Aruba Switches vs Cisco Nexus 9000 Series comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Cisco are both solutions in the Ethernet Switches category. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.3, while Cisco is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.9. Hewlett Packard Enterprise holds a 8.8% mindshare in ES, compared to Cisco’s 1.0% mindshare. Additionally, 98% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

Aruba Switches

Read 88 Aruba Switches reviews

11,979 Views
11,979 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

Cisco Nexus 9000 Series

Read 10 Cisco Nexus 9000 Series reviews

1,205 Views
976 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Aruba Switches

Cisco Nexus 9000 Series

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 1, 2026

Aruba Switches and Cisco Nexus 9000 Series compete in the network infrastructure market. Aruba Switches have an edge in scalability and affordability, making them ideal for small to medium-sized networks, whereas the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series stands out with robust features and performance for larger enterprises.

Features: Aruba Switches provide cost-effective network management, simplified integration, and scalability. Notable features include intuitive GUI dashboards, centralized management through Aruba Central, and compatibility with other systems. Cisco Nexus 9000 Series offers high bandwidth capacity, advanced security measures, and support for software-defined networking, appealing to large-scale deployment needs.

Room for Improvement: Aruba Switches could enhance their advanced security measures and bandwidth capabilities for larger deployments. Evolution towards a more future-proofing architecture would also be beneficial. Cisco Nexus 9000 Series could focus on simplifying deployment processes and providing more intuitive user interfaces, along with reducing initial costs for smaller enterprises.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Aruba Switches are known for their straightforward deployment and responsive customer support, making them accessible for quick integration. Cisco Nexus 9000 Series, while offering comprehensive documentation, involves a more complex deployment due to its advanced features but provides dedicated support teams to address challenges.

Pricing and ROI: Aruba Switches offer competitive pricing with a lower initial setup cost, providing a high ROI for small enterprises. Although the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series involves a higher upfront cost, it offers significant long-term ROI through increased performance and future-proof features, justifying the investment for large-scale organizations.

To learn more, read our detailed Aruba Switches vs. Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Switches vs. Cisco Nexus 9000 Series

September 2026

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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

Aruba Switches

Ranking in Ethernet Switches

1st

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Cisco Nexus 9000 Series

Ranking in Ethernet Switches

12th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

5.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Data Center Networking (6th)

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Aruba Switches is 8.8%, down from 9.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is 1.0%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Ethernet Switches Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Aruba Switches	8.8%
Cisco Nexus 9000 Series	1.0%
Other	90.2%

Ethernet Switches

Featured Reviews

Aneesh K

IT Solution Analyst II at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

Has supported dynamic user segmentation and centralized management across campus networks

The best features of Aruba Switches are their stability and reliability. Hardware failures are rare because the switches have been running for years, and it is uncommon to encounter hardware issues or impacting bugs. From an operational perspective, Aruba Switches are stable and easy to configure through centralized management solutions. Initially managed through AirWave and now through Central, the configuration can be managed easily with audit records and visibility to switch health and other parameters. Another advantage is that Aruba Switches work seamlessly with ClearPass as a NAC server. This integration allows for dynamic policies, dynamic downloadable user roles, and enables seamless segmentation of users for network security. The real-time analytics provided by Aruba Switches for network efficiency are valuable when needed. All information visible in the analytics dashboard is truly helpful. With Aruba Central's migration to AI capability, additional value is being provided, offering more information and making troubleshooting easier with user-friendly features where you can search for anything and receive relevant results.

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AbhinavSingh

Technical Marketing Engineer Hybrid Cloud Infrastructures at NetApp

Policy-driven data centers have delivered low-latency connectivity for critical applications

The most critical and important feature in Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is VPC. Apart from VPC, there are many other features in Cisco Nexus 9000 Series that stand out as advantages. You can apply access control lists on that. You can do Layer 3 capabilities. You can configure HSRP. You can implement VRFs. You can isolate the L3 network within your data center. It has a lot of features including network segmentation capabilities. You can apply a lot of security hardening and manage the access on the switches through auditing to see who is doing what and restrict access based on the network admin role. These are great features. The overlay technology support in Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is good for large-scale deployment where you are going to build something like a hyperscaler. You need more network segments, and with VXLAN, you can definitely build a large fabric with those Nexus switches.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"In the hotel sector, IGMP 3 is particularly valuable for IPTV."

"Aruba Switches are definitely stable."

"For small businesses, it is the best on the market right now."

"These switches have a good performance, and they are also quickly configurable."

