Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Cisco Nexus comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary
Updated on Mar 6, 2024

We compared Cisco Catalyst Switches and Cisco Nexus based on our user's reviews in several parameters.

Overall, the user reviews highlight that Cisco Catalyst Switches are valued for their stability, performance, scalability, ease of use, and flexibility, with emphasis on excellent customer support and significant ROI. On the other hand, Cisco Nexus is praised for its ease of use, scalability, redundancy capabilities, and technical support, with attention to its reliability and suitability for data center management. The key differences between the two products lie in their target markets, feature sets, and user experiences.

Features: The valuable features of Cisco Catalyst Switches include flexibility, ease of use, stability, performance, scalability, easy configuration, interconnectivity of devices, streaming audio and video management, and robust security features. On the other hand, Cisco Nexus is praised for its stability, user-friendly GUI, scalability, helpful technical support, and features like VDC and VPC that enhance flexibility and redundancy capabilities. It is especially suitable for data center management. ISSU feature allows for changes and testing before implementing them in the production environment.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Catalyst Switches are known for their reasonable and competitive pricing in the market. The setup cost is straightforward and easy to integrate into existing networks. The licensing process is hassle-free and flexible. On the other hand, Cisco Nexus also offers competitive pricing, with a straightforward and hassle-free setup cost. Users appreciate the flexibility of licensing options provided by Cisco Nexus., Cisco Catalyst Switches offer a significant ROI with improved network performance, reliability, security features, and scalability. Users appreciate the ease of installation and management, leading to increased efficiency and cost savings. On the other hand, Cisco Nexus also provides a highly positive ROI with increased network performance, enhanced security measures, improved scalability, and simplified management. It offers cost savings through reduced downtime, improved productivity, and streamlined operations. Users praise its reliability, ease of implementation, and comprehensive feature set.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Catalyst Switches could benefit from enhanced firmware stability, better compatibility with third-party software and devices, improved user interface, faster response times, and enhanced troubleshooting capabilities. In contrast, Cisco Nexus could be improved in terms of reliability, performance speed, configuration simplicity, and compatibility limitations.

Deployment and customer support: The reviews for Cisco Catalyst Switches mention that deployment can take either three months or just a week, with some users using "deployment" and "setup" interchangeably. On the other hand, Cisco Nexus reviews indicate varying durations, with some users spending three months on deployment and an additional week on setup, while others only need a week for both., The customer service for Cisco Catalyst Switches has been praised for its prompt, reliable, and effective support. Users value the helpfulness and knowledge of the support staff. On the other hand, the customer service for Cisco Nexus is also highly regarded for its prompt, knowledgeable, and efficient support. Users appreciate the helpful and attentive support representatives and the availability of comprehensive documentation and online resources to assist them. Overall, users are satisfied with the assistance and support provided by Cisco Nexus.

The summary above is based on 87 interviews we conducted recently with Cisco Catalyst Switches and Cisco Nexus users. To access the review's full transcripts, download our report.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Catalyst Switches vs. Cisco Nexus Report (Updated: March 2024).
763,955 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"The solution is stable.""It is very reliable.""Cisco Catalyst Switches are easy to use, simple to configure, and straightforward to upgrade. Additionally, CDN has been very helpful for separation.""The most valuable feature is the interface, it's easy to configure. The command line uses a switch that gives us security.""VLAN gives us segregation.""The most important features are that Cisco is one of the most robust switches, it is easy to configure, and the documentation is pretty good.""The solution is already at the cutting edge in terms of innovation.""We have to use the QoS (CBWFQ) function... and it is easy to use."

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"We now have one box that does multiple services.""The most valuable features are the solution is robust, you are able to use it for fabric architecture as well as SPAN on exit with the controller.""They are very high-performance switches and they are made for lossless data, so they're a good play in the customer environment.""Cisco Nexus has improved the way our organization functions through the troubleshooting. We had issues where we've seen our links saturated. We were able to determine what was being processed on the link.""The integrations are valuable.""The most valuable feature is the automation that we can do with it.""The redundancy and the vPC are the most valuable features. We can integrate two switches together for file transfers; that is, we can operate two switches as one. This is because the network can be shared via a vPC trunk, particularly for devices that are not critical for redundancy.""It provides a very flexible connection to a server. When you go into history and the VPC, it provides a very flexible connection from it. Once a server goes down I can instruct it easily. So the network actually keeps quality even if onsite it is down."

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Cons
"The price is high and it should be improved.""Installing and configuring these switches requires the proper training.""It is not easy for everyone to configure the product's initial setup part, making it an area where improvements are required.""The technical response could be faster in the future.""The general price of the solution could be cheaper.""Its price can be improved. It is currently expensive.""Cisco is a bit complex.""The support is not the quickest."

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"We have encountered some software bugs.""Technical support could be better.""In the next release of the solution, I would like to see varying integration between VRF (Virtual Routing and Forwarding) instances so we can integrate BGB into different VRFs in a more organized way. We have some issues with tunnels and VRFs.""Cisco Nexus still needs more stability.""Multi contexts would be nice to have to separate different tenants logically and securely.""I would like to see better collaboration with other, low-end devices.""The solution is more expensive than other options on the market.""There may be many bugs which remain unresolved."

