ExtremeCloud IQ vs Juniper WLC Series comparison

The compared Extreme Networks and Juniper solutions aren't in the same category. Extreme Networks is ranked #13 in NMA , with an average rating of 9.0, and holds a 2.7% mindshare in the category. Juniper is ranked #17 in Wireless LAN , with an average rating of 9.0, and holds a 1.4% mindshare. Additionally, 97% of Extreme Networks users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Juniper users who would recommend it.

ExtremeCloud IQ

Read 77 ExtremeCloud IQ reviews

2,776 Views
555 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

Juniper WLC Series

Read 14 Juniper WLC Series reviews

877 Views
868 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

ExtremeCloud IQ

Juniper WLC Series

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 2, 2025

Juniper WLC Series and ExtremeCloud IQ compete in the wireless network management sector. ExtremeCloud IQ appears to have the upper hand due to its comprehensive cloud management and ease of use, as supported by the data.

Features: Juniper WLC Series offers management flexibility through RingMaster and virtualization with WLCv, supporting up to 256 Wireless Access Points and integrating AI via Marvis for network optimization. ExtremeCloud IQ provides cloud management, a controller-less architecture, and an intuitive interface with centralized control, automated configuration, and easy scalability.

Room for Improvement: Juniper WLC Series needs advanced security features such as WPA3 and has limited traffic monitoring, facing discontinued development and high pricing for small businesses. ExtremeCloud IQ could benefit from UI improvements, faster support, clearer documentation, and better handling of VoIP roaming issues, with users noting its high pricing and complex licensing.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Juniper WLC Series supports on-premises and public cloud deployments with stable technical support but suffers from limited ongoing support due to development cessation. ExtremeCloud IQ excels in hybrid cloud capabilities, praised for its technical support and flexible deployment options, supported by robust documentation.

Pricing and ROI: Juniper WLC Series is considered expensive but offers significant ROI through efficient administration despite being a barrier for smaller enterprises. ExtremeCloud IQ, also noted for high pricing, is valued for its feature-rich environment and stability, though its competitive pricing can strain smaller budgets with recent licensing changes.

To learn more, read our detailed Network Management Applications Report (Updated: December 2025).

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Network Management Applications

December 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

ExtremeCloud IQ

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Management Applications (13th), Network Access Control (NAC) (9th), Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) (18th)

Juniper WLC Series

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Wireless LAN (17th)

Mindshare comparison

ExtremeCloud IQ and Juniper WLC Series aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. ExtremeCloud IQ is designed for Network Management Applications and holds a mindshare of 2.7%, down 2.8% compared to last year.
Juniper WLC Series, on the other hand, focuses on Wireless LAN, holds 1.4% mindshare, up 0.8% since last year.

Network Management Applications Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
ExtremeCloud IQ	2.7%
Cisco DNA Center	14.4%
Cisco Catalyst Center	7.9%
Other	75.0%

Network Management Applications

Wireless LAN Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Juniper WLC Series	1.4%
Aruba Wireless	13.9%
Ruckus Wireless	12.8%
Other	71.9%

Wireless LAN

Featured Reviews

Ufuk KINDAP

Technical Coordinator at Yildiz Technical University

Cloud-based deployment eases IT workload and supports network management

I struggled with the documentation. I expected comprehensive documentation and videos but found them to be too simple. I needed deep details and more thorough resources. Although there were costly courses available, the lack of budget was a hindrance. Improving documentation with more detailed videos and resources would be beneficial.

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RobNelson

National Marketing Manager at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees

AI-driven optimization enhances network management and reduces hardware needs

In my region, access to the product is very difficult and presents a logistical nightmare. Also, pricing is a big problem and a barrier to entry when selling Juniper against competitors. Furthermore, the knowledge of the product's capabilities is not understood properly by those selling it, leading to overselling and overquoting.

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

"The tech who handles Extreme IQ tells me it's easy to use and learn. He felt like it was pretty intuitive. It comes with solid training materials. He also has talked about the security features that give you as much or as little control as you want."

"The cloud-based controller through HiveManager is its most valuable feature. I can manage and configure changes to my access points from anywhere."

"The most valuable feature is the centralized management capability."

"The few times we have needed help, Aerohive has been there for us and I am confident that If I need them they will be there again."

