Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9200L vs Cisco Catalyst 9300: Specs & Price Comparison

Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9200L

★ 4.3 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 56 Gbps (24P-4G) to 128 Gbps (24-port 4x10G) and 104 Gbps (48P-4G) to 176 Gbps (48P-4X); varies by SKU and source
Forwarding Rate: 83.33 Mpps (24P-4G) to 190.4 Mpps (24P-4X); 154.76 Mpps (48P-4G) to 261.9 Mpps (48P-4X); varies by SKU and source
Ports (breakdown): 24 or 48 x 10/100/1000 downlink ports (PoE+ on P models, non-PoE on T models; some 48-port PXG variants add mGig ports) plus 4 fixed uplinks: 4 x 1G SFP (-4G) or 4 x 10G SFP+ (-4X)
PoE Budget: 24P models: about 370 W default, up to about 740 W with redundant PSU; 48P models: about 740 W default, up to about 1440 W with two PSUs (sources conflict, e.g. 600 W and 1 kW PSU options quoted)
Layer: L2/L3: Network Essentials provides L2 switching with basic L3 features; Network Advantage adds full dynamic L3 routing
Stacking support: Yes, StackWise-80 with 80 Gbps stacking bandwidth, up to 8 switches (requires stacking module/kit)

✔ Pros: Cisco StackWise-80 stacking of up to 8 units with 80 Gbps stacking bandwidth; 4x10G SFP+ uplink option for higher-bandwidth aggregation; Full PoE+ (802.3at) on P models with budgets up to roughly 1440 W with redundant power; Two licensing tiers (Network Essentials and Network Advantage) let buyers pay only for needed L3 features; Lower price point than Catalyst 9300 for standard campus access deployments
✘ Cons: Uplinks are fixed with no modular expansion slots, which limits future upgrade paths; Full dynamic L3 routing requires the more expensive Network Advantage license; Stacking needs a separate stacking module and is capped at 8 units; Switching capacity and PoE budgets differ widely between SKUs, making spec comparison and sizing confusing; Lower forwarding performance and feature depth than Catalyst 9300 for aggregation or core roles
Est. Price: $1,783 - $4,604

Cisco Catalyst 9300

★ 3.2 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 208 Gbps (C9300-24P) to 256 Gbps (C9300-48P) for PoE+ models; 640 Gbps (C9300-24UX) for UPOE+; up to 1,760 Gbps (C9300X-48HX) and 2,000 Gbps (C9300X-24Y)
Forwarding Rate: 154.76 Mpps (C9300-24P) to 190.47 Mpps (C9300-48P); 476.19 Mpps (C9300-24UX); 1,309 Mpps (C9300X-48HX) to 1,488 Mpps (C9300X-24Y)
Ports (breakdown): 24 or 48 ports per switch. Copper GE (PoE+/UPOE/UPOE+) on the 9300, mGig on 9300X-48TX/24UX-class models, and SFP or SFP+/25G fiber on 9300-24S/48S and 9300X-24Y. Modular uplink modules add 1G/10G/25G/40G/100G depending on module
PoE Budget: Model and PSU dependent. Reseller sheets cite about 490 W for C9300-24UX-A and about 645 W for C9300-48S-E. Verify the exact figure for your configuration on the Cisco datasheet
Layer: L2 (Network Essentials) or L3 (Network Advantage), licensed per switch
Stacking support: Yes. StackWise-480 on modular-uplink models, StackWise-320 on fixed-uplink models, and up to 1 Tbps local stackable switching bandwidth on 9300X

✔ Pros: Enterprise-grade stackable access switch with a mature, widely deployed platform; Modular uplink options and StackWise stacking scale from 24 to 48 ports and into multi-switch stacks; Full L2/L3 feature set with the Network Advantage license, including routing and advanced security; Strong PoE and UPOE/UPOE+ options for powering APs, cameras, and phones; 9300X models add mGig, 25G fiber, and up to 1 Tbps stacking bandwidth; Cisco DNA Center and IOS-XE support for automation and programmability
✘ Cons: High acquisition cost, and Network Advantage and DNA licensing add significantly to total cost; Feature and throughput specs differ widely across sub-models, which makes selection complex; PoE budget depends on the chosen power supply and can be a constraint on high-power UPOE deployments; Spec figures in reseller datasheets are inconsistent, so official Cisco data must be checked before purchase; Stacking and modular uplinks require matching modules and licenses, which raises complexity and cost
Est. Price: $10,120 - $40,227

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