Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs macmon Network Access Control comparison

Cisco and macmon secure are both solutions in the Network Access Control (NAC) category. Cisco is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.1, while macmon secure is ranked #13. Cisco holds a 22.8% mindshare in NAC, compared to macmon secure’s 2.9% mindshare. Additionally, 87% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of macmon secure users who would recommend it.

Cisco Identity Services Eng...

Read 144 Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) reviews

15,318 Views
9,957 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

macmon Network Access Control

Read 3 macmon Network Access Control reviews

1,247 Views
1,247 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cisco Identity Services Eng...

macmon Network Access Control

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 5, 2024

Cisco Identity Services Engine and macmon Network Access Control are competing products in the network access control category. Cisco ISE seems to have the upper hand for its comprehensive feature set and robust security capabilities, while macmon Network Access Control is favored for straightforward deployment and integration.

Features: Cisco ISE provides granular visibility, centralized policy management, and integration with various security tools. It offers extensive scalability, making it a fit for enterprise clients with complex security requirements. Macmon Network Access Control is known for an intuitive interface, simple configuration, and is often suitable for smaller networks prioritizing ease of use. It balances user-friendly design with essential network control functions.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco ISE has a complex deployment model due to sophisticated capabilities, leading to longer setup times but is supported by comprehensive customer service and documentation. Macmon Network Access Control offers quick deployment and simple integration with responsive customer service, ensuring a smoother onboarding process and an expedited, simplified deployment experience.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco ISE often involves higher initial setup costs due to its extensive security features, offering high ROI for large-scale deployments needing comprehensive security. Macmon Network Access Control is a cost-effective option with a lower initial investment, appealing to businesses seeking efficient network control without a substantial financial outlay. While Cisco ISE may yield greater long-term value for larger organizations, macmon offers a cost-effective model for smaller businesses.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs. macmon Network Access Control Report (Updated: November 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs. macmon Network Access Control

November 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

Cisco Identity Services Eng...

Ranking in Network Access Control (NAC)

1st

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

144

Ranking in other categories

Cisco Security Portfolio (1st)

macmon Network Access Control

Ranking in Network Access Control (NAC)

13th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2025, in the Network Access Control (NAC) category, the mindshare of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is 22.8%, down from 28.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of macmon Network Access Control is 2.9%, up from 2.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Access Control (NAC) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)	22.8%
macmon Network Access Control	2.9%
Other	74.3%

Network Access Control (NAC)

Featured Reviews

NicolasFigaro

Network and Technology Information Manager at Akkodis

Has improved authentication management and simplified visitor network access

The log capacity in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) could be enhanced because today natively on the ISE can only have a look at the logs from the day before. You cannot search into the oldest logs; you have to use another tool for that. This can be blocking if you don't have any log consolidation solution. To do a search for an issue or something that happened two days ago, you cannot search directly in there. The capacity of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) could be enhanced. Something between one week and one month for the log capacity would be nice.

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Yusuf Oezeren

Senior System Engineer at MOD IT GmbH

A robust solution that provides protection to effectively control the access to your network

The single sign-on process can be improved and the interface should be made more user-friendly. The interface is user-friendly but, for example, when we have new people starting to work, they never work with NetOne and it is a bit hard to expand in certain places. In addition, when I have to pull the last corrected MAC address, I need to put the space between it in order to find the address. If I don't put it in there, I don't get any resources. This needs improvement. They should maybe add integration with LanSuite. We can include it to see the direct information we get from our LAN Tree. If I click on the MAC address, I will then directly get the hostname, and that will open a tap-in line so I see what the last update was.

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

"It works as a good RADIUS server. It has lots of features. It works with all the proprietary Cisco AB pairs and features."

"We found that the most valuable features associated with this tool are posture assessment, policy management, VLAN assignments, guest assignment, and BYOD services. In addition to these services, the Cisco IOS software switch configuration feature is another very valuable aspect of the policy and compliance solution."

"It's scalable."

"The solution enables us to do everything from one interface."

"The feature that I most like is that it can notify me whenever someone plugs in their device, which is not allowed. I get notifications for new laptop devices. I think the user interface looks good compared to previous versions."

"A lot of customers use a third party to manage their guest Wi-Fi. Cisco ISE presents the ability to bring that in-house so that customers can have full control over it, change the branding, and get extra telemetry from it and the user data. It works really well for our customers."

"In terms of scalability, you need to factor in your licenses. With a virtual platform, the scalability is more than sufficient. We have over one thousand users."

"The first benefit is that we can implement zero trust architecture because of Cisco ISE. I can assure my CISO in my company that my network is such that nobody can just bring in their laptop, desktop, or any sort of mobile device and can directly get connected to my network. That is a benefit that I can only allow people who I trust on the network."

More Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) pros

"The ease of connecting with the client is valuable for me."

"The API is a great way to get information from other tools."

"We use it with our Cisco switches so we can see which switch it is actually connected to."

Cons

"There is room for improvement in CLI. Most things are done through the GUI, and there aren't many commands or troubleshooting options available compared to other Cisco products like switches and routers."

"I'm working from China currently and the only real issue is that, within the country, there's some concern around Cisco and its ability to offer the solution for the long term. As the United States has banned the Huawei version in their country, we feel there may be retaliation in ours and Cisco will get banned as a countermeasure from the government. The future of Cisco in China is in question. Our local partners are worried about the situation."

"In an upcoming release, it would be nice to have NAC already standard in the solution."

"We face many bugs."

"The price could be better. I would like to see more integration with third-party solutions in the next release. This is because many of my clients don't have Cisco."

"Cisco ISE integration with Cisco ACI is something that can be done in a less complex way. And the simplification in that area may help us do better."

