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Aruba Switches vs H3C Ethernet 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

Aruba Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
88
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
H3C Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
20th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Aruba Switches is 8.9%, down from 11.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of H3C Ethernet Switches is 2.7%, up from 2.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Aruba Switches8.9%
H3C Ethernet Switches2.7%
Other88.4%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Aneesh K - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
KanwarArsalan - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Pre Sales at Business It Solutions
Offers all routing protocols, functionality, and capabilities
H3C switches have strong port aggregation features including dynamic, static, and device aggregation. They also offer broadcast, multicast, or unique system suppression for PPS and BPS. These features are versatile and adaptable to various organizational scenarios, complemented by VLAN support. H3C switches offer VPN support along with various VLAN options like port-based, MAC-based, and protocol-based VLANs, including VLAN mapping and voice VLAN features. They support VLAN interfaces for both IPv4 and IPv6, ensuring compatibility and configuration flexibility. H3C switches are up to date with current market trends, offering features, routing protocols, capabilities, and functionalities that correspond to new trends in networking solutions. I strongly recommend that future users consider H3C switches for their designs, given their performance, specific features, and strong capabilities compared to competitors like Cisco. Overall, I would rate H3C Ethernet Switches as a nine out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Licensing costs are competitive with other solutions on the market."
"With Aruba, I like its stability and lifetime warranty."
"The technical support is fantastic!"
"We use this solution for small and middle sized offices across different locations. The switches connect to the remote sites for distribution to the end user."
"The Aruba care support and the lifetime warranty are very valuable aspects."
"Very easy and quick to setup and provide a nice dashboard providing a view of everything."
"The solution's most valuable aspect is its monitoring capabilities; it works great for our organization."
"The initial setup is quite easy."
"The IMC feature is valuable."
"Network performance is very good, suggesting that stability has not been an issue."
"Offering a five-year warranty, compared to competitors' one-year warranties, is a unique advantage of H3C switches."
"We can configure the switch stack on the internet. Other vendors do not offer this facility. It is fast and easy to manage."
"A good high-performance solution."
"H3C Ethernet Switches have a fast delivery time."
"To date, it has proven to be highly reliable. We have encountered no issues or challenges with it thus far."
"The best feature of H3C Ethernet Switches is their reliability."
 

Cons

"I would like to see easier learning and configuration from previous switch deployments."
"The licensing model could be improved."
"In the next release, I would like to see network access control on the switches themselves. I would like to see security functionalities when it comes to monitoring the bit of the wireless section of the switches."
"Technical support response time could be better."
"Aruba is still losing out to Cisco, which continues to dominate the space. Aruba needs to continue to improve its product range in order to compete with Cisco's dominance."
"There is an issue with Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), but it is escaping me. We aren't using this feature yet, but it is something we are considering."
"The customer service could be a bit quicker and the employees could be more professional."
"Aruba should be made more user-friendly."
"There is room for improvement in Wi-Fi solutions, which are not optimized."
"There should be more public tools for configuration and comparing products."
"There is room for improvement in Wi-Fi solutions, which are not optimized."
"The only improvement needed is the significantly better lead time for delivery compared to other American products. In terms of technology, there isn't much difference, especially since X3 is a subsidiary of XP, and they use the same technology. However, the delivery time is notably better."
"H3C Ethernet Switches could improve by widening their product range."
"To enhance H3C switches for the next release, improving the user interface is crucial."
"GUI needs to merge with CLI."
"Lacks decent cloud management."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing for Aruba Switches is definitely expensive."
"It is expensive compared to the competition."
"There is not a switch that I would give more than six out of ten for pricing because, over the last year, the prices have been increasing very high."
"The tool is a little expensive for customers from other countries."
"The cost depends on the requirement. An extensive network will expand the budget. The price will be lower if there is a small requirement of one to ten switches. In comparison, Aruba is less costly than Cisco by about 10-20%."
"The product is a bit expensive."
"Aruba Switches have good stability."
"We pay for the clear pass and the controller."
"H3C Ethernet Switches is targeted for SMBs because it's cheaper compared to Huawei switches."
"H3C Ethernet Switches are priced at around $500 per unit, which is very cheap and one of the most competitive prices out there."
"H3C Ethernet Switches are reasonably priced."
"The pricing is very affordable, making it a not-so-expensive choice. On a scale from one to ten, where one is expensive and ten is cheap, I would rate it a seven."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Construction Company
6%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Computer Software Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business50
Midsize Enterprise18
Large Enterprise22
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise2
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Aruba Switches?
Aruba lives up to the expectations of the tech giant hewlett packard enterprise providing excellent networking capabilities at a very affordable price compared to the equivalent from another tech g...
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.
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...
What needs improvement with H3C Ethernet Switches?
There is room for improvement in Wi-Fi solutions, which are not optimized.
What is your primary use case for H3C Ethernet Switches?
The primary use case is about managing network infrastructure. The H3C Ethernet Switches are used internally as switches in the system.
What advice do you have for others considering H3C Ethernet Switches?
I would recommend H3C Ethernet Switches to others. I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
 

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

 

Sample Customers

Purdue University
Ying Wa College, Centro Digital Pictures
Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Switches vs. H3C Ethernet Switches and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
884,933 professionals have used our research since 2012.