"Integrated Firewall in every AP (with DPI inspection) is a killer feature and it is included already in the price of licence (with others, this feature is an add-on licence)."

"What I like best about ExtremeCloud IQ is its ease of use. Flexibility is another pro of ExtremeCloud IQ. I also find ExtremeCloud IQ feature-rich."

"a true controller-less approach, where each Access Point is 100% independent from the management system."

"It allows me to see APs and clients that are having issues, allowing for faster support response and less downtime."

More ExtremeCloud IQ pros

"Juniper Wireless is reasonable, with a bit of complexity compared to Alibaba and SQL."

"The Artificial Intelligence on offer is very useful."

"There weren't any scalability issues, the product did what it had to do."

"The tool has given us more visibility, but I'm not very technical, so I can't comment on specific features. However, the diagnostic tools for identifying system issues have greatly improved, which we appreciate. We still use Cisco ICE for authentication on the Juniper network, as we did before. We've seen cost benefits with the Juniper WLC Series, which was a key factor in our decision-making during the proof of concept. Besides cost improvements, we've also noticed better resolution of issues and faults in our help desk, thanks to the enhanced features."

"It prevents a large number of unauthorized modifications of access point devices."

"The AI integration with Marvis is very valuable."

"It is a very stable solution."

"Juniper WLC Series is a very high-performance device designed for indoor wireless deployment."

More Juniper WLC Series pros

Cons

"ExtremeCloud IQ’s user interface needs to be improved, and its current bugs need to be fixed."

"The dashboard and stability need to be improved."

"A mobile app would be awesome."

"Their firewall configuration gets funky and it can be difficult to understand."

"Its price could be lower. It is a simplified solution, but it has price challenges. It is costly as compared to other solutions. It has almost everything. The only thing is that MAC is not possible on the cloud, and it has to be on-premises."

"For me, the only issue is the potential delay in the tool statistics updating in real time after making changes."

"From our perspective, we would love to see Aerohive provide faster feature enhancement in their Virtual Appliance to match the features with the cloud solution more quickly."

"Certain features only exist or work in certain versions."

More ExtremeCloud IQ cons

"The biggest issue was that Juniper stopped developing, so we had to look for another solution."

"The solution should create configuration documentation."

"In my region, access to the product is very difficult and presents a logistical nightmare."

"The network coverage of Juniper WLC Series and Cisco is different. We need to add additional access points."

"There could be more information from the controller, and it could be easier to work with the controller lights. It's not easy to bring up the upgrades."

"In my region, access to the product is very difficult and presents a logistical nightmare. Also, pricing is a big problem and a barrier to entry when selling Juniper against competitors."

"Juniper WLC Series has certain shortcomings in traffic monitoring."

"We would prefer it if the solution could be less expensive."

More Juniper WLC Series cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is so cost-effective that it leaves no room for competition with other vendors."

"It is not the cheapest product but I think that the price is reasonable because you get a lot of support of it's needed."

"Previously, ExtremeCloudIQ provided free licensing for all the basic requirements of their customers. An advanced cloud user had to purchase advanced licenses for automation and advanced country features at the enterprise level. They have restricted the licensing, allowing only up to ten units for testing, which is challenging. This limitation becomes problematic, especially in countries like Sri Lanka or other Asian countries, where customers face economic challenges and have limited budgets. The previous free option was beneficial, but it has become tougher to manage with these new changes. They should revise their pricing structure, offering the basic features free of charge for up to 50 AP. Larger entities with more than 50 APs have the budget to support them. Still, it becomes more difficult for small and medium-sized businesses with less than 50 APs to allocate a significant budget for control and management features."

"Price-wise, it is a reasonable tool."

"Buy near the end of Q4 in order to get a deal."

"I am not involved in the price, but I am sure that it is not cheap."

"Bring the cost down."

"Extreme licensing is based on the number of access points. When you buy the license for the first year, everything is included, such as access to mapping, etc. If you don't renew your software assurance for the second year, the access points will still work, but you can't use the cloud management tools."

More ExtremeCloud IQ pricing and cost advice

"The product is relatively affordable for enterprise companies."

"There is a certain amount that needs to be paid towards the licensing charges associated with the product, but though I am not sure, I feel the licenses that we have in our company are for three years."

