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.
"We find the CloudVision switching feature of this solution really useful."
"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 aspect of Arista Networks products is their ease of configuration, especially when compared to Cisco products. When we implement advanced features for data centers such as BGP EVPN and VXLAN, Arista's configuration process is similar to that of Cisco's process, but at the same time it is simply much easier, clearer, and more understandable."
"Arista Networks Platform has a feature that helps with monitoring and management."
"The product's initial setup phase was straightforward."
"Arista Networks Platform offers straightforward deployment, and has good features. Support for the platform is also good."
"The configuration capabilities were good."
"The most valuable features of the Arista Networks Platform are the EVPN and VXLAN. It has comprehensive features."
"We can have multiple Cisco switches, like seven or eight, on a stack for 300 users. So it is highly scalable and easy to manage."
"One of the most valuable features is the MatchBox Switch."
"The product is reliable."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is managed switching."
"There is a lot of improvement in the network segment after replacing the older switches. I have not seen any kind of issue with these switches since deployment. They are pretty much stable."
"The most valuable features include the redundancy one and the spanning tree."
"Easy to manage, with a long lifespan."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is communication."
"Arista Networks Platform should focus on improving the compatibility or integration with Cisco solutions."
"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 needs to improve their product range."
"The community is good but is not good enough. It still needs to grow more."
"The CVP management platform needs to be improved."
"The solution is quite expensive. One of the negative aspects of it is the pricing."
"The intent-based networking management, together with the provider of these solutions that are already free, would be beneficial."
"The solution’s pricing could be better."
"Its price can be improved. It is currently expensive."
"The newer models are not so stable. Other products like 6800, 3750, were stable but starting from 3850 it got worse. We have a lot of issues and a lot of bugs. It's a new product so it's understandable but it should be improved."
"The addition of more security and privilege levels to Cisco Catalyst Switches is required as it is one of the areas with certain shortcomings."
"I have had a little hiccup working with Catalyst switches. They used a few power integration features but I'm not sure they really resulted in much power saving. But, it caused cross-vendor equipment trouble."
"It would be good if they added some machine learning which would allow us to abandon the rigid rules for processing traffic priorities and, at the same time, save money, because equipment with similar logic (like DPI) is much more expensive."
"Pricing mainly is the only issue."
"In a future upgrade, I would like to see integrated wireless in the solution."
"The initial setup can be easier in cases where the policy and ruleset are complex."
Arista Networks Platform is ranked 2nd in Data Center Networking with 21 reviews while Cisco Catalyst Switches is ranked 1st in Data Center Networking 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 Data Center Networking vendors.
We monitor all Data Center Networking 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.