Ubiquiti Switch Pro Max 24 PoE vs Aruba (HPE) Aruba CX 6100: 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

★ 3.4 Value Score

Device Category: Switch
Switching Capacity: 176 Gbps (family figure, from datasheet copies and reseller listings)
Forwarding Rate: Up to 98.6 Mpps family maximum; 95.2 Mpps for 24-port JL678A; 45.1 Mpps for 12-port JL679A
Ports: 12, 24, or 48 x 10/100/1000BASE-T ports plus 2 or 4 SFP+ 1/10GbE uplinks, depending on model (e.g., 24G 4SFP+ JL678A, 48G 4SFP+ JL676A, 12G 2SFP+ JL679A)
PoE Budget: Model-dependent: 139W on 12G Class 4 PoE model; 370W on 24G/48G Class 4 PoE models; 740W on 48G Class 4 PoE model R9Y04A; non-PoE models have none. Sources conflict on the series-wide maximum, so verify per SKU
Layer (L2/L3): Layer 2 switching with static IPv4 and IPv6 routing; no dynamic routing protocol (OSPF/BGP) found in the sources
Stacking Support: HPE VSF (Virtual Switching Framework) up to 6 members in chain or ring topology; requires AOS-CX 10.16.1006 or later; 12-port models stack only with 12-port models, and 24/48-port models stack only with each other
Form Factor: 1U rack-mount

✔ Pros: 1U rack-mountable form factor with built-in 1/10GbE SFP+ uplinks; Multiple port-count and PoE options (non-PoE and Class 4 PoE) from one series; VSF stacking of up to 6 members simplifies management as a single logical switch; Layer 2 switching with static IPv4/IPv6 routing suits small-to-mid access-layer deployments; Runs HPE Aruba AOS-CX, which offers a modern API-driven, Aruba-ecosystem management experience; Lower entry price than many enterprise-class switches in the same port density
✘ Cons: No dynamic routing protocols (OSPF/BGP) found in the sources, which limits Layer 3 use; PoE budget varies widely by model (139W to 740W), so the series-wide PoE figure is unclear; Official HPE per-model forwarding rates were not directly confirmed (figures come from QuickSpecs and reseller pages); VSF stacking is restricted by port count, so 12-port and 24/48-port models cannot be mixed; Street prices vary a lot between resellers, and the highest-PoE SKU was listed out of stock
Est. Price: $1,959 - $4,805

PACKETPERF