AirMagnet Survey vs NetBrain comparison

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75% willing to recommend

AirMagnet Survey

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 11, 2024

AirMagnet Survey and NetBrain are two competing products in the network management and analysis space. Users seem to appreciate the comprehensive feature set of NetBrain more than that of AirMagnet Survey, although AirMagnet Survey is noted for its strong support and more favorable pricing.

Features: AirMagnet Survey is praised for its accurate environmental data visualization, real-time survey capabilities, and straightforward deployment. NetBrain is known for its automation features, dynamic network mapping, and advanced problem diagnosis tools.

Room for Improvement: Users desire enhancements in AirMagnet Survey's reporting functionality, large-scale network performance, and interface usability. For NetBrain, improvements in its learning curve, third-party tool integration, and user interface are called for.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: AirMagnet Survey is noted for its straightforward deployment and responsive customer service. NetBrain deployment is more complex, often requiring more time and expertise, but its customer service is commended for being highly supportive and educational.

Pricing and ROI: AirMagnet Survey offers competitive pricing and is considered a good value for its cost, yielding favorable ROI. NetBrain's pricing is higher, reflecting its extensive feature set, and while it may have a steeper cost, users report it delivers strong ROI due to its advanced capabilities.

To learn more, read our detailed AirMagnet Survey vs. NetBrain Report (Updated: April 2025).

AirMagnet Survey vs. NetBrain

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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

AirMagnet Survey

Ranking in Network Troubleshooting

8th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Modeling and Simulation (2nd)

NetBrain

Ranking in Network Troubleshooting

13th

Average Rating

7.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Automation (6th)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Network Troubleshooting category, the mindshare of AirMagnet Survey is 6.9%, up from 5.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetBrain is 2.9%, up from 1.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Troubleshooting

Featured Reviews

David Olofson

Manager at DD&P Services LLC

It fixes so many problems quickly that we don't regret spending more on high-end tools than most companies

It would be nice to have some more training resources for younger techs. We can use them if we need some assistance, but that usually requires one of us who knows what we're doing to calibrate the programs properly. There's one thing our nXG handhelds do that AirMagnet doesn't do out of the box. The nXG devices can analyze the wired and wireless networks simultaneously and map the networks out. We find it handy. However, if I have that plugged into our older OptiView XG tablets or our laptops, I have no way to analyze both the WiFi and the wired network at the same time and build a single picture with all that data. So far, that's something only our nXG handhelds can do. It would be nice if there were a way to integrate all the network discovery, troubleshooting, and mapping of the WiFi and the wired at the same time. There are almost no products that do that currently. If they managed to do that, they'd probably open up their market pretty quickly.

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Deborah Gamelin

Vice President at Asset Track for Cloud, LLC

Good monitoring and troubleshoot capabilities, improves overall network traffic visibility

In my organization, we had 130,000 network devices that needed to be brought into the solution and mapped. NetBrain can handle the scale but the engineers that manage those devices have to go in and update all of them to allow NetBrain permission to poll them. It can get a little stressful for everybody when you're trying to roll out new stuff when you've got other issues that have to be addressed with other devices. In some cases, our devices had no automation at all. One example is the Cisco 3650. Right now, if you went through the inventory list, you see that we have different versions running. Some are on one version, whereas others are on another version. The problem with upgrading them is that they need to be done overnight because we don't want to disrupt any network traffic during business hours. Consequently, it could take us years to upgrade the versions before we can even get them onto these new tools. This may be an internal issue but it's a big one when you have a lot of devices. Even if you had 10,000 devices, it's still an issue. You have to consider the compatibility of the device against the tool, and being able to use certain commands to upgrade it.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature is the predictive survey. The antennas' RF patterns are reflected correctly on the drawing when preparing predictive heat maps."

"We use the solution for Wi-Fi and networks."

"Clear and easy to use maps."

"The AirMagnet Survey allows you to see the list of APs in the live view. It only supports certain adapters, which can be limiting, but it's also beneficial because these adapters are more comparable to real-life devices like laptops. With Ekahau, Sidekick needs to be used for full features, but I find the Sidekick too strong, which can hamper results. Therefore, I prefer AirMagnet's approach because the adapters provide more realistic readings."