More Cisco Nexus Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "​The price should go down instead of up. ​"
  • "It has a very high cost, but understandably, due to its very good quality."
  • "Cisco's prices are not cheap, but the stability is worth it."
  • "Pricing could be better."
  • "If you consider Cisco's price with the Dell, you will definitely lose with Cisco. But Cisco has a major area of equipment in general. Cisco has routers, firewalls, NAC, certain video conferencing, Apple phones, and different security solutions. But Dell doesn't have such areas, Dell only has switching architecture."
  • "Generally, Cisco Catalyst would be relatively expensive compared to the competition, it would be on the expensive side."
  • "Pricing is an issue I have been facing, in comparison with HPE or Juniper. The Nexus series is out of the question right now. Scalability is more an issue on the pricing side and less on the technology side."
  • "Catalyst is very expensive."
  • More Cisco Catalyst Switches Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Costs more than most, but the reliability pays for the difference."
  • "The price of this solution is good when compared to others in the market."
  • "Our licensing fees are approximately $2,000 USD per year."
  • "Every Cisco product is more expensive than competitors on the market, which is just a fact, but from my perspective, it is worth it."
  • "All of our costs including subscription, licensing, and support services are bundled together, and the cost is approximately $100,000 USD per year."
  • "This is a very expensive product."
  • "The license for Cisco Nexus is one year to three years, in this case for the SMARTnet. It is a price per unit, in terms of this specific appliance."
  • "Our licensing costs for this solution are approximately $200 USD per month."
  • More Cisco Nexus Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer: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… more »
    Top Answer:The most valuable features of the solution are BGP, VPN, and spine-leaf architecture.
    Ranking
    1st
    out of 16 in LAN Switching
    Views
    11,301
    Comparisons
    5,661
    Reviews
    20
    Average Words per Review
    449
    Rating
    8.8
    6th
    out of 16 in LAN Switching
    Views
    3,040
    Comparisons
    2,279
    Reviews
    8
    Average Words per Review
    344
    Rating
    8.8
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Cisco Catalyst, Catalyst
    Learn More
    Overview

    Cisco Catalyst Switches are a reliable and scalable network switching and routing solution, focusing on VLANs and VLAN switching. They are used as access switches, distribution switches, and core switches in various environments, deployed on-premises, and used for long connections. The switches are easy to configure, install, and upgrade and offer good pricing. 

    The most valuable features include warranty and firmware support, stability, security, good performance, flexibility, etc. The Cisco Catalyst Switches have provided a stable solution for the organizations and are widely used, trusted, and well-known in the networking industry.

    The Cisco Nexus family of switches is designed to meet the stringent requirements of the next-generation data center. Not simply bigger or faster, these switches offer the following characteristics: infrastructure that can be scaled cost-effectively and that helps you increase energy, budget, and resource efficiency, transport that can navigate the transition to 10 Gigabit Ethernet and unified fabric and can also handle architectural changes such as virtualization, Web 2.0 applications, and cloud computing and operational continuity to meet your need for an environment where system availability is assumed and maintenance windows are rare if not totally extinct.
    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
    Advanced Medical Transport, Banco de Guayaquil, Baylor Scott & White Health, BH Telecom, Bowling Green State University, Calligaris, Children's Hospital Colorado, City of Biel, Del Papa Distributing, Department of Justice, Dimension Data, Dualtec Cloud Builders, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Grupo Industrial Saltillo (GIS), Hertz, K&L Gates , LightEdge, Lone Star College System, Management Science Associates, Mindtree, NBC Olympics, Quest, Sony Corporation, The Department of Education in Western Australia, Valley Proteins
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company13%
    Comms Service Provider12%
    University11%
    Manufacturing Company11%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Educational Organization52%
    Computer Software Company9%
    Government4%
    Manufacturing Company4%
    REVIEWERS
    Government14%
    Financial Services Firm14%
    Manufacturing Company12%
    Comms Service Provider12%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company25%
    Financial Services Firm10%
    Government8%
    Manufacturing Company6%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business42%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise42%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business12%
    Midsize Enterprise57%
    Large Enterprise31%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business16%
    Midsize Enterprise12%
    Large Enterprise72%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business25%
    Midsize Enterprise15%
    Large Enterprise60%
    Buyer's Guide
    Cisco Catalyst Switches vs. Cisco Nexus
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Catalyst Switches vs. Cisco Nexus and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    763,955 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Cisco Catalyst Switches is ranked 1st in LAN Switching with 25 reviews while Cisco Nexus is ranked 6th in LAN Switching with 8 reviews. Cisco Catalyst Switches is rated 8.6, while Cisco Nexus is rated 8.4. The top reviewer of Cisco Catalyst Switches writes "Offers adaptability of the deployment process, with different strategies in different environment and good stability ". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Cisco Nexus writes " Offer high performance capabilities and enables efficient data transmission and processing". Cisco Catalyst Switches is most compared with Arista Networks Platform, Dell PowerConnect Switches, HPE ProCurve, ExtremeSwitching and Aruba Instant On Switches, whereas Cisco Nexus is most compared with Juniper QFX Series Switches, Arista Networks Platform, Dell PowerConnect Switches, VMware NSX and Juniper QFabric. See our Cisco Catalyst Switches vs. Cisco Nexus report.

    See our list of best LAN Switching vendors and best Data Center Networking vendors.

    We monitor all LAN Switching 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.