Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Extreme VDX [EOL] comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Cisco and Extreme Networks are both solutions in the Ethernet Switches category. Additionally, 95% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Extreme Networks users who would recommend it.

Cisco Catalyst Switches

Read 191 Cisco Catalyst Switches reviews

14,038 Views
8,704 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Extreme VDX [EOL]

Read 3 Extreme VDX [EOL] reviews

100% willing to recommend

Cisco Catalyst Switches

Extreme VDX [EOL]

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Cisco Catalyst Switches and Extreme VDX [EOL] based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Cisco, Arista and others in Ethernet Switches.

To learn more, read our detailed Ethernet Switches Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Ethernet Switches

September 2026

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Helped 913,683 peers since 2012

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

Cisco Catalyst Switches

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.4

Number of Reviews

191

Ranking in other categories

LAN Switching (1st), Ethernet Switches (3rd), Data Center Networking (1st), AV Over IP Switching (1st)

Extreme VDX [EOL]

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Featured Reviews

Mutari Sallau

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.

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Osama Ahmed LUBBAD

Systems Support Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

A stable, scalable, and problem-free solution

Software needs to be updated regularly in order to maintain security and performance. However, in some cases, it is necessary to stack switches in order to meet the needs of the network. Although Cisco switches are able to stack, other switches are not as simple to stack. I would like the ability to stack with different switch brands.

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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

"The solution has high performance and we do not have to troubleshoot the network."

"The hardware is the most reliable, I saw some Catalyst in hot and dusty racks, working hard and with no issues from a lot of years."

"Cisco is very reliable and I would recommend their products."

"They have a robust monitoring system."

"It enables fast data transfer rates, while offering stable and consistent network performance."

"As far as technology is concerned, Cisco improves the client-to-client business."

"Technical support is very helpful, even during implementation."

"This is a very stable and mature platform with a proven record of reliability."

More Cisco Catalyst Switches pros

"Its simplicity and web interface were most valuable. I also liked the two-factor authentication."

"The fabric of the solution and the management aspect are the solution's most valuable features."

"The most valuable feature of Extreme VDX is that we have had no problems and the solution's performance is excellent."

Cons

"I can't use older Cisco devices with newer versions of the controller or switches. For example, if a switch was manufactured in 2014, I can't use it with a controller made in 2019. I have to change the switch so that I can upgrade my network or my devices. I don't have the option to update the version I have on the image of the AP or the controller."

"Compared to other switches, the Cisco products are expensive."

"One feature that I would like to add is for the following: At times, when I add an access-list for a hostname, it doesn't actually add the hostname, it adds the IP address. So in the back-end, if my server changes the IP address I have to go in manually and change the IP address. If the capability was there in Cisco to add a hostname instead of the IP address that would be really good."

"It is not easy for everyone to configure the product's initial setup part, making it an area where improvements are required."

"I have experienced some downtime crashes occasionally."

"First of all, there are some features that take a long time to get implemented, and other vendors have them for a long time before them. For example, it took a long time to have a way to commit change with the timer, so it gets undone if the user doesn't accept the change after it's done. Like, having to say the changes be done, and everything works fine. In the end, everything works fine, but it didn't exist. That's just an example of stuff that came late to Catalyst."

"The solution’s licensing could be improved."

"The product must improve its security."

More Cisco Catalyst Switches cons

"Its scalability is quite limited. We had four buildings merging into one building, and scalability was probably the reason why they didn't proceed with buying more Brocade switches and routers."

"I don't know if the solution has a future because the company doesn't seem to be investing in updates or improvements."

"I would like the ability to stack with different switch brands."

"The only problem is that at the moment it's an Extreme product and Extreme is not really pushing it. They have to make up for weak innovation and I'm not sure if they want to do that."

"Its scalability can be better. If possible, it can have Hyper POE. I am not sure if there is a fiber version."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost of this solution could be less expensive, and we are on an annual license."

"When compared with other products, the solution is kind of on the expensive side."

"The product is quite expensive."

