Ubiquiti Switch Pro Max 24 PoE vs Aruba (HPE) Aruba CX 6100 Switch: Specs & Price Comparison

Ubiquiti Switch Pro Max 24 PoE

★ 4.1 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 112 Gbps
Non-Blocking Throughput: 56 Gbps
Forwarding Rate: 83.3 Mpps
Ports: 24 total: 8x 2.5GbE PoE++, 8x 1GbE PoE++, 8x 1GbE PoE+, plus 2x 10G SFP+ uplinks
PoE Budget: 400W total (max 60W per port)
Layer: L3
Stacking support: Not confirmed; no physical stacking documented in sources reviewed
MAC Address Table Size: 32,000 entries
Packet Buffer Size: 2 MB
Form Factor: 1U rack-mountable, 442 x 325 x 44 mm, 5.1 kg without brackets
Management: UniFi Network 8.0.24+
Operating Temperature: -5 to 40u00b0C (23 to 104u00b0F)
Certifications: CE, FCC, IC (one listing states NDAA compliant)

✔ Pros: Layer 3 switching in a 24-port 1U chassis; 8x 2.5GbE PoE++ ports for multi-gig wireless and workstation uplinks; 400W total PoE budget with up to 60W per port; 2x 10G SFP+ uplinks; 112 Gbps switching capacity and 56 Gbps non-blocking throughput; managed centrally through UniFi Network; list price of $799 USD from Ubiquiti's US store is competitive for L3 PoE++ hardware
✘ Cons: 400W total PoE budget is limited if many high-power PoE++ devices are connected at once; No physical stacking documented, so scaling beyond one unit needs separate management; Port breakdown is described inconsistently across retailer listings, so the official Ubiquiti datasheet should be checked; Reseller prices vary widely (about $799 to $951 USD, plus higher regional prices); Independent hands-on reviews with measured performance were not found; Requires UniFi Network 8.0.24 or later for management
Est. Price: $799 - $951

Aruba (HPE) Aruba CX 6100 Switch

★ 3.4 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 68 Gbps (12G, reseller listing); 128 Gbps (24G, reseller listing); 176 Gbps (48G, HPE comparison table and reseller listings)
Forwarding Rate: 98.6 Mpps (48G models, HPE comparison table); 12G and 24G forwarding rates not confirmed in sources
Ports (breakdown): 12G: 12 x 10/100/1000BASE-T + 2 x SFP + 2 x SFP+ (JL679A, exact uplink mix unverified); 24G: 24 x 10/100/1000BASE-T + 4 x SFP+ (JL678A no PoE, JL677A PoE); 48G: 48 x 10/100/1000BASE-T + 4 x SFP+ (JL676A no PoE, JL675A PoE, R9Y04A PoE)
PoE Budget: 139W (12G PoE, JL679A); 370W (24G PoE JL677A, 48G PoE JL675A); 740W (48G PoE R9Y04A); no PoE on JL676A/JL678A. PoE standards: IEEE 802.3af/802.3at (Class 4)
Layer: Layer 2 (managed); static routing and IPv6 listed by some resellers; some listings label models 'Managed L3', so L3 capability is unclear and should be verified against HPE's datasheet
Stacking support: Yes, VSF (Virtual Switching Framework); up to 6 members per HPE specification (some resellers list 8)
Form Factor: 1U rack-mount

✔ Pros: Low-cost managed switch with 1G access and 10G SFP+ uplinks; PoE models available at 139W, 370W, and 740W budgets for AP and camera deployments; Virtual Switching Framework (VSF) stacking for simplified multi-switch management; Aruba CX NetEdge OS with REST API and automation support; Wide SKU range covering 12, 24, and 48-port variants with and without PoE
✘ Cons: Mostly Layer 2 with unclear Layer 3 feature support, which limits routing use cases; Uplinks are 1G/10G only, with no 25G or 100G options; Per-SKU specs and pricing are inconsistent across resellers and HPE's official datasheet was not verified; Stacking limit differs between sources (6 vs 8 members); Older generation compared with the newer CX 6200/6300 series
Est. Price: $1,959 - $5,419

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