What users are saying about
21 Ratings
<a href='https://www.trustradius.com/static/about-trustradius-scoring' target='_blank' rel='nofollow noopener'>trScore algorithm: Learn more.</a>Score 9.5 out of 100
Based on 21 reviews and ratings
38 Ratings
<a href='https://www.trustradius.com/static/about-trustradius-scoring' target='_blank' rel='nofollow noopener'>trScore algorithm: Learn more.</a>Score 9.1 out of 100
Based on 38 reviews and ratings
Attribute Ratings
- Cisco Catalyst 6800 Series Switches is rated higher in 3 areas: Likelihood to Recommend, Likelihood to Renew, Support Rating
- Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series Switches is rated higher in 1 area: Usability
Likelihood to Recommend
9.4
Cisco Catalyst 6800 Series Switches
94%
16 Ratings
9.0
Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series Switches
90%
22 Ratings
Likelihood to Renew
9.1
Cisco Catalyst 6800 Series Switches
91%
3 Ratings
8.2
Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series Switches
82%
2 Ratings
Usability
8.6
Cisco Catalyst 6800 Series Switches
86%
2 Ratings
9.0
Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series Switches
90%
1 Rating
Support Rating
9.1
Cisco Catalyst 6800 Series Switches
91%
4 Ratings
9.0
Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series Switches
90%
2 Ratings
Likelihood to Recommend
Cisco Catalyst 6800 Series Switches
Cisco Catalyst [6800 Series] Switches provide good selection of models with various port densities and capabilities. We use Catalyst switches in most location in various functional setups. Chassis switches in Data Centers, stacks of multiple switches at many locations within campus, 24-48 port models at larger branches for routing and switching.
IT Infrastructure Planner/Architect
FortisBC Energy Inc.Utilities, 1001-5000 employees
Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series Switches
The [Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series Switches] is very well suited for datacenter core and distribution models, they work very well as a replacement for the 3850 switches that many smaller organizations use for core switching.The 9500 series also works very well as a top of rack aggregation switch for SFP and QSFP connectivity.
Network Administrator
Arkansas Federal Credit UnionBanking, 201-500 employees
Pros
Cisco Catalyst 6800 Series Switches
- In general Cisco Catalyst Switches are a nice piece of kit both in hardware and software.
- You can keep these guys running for years without nary a reboot necessary.
- Even if you have to reboot you have multiple fail overs and redundancies.

Verified User
Manager in Information Technology
Government Administration Company, 501-1000 employeesCisco Catalyst 9500 Series Switches
- Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series Switches are capable of 10g/40g with a great selection of ports for these speeds.
- The Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series Switch is a very capable piece of kit, supporting a lot of Cisco's new feature sets.
- Cisco IOS is the gold standard for switch operating systems.

Verified User
Administrator in Information Technology
Higher Education Company, 201-500 employeesCons
Cisco Catalyst 6800 Series Switches
- There are some known bugs that cause interface errors and are listed as "cosmetic" and they do not plan to address them. This makes troubleshooting very difficult to determine what are real errors and what are cosmetic.
- We have had a few batches that get stuck in random reboots.
- Cisco foolishly has discontinued R&D for this line of Catalyst when they were finally showing some innovation that set them apart from other vendors.
Sr. System Engineer
Kent Intermediate School DistrictEducation Management, 501-1000 employees
Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series Switches
- The 9500C does not have dedicated stackwise, in order to stack these switches you must consume some of the available ports on the switch itself.
- Virtual Stackwise is a little cumbersome to configure and get running properly
- The newest iteration of Catalyst switches REQUIRE the DNA licensing platform, even though it will not be used.
Network Administrator
Arkansas Federal Credit UnionBanking, 201-500 employees
Pricing Details
Cisco Catalyst 6800 Series Switches
General
Free Trial
—Free/Freemium Version
—Premium Consulting/Integration Services
—Entry-level set up fee?
No
Starting Price
—Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series Switches
General
Free Trial
—Free/Freemium Version
—Premium Consulting/Integration Services
—Entry-level set up fee?
No
Starting Price
—Likelihood to Renew
Cisco Catalyst 6800 Series Switches
Cisco Catalyst 6800 Series Switches 9.1
Based on 3 answers
Because they work well at what they do. They are highly innovative with their hub and spoke firmware deployment. Once again Cisco was extremely stupid to stop R and D on them.
Sr. System Engineer
Kent Intermediate School DistrictEducation Management, 501-1000 employees
Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series Switches
Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series Switches 8.2
Based on 2 answers
Based on the site load and requirements, the switches meets our processing and fiber ports requirements. Also they have great potential for future programmability options we are looking into.