"The most valuable features are the stability and compatibility with other products."

"Aruba's SameNet platform allows for a seamless transition from the data center to access switches, unlike Cisco, which has different operating systems for each."

"The initial setup is quite easy. Once you know what you do, it’s easy."

"It is very easy to set up."

More Aruba Switches pros

"Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is quite a complex machine, but we are using a very simple configuration with basic Nexus switching, and we don't have many issues with Cisco Nexus 9000 Series at the moment in our present infrastructure."

"The performance in data center operations with Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is excellent; we have never faced any performance issues."

"For one of the biggest European customers, they deployed Cisco Nexus for their core networking and it has been running for a few years without having a single downtime."

"Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is very durable and very reliable, and there has never been any issue with it."

"RealPresence works effectively."

"According to the customers, they are not utilizing even 40% of the switches because the capacity is very large."

"The features for manageability and visibility are impressive."

"The stability and reliability of Cisco Nexus 9000 Series are robust, and once you put it on, it does not just fail; that takes a long time, maybe even years."

More Cisco Nexus 9000 Series pros

Cons

"I am forced to consider changing products because other solutions have a better dashboard and a user-friendly interface."

"I would prefer it if they reduced the cost of the switches and the access points."

"The only improvement I can really see is that maybe they could get more competitive price-wise."

"The software materials could be improved."

"I'm not sure if they have the core switch series as well."

"There’s always space for improvement. Improvements are mainly minor in handling, like the web interface."

"The written documentation, all the available documentation, is often a little bit hard to find."

"The written documentation, all the available documentation, is often a little bit hard to find. The solution lacks documentation, especially on recent features. We have access directly to Aruba, Germany, so they are always helpful, but if you start, for instance, with something a little bit more complex like zero-touch provisioning, that would require a more comprehensive written piece."

More Aruba Switches cons

"Cost-wise, Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is very expensive."

"We find that Cisco has been left behind by the other vendors. The other vendors have adopted new technology, and we find Cisco lagging behind."

"Even though it is expensive, I am not sure about the return on investment. It is expensive, and you will need to pay for subscription fees that also are not cheap."

"The SFP modules we are using have had issues. We have Cisco modules, but they frequently heat up or there are packet error issues."

"In terms of automation with Cisco Nexus 9000 Series, it could be better."

"I would rate the technical support for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series an eight out of ten. This rating is not because of their lack of expertise, but just the assignment period."

"If I have a Juniper and want to uplink with Cisco, there could be some configuration challenges."

"For Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches, I think we need to work on the HSRP. Whenever it flaps or something happens, it creates an issue."

More Cisco Nexus 9000 Series cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of these switches is high."

"Pricing for this product is reasonable."

"It is a little bit expensive. It can be cheaper."

"Cost-wise, you get some good savings as compared to Cisco."

"It is expensive compared to the competition."

"This is an expensive product, costing about double what most competitors do."

"Aruba Switches are cost-effective."

"Aruba Switches has a lifetime warranty on the solution and after five years the solution will be at its end of life."

More Aruba Switches pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

11%

Construction Company

Outsourcing Company

Comms Service Provider

23%

Outsourcing Company

17%

Construction Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	50
Midsize Enterprise	19
Large Enterprise	22

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Large Enterprise	4

Questions from the Community

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

In terms of pricing for Aruba Switches, I would rate it a five. They are quite expensive devices.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Aruba Switches?

Technology is constantly advancing, and although more security is always needed, our networks are still old, so we mostly need to modernize our installations. Regarding integration capabilities, th...

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What is your primary use case for Aruba Switches?

Aruba Switches are used in our organization for a straightforward purpose. We started with the HP line, and when Aruba came into the picture, we began using them for our network infrastructure. The...

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What needs improvement with Cisco Nexus 9000 Series?

If we speak about the negative side, the prices are something that could be improved. It is expensive compared with other competitors, about 40% higher than any other vendor. This is the main point...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series?

Cisco Nexus 9000 Series focuses on serving the data center primarily, not the endpoints. The focus is on how to serve your data center, perform the segmentation that you need inside your data cente...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Cisco Nexus 9000 Series?

The policy-driven approach in Cisco Nexus 9000 Series can be understood through the integration with Cisco DNA. One of the main features or strength points that Cisco Nexus 9000 Series has is the f...

