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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
87
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 February 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Aruba Switches is 8.2%, down from 12.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of H3C Ethernet Switches is 2.8%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Aruba Switches8.2%
H3C Ethernet Switches2.8%
Other89.0%
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

"It's an excellent product. They're high-quality switches, and nothing has failed in the time that we've had them."
"The solution's stability is really great. We found it very solid."
"The most valuable features of Aruba Switches include the dual control plane, stackable features such as stack V6 and VSF stacks."
"We have found that the command line interface is very useful and very similar to Cisco devices."
"There is a feature where you can use Bluetooth. You can set up a Bluetooth pairing connection and do the configuration through your phone."
"The most valuable feature is the Aruba Smart Rate Port."
"The initial setup is quite easy. Once you know what you do, it’s easy."
"The most valuable aspect for our organization is the CX. It's wonderful."
"H3C Ethernet Switches have a fast delivery time."
"Offering a five-year warranty, compared to competitors' one-year warranties, is a unique advantage of H3C switches."
"The best feature of H3C Ethernet Switches is their reliability."
"To date, it has proven to be highly reliable. We have encountered no issues or challenges with it thus far."
"H3C Ethernet Switches is a cheap solution."
"The IMC feature is valuable."
"A good high-performance solution."
"We can configure the switch stack on the internet. Other vendors do not offer this facility. It is fast and easy to manage."
 

Cons

"I would like to see easier learning and configuration from previous switch deployments."
"A challenge is the process required to reset the switches, which involves using two pins in tiny holes. An easily accessible button for resets would be a better design."
"It would be nice if there were more centers of training for Aruba in Peru because there are more centers of knowledge for Cisco than for Aruba here."
"There are some growing pains with Aruba Central. When you first launch the wireless access points or switches, a lot of updates are needed to get Aruba Central ready, especially on the access points, so the initial deployment time could improve. I would hope that I could just turn it on and leave the updates until later on. The switches themselves probably did okay. I'm primarily referring to the wireless access points. There was a lot of back and forth before everything was in sync. It took hours."
"The element of security always can be improved. If the solution continues to improve its security functionality, it will continue to be a great product."
"The only problem with Aruba Switches is the pricing."
"We have needed to upgrade software to fix some challenges we experienced. After downloading the latest version of Aruba, these were fixed."
"The initial setup is not easy."
"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."
"There should be more public tools for configuration and comparing products."
"Lacks decent cloud management."
"To enhance H3C switches for the next release, improving the user interface is crucial."
"H3C Ethernet Switches could improve by widening their product range."
"There is room for improvement in Wi-Fi solutions, which are not optimized."
"GUI needs to merge with CLI."
"There is room for improvement in Wi-Fi solutions, which are not optimized."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Aruba Switches are cost-effective."
"Typically it is a $500 to $600 difference in price."
"Aruba switches work without a license."
"The price is reasonable."
"Aruba Switches are quite cost-effective."
"This is an expensive product, costing about double what most competitors do."
"Aruba Switches are less expensive than Cisco."
"The price for Aruba is quite a bit cheaper than it is for similar products by Cisco."
"H3C Ethernet Switches are reasonably priced."
"H3C Ethernet Switches is targeted for SMBs because it's cheaper compared to Huawei switches."
"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."
"H3C Ethernet Switches are priced at around $500 per unit, which is very cheap and one of the most competitive prices out there."
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Top Industries

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

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business49
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?
The cost of Aruba Switches is based on the price per device. The cost depends on the model. We have 24-port switches, PoE 12-port switches, and bigger switches, so the price varies depending on the...
What needs improvement with Aruba Switches?
Currently, the security integration with Aruba ClearPass is being used for NAC authentication only. Many ACLs and other security features are being managed, but the current security features being ...
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.
 

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: February 2026.
881,757 professionals have used our research since 2012.