 27 Arista Networks Platform reviews

5,382 Views
3,944 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

NVIDIA Mellanox

Read 7 NVIDIA Mellanox reviews

2,495 Views
1,783 Comparison Views

83% willing to recommend

Arista Networks Platform

NVIDIA Mellanox

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

Arista Networks Platform and NVIDIA Mellanox offer advanced networking solutions, each with specific strengths. Arista Networks gains an edge in support and competitive pricing, appealing to budget-conscious users, while NVIDIA Mellanox attracts those seeking high-performance features and data processing capabilities.

Features: Arista Networks is renowned for its extensive automation capabilities, robust security features, and a unified operating system that simplifies network management. NVIDIA Mellanox is distinguished by its advanced data processing capabilities, high-performance computing enhancements, and RDMA technology, which ensure efficient data handling.

Room for Improvement: Arista Networks can improve by enhancing its integration process for new hosts, increasing the complexity of its feature set, and expanding its open-standard feature support. NVIDIA Mellanox could benefit from simplifying its setup process, improving energy efficiency, and offering more competitive pricing options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Arista Networks offers an easy deployment process and highly accessible customer service, ideal for straightforward integrations. NVIDIA Mellanox, although offering a complex setup, provides specialized support for high-performance applications, demanding more initial setup efforts but ensuring tailored assistance for intricate systems.

Pricing and ROI: Arista Networks Platform is noted for its competitive pricing and attractive ROI, suitable for organizations balancing cost-efficiency and functionality. NVIDIA Mellanox, with a higher initial cost, is considered an investment toward remarkable network performance, providing long-term benefits for companies with intensive data processing needs.

To learn more, read our detailed Arista Networks Platform vs. NVIDIA Mellanox Report (Updated: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Arista Networks Platform vs. NVIDIA Mellanox

March 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

Arista Networks Platform

Ranking in Ethernet Switches

10th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Data Center Networking (2nd)

NVIDIA Mellanox

Ranking in Ethernet Switches

20th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Arista Networks Platform is 3.2%, down from 4.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NVIDIA Mellanox is 2.0%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Ethernet Switches

Featured Reviews

MarekSzafrański

Senior Core Network Engineer at Eurofins

Affordable for enterprise-sized companies

Speaking about whether the product enhanced our company's data center scalability, I would say that it was a solution that was used in a banking company, where it served as a replacement for Cisco. Though Arista Networks Platform is similar to Cisco IOS CLI, I feel that the former product offers better prices compared to the latter tool. Arista Networks Platform office is more efficient at a lower cost. I recommend the product to those who plan to use it. The tool is stable and cheaper than Cisco. I would say that Arista Networks Platform is 100 percent compatible with the existing infrastructure in my company. The impact of the tool's network telemetry on our company's troubleshooting practices was just good for the scope for which I need the product. I rate the overall tool a nine out of ten.

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Anil Ergunsah

Managing Partner & Technical Consultant at IT Expert

Powerful hardware, reliable performance, and advantageous Cumulus Linux OS

Mellanox Switches were easier before Nvidia bought Mellanox and then their new version of the operating system changed. They started with Onyx, and now they only use Linux. If they Learn Linux OS essentials before Cumulus it would be a good option for starters. The new CLI is more difficult to use but more powerful than the older one. It has its advantages.

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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

"Arista's customer service is excellent."

"It's an extremely reliable platform for the network switches we use."

"Arista Networks Platform offers straightforward deployment, and has good features. Support for the platform is also good."

"It is very stable. It has good hardware and very stable code. It provides good value for its price. They are a very lean type of organization, so they are very responsive, and they're able to focus more on their platform versus having multiple products out there."

"If someone uses Arista Networks Platform, I believe they are secured."

"The configuration capabilities were good."

"The most valuable feature is the Linux shell, which is useful for troubleshooting or capturing traffic."

"The product's initial setup phase was straightforward."

More Arista Networks Platform pros

"The most valuable features of Mellanox Switches are the powerful hardware and the software is open. They're using Linux operating system. You can do and install many things, and it performs well."

"The biggest advantage is that the vendor is the only one providing no-drop traffic."

"The most valuable features of this solution are its functionality."

"The most valuable features of Mellanox Switches are the size, power consumption, and the vast amount of features."

"From what I've been told, a valuable feature of Mellanox switches is they're quite user-friendly."

"It is a very easy-to-use product."

"The tool is very configurable because it runs on a Linux operating system."

Cons

"The solution is a bit pricey."

"They should have a more stable code."

"They need to enhance their code and their EOS. They need to improve some security features, and there are quite a number of bugs in their system. So, they need to work on that piece. In the next release, we need to have a modular feature. Instead of providing an integrated solution, they should go for something modular. They need to come up with modular highly scalable models. Even at the chassis layer, I want to see some improvement."

"Something that you will often hear about Arista products is that the price is a bit too high and, like with Cisco, we sometimes have problems with our customers because of its pricing."

"A smoother transition between ISPs during failover would improve the user experience by reducing unnecessary notifications and interruptions."

"Arista Networks Platform should focus on improving the compatibility or integration with Cisco solutions."

"The solution is quite expensive. One of the negative aspects of it is the pricing."

"The overall price of the Arista Networks Platform is expensive. It should be reduced."

More Arista Networks Platform cons

"Sometimes, it can have some bugs from the past if I am an old user. However, it is stable now."

"Mellanox Switches could improve by adding some features that can make it easier for integrating the switches in some managing and monitoring platforms, such as Elastic or similar software for monitoring data with the data center in a more holistic way."

