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Nutanix Flow Network Security vs VMware NSX comparison

Nutanix and VMware are both solutions in the Microsegmentation Software category. Nutanix is ranked #5 with an average rating of 9.7, while VMware is ranked #1 with an average rating of 7.8. Nutanix holds a 6.0% mindshare in MS, compared to VMware’s 16.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Nutanix users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of VMware users who would recommend it.
Nutanix Flow Network Security
Read 9 Nutanix Flow Network Security reviews
  • 1,562 Views
  • 94 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
VMware NSX
Read 105 VMware NSX reviews
  • 4,091 Views
  • 1,585 Comparison Views
88% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 4, 2024

VMware NSX and Nutanix Flow compete in the network security solutions category. VMware NSX stands out for its extensiveness and automation, making it favorable for tech buyers seeking comprehensive features. Nutanix Flow, however, is valued for its cost-effectiveness and easy deployment, appealing to those in need of straightforward security solutions.

Features: VMware NSX offers comprehensive security features, including micro-segmentation, extensive automation, and flexible network integration, fostering suitability for complex environments. Nutanix Flow provides simple and effective security measures that are easy to manage, suitable for users seeking straightforward solutions with a focus on ease of use and core functionalities.

Room for Improvement: VMware NSX could enhance encapsulation technology and simplify upgrades to tackle deployment speed issues. It would benefit from advanced routing protocols and improved cloud integration. Nutanix Flow needs improved documentation clarity and a better graphical interface while maintaining its robust core features.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: VMware NSX supports various cloud environments, adding complexity, but benefits from strong customer service with global variance in technical support. Nutanix Flow is easier to deploy and manage, noted for seamless technical support and a clear customer response strategy.

Pricing and ROI: VMware NSX is seen as expensive but justified by its robust capabilities and potential ROI through reduced network overhead and security enhancements. Nutanix Flow offers competitive pricing with subscription-based plans, providing a cost-effective solution appealing to small to medium-sized businesses looking for a balance between functionality and affordability.

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To learn more, read our detailed Nutanix Flow Network Security vs. VMware NSX Report (Updated: June 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Nutanix Flow Network Security vs. VMware NSX
June 2025
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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Nutanix Flow Network Security
Ranking in Microsegmentation Software
5th
Average Rating
9.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
VMware NSX
Ranking in Microsegmentation Software
1st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
105
Ranking in other categories
Network Virtualization (2nd), Cloud and Data Center Security (2nd), Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) (8th), Network Detection and Response (NDR) (7th), Network Automation (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Microsegmentation Software category, the mindshare of Nutanix Flow Network Security is 6.0%, down from 8.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware NSX is 16.5%, down from 22.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Microsegmentation Software
 

Featured Reviews

Gus Thompson - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers great integration capabilities and helps design a disaster recovery plan
My company is still determining how the product has improved network visibility. My organization is still actively developing the product. There are many things my company is doing in the background to make sure that our VMs come up. My company deals with Nutanix Cross Hypervisor Disaster Recovery, so we are moving from an ESXi or VMware to Nutanix AHV, meaning that my company is crossing over from hypervisor technologies and leveraging Nutanix to maintain the networks at our DR facility. The most valuable feature of the product in enhancing the security posture stems from the micro-segmentation provided by the product, but I think that it is a functionality in its early stages. The product's micro-segmentation features are being developed to be made robust against technologies such as NSX from VMware and other hypervisor-dependent technologies such as Guardicore. I can't say that the product has given my company any additional features yet, but we hope that the tool will provide us with additional functionalities in the future. The product's micro-segmentation features seem to be on par with the other technologies in the market when it comes to its ability to isolate workloads. I haven't noticed any improvements in my company due to the automation capabilities of the product, especially since everything is done manually in our organization because we know the application very well, and we also know how we want to protect it. I am sure the product has automatic features, but we haven't used them in our company. There has been a positive impact due to the integration capabilities of the product with the other solutions in our company's IT infrastructure. I recommend the product to those who plan to use it, especially those who use Nutanix AHV as a hypervisor. It would be a good choice to work with the account rep in your company so that you can get a system engineer to help you walk through the majority of the deployment and setup phases since the documentation has certain shortcomings. I rate the overall tool a ten out of ten.
Read full review
MagdyRaafat - PeerSpot reviewer
Enhanced security and streamlined management drive efficient connectivity
Open source is a standard solution where you take a gray box or white box and put the software from your end. You can do programming with Ansible and make the network work in the software-defined mode, providing automation and management capabilities. I am currently working with VMware. It integrates easily with everything and can work with any system. When discussing micro-segmentation, it enhances security, providing more secure data in your data center while allowing for extra layers of security outside your data center. If you have an ACI, there is communication between locations, keeping your data secure in your data center and throughout the path it takes, such as to SD-WAN or the cloud. I work with cloud solutions including AWS, Azure, GCP, and private cloud. My overall rating for VMware NSX is 8.5 out of 10.
Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"They also introduced that they develop API first and the rest follows."
"The network view was excellent as it allowed us to expand the server view and visualize all connections it made within the environment. This was particularly useful in identifying the path of our data and not just its location within the data center."
"We appreciate the fact that this solution allows us to segregate two virtual machines that are in the same cluster."
"Nutanix Flow Network Security is a simple solution that is usable, easy to understand, and easy to deploy."
"It is a very stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"Nutanix Flow is straightforward to install. You only need to select a checkmark that you want to enable Nutanix Flow."
"Flow Network Security's most valuable features are user-friendliness, the console, and policy creation."
"Nutanix Flow has a lot of data protection features. It's also valuable for operations and management. It's a big solution that works well with different solutions and is suitable for most business cases."
More Nutanix Flow Network Security pros
"One significant advantage of VMware NSX is the ability to provide advanced security at the micro-level, focusing on securing applications and workloads rather than just the network structure or virtualization-based network security."
"The initial setup was straightforward. It follows a certain structure and you won't miss a step. It's all on the same level, step by step."
"Provides flexibility to deploy and have network virtualization on different types of firewalls."
"The installation is straightforward, it took a couple of hours."
"The dashboard is comprehensive and easy to use."
"VMware NSX has the ability to create networks in software."
"It operates on a logical level, providing a comprehensive and centralized way to manage your network resources."
"The we can actually extend Layer 2 networking across datacenters, and also Layer 3 networking, which comes along with it."
More VMware NSX pros
 