Verified User
Engineer in Engineering
Transportation/Trucking/Railroad Company, 10,001+ employeesUsability
Cisco Catalyst 6800 Series Switches
Cisco Catalyst 6800 Series Switches 8.6
Based on 2 answers
Cisco Catalyst switches are the standard for usability. The Cisco command line is 1 of 2 formats for a command line interface in the computer networking industry. They literally define the standard for the industry, so naturally the usability is going to be high -- simply because that's what everyone uses. I rated them as 9 because they have some consistency issues within the IOS for different versions/platforms.

Verified User
Engineer in Information Technology
Government Administration Company, 1001-5000 employeesCisco Catalyst 9500 Series Switches
Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series Switches 9.0
Based on 1 answer
It has great potential. It can support 10, 40, 100 Gig ports. The chipset are high processing capabilities

Verified User
Engineer in Engineering
Transportation/Trucking/Railroad Company, 10,001+ employeesSupport Rating
Cisco Catalyst 6800 Series Switches
Cisco Catalyst 6800 Series Switches 9.1
Based on 4 answers
They are easy to get a hold of and are very effective.

Verified User
Manager in Information Technology
Banking Company, 5001-10,000 employeesCisco Catalyst 9500 Series Switches
Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series Switches 9.0
Based on 2 answers
Cisco TAC engineers are very responsive and supportive.

Verified User
Engineer in Engineering
Transportation/Trucking/Railroad Company, 10,001+ employeesAlternatives Considered
Cisco Catalyst 6800 Series Switches
The Juniper lineup offers better pricing versus the Cisco line up but you do definitely lose some hardware prowess, and stability that you can count on with Cisco devices. Also the support is not as robust from Juniper as it can take longer and be more frustrating getting a support ticket going with them.

Verified User
Administrator in Information Technology
Government Administration Company, 501-1000 employeesCisco Catalyst 9500 Series Switches
The Catalyst 9400 was not out when we were looking at new core switches. We thought about using a Nexus 9k but neither were as good of a fit as the 9500. Between price and performance it was a no-brainer for us to look at the 9500. We have not nor in the future would we consider other brands for core switching.

Verified User
Manager in Information Technology
Mining & Metals Company, 501-1000 employeesReturn on Investment
Cisco Catalyst 6800 Series Switches
- It's all about making the right choice in the right time. Let's face it - CISCO Catalyst switches are not cheap. But if you take the time to research and design your network the ROI rate will be faster than you imagine. Having a stable and scalable network is the most important aspect of Catayst - upgrading the core and backbone infrastructure allows you to push the older devices to the outer edges of the network or to new, under/undeveloped regions.
CIO (Chief Information Officer)
UltraNET LtdInformation Technology and Services, 51-200 employees
Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series Switches
- These switches did require a purchase of the DNA license on top of standard switch licensing, even if the functions are no needed in the environment.
- The increased SFP & QSFP connectivity enabled for faster processing within our compute environment. While the system is too new to quantify the value added in this, it undeniably will help with its ROI.
Network Administrator
Arkansas Federal Credit UnionBanking, 201-500 employees