Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9200L vs Aruba (HPE) Aruba CX 6200F Switch: 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

Aruba (HPE) Aruba CX 6200F Switch

★ 3.3 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 128 Gbps (24G 4SFP+ models, JL724A/JL725A); 176 Gbps listed for 48G models (not verified against the HPE datasheet)
Forwarding Rate: 95.2 Mpps (24G 4SFP+ models); approx. 130.9 Mpps for 48G models (not verified against the HPE datasheet)
Ports: 24G models: 24x 10/100/1000BASE-T RJ-45 + 4x 1/10G SFP/SFP+ uplinks; 48G models: 48x 10/100/1000BASE-T RJ-45 + 4x 1/10G SFP/SFP+ uplinks
PoE Budget: JL725A (24G PoE): 370 W Class 4 PoE (30 W per port); JL727A (48G PoE): 370 W; JL728A (48G PoE): 740 W. Non-PoE models (JL724A, JL726A): N/A
Layer: L3 (fixed-port managed; static routing and basic L3 features)
Stacking support: Virtual Switching Framework (VSF) on the 6200 series; confirm VSF support and member count for the 6200F SKU in the HPE datasheet

✔ Pros: Low entry price compared with most L3 managed switches; 4x 1/10G SFP+ uplinks for 10G backbone connectivity; L3 managed features at the access layer; PoE variants with 370 W or 740 W budgets (IEEE 802.3af/at) for APs and cameras; 128 Gbps switching capacity on the 24-port model; part of the HPE Aruba CX platform with AOS-CX management; suitable for SMB and branch deployments
✘ Cons: Non-PoE base models have no power delivery for APs or phones; uplinks are limited to 4x SFP+ with no 25G or 40G options; L3 feature set is lighter than the 6300M or 6400 series; resale price listings vary widely and some list prices are unreliable; datasheet power supply ratings conflict between sources, so the PSU spec needs checking per SKU; product pages are dated, so current part numbers and specs should be confirmed with HPE
Est. Price: $973 - $2,446

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