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ExtremeCloud IQ vs Portnox comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 28, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
6.6
ExtremeCloud IQ boosts productivity, reduces costs, simplifies management, and enhances scalability, positively impacting ROI and customer satisfaction.
Sentiment score
5.5
Portnox enhances security and efficiency, offering cost-effective NAC solutions with easier management compared to Cisco ISE or Aruba ClearPass.
I managed to support and deploy ExtremeCloud IQ and handle network management without requiring external staffing, thus saving on external hiring costs.
Technical Coordinator at Yildiz Technical University
If I compare this to an on-premises environment using Cisco ISE or Aruba ClearPass, it would require phenomenally large teams for infrastructure management.
Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
If you were moving from a traditional on-premise NAC that was 100% managed by the IT department, there would be great savings in going to a cloud-based NAC with Portnox.
IT Infrastructure Manager at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.8
ExtremeCloud IQ is praised for responsive, knowledgeable customer service, despite minor training and escalation improvement suggestions.
Sentiment score
6.8
Portnox customer service is praised for responsiveness, with some suggesting improvements in issue resolution and ticket handling.
GTAC receives a score of ten out of ten.
Ingeniero De Preventa at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
I experienced effective help mainly remotely, though for some issues, a technical person had to assist on-site.
Technical Coordinator at Yildiz Technical University
The main area needing improvement is the technical knowledge of support staff.
Senior Network Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
For very high severity issues where the entire office is non-functional, response time is within 30 minutes.
Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
They respond very immediately and provide detailed, amazing support.
Systems Analyst at a construction company with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
ExtremeCloud IQ is praised for seamless scalability, easy integration, and reliable performance in both small and large deployments.
Sentiment score
7.6
Portnox scales efficiently, supporting many endpoints and users, though costs may increase with growth; cloud features enhance adaptability.
They ensure the backend can support it and do the provisioning while maintaining headroom and elasticity.
Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
ExtremeCloud IQ is generally stable with high performance, though occasional firmware bugs and delays can impact operations.
Sentiment score
7.4
Portnox is generally stable and reliable, but some users report latency and configuration issues, particularly with CORE.
It requires some time to update, which affects real-time management.
Technical Coordinator at Yildiz Technical University
The product itself is available and its uptime is 100%.
Systems Analyst at a construction company with 1,001-5,000 employees
In the four years that I used Portnox, if it crashed or the server crashed, that would not have been more than once.
Information Technology System Administrator at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
If there is a version one and another version, the communication between the organization using it and Portnox should be firm so they can coordinate effectively.
Windows Server Administrator/ IT Support Officer at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Users seek a simpler interface, improved support, and enhanced features, highlighting issues with bugs, security, and pricing concerns.
Portnox needs interface, integration, and support improvements; licensing, cloud reliance, and user convenience issues impact user satisfaction.
I needed deep details and more thorough resources.
Technical Coordinator at Yildiz Technical University
This integration aids in resolving problems and issues found in the network and enhances support with the GTAC team of Extreme Networks.
Ingeniero De Preventa at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Ideally, we should be able to search for any MAC address in the database, regardless of its authentication status, to see all its associated groups and potential conflicts.
President at TrackerSoft
When I'm doing filtering at times, it doesn't filter the items properly.
Systems Analyst at a construction company with 1,001-5,000 employees
They don't have much support during Asia Pacific hours.
IT Network Engineer at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Setup Cost

ExtremeCloud IQ pricing is competitive, offering comprehensive licensing and discounts, appealing to buyers prioritizing quality and reliability.
Portnox offers scalable, device-based yearly pricing viewed as reasonable, though subscription-only options raise concerns for some users.
The licensing was a challenge due to budget constraints, and I used ExtremeCloud IQ without a license for a period.
Technical Coordinator at Yildiz Technical University
If you compare Portnox with all other well-known standard products, it is the cheapest.
IT Network Engineer at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
The pricing is a bit high, possibly due to the cloud features and running instances across regions like the US, Asia, and Europe.
President at TrackerSoft
You are charged according to the number of users.
Senior Network Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
 

