# Cisco Nexus alternatives: what AI models name instead, October 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition. 228 of the 252 answers in the 1 category where Cisco Nexus holds a standing named it neither first nor as an alternative; these are the first choices those answers made. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/vendors/cisco-nexus/alternatives/

## Named instead, most often (every category and segment added)

- Arista Networks: 38
- Cisco: 9
- Cisco Nexus Hyperfabric: 6
- Juniper Networks: 5
- Arista EOS: 4
- Cisco Meraki: 3

## Data center networking

**Small business**: 78 of 84 answers did not name Cisco Nexus (Cisco Nexus is #3 of 9 at 5%).

- Cisco Nexus Hyperfabric: first choice in 6 of those 78
- Arista Networks: first choice in 5 of those 78
- Cisco Meraki: first choice in 3 of those 78
- Ubiquiti UniFi: first choice in 3 of those 78
- Arista CloudVision: first choice in 2 of those 78
- Aruba Instant On: first choice in 2 of those 78
- MikroTik CRS Series: first choice in 2 of those 78
- Netgear: first choice in 2 of those 78

**Mid-market**: 76 of 84 answers did not name Cisco Nexus (Cisco Nexus is #4 of 7 at 2%).

- Arista Networks: first choice in 17 of those 76
- Cisco: first choice in 5 of those 76
- Juniper Apstra: first choice in 3 of those 76
- Arista Converged Cloud Fabric: first choice in 2 of those 76
- Arista EOS: first choice in 2 of those 76
- Cumulus Linux: first choice in 2 of those 76
- FS.com: first choice in 2 of those 76
- HPE Aruba Networking CX Series: first choice in 2 of those 76

**Enterprise**: 74 of 84 answers did not name Cisco Nexus (Cisco Nexus is #3 of 7 at 11%).

- Arista Networks: first choice in 16 of those 74
- Juniper Networks: first choice in 5 of those 74
- Cisco: first choice in 4 of those 74
- Arista EOS: first choice in 2 of those 74
- Cisco ACI: first choice in 2 of those 74
- Arista EOS with CloudVision: first choice in 1 of those 74
- Arista Networks EOS / CloudVision: first choice in 1 of those 74
- Cisco ACI (Application Centric Infrastructure) with Nexus Dashboard/Catalyst Center: first choice in 1 of those 74

Published under CC BY 4.0. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.