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ExtremeCloud IQ vs Sophos Network Access Control comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 5, 2024

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
Ranking in Network Access Control (NAC)
10th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
77
Ranking in other categories
Network Management Applications (12th), Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) (17th)
Sophos Network Access Control
Ranking in Network Access Control (NAC)
7th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
24
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Network Access Control (NAC) category, the mindshare of ExtremeCloud IQ is 2.0%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sophos Network Access Control is 2.7%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Access Control (NAC) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Sophos Network Access Control2.7%
ExtremeCloud IQ2.0%
Other95.3%
Network Access Control (NAC)
 

Featured Reviews

José Roldan - PeerSpot reviewer
Ingeniero De Preventa at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Has improved network monitoring with AI-driven insights and centralized device management
The best features of ExtremeCloud IQ include the integration of different vendors in one dashboard, the evolution of the manager, and any devices in networking. The impact of ExtremeCloud IQ on my organization is positive as the deployment is for a hybrid solution, using third-party vendors and cloud solutions for Extreme devices, switches, IP, and access points or SD-WAN solution devices. My IT team is occupied with other jobs, and ExtremeCloud IQ helps with monitoring networking at low costs. 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.
HirenPatel2 - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager at rspl
Have faced delays in support despite strong multi-layer policy configuration
I have observed some disadvantages as we have experienced one particular problem. We were facing an issue of synchronization of the endpoint with our firewall with help on a cloud for heartbeat syncing. However, it was not syncing as per our requirement. The user has to connect our firewall with the help of VPN. We were supposed to assume a solution on a cloud, which has good synchronization on a cloud with Sophos Central. It will sync with our firewall as well with the help of Sophos Central. Endpoint and firewall synchronization is not as smooth as we are expecting from Sophos Network Access Control. We have to connect with VPN. We are expecting that if we have already installed an endpoint on our system and it is connected to the internet, then it must be synchronized on a cloud with Sophos Central. Through Sophos Central, it must connect with our firewall. If the endpoint is configured on Sophos Central and the firewall is also configured in Sophos Central, then there should be no need to connect to VPN.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Customer Service: Our VAR/customer service is very responsive and always goes the extra mile."
"Flexible configuration, multitude of features, and cloud management are the most valuable features."
"With multiple tasks, Aerohive has been a huge time saver and streamlined our IT tasks."
"What our customers like the most is that this device is so rugged, has very good performance and throughput, and its console is very easy to use with many features, which makes it different from its competitors."
"Overall, we are definitely satisfied with this product."
"ExtremeCloud IQ is a complete package with the pilot and the co-pilot feature that gives me full visibility of the network."
"The deployment made my life very easy."
"Its configuration and deployment are the most valuable."
"Sophos Network Access Control is easy to implement, use, and manage, and I recommend it."
"The system right now covers all my needs and it's very comfortable to work with."
"Sophos Network Access Control saves our clients time and money."
"The initial setup is very easy."
"What Sophos has done is integrate almost the entire OSI layer infrastructure. It gives me visibility across my infrastructure. It gives me visibility into all the mobile devices that are on my network and into the security I have on those mobile devices."
"Sophos Network Access Control has many valuable features: for access controls, MAC binding is available, the authentication page is useful, and continuous device assessments have a positive impact on our network security management."
"Sophos' technical support is great, very fast and responsive, and they always know how to fix the problem."
"The user interface makes it easy to configure and use."
 

Cons

"We have had some mediocre to poor experiences with tech support: Conflicting information, condescending attitudes, and reluctance to work to resolve an issue."
"I struggled with the documentation. I expected comprehensive documentation and videos but found them to be too simple."
"I personally think the user interface could do with touching up but that’s being overly critical as I can’t think of anything hardware related that requires improvement."
"There are some things that need to be fixed. For example, the solution will show us that there are some issues, but when we try to find those issues, we can't see them."
"From my perspective, they need to add cyber asset tracking."
"ExtremeCloud should invest in an SD-WAN solution or integration with SD-WAN."
"Need port aggregation on the 2384 switches to take full advantage of ac on the APs. I understand that is on their product road map."
"I think their bandwidth steering could use some tweaking, in a high density deployment with a lot of 2.4Ghz only clients it causes problems and we had to turn it off in those areas."
"There is room for improvement in pricing."
"In order to provide better management, it would be ideal with they offered better plugins for their firewall."
"I would like to see mobile administration capabilities in the next release so that we can administer the device from a mobile device."
"I'd like to see them include direct integration with Active Directory."
"In order to provide better management, it would be ideal if they offered better plugins for their firewall."
"Endpoint and firewall synchronization is not as smooth as we are expecting from Sophos Network Access Control."
"The solution could increase the integration with other platforms or other systems."
"It would be good if Sophos Network Access Control had better integration with other devices."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is so cost-effective that it leaves no room for competition with other vendors."
"I would advise that you be sure to compare apples with apples. Many customers just look at the price per AP and licences, and compare that against other solutions. But, they do not look at the complete picture such as: TCO - how much the equipment will cost you over, say, seven years? Will the customer need to change complete infrastructure when they want to buy the newest hardware? Does support include a lifetime warranty and RMA?"
"ExtremeCloud IQ's pricing is medium, but its support contract costs more."
"Although the pricing is a bit high, I consider Aerohive to be well worth the money."
"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."
"I did a multi-year license. It was a three-year license. It compares well with others in terms of the price. It is about a hundred dollars per year on a three-year scale."
"Bring the cost down."
"I am not involved in the price, but I am sure that it is not cheap."
"Sophos Network Access Control is costly but has a similar price range as CrowdStrike and Check Point. The product can get more market share if Sophos can play around with Sophos Network Access Control pricing and improve it."
"It provides a moderate pricing option for all of its features and benefits."
"Sophos Network Access Control is an expensive solution."
"Sophos Network Access Control is very cheap compared to other solutions like Cisco, Barracuda, and Palo Alto."
"I rate the price of Sophos Network Access Control a five out of ten."
"It is quite expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Construction Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Healthcare Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Government
8%
Manufacturing 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 Business16
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise3
 

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 Sophos Network Access Control?
The pricing of Sophos Network Access Control is good, but it is somewhat high.
What needs improvement with Sophos Network Access Control?
In my opinion, one feature that should be added is the ability to trace emails from individuals who change their IP address or send misbehaving emails from alternative networks. If someone sends a ...
What is your primary use case for Sophos Network Access Control?
Sophos Network Access Control serves primary use cases for both networking purposes and security purposes.
 

Also Known As

Aerohive Networks, Aerohive HiveManager, HiveManager, ExtremeCloud , ExtremeSecurity
No data available
 

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
Rushmoor Borough Council
Find out what your peers are saying about ExtremeCloud IQ vs. Sophos Network Access Control and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,244 professionals have used our research since 2012.