Cisco Catalyst 9200 vs Aruba (HPE) Aruba CX 6200: Specs & Price Comparison

Cisco Catalyst 9200

★ 3.3 Value Score

Switching Capacity: Up to 128 Gbps (24-port PoE+ model) and 176 Gbps (48-port PoE+ model); up to 288 Gbps and 336 Gbps when stacked
Forwarding Rate: Up to 95.23 Mpps (24-port PoE+) and 130.95 Mpps (48-port PoE+); 214 Mpps and 250 Mpps when stacked
Ports: 24 or 48 x 1GbE downlink ports (PoE+/UPOE models, with a multigigabit variant on the 9200L); modular uplink slots (1G/10G, 25G, or 40G depending on module); fixed-uplink 9200L models have 4x1G or 4x10G/2x25G uplinks
PoE Budget: 740W for 24-port PoE+ models; 1440W for 48-port PoE+ models; 370W partial-PoE budget on selected 48-port models (600W power supply required)
Layer: L2 with L3 features (static routing, OSPF, EIGRP, and others) available with the Network Advantage license
Stacking: StackWise-160 on modular 9200 models, up to 160 Gbps per member and up to 8 members with the same license level; 9200L fixed models use StackWise-80 and cannot stack with modular 9200 switches
Pricing Note: Range based on reseller street prices for 9200L 24-port and 48-port models (SHI listings, Network Essentials/Advantage variants). Modular 9200 pricing not verified; check a current quote before relying on these figures

✔ Pros: Enterprise-grade PoE+ and UPOE switching for access layer deployments; StackWise-160 stacking simplifies management and scales capacity; Modular uplinks allow 10G/25G/40G upgrades; Lower entry price than many enterprise access switches, especially for the 9200L line; Strong security and automation support through DNA Center and IOS-XE; Wide availability through resellers and refurbished channels
✘ Cons: Fixed-uplink 9200L models cannot be stacked with modular 9200 switches, limiting mixed-fleet growth; L3 routing features require the Network Advantage license, which adds cost; 24-port PoE budget (740W) may be limiting for high-power APs and cameras; Published forwarding rates and PoE budgets differ across resellers, so exact figures must be checked against Cisco's datasheet for the specific SKU; Lower switching capacity than Catalyst 9300 for aggregation and core roles
Est. Price: $1,844 - $3,704

Aruba (HPE) Aruba CX 6200

★ 4.2 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 128 Gbps (24-port models); 176 Gbps (48-port models)
Forwarding Rate: 95.2 Mpps (24-port models); 130.9 Mpps (48-port models)
Ports (breakdown): 24x or 48x 10/100/1000BASE-T (PoE+ on PoE SKUs) + 4x SFP/SFP+ uplinks (1GbE/10GbE); 6200M models add 4x SFP+ uplinks
PoE Budget: 370W Class 4 (24G and 48G 370W SKUs); 740W Class 4 (48-port 6200F PoE SKU); up to 1440W Class 6 (60W per port) on 6200M PoE SKUs. Varies by SKU
Layer: L2/L3 (Layer 3 static routing; dynamic routing depends on software license)
Stacking support: Yes, VSF virtual stacking up to 8 members (single logical device); VSX redundancy also supported

✔ Pros: Fixed-port, Layer 2/3 managed access switch in a compact 1U form factor; Wide range of PoE and non-PoE SKUs (370W, 740W, and 1440W class 6 PoE options) for IP phones, cameras, and APs; VSF stacking of up to 8 members simplifies management as one logical device; Full Aruba CX OS features with REST API, network analytics, and automation support via Aruba Central; Solid mid-range pricing compared with enterprise-class core switches; 10GbE SFP+ uplinks support aggregation and campus backbone links
✘ Cons: Model and SKU naming (6200F vs 6200M, 24G vs 48G, PoE vs non-PoE) is confusing and specs differ significantly between variants; Public spec sources conflict on some figures (for example, 6200F throughput and uplink types), so exact datasheet values should be verified per SKU; Dynamic routing and advanced L3 features require additional licensing; Power budget is limited on 370W and 740W SKUs, so high-draw PoE devices may not all be supported at full load; Pricing is in USD only for 6200F SKUs. European 6200M pricing was found only in EUR and GBP, and no official HPE list price was confirmed
Est. Price: $4,261 - $8,663

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