BlueCat Gateway vs VMware NSX comparison

BlueCat and Broadcom are both solutions in the Network Automation category. BlueCat is ranked #17, while Broadcom is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.4. BlueCat holds a 2.3% mindshare in NA, compared to Broadcom’s 4.4% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of BlueCat users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of Broadcom users who would recommend it.

BlueCat Gateway

Read 2 BlueCat Gateway reviews

370 Views
370 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

VMware NSX

Read 107 VMware NSX reviews

7,852 Views
707 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

BlueCat Gateway

VMware NSX

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 6, 2025

VMware NSX and BlueCat Gateway are competing products in the network management domain. VMware NSX holds an advantage in network virtualization, while BlueCat Gateway excels in configuration management and ease of use for specific network tasks.

Features: VMware NSX includes network virtualization, integrated security measures, and automated provisioning. BlueCat Gateway provides efficient DNS management, powerful API integrations, and comprehensive IP address management.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: VMware NSX is known for a complex initial setup but offers extensive support, requiring skilled personnel. BlueCat Gateway is recognized for straightforward deployment and robust customer support, enabling smoother implementation.

Pricing and ROI: VMware NSX involves a higher upfront cost, balanced by potential long-term savings due to scalability and virtualization, promising substantial returns for large-scale deployments. BlueCat Gateway typically presents a lower initial investment, with ROI through streamlined operations and reduced management overhead.

To learn more, read our detailed BlueCat Gateway vs. VMware NSX Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

BlueCat Gateway vs. VMware NSX

March 2026

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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

BlueCat Gateway

Ranking in Network Automation

17th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

8.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

VMware NSX

Ranking in Network Automation

3rd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

107

Ranking in other categories

Network Virtualization (2nd), Cloud and Data Center Security (2nd), Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) (5th), Network Detection and Response (NDR) (7th), Microsegmentation Software (1st)

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Network Automation category, the mindshare of BlueCat Gateway is 2.3%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware NSX is 4.4%, up from 3.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Automation Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
VMware NSX	4.4%
BlueCat Gateway	2.3%
Other	93.3%

Network Automation

Featured Reviews

Frederic Girard

Developer for DDI Team at Cgi Deutschland KG

Simple to use, straightforward to deploy, and provides good support and documentation

One area for improvement in BlueCat Gateway is the time it takes to fill in the dropdown in the UI of the solution because the speed with which the data loads isn't that fast. It would be better if you didn't have to wait for old items to load before seeing the first data. Another area for improvement in BlueCat Gateway is the discovery probe, as it doesn't allow you to see all the setup parameters after you've set it up. This may not be a big issue, but it's something my team noticed that may not be good in the solution.

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TAIYAB HASAN

Windows Redhat Linux Vmware & Azure & Cloud & Nutanix Ahv-Vmware & Backup Senior System Administrator at AlDawaa Medical Services

Has improved network visibility and security through micro-segmentation and SDN capabilities

This feature gives us flexibility and allows us to manage everything under one pane. We can see everything on one console, including network operations and behavior. Monitoring and security are among the best features for VMware NSX. For micro-segmentation, it's integrated with our endpoint security. If there are any issues with servers or VMs, it notifies us so we can isolate the servers and investigate. It provides distributed security features such as firewall and intrusion, IDS, IPS. The security level with IPS and IDS in VMware NSX is excellent. It also provides logical switching and routing which gives an extra layer for Layer 2 and Layer 3 switching requirements. The solution provides flexibility, automation, and self-service capabilities, resulting in cost savings as extensive expertise isn't required. Once automation and self-service are implemented, many tasks can be completed automatically. Load balancing is another excellent feature. Multiple servers can run on load balancing features, which is particularly useful since we have many application servers running. Sharing loads between servers provides the best performance.

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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 ability to develop a kiosk-like solution for in-person assistance is crucial."

"We found IP and Network Discovery the most valuable features of BlueCat Gateway. Our team found it very easy to build, verify, and validate APIs in BlueCat Gateway, mainly if the users have a background in development and APIs. Our team found that BlueCat Gateway answers our needs well."

"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 most valuable features of VMware NSX are the tight integration with the VMware Hypervisor natively and the management console. We have a lot of other integrations where you are able to see the virtual machine's end-to-end visibility."

"The most valuable feature of VMware NSX is the load balancing and routing of firewall rules, and many of the features are beneficial."

"Technically, VMware NSX is more advanced technology-wise when compared to others. We have been studying it and so far, so good. We know that the NSX product is superior when it comes to software virtualized networks. </p> <p>If you are looking to work with new and future technologies, then NSX is one of the best options. It costs less for power consumption since it will be a virtual network and not a pure physical network that consumes more energy."

"The interface is intuitive enough."

"The micro-segmentation and the ability to create policy rules are valuable."

"VMware NSX has improved our organization in the way that we can now deploy many VMs faster than before and so we are scaling up much faster."

"The solution is very stable and reliable."

More VMware NSX pros

Cons

"My most significant concern is that the documentation has problems."

"One area for improvement in BlueCat Gateway is the time it takes to fill in the dropdown in the UI of the solution because the speed with which the data loads isn't that fast. It would be better if you didn't have to wait for old items to load before seeing the first data."

"There is room for improvement in VMware NSX's workload management, particularly in the orchestration layer and in managing workloads across multiple clouds."

"VMware NSX provides a lot of automation capabilities, but there is still room for improvement."

"I would rate this product an eight because it's a good product but it needs more work. They should fix some of the bugs."

