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Cisco Ethernet 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

Cisco Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
137
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
H3C Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
21st
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 January 2026, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Cisco Ethernet Switches is 10.3%, down from 17.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of H3C Ethernet Switches is 2.8%, up from 2.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco Ethernet Switches10.3%
H3C Ethernet Switches2.8%
Other86.9%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

PM
IT Manager at Decorgel
Reliable equipment offers seamless integration and management simplicity
I really appreciate Cisco Ethernet Switches and currently don't have any improvements to recommend. The switches have technology that has worked fine over the years. An improvement for all players in the market would be to have a website or service to manage all equipment from all brands, not just Cisco. There should be a platform to manage all the equipment.
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

"The most valuable feature is the simplicity of the central management system(CMS)."
"As I am Cisco certified, I like the way that I can program them."
"Multicast is a great feature of this product."
"We only deal with Cisco products, they are very good."
"Cisco Ethernet Switches are stable."
"Cisco as a whole is flexible."
"We don't need any support from Cisco since there are a lot of materials and training about Cisco available online. I feel Cisco's support is good."
"I have found the solution to have good scalability. Cisco is the pioneers on switching technology, they are very good."
"H3C Ethernet Switches have a fast delivery time."
"The IMC feature is valuable."
"We can configure the switch stack on the internet. Other vendors do not offer this facility. It is fast and easy to manage."
"The best feature of H3C Ethernet Switches is their reliability."
"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."
"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."
 

Cons

"The most challenging part is connecting them through fiber for higher speed in the network."
"In the case of an already existing network, we encounter technical issues related to following protocols."
"The typical areas of concern for Cisco Ethernet Switches are not technical but cost including support costs. I’ve never liked the fact that end users cannot download security patches without a support contract. I’ve had trouble getting approval to renew Cisco support contracts due to the cost."
"The price could be lower. It's quite expensive."
"There's are other products that are better for network programmability. Cisco isn't as programmable as some preferred vendors. For example, on iOS 6 products, you have to commit the change directly on the running configuration. If you have a generic product you can do this, so it can improve in programmability."
"The technical support has room for improvement."
"You have to be Cisco-certified to work on Cisco products, so we can't get into Cisco to do even basic configurations."
"Technical support in India needs to be improved."
"There should be more public tools for configuration and comparing products."
"Lacks decent cloud management."
"There is room for improvement in Wi-Fi solutions, which are not optimized."
"H3C Ethernet Switches could improve by widening their product range."
"The solution’s stability could be improved."
"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."
"To enhance H3C switches for the next release, improving the user interface is crucial."
"GUI needs to merge with CLI."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"In addition to the fees being high, you pay for support which is also on the higher side."
"The cost of this solution is expensive."
"I pay a fixed price on it. I'm not the person on the pursing, so I don't really compare."
"The price is on the higher side."
"There are different licensing based on the model of the solution."
"The price of this solution is fair."
"Cisco Ethernet Switches are more expensive than Huawei Ethernet Switches."
"It is expensive. There are additional costs besides the license cost."
"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 reasonably priced."
"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 is targeted for SMBs because it's cheaper compared to Huawei switches."
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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Ethernet Switches solutions are best for your needs.
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Comparison Review

it_user82779 - PeerSpot reviewer
Engineer at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
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
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
7%
University
7%
Comms Service Provider
10%
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 Business59
Midsize Enterprise35
Large Enterprise55
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise2
 

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 ...
Which would you choose - Fortinet Fortiswitch secure access or Cisco Ethernet Switches?
We researched Cisco but ultimately chose Fortinet FortiSwitch Secure Access, mostly because of the price. Fortinet FortiSwitch is an ethernet switch solution that provides security and performance...
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 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

Cisco Industrial Ethernet Switches
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Linz AG
Ying Wa College, Centro Digital Pictures
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. H3C Ethernet Switches and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.