"The licensing cost is quite high, but considering it's an enterprise solution, the complexity justifies the price."

"The solution's pricing is reasonable."

"Juniper WLC Series is a bit pricey but worth its cost."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

10%

Educational Organization

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

University

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	45
Midsize Enterprise	14
Large Enterprise	24

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	4

Questions from the Community

What are pros and cons of Aruba 515 Series AP vs. Cisco Meraki or Extreme Networks?

Depends. I have personally used both Cisco and Aruba so I am familiar with them. Extreme I am not, so unless they have some feature that I need or want, I wouldn't consider them. Do you have expe...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ExtremeCloud IQ?

The licensing was a challenge due to budget constraints, and I used ExtremeCloud IQ without a license for a period. The documentation and training courses were also costly, impacting how easily I c...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering ExtremeCloud IQ?

I use ExtremeCloud IQ's real-time analytics. In the cloud solution, I get reports, and it works together with machine learning and artificial intelligence for those reports. This tool permits the c...

See all answers

What do you like most about Juniper WLC Series?

Juniper WLC Series is a very high-performance device designed for indoor wireless deployment.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Juniper WLC Series?

Juniper lacks a network access control agent similar to solutions like Alubakya Path and Cisco ISE. There should be a network access control engine. Some customers find it challenging as they do no...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Juniper WLC Series?

I work with Juniper service provider solutions. I have a service provider customer and some enterprise customers in retail.

See all answers

Comparisons

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs ExtremeCloud IQ

Compared 11% of the time

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs ExtremeCloud IQ

Compared 10% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs ExtremeCloud IQ

Compared 9% of the time

Aruba Wireless vs ExtremeCloud IQ

Compared 8% of the time

Ubiquiti Wireless vs ExtremeCloud IQ

Compared 7% of the time

More ExtremeCloud IQ Competitors

Cisco Wireless vs Juniper WLC Series

Compared 28% of the time

Aruba Wireless vs Juniper WLC Series

Compared 22% of the time

Ruckus Wireless vs Juniper WLC Series

Compared 20% of the time

Huawei Wireless vs Juniper WLC Series

Compared 9% of the time

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs Juniper WLC Series

Compared 6% of the time

More Juniper WLC Series Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

ExtremeCloud IQ

January 2026

Download ExtremeCloud IQ product report

Buyer's Guide

Wireless LAN

December 2025

Download Juniper WLC Series product report

Also Known As

Aerohive Networks, Aerohive HiveManager, HiveManager, ExtremeCloud , ExtremeSecurity

Juniper WLAN

Overview

ExtremeCloud is a resilient and scalable cloud-based network management solution offered by Extreme Networks as a subscription service.

The network is your platform of engagement for clients and staff. We have designed ExtremeCloud to provide superior user experience by empowering you and the applications that drive your business. The combination of Extreme Networks’ smart wired and wireless edges and the elasticity, resilience and scalability provided via state-of-the-art datacenters distributed strategically for worldwide availability allows you to respond to the changing needs of your business, at the speed of cloud, through a simple, multi-site aware user interface.

Extreme Networks

WLC Series Wireless LAN Controllers deliver and manage wireless local area networks with the highest level of reliability, performance, security, and management in the industry. They integrate secure, wireless LANs with any size wired infrastructures, from small branch offices to the largest enterprise or university campus.

Juniper

Sample Customers

Henry Ford Health System, Baltimore Ravens, Brandili, Federal University of Alagoas, CEDAE, Caxias do Sul, UNISC Concurrency, CenturyLink Field, Louisiana College, Cricket Tasmania Stadium, Moscow Internet Exchange

Apollo Hotel Papendrecht, Armstrong Atlantic State University, Bajaj Capital, Baloise Insurance, BAS Group, Borealis, Danish Crown, Deloitte Belgium, Jan Yperman Hospital, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, MercaSID, S.A., NHTV Breda University, Parklands College and Christopher Robin Pre-Primary, San Antonio Community Hospital, Sandia National Laboratories, Springfield Public Schools (SPS), St. Catherine University, TalkTalk, The Education Village, University of Copenhagen, University of the Highlands and Islands, University of the West of Scotland (UWS), Valdosta State University, Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec), zulily

Buyer's Guide

Network Management Applications

December 2025

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