See all answers

Comparisons

Cisco Ethernet Switches vs Aruba Switches

Compared 39% of the time

Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center vs Aruba Switches

Compared 8% of the time

Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access vs Aruba Switches

Compared 7% of the time

HPE Ethernet Switches vs Aruba Switches

Compared 6% of the time

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches vs Aruba Switches

Compared 4% of the time

More Aruba Switches Competitors

Juniper QFX Series Switches vs Cisco Nexus 9000 Series

Compared 14% of the time

Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access vs Cisco Nexus 9000 Series

Compared 13% of the time

Arista Networks Platform vs Cisco Nexus 9000 Series

Compared 12% of the time

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches vs Cisco Nexus 9000 Series

Compared 8% of the time

Brocade Ethernet Switches vs Cisco Nexus 9000 Series

Compared 2% of the time

More Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Switches

September 2026

Download Aruba Switches product report

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Nexus 9000 Series

September 2026

Download Cisco Nexus 9000 Series product report

Also Known As

8400 Series, 8320 Series, 5400R Series, 3810 Series, 2930M Series, 2930F Series, 2920 Series, 2540 Series, 2530 Series

No data available

Overview

Aruba Switches provide centralized management through Aruba Central, offering robust security, reliability, and seamless integration with ClearPass. They are known for scalability, affordability, and easy configuration, catering to diverse network infrastructures across industries.

Aruba Switches are favored for their centralized management capabilities using a GUI that mirrors Cisco's CLI, ensuring a user-friendly experience. Seamlessly integrating with ClearPass, they support dynamic policies and offer excellent technical support with a lifetime warranty. Their high-performance capabilities, modular architecture, and diverse product range are supported by comprehensive documentation. Cloud and on-premises management options offer flexibility for enterprise networking needs. Users note areas for improvement, such as enhanced platform integration, dashboard functionality, and port flexibility. Enhanced training and technical support, along with improved hardware stability, are requested.

What are the key features of Aruba Switches?

Centralized Management: Manage switches via Aruba Central with a user-friendly interface.
Robust Security: Seamless integration with ClearPass for dynamic policy support.
Scalability: Ideal for both small and large enterprise networks.
Cloud and On-Premises Management: Flexible management options.
Lifetime Warranty: Ensures investment protection.

What benefits should you look for in reviews?

Affordability: Cost-effective solutions for network infrastructure.
Scalability: Suitable for expanding network requirements.
Ease of Configuration: Rapid deployment and setup capabilities.
Technical Support: Access to comprehensive and excellent support.
Reliability: Proven stability and performance in diverse applications.

Aruba Switches are implemented in industries like education, healthcare, and hospitality, serving as crucial components in network infrastructures. They support applications such as ERP systems, VLAN setups, and Wi-Fi access points, being deployed in office, data center, and campus networks. Known for affordability and reliability, they provide connectivity and power over Ethernet capabilities, meeting the needs of both small and large enterprises.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is a high-performing network switch line designed for modern data centers, offering scalability, flexibility, and efficiency for complex network infrastructures.

This series enhances data center performance with its ability to provide extensive support for open Ethernet standards and programmable networking environments. It is specifically tailored to meet the demands of evolving infrastructure by delivering advanced automation and simplified operations tailored for application-driven environments. Designed to tackle the challenges of today's data centers, Cisco Nexus 9000 Series ensures robust networking for enterprises seeking growth through technological advancement.

What are the key features of Cisco Nexus 9000 Series?

High Density: Features high-density 40G Ethernet, enhancing throughput in data centers.
Programmability: Offers full programmable access via Cisco’s NX-OS software, enabling customized operations.
Scalability: Supports scalability to enable growth and expansion without compromising performance.
Energy Efficiency: Equipped with energy-saving technology, reducing operational costs significantly.

What benefits and ROI can users expect?

Cost Efficiency: Reduces costs through energy-efficient operations and maintenance.
Performance: Increases network performance forwarding vital data swiftly and securely.
Adaptability: Easily integrates into existing systems, aiding in smooth transitions and upgrades.
Reliability: Ensures continuous uptime and stability, crucial for business-critical operations.

Cisco Nexus 9000 Series finds extensive use in industries like finance, healthcare, and telecommunications, where robust, scalable network infrastructure is essential. In finance, it supports fast and reliable data transactions. In healthcare, it's critical for handling patient data securely. Telecommunications rely on it for managing extensive data traffic efficiently, demonstrating its adaptability and strength in managing sector-specific demands.

Cisco

Sample Customers

Purdue University

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Switches vs. Cisco Nexus 9000 Series

September 2026

Free Report: Aruba Switches vs. Cisco Nexus 9000 Series

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