Cisco Catalyst, Cisco Meraki, and Cisco Nexus switches with Cisco DNA Center controller

Network switch competitive comparison

Compare Cisco network switches with other brands

Compare Cisco enterprise network switches with switches from Arista, Huawei, and HPE. Use the chart below to take a deep dive into ways that Cisco switches help you adapt to whatever is next.

What to consider when looking for a network switch

When comparing network switches to find what's right for you, consider both your current and future needs for flexibility, reliability, and security as well as speed, port count, and size.

Network switch comparison chart

Feature	Cisco	HPE	Huawei	Arista

Updated in March 2023 based on public information.

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San Jose, CA

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Singapore

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Netherlands

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Cisco DNA Center controller, Catalyst 9300 Series and Catalyst 9200 Series Switches, and Catalyst 9100 Access Points

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Network switch competitive comparison

Compare Cisco network switches with other brands

What to consider when looking for a network switch

Network switch comparison chart

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Feature	Cisco	HPE	Huawei	Arista

Custom silicon	Custom silicon Available Investment protection Feature robustness Platform longevity	Custom silicon Limited Product lines inconsistent Short life span Merchant silicon with limited flexibility	Custom silicon Limited Merchant silicon with limited flexibility ENP and Solar inferior to Cisco UADP capability No high-speed stacking interface Lacks in performance, packet processing, and full data flow visibility	Custom silicon Limited Merchant silicon with limited flexibility
Common chassis	Common chassis Available Investment protection with line card and supervisor upgrades Catalyst 9400X: 90W Cisco UPOE+ Multigigabit scale Catalyst 9600X: Industry's first 400G campus switch WAN MACsec Enhanced queueing with VOQ architecture	Common chassis Limited Single chassis with no supervisor upgrades possible	Common chassis Limited Future supervisor upgrades possible	Common chassis Limited Two-box solution using data center switches
Branch-in-a-box with 100G hardware-based IPsec	Branch-in-a-box with 100G hardware-based IPsec Available Catalyst 9300X models: 100G uplinks IKEv2 IPsec encryption on the hardware Branch-to-cloud connectivity Site-to-site IPsec Secure tunnels directly to multicloud service providers Access onboard applications or workloads securely	Branch-in-a-box with 100G hardware-based IPsec Not Available No equivalent offering for campus switching	Branch-in-a-box with 100G hardware-based IPsec Not Available No equivalent offering for campus switching	Branch-in-a-box with 100G hardware-based IPsec Not Available No equivalent offering for campus switching
Multigigabit technology	Multigigabit technology Available Cisco Multigigabit Technology: Prepares access networks for future innovations by delivering speeds of 1G, 2.5G, 5G, and as much as 10G on existing Category 5e and 6 cables PoE and Cisco UPOE+ across the same port, up to 90W Cisco UPOE	Multigigabit technology Limited Smart Rate multigigabit technology in some models Limited number of multigigabit ports per chassis	Multigigabit technology Limited Multigigabit up to 2.5G in some switch models	Multigigabit technology Limited Multigigabit up to 2.5G and 5G in some switch models
Smart building-ready	Smart building-ready Available Expands value for smart buildings: No new license needed for Catalyst 9000 switches Bundled into Cisco DNA Advantage Includes cloud software, connector, and support Full-stack offering: Cisco DNA Center zero-trust segmentation PoE assurance	Smart building-ready Not Available No 90W PoE platforms No IoT gateways supported	Smart building-ready Limited No smart buildings ecosystem partners	Smart building-ready Not Available No 90W PoE platforms No IoT gateways supported
Smart building ecosystem	Smart building ecosystem Available Large partner ecosystem Cisco Spaces IoT gateway and ThousandEyes technology onboard Third-party app hosting on Catalyst 9000 Switches 90W PoE to power and connect expanded set of devices and sensors	Smart building ecosystem Not Available	Smart building ecosystem Not Available	Smart building ecosystem Not Available
Monitoring by endpoint type	Monitoring by endpoint type Available Uses analytics to monitor behavior with Cisco Secure Network Analytics and NetFlow Classifies traffic on the edge and inside the network with Cisco TrustSec technology	Monitoring by endpoint type Limited Limited analytics functionality Use of Tunnel Node limits scale	Monitoring by endpoint type Limited iPCA option on S5720HI/S5730HI/S6729HI models only and limits visibility	Monitoring by endpoint type Limited Network detection and response (NDR) capability only by 720XP switches' acting as sensors
Wired assurance with machine reasoning engine (MRE)	Wired assurance with machine reasoning engine (MRE) Available Wired assurance using PoE analytics, including power supply starvation, power supply missing, power overdraw, and PoE insights Cisco StackWise technology for redundancy Improved application experience AI/ML analytics and machine reasoning	Wired assurance with machine reasoning engine (MRE) Limited Limited functionality with AI Insights	Wired assurance with machine reasoning engine (MRE) Limited Reliance on different tools with limited wired assurance	Wired assurance with machine reasoning engine (MRE) Limited No advanced capabilities in guided remediation or root-cause analysis for wired infrastructure
Application visibility	Application visibility Available Supports: Flexible NetFlow IPFIX with NBAR2-DPI Engine resident on Catalyst 9200, 9300, and 9400 Series switches Provides line-rate and accurate application identification and analytics	Application visibility Limited Aruba switches do not support DPI Engine Supports sFlow	Application visibility Limited No NetFlow support; uses proprietary NetStream protocol	Application visibility Limited Supports sFlow and IPFIX No DPI Engine