"The most valuable features are the survey, spectrum analysis, and reporting."

"The benefit is with the ease of use of the software, I am able to show the customer, "Here is what your wireless coverage looks like." It is set up in a fashion that non-technical people can understand it."

"The predictive survey is the most valuable feature. I use it quite often."

"I would like to rate the product as eight of ten."

More AirMagnet Survey pros

"Chain management is a good feature. I don't get it on other solutions."

"NetBrain is a very simple tool."

"Enables maps to be drawn out."

"This product has good network monitoring and troubleshooting capabilities."

"A reliable, time-saving tool for providing accurate layer 2 and layer 3 network mappings."

Cons

"I would say some of our newer techs that are going out to job sites can be a little bit intimidated by the interface."

"But it's definitely a more expensive solution than other ones."

"The user interface needs a lot of improvement. The auto-placement of access points is not accurate."

"When you conduct an active survey and then want to use it for design work, it's actually not very useful."

"Printouts are JPEG printouts. The AirMagnet software is proprietary. I can't send my customers a file, because it is AirMagnet file, even for building projects. I can only send JPEGs or screenshots of heat maps."

"Less time consumed doing the real surveys."

"It'd be nice if it was cheaper, however, you get value for your money."

"The throughput should be more advanced in the future. They need to add more versions of WiFi than just one."

More AirMagnet Survey cons

"The solution could integrate more automation."

"Support needs to improve for the installed product and some of the reporting could be more flexible to provide more complete cataloging."

"Each device needs to be configured to allow NetBrain to poll for the information it needs, which can be very time-consuming for a large network."

"It would be nice if the setup was a little simpler. Also, if the solution could provide more training materials for new people coming into our company so they can quickly learn how to use the functionalities."

"The IP interface brief isn't consistent."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing of AirMagnet Survey is different when compared to Ekahu. It is a third of the cost of Ekahau but there are no dedicated laptops to the Sidekick. AirMagnet allows you to license an adapter and share that adapter."

"The pricing needs improvement."

"There is an annual cost of the solution. There are some additional charges, such as support and maintenance."

"The moment we began needing more of the vendor's support, the cost became very high; we switched to another solution."

"This product is very expensive."

"The tool's pricing is medium."

"For technical support, you need an annual license, but it is not worth it."

"The product is expensive, but less expensive than some of the competition and worth the price."

"Licensing is based on a per-device basis, which means that it can get very expensive if you have a large number of devices."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Educational Organization

Government

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Government

11%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about AirMagnet Survey?

We use the solution for Wi-Fi and networks.

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What needs improvement with AirMagnet Survey?

AirMagnet Survey needs to support Wi-Fi 6E otherwise they can lose to the competition. They also need to allow better grouping of SSIDs to one AP, removing the need to filter manually. At the momen...

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What is your primary use case for AirMagnet Survey?

We use AirMagnet Survey, for site verifications after the wireless system has been installed. We conduct pre and post-install surveys with it. We have reduced the use since now our customers requir...

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Product Reports

AirMagnet Survey

Download AirMagnet Survey product report

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Overview

AirMagnet Survey PRO enables network professionals to design, deploy, and validate Wi-Fi 6 networks for optimal performance, security, and compliance. It also calculates the ideal quantity, placement, and configuration of APs for a successful wireless LAN deployment. AirMagnet Survey PRO goes beyond simply verifying RF coverage by plotting actual end-user network performance in terms of connection speed, throughput, and packet statistics by allowing you to use any Wi-Fi adapter or AirMapper™ Site Survey on the AirCheck™ G2 and EtherScope® nXG. Survey PRO helps you get Wi-Fi installations right the first time, preventing costly rework and user complaints.

NetAlly

Managing today’s networks with yesterday’s manual processes is no longer a viable solution. NetBrain’s network automation platform provides actionable insights into your network to help you make better and faster decisions - particularly when you’re troubleshooting, securing, and making changes to the network.

Sample Customers

Houston Methodist Hospital, Love's Travel Stops

CompuCon, TD Ameritrade, Move Inc.

AirMagnet Survey vs. NetBrain