Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9200L vs Aruba (HPE) Aruba CX 6300: 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 6300

★ 3.3 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 880 Gbps to 1760 Gbps (series range, varies by SKU)
Forwarding Rate: 660 Mpps to 1310 Mpps (series range, varies by SKU)
Ports: 24-port or 48-port models: 1G/2.5G/5G/10G Smart Rate RJ45 access ports, plus 4x SFP56 (10/25/50G) uplinks on most SKUs (some L2 SKUs add 2x SFP28 25G)
PoE Budget: Up to 2880 W total (720 W, 1440 W, or 2880 W options by SKU); per-port Class 4 (30 W), Class 6 (60 W), or Class 8 (90 W); non-PoE SKUs also available
Layer: L3 (6300M/6300F); L2 (6300L)
Stacking support: Yes, Virtual Stacking Framework, up to 10 members per stack, 200 Gbps to 400 Gbps stacking bandwidth; VSX active-active pairs also supported

✔ Pros: Smart Rate multigigabit ports (1G/2.5G/5G/10G) support modern Wi-Fi 6/6E/7 access points without upgrading cabling; high switching capacity for a fixed-port switch; flexible PoE options up to 2880 W total for demanding powered devices; 50G and 25G uplinks suit aggregation and future growth; stacking up to 10 members simplifies management; Aruba Central cloud management and AOS-CX automation support; multiple SKU variants (L2 and L3, PoE and non-PoE) fit a range of deployments
✘ Cons: Specs and PoE budgets vary widely by SKU, so the series-level figures are hard to compare directly; higher-PoE and 50G-uplink configurations carry high list prices; stacking and VSX require matching SKUs and licensing planning; the 6300 series sits well above entry-level switches on cost; official HPE QuickSpecs were not directly retrieved, so per-SKU figures should be confirmed before purchase
Est. Price: $5,053 - $24,013

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