Cisco 2960 vs. Catalyst 3560 – Router Switch Blog

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“Hi, I’m trying to decide between the 2960 and 3560 switch for one of my production networks. What are the pros/cons of each? From Cisco’s website it says 2960 is better suited for a small branch office and the 3560 is better suited for medium-sized or enterprise networks. How does Cisco define these terms? By throughput? I also know that the 3560 switch offers layer 3 routing but I do not really require this feature. Thanks.” —From Cisco Support Community

Generally speaking, nowadays, the lines of which is better between the two is getting blurred since the release of the newer 2960S switch. One of the major benefits is the ability to stack a maximum of 4 2960S to form one logical switch. The 2960S, particularly models that have a “D” in its product ID (or PID), supports SFP+ 10Gb interface (up to 2 SFP+ or 2 SFP 1 Gb or a combination of both).

The 2960S PoE series comes into different “flavours”. All PoE support up to 30.0 watts but you can have the “full power” which can support all 48-ports at 30.0w or the half. The “half” means that it will support up to 24-ports of 30.0w (first come, first serve, until full) or 48-ports of standard 15.4 w.

One good thing about the Cisco 3560 is that it is a Layer 2/Layer 3. If you change your mind and you want to go Layer 3 switching, then it’s a case of getting the license, download the correct IOS and enable IP routing. If you are bent (no offense intended) with just plain Layer 2, then the 2960S.

So, here, we will list the main feature comparison between Cisco 2960 vs. 3560 Series switch. You can see the main pros and cons of each. Which one will be better suited for your business? Cisco 2960, 2960S, or Cisco 3560 series, you can refer to these specs.