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Broadcom StrataDNX vs Cisco Catalyst Switches comparison

Why PeerSpot?
 

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

Broadcom StrataDNX
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
25th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
3.3
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco Catalyst Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
3rd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
191
Ranking in other categories
LAN Switching (1st), Data Center Networking (1st), AV Over IP Switching (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Broadcom StrataDNX is 1.3%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Switches is 4.5%, up from 2.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Catalyst Switches4.5%
Broadcom StrataDNX1.3%
Other94.2%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Wisely Ng - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior rPLM and Consulting Engineering, IP and Optical Networks, APAC at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Cost-effective chipset saves resources and offers rich features
The Broadcom StrataDNX chipset, such as the DNX, is quite a generic chipset and from the cost perspective, it is quite cost-effective hardware. When we decide to use such an Ethernet switch, our R&D and headquarters consider using the Broadcom chipset as one of the merchandised chipsets in our system, providing a cost-effective solution to our customers. The cost-saving with Broadcom StrataDNX is one of the critical criteria for using the DNX as one of our hardware chipsets. From the features perspective, it is quite feature-rich, so we can leverage those existing functions on the SDK to develop our own features in our equipment.
MS
Electrical control system engineer at Dangote petroleum refinery and petrol chemicals
Reliable switching has delivered long‑term uptime, strong PoE support, and predictable performance
Cisco Systems Catalyst Switches are highly regarded for their performance, reliability, and enterprise-grade capabilities. My main reservation, however, is the pricing. The cost of Cisco Catalyst Switches—and Cisco products in general—is relatively high, especially in many African markets where organizations often need to balance budget constraints with required functionality. There are alternative vendors that offer comparable features at a lower price point. While they may not always match Cisco’s ecosystem, stability, or full feature depth, many businesses still choose them because of the significant cost savings. Another consideration is licensing, which can add to the overall total cost of ownership depending on the deployment model and required features. Overall, Cisco Catalyst Switches remain premium enterprise solutions, but when compared with other OEMs, their higher acquisition and licensing costs can be a major deciding factor for cost-conscious organizations.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The cost-saving with Broadcom StrataDNX is one of the critical criteria for using the DNX as one of our hardware chipsets, and from the features perspective, it is quite feature-rich, so we can leverage those existing functions on the SDK to develop our own features in our equipment."
"The good thing about the StrataDNX is that the Broadcom family is very interchangeable, so they work well with different optical transceivers."
"The Broadcom StrataDNX chipset, such as the DNX, is quite a generic chipset and from the cost perspective, it is quite cost-effective hardware."
"For the mobile backhaul or up to the PE, however, StrataDNX is a proven solution."
"Easy to integrate with any of the other hardware platforms."
"When it comes to working with Cisco, customers are consistently offered a quality product."
"If we are providing a switching solution, it's not just switching, it's a whole solution with DNA, and that is where the whole concept of Network Management and Network Assurance comes in, so Catalyst plays a big role in putting everything together and providing a whole solution to the customer."
"The ability to configure throughput is very flexible and improved the performance of our systems."
"The solution is very easy to use, extremely flexible, and very robust, with very good stability and reliable performance."
"The product is convenient to deploy."
"The performance of Cisco Catalyst Switches is good."
"Cisco Catalyst is one of the most famous and popular devices for campus networks, widely used in most of the country."
"Catalyst switches solutions are great. For various customers we have deployed for, business operations run smoothly and without any complain."
 

Cons

"The number of surfaces that can be handled by the chipset could be increased."
"The standard features do not provide a full feature set, so we need to create our own features to compensate for those limitations."
"The scaling number of IPv4/IPv6 RIB/FIB, OSPF/IS-IS/BGP routing table and MAC table size could be increased."
"There is room for improvement in the pricing model."
"I previously used D-Link Switches (which was a pain) due to the budget constraints."
"It has too many options. Therefore, there is a reasonably high barrier to entry in terms of learning about this stuff."
"Cisco should support all of the features that are included with the suite."
"The general price of the solution could be cheaper."
"Cisco tech support is really slow. In the time it takes them to actually understand a scenario, we have mostly found our way out on our own."
"The technical response could be faster in the future."
"It's quite an expensive product and it would be helpful if they reduced the cost."
"The management of Cisco Catalyst Switches could be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"The price of these switches is on the upper end. It is around $3,500 plus for a 24-Port switch. These switches are more expensive than Linksys and TP-Links, but you get what you pay for. If you look at the pros and cons per switch, you can justify the cost compared to a lesser and cheaper brand."
"We love Cisco, but the price is very prohibitive."
"The price could be improved."
"It has a very high cost, but understandably, due to its very good quality."
"Cisco Catalyst Switches is an expensive solution."
"It's very pricey. Compared to competitors, it's a lot more expensive."
"Pricing could be cheaper as well."
"Compared to the price of other solutions such as Huawei and HP, Cisco Catalyst Switches is a cheaper solution."
report
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
23%
Computer Software Company
12%
Outsourcing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Outsourcing Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Construction Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business84
Midsize Enterprise30
Large Enterprise87
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Broadcom StrataDNX?
From my impression regarding Broadcom StrataDNX, I can explain that while Broadcom is quite good, it is not perfect in some cases. The standard features do not provide a full feature set, so we nee...
What is your primary use case for Broadcom StrataDNX?
We use the SDK from Broadcom StrataDNX from the software features point of view. We have our own network operating system to perform adaptive configurations around different chipsets, creating an a...
What advice do you have for others considering Broadcom StrataDNX?
The Broadcom StrataDNX chipset from the product portfolio is quite generic and not difficult to deploy. For network monitoring, we do not rely on the Broadcom StrataDNX chipset capability. Instead,...
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 is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Catalyst Switches?
The price is very high. Compared to others, I find the price a bit high when compared to Juniper and Allied Telesis.
What needs improvement with Cisco Catalyst Switches?
I cannot identify specific disadvantages with the product. However, the areas that have potential to be better are the timeline for the system and switch delivery. The delivery timelines for the pr...
 

Also Known As

StrataDNX
Cisco Catalyst, Catalyst
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Hill International, Coty, Banese, Algar Tech
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 Broadcom StrataDNX vs. Cisco Catalyst Switches and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
913,683 professionals have used our research since 2012.