Cons

"Nutanix Flow's networking features could use some improvement. Also, I don't know if it's currently supporting load balancing or not."
"The solution’s pricing could be improved."
"We would like the reporting functionality of this solution to be improved."
"I would rate Flow Network Security's stability seven out of ten - it could be improved."
"Last time I used it, it was not handy to see or to analyze traffic logs."
"The most difficult part is the configuration of the initial blueprints."
"For customers who are running Nutanix Flow and AHV, the largest area for improvement is in the disaster recovery environments. To automate the populate of rules from one side to the other side in case of disaster you report everything on the disaster recovery site, and you have all the rules automatically applied. This was something that was being built when I left Nutanix. It might already be available. Additionally, the usability of the rules editor could improve."
"While the graphical interface of Nutanix Flow Network Security could have been improved, and some of the reporting features needed extra work, the product's features were similar to VMware's NSX. The difference lay more in the presentation and user interface."
More Nutanix Flow Network Security cons
"The licensing model is expensive and could be more flexible, especially after Broadcom bought VMware."
"It takes time to do the initial setup. It is a bit slow, which is surprising."
"The next release of NSX should try to make Kubernetes and container integration a little easier than it is now. It's quite a complicated process."
"The price is rather high."
"The integration with other brands is not the best."
"Traffic flow introspection topology visibility is definitely needed because at the moment, NSX-T lacks in this area."
"I think that one of the more important things to see better integrated into the NSX product would be an IDS/IPS type solution."
"The ticket support response time from VMware could be improved. Often, callbacks are delayed, which can be problematic if the servers are in production."
More VMware NSX cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Flow Network Security is available on a three-year license, with annual renewals of the maintenance fee."
"There is an annual subscription to use this solution. There is a 60-day trial to use the solution, it gives you time to decide if you want to continue using the solution."
"There are different licensing models."
"The product is available for free use."
"In comparison to other options available in the market, I would rate their pricing as very competitive, probably a two or three out of ten for cost."
"This model is very accessible to implement."
"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a seven out of ten."
"Pricing and licensing could be improved as we are a government entity. Lower pricing could always help."
"The price of VMware NSX is reasonable."
"We are using a perpetual license to use the solution and we have support."
"VMware has a subscription and perpetual license. In the New Year, they're changing many things about the licensing model. Previously, NSX was licensed according to the number of sockets inside the appliance, so we bought VMware licenses based on that. However, that may have changed this year. We are still contacting the vendors to understand the new licensing strategy."
"It is an expensive product, but cheaper than some competing solutions."
"There is a license required for this solution, we pay annually."
"The price of VMware NSX is very good compared to other solutions."
"We haven't had to hire a dedicated network engineer because NSX handles 90 percent of it. The reduced overhead in terms of managing networks has been the biggest plus."
More VMware NSX pricing and cost advice
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
20%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Healthcare Company
8%
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Nutanix Flow?
Nutanix Flow Network Security is a simple solution that is usable, easy to understand, and easy to deploy.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Nutanix Flow?
There are different models like Nutanix AOS Pro or Ultimate license. The prices are different, but it's not in the same price range as Cisco ACI, for example.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Nutanix Flow?
Last time I used it, it was not handy to see or to analyze traffic logs. As a Check Point partner as well, we have some more expectations to log in. Probably, it's possible to forward all the traff...
See all answers
What are the biggest differences between Cisco ACI and VMware NSX?
There are some very major differences between both the Products and to name a few. -Cisco ACI have physical network gear (9K Switches) where the Code runs in ACI Policy Mode & the UCS server wh...
See all answers
What are the biggest differences between Cisco ACI and VMware NSX?
Once you know your way around the Cisco ecosystem, using Cisco ACI is not so difficult. It is a global product, so when you change one interface, changes are automatically reflected on every switch...
See all answers
What do you like most about VMware NSX?
The product has valuable features for security and network extension.
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Akamai Guardicore Segmentation vs Nutanix Flow Network Security
Compared 10% of the time
Illumio vs Nutanix Flow Network Security Logo
Illumio vs Nutanix Flow Network Security
Compared 9% of the time
Cisco Secure Workload vs Nutanix Flow Network Security Logo
Cisco Secure Workload vs Nutanix Flow Network Security
Compared 3% of the time
More Nutanix Flow Network Security Competitors
Illumio vs VMware NSX Logo
Illumio vs VMware NSX
Compared 20% of the time
Akamai Guardicore Segmentation vs VMware NSX Logo
Akamai Guardicore Segmentation vs VMware NSX
Compared 17% of the time
Cisco Secure Workload vs VMware NSX Logo
Cisco Secure Workload vs VMware NSX
Compared 8% of the time
Cisco ACI vs VMware NSX Logo
Cisco ACI vs VMware NSX
Compared 7% of the time
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs VMware NSX Logo
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs VMware NSX
Compared 3% of the time
More VMware NSX Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Nutanix Flow Network Security
June 2025
Nutanix Flow Network Security reportDownload Nutanix Flow Network Security product report
Buyer's Guide
VMware NSX
June 2025
VMware NSX reportDownload VMware NSX product report
 