Single OS across campus domains	Single OS across campus domains Available Common foundation for switching, wireless, and routing across Cisco Catalyst 9000 with Cisco IOS XE Total system visibility and control	Single OS across campus domains Not Available Separate campus switching, wireless, and routing OSS	Single OS across campus domains Not Available Separate campus switching, wireless, and routing OSS	Single OS across campus domains Not Available Separate campus switching, wireless, and routing OSS
Device-level programmability and automation	Device-level programmability and automation Available Cisco IOS XE supports DevOps toolkit, NETCONF/YANG models, gNMI, gNOI, gRPC, OpenConfig, YANG All programmatic access options are available	Device-level programmability and automation Not Available REST API-based automation only	Device-level programmability and automation Limited NETCONF support	Device-level programmability and automation Available
Cisco ThousandEyes integration	Cisco ThousandEyes integration Available Cisco ThousandEyes agents embedded Provides immediate visibility with additional software Can leverage existing switches Included with all Cisco DNA Advantage licenses	Cisco ThousandEyes integration Not Available	Cisco ThousandEyes integration Not Available	Cisco ThousandEyes integration Not Available
Application hosting framework	Application hosting framework Available Offers strategic capabilities with Catalyst 9000 switches Enables a rich ecosystem partnership of 25+ certified apps, including Kibana, perfSONAR, TrapX Security, Cyber Vision, and CodiLime IPsec app Over 200 active customers	Application hosting framework Not Available	Application hosting framework Not Available	Application hosting framework Limited No resource protection No centralized dashboard
High availability	High availability Available Resiliency features: ISSU, GIR, Extended Fast Software Upgrade (xFSU) Redundant hot-swappable power supplies and fans N+1 chassis redundancy with Cisco StackWise-1T physical stacks 1+1 virtual stack redundancy with Cisco StackWise Virtual technology	High availability Limited No xFSU, stacking power aggregation, patching, or dedicated 1-Tbps stacking No single-chassis ISSU, only unproven VSX Live Upgrade No Quad-Sup RPR	High availability Limited No xFSU, stacking power aggregation, or dedicated 1-Tbps stacking No single-chassis ISSU	High availability Limited No xFSU, stacking power aggregation, or dedicated 1-Tbps stacking No single-chassis ISSU MLAG ISSU currently not supported for complex MLAG provisioning
Power resilience: IoT and other devices	Power resilience: IoT and other devices Available 90W Cisco UPOE+ Perpetual PoE Fast PoE Multiple-level redundancy: Cisco StackWise 480/1T technology and Cisco StackWise Virtual technology	Power resilience: IoT and other devices Limited 30W/60W PoE support 1:1 power redundancy through dual power supplies supported on some switches No advanced power-resilience feature sets available	Power resilience: IoT and other devices Limited PoE and 90W PoE+ PoH on S5700 switches 1:1 90W PoH power redundancy (over HDMI) on a single platform	Power resilience: IoT and other devices Limited 30W/60W PoE support 1:1 power redundancy through dual power supplies No advanced resiliency features like fast or perpetual PoE

Secure infrastructure	Secure infrastructure Available Trustworthy solutions help ensure that software is authentic, unmodified, and operating correctly: Image signing Secure boot Cisco Trust Anchor module Run-time defenses Hardware-level root of trust Unique device identity Software validation	Secure infrastructure Available	Secure infrastructure Limited Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is supported Secure Boot is disabled by default on a few platforms	Secure infrastructure Limited TPM is supported Secure Boot is disabled by default on some platforms
Secure transport	Secure transport Available 802.1AE MACsec encryption on switch-to-host and switch-to-switch links using TrustSec Network Device Admission Control, Security Association Protocol, and MKA-based key Catalyst 9300X with 100G line-rate IPsec WAN MACsec on Catalyst 9000X Core switches	Secure transport Not Available	Secure transport Limited Switches do not support the MACsec encryption by default; an additional plug-in is required Only point-to-point MACsec is supported Just one enterprise switch supports MACsec-256, the CloudEngine S5732-H model Only software-based IPsec is supported	Secure transport Not Available MACsec-256 is supported on only the Arista 722XP switch
Zero-trust assessment	Zero-trust assessment Available ZTA security scans and flags weak credentials and open ports Cisco AI Endpoint Analytics actively probes endpoints and detects unauthorized ports	Zero-trust assessment Not Available	Zero-trust assessment Not Available	Zero-trust assessment Limited Only 720XP Series switches support NDR sensor capability
Integrated security	Integrated security Available Advanced security features: Cisco TrustSec segmentation Network as a service Cisco Network Security Analytics Cisco Identity Services Engine Encrypted Traffic Analytics Network as an enforcer mDNS gateway MACsec-256 link encryption	Integrated security Not Available	Integrated security Limited Supports ECA	Integrated security Not Available
Network availability, agility, and policy segmentation	Network availability, agility, and policy segmentation Available Centralized and automated network design, policy, and provisioning of all wired and wireless networks	Network availability, agility, and policy segmentation Limited Dynamic segmentation with limited automation Provisioning and group-based policy enforcement	Network availability, agility, and policy segmentation Limited No turnkey support for automation capabilities for provisioning or group-based policy enforcement	Network availability, agility, and policy segmentation Limited No turnkey support for automation capabilities for provisioning or group-based policy enforcement

Network switch competitive comparison

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