"Cisco could improve the GUIs on their hardware."

"This product doesn't work in isolation."

More Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) cons

"The solution must allow users to filter files based on dates."

"The single sign-on process can be improved and the interface should be made more user-friendly."

"The service macmon offers is already great."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is a license to use this solution and the price is reasonable."

"I believe I have paid around $1,000 in licensing fees. The license is annual."

"That's where things got a bit more complicated. Previously, it was a one-time purchase and we just had to renew support. These days, there's a subscription model, which is supposed to be easier and cheaper as well, but it's more pricey"

"Pricing and licensing are not my expertise. As far as budgeting is concerned, we run an ELA with Cisco. It's a part of our ELA."

"The Essentials licensing is reasonable, but I would like the Premier version to be perpetual instead of a subscription."

"I think licensing costs roughly $2,000 a year. ISE is more expensive than Network Access Control."

"It is not that pricey."

"In general, licensing can be quite complex with Cisco products. It would be nice if it was a bit more intuitive and had fewer "gotchas" in there."

More Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) pricing and cost advice

"The solution is not expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Government

Manufacturing Company

15%

Computer Software Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

Retailer

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	44
Midsize Enterprise	31
Large Enterprise	91

No data available

Questions from the Community

Which is better - Aruba Clearpass or Cisco ISE?

Aruba ClearPass is a Network Access Control tool that gives secure network access to multiple device types. You can adapt the policies to VPN access, wired, or wireless access. You can securely ...

See all answers

What are the main differences between Cisco ISE and Forescout Platform?

OK, so Cisco ISE uses 802.1X to secure switchports against unauthorized access. The drawback of this is that ISE cannot secure the port if a device does not support 802.1x. Cameras, badge readers, ...

See all answers

How does Cisco ISE compare with Fortinet FortiNAC?

Cisco ISE uses AI endpoint analytics to identify new devices based on their behavior. It will also notify you if someone plugs in with a device that is not allowed and will block it. The user exper...

See all answers

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Comparisons

Aruba ClearPass vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 22% of the time

Fortinet FortiNAC vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 19% of the time

Forescout Platform vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 8% of the time

CyberArk Privileged Access Manager vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 4% of the time

ExtremeControl vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 2% of the time

More Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) Competitors

Aruba ClearPass vs macmon Network Access Control

Compared 44% of the time

Fortinet FortiNAC vs macmon Network Access Control

Compared 20% of the time

Forescout Platform vs macmon Network Access Control

Compared 7% of the time

Impulse Point SafeConnect vs macmon Network Access Control

Compared 5% of the time

More macmon Network Access Control Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

December 2025

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) report

Download Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) product report

Buyer's Guide

macmon Network Access Control

November 2025

Download macmon Network Access Control product report

Also Known As

Cisco ISE

macmon NAC

Overview

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) offers comprehensive network access control and visibility, supporting features like 802.1X authentication, profiling, and posturing. It integrates with Microsoft and other Cisco products, facilitating robust security policies across distributed networks.

Cisco Identity Services Engine is a key player in network access control, offering centralized management and a user-friendly interface. It supports zero trust principles and provides strong authentication for wired and wireless networks. ISE's capabilities include granular security policies, enhanced device posturing, and seamless integration, bolstering security infrastructure. Users benefit from its dual authentication through EAP, simplifying access management across networks.

What are the key features of Cisco ISE?

802.1X Authentication: Supports network security for authorized device access.
Profiling: Identifies devices for accurate policy enforcement.
Posturing: Evaluates device compliance for access decisions.
TACACS: Streamlines network device authentication and authorization.
Guest Access: Provides secure access to visitors.
Microsoft Compatibility: Seamlessly integrates with Microsoft environments.

What benefits and ROI should be considered?

Security Enhancement: Offers strong network security policies.
Operational Efficiency: Centralized management improves operational aspects.
Improved Compliance: Ensures adherence to industry standards.
Scalability: Supports growing network demands effectively.

In industries like finance, healthcare, and education, Cisco ISE is pivotal for securing wired and wireless networks, implementing BYOD policies, and managing user access. Organizations leverage ISE for effective authentication and authorization, while maintaining compliance with industry security standards.

Cisco

With macmon Network Access Control you always know which devices are connected to your network and where. It provides profound protection for your corporate network and is a centralized security authority that protects your network against intrusion from unauthorized devices, and ensures the complete overview of all your devices.

UFOs (unknown frightening objects) are a thing of the past, as all your devices such as PCs, printers, laptops, medical and technical devices are identified at any time, efficiently monitored and protected against unauthorized access. Guest and employee devices (BYOD) can be easily and securely authorized via the macmon guest service using dynamic management of network segmentation.

To protect your network against unauthorized access, macmon provides two efficient product bundles as well as additional Add-Ons.

Find out more:
- macmon NAC Bundles
- macmon NAC features

macmon secure

Sample Customers

Aegean Motorway, BC Hydro, Beachbody, Bucks County Intermediate Unit , Cisco IT, Derby City Council, Global Banking Customer, Gobierno de Castilla-La Mancha, Houston Methodist, Linz AG, London Hydro, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Molina Healthcare, MST Systems, New South Wales Rural Fire Service, Reykjavik University, Wildau University

More than 1,500 installations in all over Europe in all industries: Stepchange, Volkswagen, Vivantes Healthcare, MBDA Weapons, APS engineering, Alfred Ritter GmbH (Ritter Sport), Haßberg-Kliniken, 1. FSV Mainz 05 eV., Siempelkamp, AEB etc.

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs. macmon Network Access Control

November 2025

Free Report: Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs. macmon Network Access Control

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