"The licenses are definitely expensive. There is a need to make annual payments towards the subscription or licensing costs attached to the solution."

"You don't have to pay any additional costs while using the product."

"Pricing of Cisco equipment is high, but I think these switches are worth the price."

"They are a little bit expensive. We are a public institution, so we go through other traders, and sometimes, they put in their own surplus price because it is a government contract. Cisco products are expensive, especially when you compare them to Huawei."

"There is no licensing fee. All of the features are available on the switch from day one."

More Cisco Catalyst Switches pricing and cost advice

"It was around $1500 a year. It is cheaper than Cisco but more expensive than Ruckus."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Outsourcing Company

14%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Construction Company

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	84
Midsize Enterprise	30
Large Enterprise	87

No data available

Questions from the Community

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 ...

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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.

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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...

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Comparisons

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Compared 15% of the time

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Compared 5% of the time

NETGEAR Switches vs Cisco Catalyst Switches

Compared 5% of the time

ExtremeSwitching vs Cisco Catalyst Switches

Compared 5% of the time

TP-Link Omada Switches vs Cisco Catalyst Switches

Compared 4% of the time

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ExtremeSwitching vs Extreme VDX [EOL]

Compared 18% of the time

Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center vs Extreme VDX [EOL]

Compared 15% of the time

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches vs Extreme VDX [EOL]

Compared 15% of the time

Cisco Nexus vs Extreme VDX [EOL]

Compared 14% of the time

VMware NSX vs Extreme VDX [EOL]

Compared 13% of the time

More Extreme VDX [EOL] Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Catalyst Switches

September 2026

Download Cisco Catalyst Switches product report

Buyer's Guide

Ethernet Switches

September 2026

Download Extreme VDX [EOL] product report

Also Known As

Cisco Catalyst, Catalyst

VDX, Brocade VDX

Overview

Cisco Catalyst Switches are renowned for their Power over Ethernet capabilities, performance stability, and dependable security. They support features like DHCP, stacking, and dynamic routing, offering ease of management, scalability, and reliability across different sectors.

Cisco Catalyst Switches are valued for their robust architecture and global reputation, supported by numerous trained professionals. They ensure consistent performance and adaptability across industries such as finance, education, and hospitality. With features like CLI and software integration, these switches offer ease of management, scalability, and strong technical support. Users appreciate modularity, speed, and network segmentation versatility. There is room for improvement in cost reduction, licensing simplification, usability, third-party integration, and security enhancements. Calls for improved configuration, product compatibility, faster support, and advanced training are noted.

What are the key features of Cisco Catalyst Switches?

PoE Capability: Ensures efficient power delivery with network connectivity.
Stable Performance: Maintains network reliability under various conditions.
Dependable Security: Offers robust security features to safeguard networks.
Ease of Management: Provides management simplicity through CLI and software integration.
Modularity: Allows scalable and flexible network configurations.

Why should users consider Cisco Catalyst in their reviews?

Scalability: Enables network growth with seamless integration.
Reliability: Consistent and dependable network performance.
Technical Support: Access to strong, professional technical support services.
Versatility in Network Segmentation: Efficiently organizes and manages network traffic.

Organizations utilize Cisco Catalyst Switches for diverse applications, including data centers, campuses, and WAN connectivity. Supporting enterprise networking, VLAN configurations, and user access, they integrate smoothly with existing infrastructure. These switches enhance connectivity for access layers, core components, and edge networking, catering to industries like finance, education, and hospitality for reliable and scalable performance.

Cisco

Brocade VDX Switches support Layer 2 and Layer 3 fabrics with open standards and extensive scalability to deliver high performance, capacity, and reliability for data center spine and leaf deployments. It includes the following products: Brocade VDX 6740 SWITCHES, Brocade VDX 6940 SWITCH and Brocade VDX 8770 SWITCH.

Extreme Networks

Sample Customers

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

Niagra Falls Bridge Commission, Medien System Partner, CDE Lightband, MaximumASP

Find out what your peers are saying about Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Cisco, Arista and others in Ethernet Switches. Updated: September 2026.

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