Cisco Catalyst 3850 end of life: replacement options, prices and support
Cisco support for the copper Catalyst 3850 models ended on October 31, 2025. The fiber (SFP and SFP+) models follow in April 2027. The last software train for the platform is Cisco IOS XE 16.12.x. Cisco names the Catalyst 9300 as the replacement for each model, and the 9300 cannot join a 3850 stack, so a migration replaces a stack as a whole.
Lifecycle dates
| Models | End of Sale | Last Date of Support | Cisco bulletin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper models (24 and 48 port, PoE+, UPOE, mGig): 83 part numbers | 2020-10 | 2025-10 (ended) | EOL notice c51-743072 |
| Fiber models (SFP and SFP+): 65 part numbers | 2022-04 | 2027-04 | EOL notice c51-2438804 |
For the copper models, the bulletin's other milestones were end of software maintenance releases on October 30, 2021 and end of vulnerability and security support on October 31, 2025. Every part number and its date is on the Catalyst 3850 family page, re-verified against the bulletins weekly.
What the Catalyst 3850 is
A 1RU stackable access and aggregation switch that ran Cisco IOS XE, with modular uplinks, redundant power supplies and fans, and PoE+ or UPOE on the PoE models.
| Specification | Catalyst 3850 |
|---|---|
| Stacking | StackWise-480, 480 Gbps, up to 9 switches; StackPower across up to 4 switches |
| Switching capacity / forwarding rate | 24-port: 92 Gbps / 68.4 Mpps; 48-port: 176 Gbps / 130.95 Mpps |
| Uplink network modules | 4 x 1G SFP, 2 x 10G SFP+, 4 x 10G SFP+, 8 x 10G SFP+, 2 x 40G QSFP+ |
| Power supplies and PoE budget | PWR-C1-350WAC (no PoE), PWR-C1-715WAC (435 W PoE), PWR-C1-1100WAC (800 W PoE) |
| UPOE | Up to 60 W per port on UPOE models |
| Wireless controller | Up to 100 access points and 2,000 clients |
| Tables | 32,000 MAC addresses; 24,000 IPv4 routes |
| Licence levels | LAN Base, IP Base, IP Services (perpetual) |
Source: Cisco Catalyst 3850 Series data sheet.
What end of support means for these switches
- Copper models: past the Last Date of Support. The bulletin's end of vulnerability and security support was the same day, October 31, 2025, so a security flaw found in IOS XE 16.12 after that date gets no fix from Cisco for these models, and Cisco no longer replaces failed hardware under a service contract.
- Fiber models: still inside Cisco support until April 2027 under bulletin c51-2438804. That is roughly 18 months to plan the swap.
- Cisco still sells some refurbished units. The copper bulletin says 3850s may be available through the Cisco Certified Refurbished Equipment program "in limited supply" in certain countries. Buying one does not restore software support for the platform.
Options
| Your situation | Practical path |
|---|---|
| Cisco campus, want the like-for-like successor | Catalyst 9300, the model Cisco maps every copper 3850 to in its bulletin |
| Access closets that never used 3850 routing features or 40G uplinks | Catalyst 9200, a lower-cost access switch with less stacking bandwidth |
| Fiber aggregation (3850-12S, 24S, 12XS, 16XS) | Cisco maps these to C9300-24S and C9300X-12Y in the fiber bulletin |
| Open to another vendor | HPE Aruba Networking CX 6300 or Juniper EX4400 (configuration is rebuilt, not converted) |
| Budget not approved yet | Keep spares on the shelf and consider third-party hardware maintenance as a bridge; see below |
Avoid as a replacement: the Meraki MS250, MS350, MS355 and MS390 switches, all past end of sale in 2025, and the Juniper EX4300, which has end-of-sale dates in 2024 and 2026.
Side-by-side specifications (48-port PoE models)
| Catalyst 3850-48P | Catalyst 9300-48P | Catalyst 9200-48P | Aruba CX 6300M (JL661A) | Juniper EX4400-48P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Support ended 2025-10 | Current | Current | Current | Sold (Juniper product page) |
| Switching capacity | 176 Gbps | 256 Gbps | 176 Gbps | 496 Gbps | 348 Gbps (696 Gbps full duplex) |
| Forwarding rate | 130.95 Mpps | 190.47 Mpps | 130.95 Mpps | 369 Mpps | 369 Mpps |
| Stacking | StackWise-480, 9 members | StackWise-480, 8 members | StackWise-160, 8 members | VSF, up to 10 members | Virtual Chassis, 10 members, 400 Gbps |
| Uplinks | Modular, up to 2 x 40G | Modular: 1G, 10G, 25G or 40G modules | Modular: 1G, 10G, 25G or 40G modules | 4 x 1/10/25/50G SFP56 | 4 x 10/25G |
| Licensing | Perpetual (LAN Base, IP Base, IP Services) | Perpetual Network Essentials or Advantage plus a Cisco DNA subscription term | Perpetual Network Essentials or Advantage, or Cisco DNA subscription | See HPE | See Juniper |
| Can join a 3850 stack | Yes | No | No | No | No |
Sources: Catalyst 3850, Catalyst 9300 and Catalyst 9200 data sheets; Juniper EX4400 specifications; Aruba CX 6300M figures as listed for JL661A by NetworkTigers, with the series on HPE's product page. Vendors measure capacity differently, so compare within a vendor. "Can join a 3850 stack" for the 9300 is from Cisco's 9300 data sheet; the other vendors use different stacking technology altogether.
