We performed a comparison between Arista Networks Platform and Cisco Catalyst Switches based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
Comparison Results: Arista comes out on top in this comparison. According to reviews, it is easier to set up and has better support than Cisco.
"The most valuable feature is the Linux shell, which is useful for troubleshooting or capturing traffic."
"Arista Networks Platform has a feature that helps with monitoring and management."
"The user-friendly policy manager lets us apply different controls for various user groups easily."
"What we like most is its performance to price ratio."
"It provides telemetry and visibility for many metrics that are not supported by most of the other vendors. Out of the box, no third party solutions are needed."
"The most valuable features of the Arista Networks Platform are the EVPN and VXLAN. It has comprehensive features."
"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"The solution has good load latency. They're the market leader in this aspect right now."
"The 802.1X port security and other security features work well and help keep the network secure."
"The stability and Cisco's support are the most valuable features."
"Their technical support is very good. They know what to do and if they don't know what to do, they give me the person who does know."
"The configuration and command set are user-friendly."
"I recently discovered the DHCP feature. There is a feature with which you can make the core act as a DHCP server, and it will distribute the IPs for every device. I discovered this feature recently, and it is very nice."
"As there are many who are knowledgeable of this technology, this translates into extensive support for it."
"It is easy to use."
"I've had no problems with the stability of this solution."
"The intent-based networking management, together with the provider of these solutions that are already free, would be beneficial."
"Something that you will often hear about Arista products is that the price is a bit too high and, like with Cisco, we sometimes have problems with our customers because of its pricing."
"The solution’s pricing could be better."
"The community is good but is not good enough. It still needs to grow more."
"The solution needs to accommodate new features."
"I want the solution to include a unified controller."
"The CVP management platform needs to be improved."
"The solution needs to improve their product range."
"They should make so that they let users know five to ten minutes before productivity is restored in the case of power loss."
"The solution’s pricing and stability could be improved."
"In terms of what could be improved, more integration is the main thing they should be focused on."
"Cisco forces end-users to accept billing for some capabilities or services that they may not want."
"Cisco Catalyst Switches do not have an open architecture and you have to buy into the Cisco architecture to be able to use them."
"Cisco should work to lower its costs. It's quite expensive right now."
"Its initial setup can be simpler, and it would be great if we can work with a reference architecture. Cisco has the capability to provide a very integrated solution. They have DNA Center, Cisco ISE, Cisco Prime, FMC, and AMP. We are looking at all the products, but it is rather complex to pick out the right licenses that you need. The license structure is a bit complex. Sometimes, there is an overlap in products, which does not really make sense. For example, you have DNA Center and Cisco Prime, and it is not really clear what you would use for what exactly. There is a lot of information on the Cisco website, but it takes a while to go through all this and look at the presentations that are available from Cisco Live. These presentations are appreciated, but sometimes, they are a bit too much like bullet points. You don't exactly know what's behind it, so you have to do a second guess. Overall, there is a lot of information but not always to the point."
"Out of the competition, Cisco switches are easily the most expensive."
Arista Networks Platform is ranked 13th in Ethernet Switches with 21 reviews while Cisco Catalyst Switches doesn't meet the minimum requirements to be ranked in Ethernet Switches with 171 reviews. Arista Networks Platform is rated 8.6, while Cisco Catalyst Switches is rated 8.6. The top reviewer of Arista Networks Platform writes "Affordable for enterprise-sized companies". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Cisco Catalyst Switches writes "Reliable and stable catalyst switch; can be easily installed". Arista Networks Platform is most compared with Cisco Nexus, Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches, Aruba Switches, Cisco Ethernet Switches and Meraki MS Switches, whereas Cisco Catalyst Switches is most compared with Dell PowerConnect Switches, Cisco Nexus, HPE ProCurve, ExtremeSwitching and Aruba Instant On Switches. See our Arista Networks Platform vs. Cisco Catalyst Switches report.
See our list of best Ethernet Switches vendors and best Data Center Networking vendors.
We monitor all Ethernet Switches reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.
