Cisco Catalyst 9200 Series vs Ubiquiti Switch Pro Max 24 PoE: Specs & Price Comparison

Cisco Catalyst 9200 Series

★ 3.2 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 128 Gbps (24-port C9200-24T/24P/24PXG); 288 Gbps with StackWise-160 stacking. 9200L fixed-uplink models: up to 392 Gbps (e.g., C9200L-48PXG-4X)
Forwarding Rate: 95.23 Mpps (24-port standalone); 214 Mpps with stacking. 9200L 48-port fixed models: up to 291.66 Mpps
Ports (breakdown): C9200: 24 or 48 x 1G RJ-45 downlinks (T = data, P = PoE+/UPOE, PXG = PoE+ with mGig), plus a modular uplink slot for 4x1G or 4x10G network modules. C9200L: 24 or 48 x 1G/mGig downlinks with fixed 4x10G SFP+ uplinks (some models 2x25G). C9200CX (compact): 8-port and 12-port variants with mGig and 10G SFP+ uplinks
PoE Budget: C9200 24-port P models: up to 740W with dual power supplies (370W on default single PSU). C9200 48-port P models: 740W with one PSU, 1440W with two. C9200L: up to 740W (24-port) and 1440W (48-port). PoE+ power allocation is dynamic
Layer: L2 with Network Essentials; L3 (static routing, OSPF, EIGRP, BGP, PIM, with Network Advantage)
Stacking Support: Yes. C9200 uses StackWise-160 (160 Gbps stack ring, up to 8 units with the same license level). C9200L uses StackWise-80 (80 Gbps). C9200 and C9200L cannot be stacked together

✔ Pros: Cisco StackWise-160 stacking gives a single logical management domain and up to 288 Gbps of stack capacity on the modular C9200; Modular uplink slot on the C9200 lets you choose 4x1G or 4x10G uplinks; Wide PoE range from data-only to UPOE and mGig, which suits Wi-Fi 6/6E access points and IP phones; Network Essentials (L2) and Network Advantage (L3) licensing lets you buy the feature level you need; Compact fanless 9200CX models fit small branch and IoT deployments; Supported by Cisco DNA Center and Catalyst management tools with Cisco IOS XE
✘ Cons: Stacking is incompatible between the 9200 and 9200L families, which limits mixed-fleet growth; Network Advantage licensing adds significant per-switch cost over Essentials; Full PoE budget on 48-port models needs a second power supply (1440W), which raises the price; Uplink module choice on the modular C9200 is limited to 1G or 10G with no 25G or 40G option; Forwarding rates of 95 Mpps are modest for dense 10G aggregation compared with Catalyst 9300 models; Public spec sheets from resellers conflict on forwarding rate and PoE budget, so confirm the exact PID against Cisco's datasheet before purchase
Est. Price: $2,796 - $7,286

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

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