Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9200L vs Ubiquiti USW Pro Max 24 PoE: 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

Ubiquiti USW Pro Max 24 PoE

★ 3.6 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 112 Gbps
Total Non-Blocking Throughput: 56 Gbps
Forwarding Rate: 83 Mpps
Ports (breakdown): 16x 1GbE RJ45 (8 PoE+, 8 PoE++); 8x 2.5GbE RJ45 (all PoE++); 2x 10G SFP+
PoE Budget: 400 W total (PoE 15.4 W, PoE+ 32 W, PoE++ 60 W per port; 16 PoE++ and 8 PoE+ ports)
Layer: L3 (inter-VLAN routing, static routing, DHCP server and relay); LACP, STP/RSTP
Stacking support: Not listed in Ubiquiti's specifications
Packet Buffer: 1.5 MB
MAC Address Table: 16,000
Supported VLANs: 1,000
IPv4 Static Routes: 256
Access Lists: 128 IPv4, 128 MAC
Form Factor: 1U rack mount, 442 x 325 x 44 mm, 5.1 kg
Power Supply: Internal 550 W AC/DC, 100-240 V; DC input for USP RPS backup
Max Power Consumption: 50 W excluding PoE; 450 W including PoE output

✔ Pros: 16 PoE++/PoE+ ports and 8 2.5GbE PoE++ ports provide a mix of multi-gig and PoE for access points and cameras; 400 W PoE budget covers typical AP and camera loads; Layer 3 features (inter-VLAN routing, static routes, DHCP server) let it handle routing without a separate router; 112 Gbps switching capacity and 83 Mpps forwarding rate; 2x 10G SFP+ uplinks; LACP, jumbo frames and 1,000 VLANs; 1.3-inch touchscreen LCD for on-device status
✘ Cons: 400 W PoE budget is less than the 960 W that all 16 PoE++ ports could draw at full 60 W, so simultaneous full-power loads are limited; only 2 SFP+ uplink ports and no documented stacking; 1.5 MB packet buffer is small for heavy multi-gig traffic; price is high compared with unmanaged or lower-PoE switches; 1U rack-mount chassis needs a rack; no published fan noise or stacking data, and no independent long-term reviews were found
Est. Price: $799 - $1,022

PACKETPERF