"The configuration is a bit different from Cisco, and therefore, for me at least, there's a bit of a learning curve."

"The scalability is working fine at the moment, but there's always room for improvement. As of right now, I don't know of any improvements to suggest."

"Mellanox Switches were easier before Nvidia bought Mellanox and then their new version of the operating system changed. They started with Ennui, and now they only use Linux. If they returned to their previous CLI it would be a good option for starters. The new CLI is more difficult to use but more powerful than the older one. It has its advantages."

"If you compare this solution with Cisco, utilization in Cisco is more popular and it is more friendly."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I remember that when our customers were offered the Arista Networks Platform, they used a checklist to compare the prices between Arista and Cisco for their requirements, and found that the prices were almost the same."

"It is pretty pricey for a networking platform. It is on par with Cisco."

"If one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the product price as seven out of ten."

"Arista is very expensive. Not everybody is in a position to spend $70,000 to $80,000 for one switch."

"Cost wise, Arista Networks Platform is more expensive than other networking solutions."

"There is an annual license required to use the Arista Networks Platform."

"The price of the Arista Networks Platform could be less expensive for the hardware and license."

"I rate the product price a seven on a scale of one to ten where ten is high price and one is low price."

More Arista Networks Platform pricing and cost advice

"The price of Mellanox Switches is reasonable compared to other solutions. The price and quality ratio was very good. There is a one-time license purchase that is needed."

"The pricing is very competitive. The licensing costs are fine."

"It's an open-source solution."

"There is a license to use the switch ports of Mellanox Switches."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

University

Computer Software Company

19%

Manufacturing Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Arista Networks Platform?

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Arista Networks Platform?

Arista products are perceived as costly, especially compared to competitors like Cisco.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Arista Networks Platform?

Currently, Arista is too costly for its customers. Feature-wise, it addresses most customer requirements. However, we sometimes face challenges when integrating with proprietary protocols and solut...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Mellanox Switches?

The solution is affordable. I rate the product’s pricing as two out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Mellanox Switches?

The response time of the support could be faster.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Mellanox Switches?

We use the solution to lock switches, storage switches, and border gate switches.

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 10% of the time

Aruba Switches vs Arista Networks Platform

Compared 9% of the time

MikroTik Cloud Router Switch vs Arista Networks Platform

Compared 4% of the time

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Cisco Ethernet Switches vs NVIDIA Mellanox

Compared 26% of the time

Broadcom StrataXGS vs NVIDIA Mellanox

Compared 16% of the time

Aruba Switches vs NVIDIA Mellanox

Compared 8% of the time

Brocade Ethernet Switches vs NVIDIA Mellanox

Compared 6% of the time

HPE Ethernet Switches vs NVIDIA Mellanox

Compared 6% of the time

More NVIDIA Mellanox Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Arista Networks Platform

March 2025

Download Arista Networks Platform product report

Buyer's Guide

Ethernet Switches

March 2025

Download NVIDIA Mellanox product report

Also Known As

7000 Series

Mellanox Switches, Mellanox SN2700

Overview

Arista Networks Platform is a stable and reliable solution for data center features, specifically for non-blocking switches used for spine-leaf connectivity with servers hooked to these switches. It also provides multi-layer switches for client networks, particularly in the banking sector.

Arista products are preferred for their stability, good hardware, ease of adoption and configuration, responsive and helpful support, and high throughput ratings. The solution has helped prevent screen loss and business outages in the media industry and is designed for next-generation data centers.

Arista

NVIDIA Mellanox is used for LAN in data centers, deployed on-premises for private clouds and HPC with large data needs. It includes switches for network, data centers, edge, and spine-and-leaf topology, serving as public switches, top-of-rack, core devices for infinite bands, EVPN solutions, and more.

NVIDIA Mellanox provides robust functionality with unique RDMA features, stability, and user-friendliness. Known for its compact size, low power consumption, powerful hardware, and open Linux-based software, it allows extensive customization and installation flexibility. Training documentation needs improvement, as do installation and configuration processes, which have steep learning curves. Integration with managing platforms could be smoother, and faster support response times are necessary.

What are the key features of NVIDIA Mellanox?

RDMA Features: Unique Remote Direct Memory Access capabilities.
Stability: Consistent and reliable performance.
User-Friendliness: Easy to use with an intuitive interface.
Compact Size: Space-efficient design.
Low Power Consumption: Energy-efficient operation.
Powerful Hardware: High-performance components.
Open Software: Runs on Linux, allowing flexibility.
Highly Configurable: Extensive customization options.

What benefits do users find in NVIDIA Mellanox?

Customization: Tailors to specific needs.
Performance: High throughput and low latency.
Energy Efficiency: Reduced power costs.
Scalability: Adapts to growing demands.
Flexibility: Multiple deployment options.

In industries like finance, healthcare, and telecommunications, NVIDIA Mellanox is implemented to support high-performance computing clusters, manage large data volumes, and enhance data center operations. Its switches enable efficient networking setups, facilitating edge computing solutions and optimizing spine-and-leaf topologies for enhanced performance.

NVIDIA

Sample Customers

American Internet Services

CNPC, Korea Consumer Agency, Nutanix, Roxo Systems, StorPool, Atlantic.Net, INFN, StarWind, NYSE Technologies, Creative Consultants, ENKI

Buyer's Guide

Arista Networks Platform vs. NVIDIA Mellanox

March 2025

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