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Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Juniper EX Series 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

Cisco Catalyst Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
7th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
175
Ranking in other categories
LAN Switching (1st), Data Center Networking (1st), AV Over IP Switching (1st)
Juniper EX Series Ethernet ...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
13th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
68
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Switches is 1.8%, down from 3.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches is 2.7%, down from 4.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Joshua Odunsi - PeerSpot reviewer
Ensures efficient performance and supports network growth with optimal speed
Catalyst Switches are efficient and swift, which is valuable for my organization. I experience optimal speed and effective configuration, making them stand out compared to other switches. The PoE switches offer more ports on SFP, and it is efficient in use. Overall, the switches provide me with the value I expect in terms of speed and efficiency.
PRADIPJOSHI - PeerSpot reviewer
Virtual chassis technology enhances connectivity and simplifies management
Juniper EX series switches offer great technology, particularly their Virtual Chassis technology, which is an excellent feature for stacking switches and functions like a single virtual switch. The EX series provides a separation of control, management, and data planes, reducing the attack surface area, ensuring a lesser extent of vulnerability. The PoE budget is commendable, and they manage connectivity effectively.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature is the interface, it's easy to configure. The command line uses a switch that gives us security."
"The most valuable feature is the ease of configuring a switch."
"The network is secure."
"The product is reliable."
"It is easy to install."
"The product offers very good routing and ranking capabilities."
"The PoE capability of Catalyst Switches is great for using WAPs and other PoE equipment, such as security cameras."
"I never had downtime with Cisco Catalyst Switches in the last eight years, and I'm pretty impressed with its reliability."
"The Virtual Chassis, because you have a centralized administration of a set of switches which makes the operation more efficient.​"
"The performance is very good."
"The campus switches and access switches are the most valuable and simple to deploy for Virtual Chassis."
"The platform is very stable in terms of consistency and reliability."
"In terms of performance, Juniper switches have a more user-friendly interface and more features than Cisco products."
"Compared to Cisco, Juniper offers better stability and low prices."
"Juniper Ethernet Switches' most valuable feature is the Juniper-Mist cloud, which facilitates management of the switches and access points."
"The Juniper EX Series's most valuable feature is its robustness. Additionally, it is easy to use and great GUI."
 

Cons

"We'd like Cisco to integrate with other solutions, including their own."
"We have configurations for port channels between two facilities, and we cannot communicate between these two buildings. An SFP configuration uses one wire to send and receive the signal. It's opt-in. We cannot use it after the upgrade. What can we do in this situation? We already bought it."
"While it is scalable, it could be better."
"The GUI should be addressed."
"They should also have a graphic interface for the switches too without the command line."
"Cisco Catalyst Switches should have better performance and be easier to use. Additionally, they should add artificial intelligence features."
"The biggest barrier to buying Cisco or using Cisco is the price and also the competition with competitors and with Cisco partners."
"They should make so that they let users know five to ten minutes before productivity is restored in the case of power loss."
"The updates are constantly breaking."
"They should integrate VPN functionality with the solution."
"Juniper needs to get their code up to par because it isn't stable enough for a leaf and spine design."
"All Juniper documentation is terrible."
"We would like it if there was more security added in future releases."
"The difficulty of the installation of Juniper Ethernet Switches depends on the environment it is being implemented in. It is fairly straightforward in terms of being able to source the technical information as we need it. However, this process could improve."
"In an upcoming release, Juniper Ethernet Switches could improve by having more microservices."
"The initial setup for Juniper switches is complex. Juniper has a new program that solves that problem a little bit, but it is expensive, so I don't use it. It is Juniper Mesh, Juniper Wire, or something like that where you plug in a switch, and it goes out to their cloud, finds a config, and brings it down. So, you can do everything cloud-based, but there is a fee for that. It is expensive, so I've never used it. If we were starting, we would try to do something like that. It is more for a large enterprise for managing hundreds of switches versus what we're doing. They should make its price more cost-effective or include it for new or smaller companies."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's expensive."
"The price can definitely be lower."
"The price for Cisco Catalyst Switches is not cheaper than other solutions."
"I rate the product price a nine on a scale of one to ten, where one is low price and ten is high price."
"Highly priced"
"There needs to be some improvement with the Cisco DNA licensing activation process, it is difficult at the moment."
"The solution is probably the most expensive, but users who want the best need to pay the premium."
"This is expensive, even when compared to competitors' products."
"We had a leakage in the support process and decided to end the product's life in order to purchase a new product with support. We did not renew product support as a result."
"The pricing of Juniper Ethernet Switches compared to equivalent switches from Aruba, Cisco, and others, Juniper Ethernet Switches are priced a little higher. They are approximately 20 to 50 percent higher. When we receive a new range of models, the prices can come down. The price can also vary by region."
"Support prices and licensing scheme need to be improved to allow some features to be purchased at lower costs, for example, RPM​."
"There is a subscription payment model or you can purchase licenses on a one, two, and five-year basis. If you want decent support, the solution is not expensive."
"The solution's pricing is cheaper than that of Cisco."
"The maintenance cost is approximately €2,000 ($2,200 USD) per year, including support, for our entire fleet."
"I rate the product price an eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is a low price, and ten is a high price."
"Relatively affordable per switch."
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Comparison Review

it_user82779 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 29, 2014
Benefits of Juniper vs Cisco
Both are decent products. I prefer Juniper for the following reasons: 1) Cleaner separation of data plane from control plane. Higher end Cisco devices are better at this but most of the lower end products still seem to be more integrated than I like. 2) The Hierarchical config design means I can…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
67%
Computer Software Company
6%
Government
3%
Manufacturing Company
3%
Computer Software Company
15%
Educational Organization
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
University
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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 ...
What do you like most about Cisco Catalyst Switches?
We are a vendor for the healthcare sector, especially hospitals, and normally, we use a full Cisco solution for stability, especially for the stability of the Access Points and the security of swit...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Catalyst Switches?
Although Juniper is cheaper, Cisco provides unique features that justify their pricing.
In terms of ethernet switches, would you go with Cisco or Juniper?
Our organization ran comparison tests to determine whether Cisco or Juniper Ethernet switches were the better fit for us. We decided to go with Juniper. Juniper ethernet switches are a lesser-known...
What advice do you have for others considering Juniper Ethernet Switches?
Juniper EX model is ok for the campus network as the ex4300 is EOL in a few years and the new ex4400 is the standard. Now for the QFX model, 5k/10k in CRB mode IP fabric Ethernet switching is horri...
What is your primary use case for Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches?
Throughout my experience, I've deployed Juniper EX switches in various environments, from small enterprise networks to large-scale data centers. In every instance, they have consistently delivered ...
 

Also Known As

Cisco Catalyst, Catalyst
Juniper Ethernet Switches
 

Overview

 

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
BlackLotus, Staminus, Community Bank, BAS Group, Cloud Dynamics, Privalia, Fluidata, and Tesla Motors.
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Catalyst Switches vs. Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
845,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.