Valuable Features

ExtremeCloud IQ provides scalable, cloud-based network management with AI analytics, enhancing performance, security, and reducing costs for businesses.
Portnox provides scalable, cloud-based network security with intuitive management, seamless integration, real-time alerts, and comprehensive endpoint visibility.
For networking and access points, it acts as a controller in a cloud environment, eliminating the need for an appliance controller or wireless LAN controller, thus saving on investment and reducing TCO costs.
Ingeniero De Preventa at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
The automation and information provided by ExtremeCloud IQ, such as connection status and logs, were very beneficial.
Technical Coordinator at Yildiz Technical University
It's notable how Portnox has improved operational efficiency.
IT Network Engineer at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
It is a very robust application because three teams use that part: the network team, the security team, and the support people.
Windows Server Administrator/ IT Support Officer at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
It is very easy to implement on our current network hardware.
Systems Analyst at a construction company with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

ExtremeCloud IQ
Ranking in Network Access Control (NAC)
9th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
77
Ranking in other categories
Network Management Applications (13th), Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) (18th)
Portnox
Ranking in Network Access Control (NAC)
6th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
ZTNA (11th), Passwordless Authentication (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Network Access Control (NAC) category, the mindshare of ExtremeCloud IQ is 1.4%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Portnox is 5.5%, up from 2.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Access Control (NAC) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Portnox5.5%
ExtremeCloud IQ1.4%
Other93.1%
Network Access Control (NAC)
 

Featured Reviews

UK
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.
Reviewer921606 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Centralized access control has simplified operations but still needs more flexible on‑prem options
Portnox has design considerations that limit its applicability. If you are in a highly regulated industry with mandates requiring the solution to be completely on-premises, Portnox does not work at all. I do not think they position their products for those industries. Even for non-heavily regulated industries, if you want a self-sufficient system within your own premises, there are design constraints because at some point you must reach out to Portnox infrastructure in the cloud, and if that is unavailable, it suffers. For example, on deep-sea oil rigs without proper connectivity, it struggles. I am not sure they want to enter that particular business segment, as it may not align with their value proposition. I cannot blindly select this product and deploy it everywhere; I must make deliberate decisions first. Portnox could improve by reducing its heavy reliance on the cloud. While I do not think they want to eliminate this aspect, a complete solution for regulated entities would include some on-premises setup that is self-sufficient and does not depend on the cloud. This is the most important improvement. Second, Portnox already has a robust integration ecosystem with many vendors, but not all. Even when integration exists, the extent varies, particularly regarding vendor-specific attributes. I have never faced challenges because my security tools and stack have been standard: Cisco, Aruba access points, Cisco switches, and UniFi, all of which work well with them. However, there is room for deeper integration when compared to tools like Cisco ISE and Aruba ClearPass. Their offerings are clear, easy to onboard, and their day zero and day one onboarding activities are streamlined and straightforward. They share best practice checklists that make configuration simple.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
10%
Educational Organization
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Computer Software Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Healthcare Company
9%
Computer Software Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business45
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise24
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business13
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise7
 

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...
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...
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...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Portnox Clear?
I know that IT solutions are expensive. You are charged according to the number of users. For now, the organisation can afford it, but smaller organisations may not be, so Portnox can also consider...
What needs improvement with Portnox Clear?
The area Portnox needs to organise more training for its partners. They are doing well, but areas of knowledge gaps are still visible. There are times unexpected things happen with Portnox, like Po...
What is your primary use case for Portnox Clear?
My use case for Portnox is access control, specifically focused on access control.
 

Also Known As

Aerohive Networks, Aerohive HiveManager, HiveManager, ExtremeCloud , ExtremeSecurity
Access Layers Portnox, Portnox CLEAR
 

Interactive Demo

 

Overview

 

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
Data Realty, Royal London, Wales Millennium Centre, McLaren Construction Group, EL AL Israeli Airlines, 
Find out what your peers are saying about ExtremeCloud IQ vs. Portnox and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.