Data center networking · October 2026 Edition
Arista Networks vs Cisco
Two of fourteen models named Arista Networks first on the direct prompt; two named Cisco. Both were named by all fourteen models and Arista Networks carries 45 labels and Cisco 28, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in two categories this edition.
Named in eighteen categories this edition.
First-choice share27%5%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate13%32%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#1#2A position in a field of 7; printed, not drawn.
Labels4528A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Arista Networks reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Arista Networks vs HPE Aruba · Arista Networks vs Cisco Nexus · Cisco vs HPE Aruba
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the data center networking page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
Arista NetworksFirst choices, of fourteen modelsCisco
Direct221 against Arista Networks
Paraphrase301 against Cisco
Comparative43
Budget-constrained301 against Arista Networks · 1 against Cisco
Scale-constrained402 against Cisco
Negative304 against Arista Networks · 5 against Cisco
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.
Across every category in the October 2026 Edition, Arista Networks and Cisco were named in the same answer fifty-five times, of the 114 answers naming Arista Networks and the 224 naming Cisco. In those answers Cisco took the first choice six times and Arista Networks sixteen.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Arista Networks and Cisco stood in it.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | ||||||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | | | |||
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | | | | |
| Perplexity Sonar | | | | | ||
| Grok 4.1 Fast | | | | |||
| Mistral Small | | | | |||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | | | | ||
| Llama 4 Maverick | | | ||||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | | | | ||
| Kimi K2 | | | ||||
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | | |||||
| MiniMax M2.5 | | | ||||
| GPT-6 Luna | | |||||
| Muse Glimmer 30B | | | | |
Arista Networks Cisco first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Arista Networks on the left and Cisco on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Arista Networks and Cisco stood in it.
Arista Networks first, Cisco not the choice
2 of 14 modelsCisco was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.GPT-5.4 miniArista Networks alternatives: Cisco Nexus, Juniper QFX
Gemini 3.5 FlashArista Networks alternatives: Dell Technologies, HPE Juniper Networking
Cisco first, Arista Networks an alternative
2 of 14 modelsArista Networks was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Mistral SmallCisco alternatives: Arista Networks, Huawei Data Center Networking, Juniper Networks
Qwen 3.7 FlashCisco, HPE Aruba alternatives: Juniper EX Series
Neither was the first choice, one was named
2 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Perplexity SonarCisco Nexus alternatives: Arista Networks, HPE Data Center Switches
Muse Glimmer 30BHPE Aruba EdgeConnect alternatives: Arista Networks, Juniper Networks
Neither was named
8 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Claude Haiku 4.5no first choice
Grok 4.1 FastHPE Aruba Networking CX Series alternatives: Cisco Nexus, Juniper Networks
DeepSeek V4 FlashHPE Aruba CX Series alternatives: Extreme Networks, Juniper QFX Series
Llama 4 Maverickno first choice
Kimi K2HPE Aruba Networking CX Series alternatives: Cisco Nexus 9000, Juniper QFX Series
GLM 4.7 FlashXHPE Aruba Networking CX Series alternatives: Cisco Catalyst 9200/9300 Series, Cisco Nexus 9300 Series, Dell PowerSwitch S Series
MiniMax M2.5no first choice
GPT-6 LunaArista EOS alternatives: Cisco Nexus 9000, CloudVision, HPE Juniper QFX + Apstra
Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
Arista Networks leads by eleven points.
Arista Networks11%#1 of 9Cisco0%#– of 9Mid-marketThe figures above
Arista Networks leads by twenty-three points.
Arista Networks27%#1 of 7Cisco5%#2 of 7Enterprise
Arista Networks leads by twenty-five points.
Arista Networks34%#1 of 7Cisco9%#4 of 7What the models said about Arista Networks
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of seven in this category shown.
“Cisco ACI, Nexus 9000 with extensive features enabled, or overly rich SD‑N stacks can introduce configuration‑driven bugs if not fully tested.” GLM 4.7 FlashX · negative prompt · soft negative
“Cons: Premium cost; overkill for basic mid-market unless high-speed uplinks needed.” Grok 4.1 Fast · direct prompt · soft negative
“one-half to one-third what a comparable Cisco Catalyst or Arista switch runs” Muse Glimmer 30B · budget prompt · soft negative
“Arista EOS + CloudVision Portal for a greenfield or data-center-focused shop: mature EVPN/VXLAN, CLI familiar, CloudVision management/telemetry overlay, and lower operational overhead” Muse Glimmer 30B · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“Arista is positioned as AI-first with ultra-low-latency AI/ML fabrics, hyperscaler pedigree... AI training clusters favor Arista's buffering and EOS” Muse Glimmer 30B · comparative prompt · first choice
“platforms from Arista (CloudVision), Juniper (Apstra), or Cisco (with careful evaluation) are considered more mature and widely supported” Mistral Small · negative prompt · first choice
What the models said about Cisco
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Five of five in this category shown.
“Some Gartner clients report higher rates of issues compared to other vendors, typically around product complexity, software quality, and support timeliness” MiniMax M2.5 · negative prompt · soft negative
“some platforms that may be worth avoiding or being cautious about include: * Cisco (according to Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Data Center Networking)” Llama 4 Maverick · negative prompt · soft negative
“Cisco: breadth, intent-based ACI, hybrid cloud and optical DCI... enterprises needing a single vendor stack and ACI policy often choose Cisco” Muse Glimmer 30B · comparative prompt · first choice
“Cisco's Nexus platform is often recommended due to its balance of performance, ease of management, and strong ecosystem support” Mistral Small · direct prompt · first choice
“generally considered the top two contenders due to their balance of performance, manageability, and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)” Qwen 3.7 Flash · direct prompt · first choice
Also compared
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.