"The price could be better. The non-enterprise version of the product should also be improved. I would like VMware to expand beyond the network and provide some VLAN technologies and more. I think we have one, but it's more on the distribution side because it's more on the upper side of the network. I'm looking forward to that."

"NSX V has less security features than NSX T just so you are aware"

"VMware NSX can improve the migration tools from the older environments to the new environment."

"Some configuration maximums are limiting to the user, especially when it comes to the deployment of very, very large environments."

"In some cases, we had to uninstall and install from scratch NSX and restore from backup, which in a real world scenario won't be desirable to do."

More VMware NSX cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost is actually quite favorable based on our negotiations."

"Our customers have definitely complained about its cost. It's expensive. I'd rate it a nine out of ten in terms of pricing where ten represents a high price. There are other products out there that are equally expensive."

"Pricing and licensing could be improved as we are a government entity. Lower pricing could always help."

"It is an expensive product, but cheaper than some competing solutions."

"The pricing is higher than other options from Palo Alto, Fortinet, and Cisco because it is sold in a bundle."

"The price is significantly high and it can be a hurdle for many potential users."

"The implementation of VMware NSX can be cost-intensive, especially if an organization is looking for a comprehensive solution. The costs can vary based on factors like the level of conversation and discounts obtained during negotiations. Some government organizations, for instance, may find the prices relatively high, leading to concerns about budget hikes, especially when deploying the solution across the entire organization. Regarding maintenance and support, they are typically included in the standard licensing costs for enterprise-level businesses. While these costs can be significant, many companies opt for standard licensing to ensure they have access to necessary support and maintenance services."

"The price is based on the virtual desktop infrastructure(VDI) side and also is dependant on the size of the environment. The price is expensive and it could attract more purchasers in smaller organisations if it was reduced."

"The licensing is renewed every three years. The cost for implementation and renovation are a huge portion of that price."

More VMware NSX pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Financial Services Firm

11%

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	34
Midsize Enterprise	23
Large Enterprise	69

Questions from the Community

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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...

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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...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for VMware NSX?

When measuring complexity and costs for our organization, we consider some parameters for effectiveness. In terms of effectiveness in reducing operational complexity, I measure it to be high on the...

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Comparisons

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Compared 25% of the time

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Compared 19% of the time

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs BlueCat Gateway

Compared 11% of the time

BMC TrueSight Automation for Networks vs BlueCat Gateway

Compared 11% of the time

VMware Aria Automation vs BlueCat Gateway

Compared 11% of the time

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Illumio vs VMware NSX

Compared 13% of the time

Nutanix Flow Network Security vs VMware NSX

Compared 13% of the time

Akamai Guardicore Segmentation vs VMware NSX

Compared 10% of the time

Cisco Secure Workload vs VMware NSX

Compared 7% of the time

Cisco ACI vs VMware NSX

Compared 5% of the time

More VMware NSX Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Network Automation

March 2026

Download BlueCat Gateway product report

Buyer's Guide

VMware NSX

March 2026

Download VMware NSX product report

Also Known As

BlueCat Network Automation

VMware Nicira, Lastline Defender

Overview

BlueCat Gateway allows you to automate and transform mission-critical business requirements into DNS, DDI, DHCP, and IPAM workflows, plugins, and applications and enables the rapid development of turn-key integrations with existing technology investments. Using zero-touch automation frees IT teams from time-consuming, error-prone, and repetitive network configuration and provisioning tasks so they can focus on the innovation business needs. BlueCat’s automation platform automates the DNS services necessary to provision and deallocates cloud and on-premises resources, enabling IT to respond faster to user requests.

BlueCat

VMware NSX is a comprehensive tool for network virtualization and security, offering advanced features like micro-segmentation and multi-cloud networking to enhance scalability and management efficiency within enterprises.

VMware NSX revolutionizes enterprise networking by integrating security and scalability into one streamlined platform. With capabilities like dynamic policy updates and automation, it simplifies complex configurations and provides robust API integration. Its support for Layer 4 and 7 load balancing, along with its seamless integration in multi-cloud environments, makes it a preferred choice among companies. Although deployment speed and management console features require refinement, NSX is an effective solution for private cloud and hybrid environments, enabling centralized orchestration and management of complex networks.

What are the key features of VMware NSX?

Micro-segmentation: Provides secure, granular network segmentation for enhanced security.
Distributed Firewall: Offers policy-driven firewall capabilities across all network endpoints.
Automation: Enables dynamic policy updates and simplifies network configurations.
API Integration: Facilitates seamless third-party integrations and improves configuration processes.
Multi-Cloud Networking: Supports seamless integration across various cloud environments.

What benefits and ROI should users consider?

Scalability: Offers significant improvements in network scalability and management efficiency.
Security: Ensures enhanced security through advanced features like micro-segmentation.
Cost-Effectiveness: Potential to reduce costs through network automation and efficiency improvements.
Flexibility: Supports various enterprise requirements with its comprehensive feature set.

In the tech industry, VMware NSX is instrumental in managing private and hybrid cloud environments, allowing companies to replace traditional networking with software-defined networks. In finance, it helps secure transactional data through micro-segmentation. Healthcare organizations leverage its flexibility for managing sensitive patient information securely and integrating cloud services.

Broadcom

Sample Customers

US Department of Energy, Swisslos, DXC, Edeka SouthWest

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

BlueCat Gateway vs. VMware NSX

March 2026

Free Report: BlueCat Gateway vs. VMware NSX

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