Also Known As

Nutanix Flow Microsegmentation
VMware Nicira, Lastline Defender
 

Overview

Flow Network Security is a stateful, distributed, microsegmentation firewall. It is provided as part of NCI Ultimate or as part of the optional Security Add-On package for NCI Pro.
Nutanix

VMware NSX is a sophisticated solution utilized for micro-segmentation, network security, software-defined networking, and private cloud construction. It aids in the transition from physical to virtual infrastructure, ensuring efficient network virtualization and security of production workloads.

VMware NSX empowers organizations to manage network functions, implement distributed firewalls, and enhance security within virtual environments. Crucial for disaster recovery and load balancing, it supports cloud-native application development and enterprise clients. Its ease of use, scalability, and seamless integration with existing VMware solutions ensure streamlined network management and swift deployment. Despite its extensive features, areas like pricing, routing functionality, and compatibility with certain platforms require attention.

What are the key features of VMware NSX?
  • Ease of Use: Simplifies network management with an intuitive interface.
  • Scalability: Adapts to growing infrastructure needs seamlessly.
  • Micro-Segmentation: Enhances security by dividing networks into smaller, manageable segments.
  • Integration: Seamlessly works with existing VMware solutions and third-party applications.
  • Dynamic Routing: Optimizes network traffic efficiently.
  • Security Options: Offers robust firewall features and security measures.
  • Automation: Facilitates quick deployment through comprehensive automation capabilities.
  • High Bandwidth: Ensures high-performance network operations.
What benefits and ROI should users look for?
  • Enhanced Network Security: Superior protection for virtual environments.
  • Efficient Disaster Recovery: Reliable support for business continuity.
  • Reduced Deployment Time: Fast implementation and configuration.
  • Improved Network Management: Centralized and streamlined control of network resources.

VMware NSX is widely implemented across industries such as finance, healthcare, and manufacturing. Organizations in these sectors utilize it to bolster security, enhance network efficiency, and support cloud-native applications. By extending on-premise networks into provider spaces and managing virtual access networks, VMware NSX significantly optimizes infrastructure operations.

VMware
 

Sample Customers

JetBlue, International Speedway Corporation, Volkswagen SAIC, Brighton and Hove City Council, Foresters Financial, Janus International Group, Cloud Comrade, Serco
City of Avondale, Lumeta, Kroll Ontrack, Heartland Payment Systems, Baystate Heallth, Exostar, Tribune Media, iGATE, NTT Communications, Synergent, California Natural Resources Agency, Bloomington Public Schools, Columbia Sportswear, Join Experience S.A, Schuberg Philis
Buyer's Guide
Nutanix Flow Network Security vs. VMware NSX
June 2025
Free Report: Nutanix Flow Network Security vs. VMware NSX
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