How each option compares with the 3850
- Catalyst 9300. Same: IOS XE, 1RU, StackWise-480 at the same 480 Gbps, StackPower, modular uplinks, PoE+ and UPOE options. Different: about 45% more switching capacity on the 48-port model, 25G uplink modules, a stack limit of 8 rather than 9, and a different licence model: a perpetual Network Essentials or Network Advantage licence plus a mandatory Cisco DNA subscription of 3, 5 or 7 years, per the 9300 data sheet. Cisco's bulletin maps 3850 "-L" models to 9300 "-E" (Essentials) and "-S" and "-E" models to 9300 "-A" (Advantage).
- Catalyst 9200. Same: IOS XE, 1RU, PoE+, modular uplinks, and the same 176 Gbps and 130.95 Mpps as a 48-port 3850. Different: StackWise-160, one third of the 3850's stacking bandwidth. A fit for access closets that only switch; check routing and feature needs against the 9200 data sheet before choosing it for anything else.
- Aruba CX 6300M. Same: 1RU stackable access, 48 PoE+ ports. Different: AOS-CX operating system, VSF stacking, 50G-capable uplinks and higher listed capacity. The JL661A listing above ships without power supplies, which are ordered separately.
- Juniper EX4400. Same: 1RU stackable access, PoE models, 10-member stacking. Different: Junos OS, Virtual Chassis, 25G uplinks, larger MAC and route tables (112,000 MACs and 80,000 IPv4 routes on Juniper's specification page).
Migrating from a 3850
- Replace a stack as a unit. A Catalyst 9300 cannot join a 3850 stack, per Cisco's 9300 data sheet. Either swap the whole stack in one window or run the old and new stacks side by side, joined by uplinks, and move ports across.
- Configuration stays in the IOS XE family for a 9300 or 9200: both run Cisco IOS XE, which the 3850 runs up to 16.12.x. Test the existing configuration against the target release before cutover. A move to Aruba or Juniper is a rebuild in AOS-CX or Junos.
- Budget for the subscription, not only the hardware. On a 9300 the DNA term licence is a recurring cost the 3850's perpetual licences never had; the price table below shows one.
- Trade-in credit. Cisco's bulletin points to the Cisco Technology Migration Program, where eligible products can be traded in for credit toward new Cisco equipment.
Where to buy, with prices
Snapshot taken 2026-10-06. Prices change; follow the link for today's figure.
| Item | Seller | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catalyst 9300-48P-A, new (C9300-48P-A) | NetworkTigers | USD 4,134.99 (regular USD 7,199.99) | New in box, 715 W supply included, 365-day warranty; DNA licence not listed as included |
| Cisco DNA Advantage, 3-year term, 48-port (C9300-DNA-A-48-3Y) | CDW | USD 3,049.99 advertised (list USD 4,459.48) | Subscription licence |
| Aruba CX 6300M 48-port PoE, new (JL661A) | NetworkTigers | USD 3,795.99 (regular USD 5,059.99) | New in box, no power supplies included, 365-day warranty |
| Catalyst 3850-48P-S, refurbished (WS-C3850-48P-S) | NetworkTigers | USD 149.99 (regular USD 159.95) | Grade A, 715 W supply and three fans included, 365-day warranty, 4 in stock |
| 715 W AC power supply, Cisco refurbished (PWR-C1-715WAC-RF) | Cisco Refresh | USD 1,472.16 list price | Cisco's own refurbished channel. The store sells through Cisco partners: its terms govern purchases under a partner or resale agreement, so ask a Cisco partner to quote this part number |
Spare parts
- Power supplies: PWR-C1-350WAC, PWR-C1-715WAC and PWR-C1-1100WAC, per the 3850 data sheet, which describes dual redundant modular supplies on every configuration.
- A whole spare switch is the cheapest cover: the refurbished 3850-48P-S above, with its supply and fans, costs about a tenth of one 715 W supply at Cisco Refresh list price.
Third-party maintenance
For the copper models, Cisco's own support is over, so a third-party contract is the only service contract available. The providers below describe hardware maintenance; none of the pages cited offers IOS XE security fixes, and Cisco's bulletin ended vulnerability support for the copper models on October 31, 2025 (checked 2026-10-06). That makes third-party maintenance a bridge to a replacement date for a switch in a security-sensitive position.
- Park Place Technologies lists the "3850 Series" and "3850XS Series" among the Cisco Catalyst devices it supports with third-party hardware maintenance.
- Refurbished resellers such as NetworkTigers sell 3850s with a 365-day warranty, the simplest hardware cover for a switch that is being retired anyway.
Questions
Is the Cisco Catalyst 3850 end of life?
Yes. Copper models reached End of Sale in October 2020 and their Last Date of Support was October 31, 2025. Fiber models reached End of Sale in April 2022 and are supported until April 2027.
What replaces the Catalyst 3850?
Cisco's end-of-life bulletins map each 3850 model to a Catalyst 9300 model, for example WS-C3850-48P-S to C9300-48P-A. Fiber models map to C9300-24S or C9300X-12Y.
Can a Catalyst 9300 stack with a 3850?
No. Cisco's Catalyst 9300 data sheet states the 9300 does not stack with the 3850 or 3650, so a stack is replaced as a unit or migrated alongside.
Does the Catalyst 9300 need a subscription?
Yes. Per Cisco's 9300 data sheet, a 9300 needs a perpetual Network Essentials or Network Advantage licence and a Cisco DNA subscription of 3, 5 or 7 years.
Sources
- Cisco end-of-life notices c51-743072 (copper) and c51-2438804 (fiber)
- Cisco data sheets: Catalyst 3850, Catalyst 9300, Catalyst 9200
- Juniper EX4400 specifications
- HPE Aruba Networking CX 6300 series
- Park Place Technologies Cisco Catalyst support
Researched by EOSL.ai; specifications, prices and third-party pages checked Oct 6, 2026. Lifecycle dates come from the Cisco Catalyst 3850 Series record, which is re-verified against the vendor source every week. Prices change daily; follow each price's link for the current figure.