ExtremeCloud IQ vs Sophos Network Access Control comparison

ExtremeCloud IQ vs. Sophos Network Access Control

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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

Ranking in Network Access Control (NAC)

10th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Management Applications (10th), Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) (18th)

Sophos Network Access Control

Ranking in Network Access Control (NAC)

6th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Network Access Control (NAC) category, the mindshare of ExtremeCloud IQ is 0.7%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sophos Network Access Control is 1.5%, down from 1.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Access Control (NAC)

Featured Reviews

Sriman L

Senior Network Engineer at Nipun Net Solutions

One of the best cloud-based wireless solutions that helps manage multiple APs from a single dashboard across multiple locations

ExtremeCloud IQ’s user interface needs to be improved, and its current bugs need to be fixed. Sometimes, AP details, like the AP firmware and the AP hostname, are not updating properly because of a few bugs in the current version, which they might fix in the next version. Compared to the central and other cloud solutions, a couple of bugs still running on these portals need to be rectified. For ExtremeCloud IQ's next releases, I expect to get all the users and the events alerts. Also, if any AP goes down, I should be able to do some scheduled reports specific to the site because it is currently in beta. If any AP goes offline, that's an event. If you want to do the filter for a specific site event, we don't have that filter option. I expect specific site-level and category-level events and alert filters to get reports.

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Abdul Basit

Assistant Manager IT at Asia Petroleum Limited

An affordable solution that provides web protection, URL filtering, and application filtering

Web protection, URL filtering, and application filtering are the most valuable features of Sophos Network Access Control Sophos Network Access Control needs improvement regarding its slow interface, loading time, and reporting. Big companies with 1,000 or 1,500 users might face difficulties using…

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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

"When we deployed the new IP that is managed wirelessly in the cloud, it fixed the problems. Now, we don't have any more reports, and everything works fine."

"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."

"What our customers like the most is that this device is so rugged. It has very good performance and throughput. Its console is very easy to use and has many features, which makes it different from its competitors. Cloud IQ has all the features built into the console, whereas other solutions require you to integrate multiple solutions with their consoles. You don't need to add anything extra with Cloud IQ. With this single solution, you can do almost everything."

"The deployment made my life very easy."

"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)."

"Another valuable feature is the automation of Wi-Fi configurations, which allows the wireless network to auto-reconfigure in case of problems."

"It excels in Wi-Fi and switch management, as well as other internal management aspects, offering speed and efficiency that surpass what other competitors provide."

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

More ExtremeCloud IQ pros

"Sophos has helped us to save time and money and to better manage web activities. It has also helped us to reduce misuse of the network and restrict hacking attempts."

"The installation is very straightforward."

"Sophos Network Access Control saves our clients time and money."

"The most valuable features of Sophos Network Access Control are the quick response times to threats and reliable security."

"There is really good visibility for the appliance."

"Sophos Network Access Control has a useful interface, and I like its dashboard, which is very useful for us to check everything."

"I am very satisfied with this solution overall. All of the features that we use have been working successfully."

"The initial setup is very easy."

More Sophos Network Access Control pros

Cons

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

"Lacks cyber asset tracking."

"The tool has simplified things, but it also adds a complexity that sometimes stumps some users."

"We have had some mediocre to poor experiences with tech support: Conflicting information, condescending attitudes, and reluctance to work to resolve an issue."

"I know a school district, a big school district of mine, ripped out Extreme due to inefficiencies. It was the guest network that can be a struggle. They tried to differentiate between their primary network, and then offer a secondary."

"Having a wizard for customers who are just starting might be helpful."

"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."

"The managing of switches within this solution could be improved."

More ExtremeCloud IQ cons

"It would be beneficial to consider some improvements regarding the dashboard."

"The difficult thing was finding the metrics."

"The interface on the cloud could be a bit better - just to give more performance on it."

"I would like to be able to fully customize the reports."

"The solution could offer more useful documentation."

"I would like to see mobile administration capabilities in the next release so that we can administer the device from a mobile device."

"An area that could be improved is the information about licensing, which is fairly confusing at present."

"The solution could increase the integration with other platforms or other systems. This would be very useful."

More Sophos Network Access Control cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Start small and grow big. You can choose the basic Aerohive Connect free subscription solution and, later, if needed (in terms of functionality) you can upgrade to Aerohive Select."

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

"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."

"Extreme is twice as cheap compared to Cisco due to the currency exchange. Normally, I think Cisco would be a little bit more expensive, but there wouldn't be that much of a difference."

"There are probably cheaper solutions but we invest for stability and performance for the longer haul."

"Customers need to pay a yearly licensing fee for ExtremeCloud IQ, which is a little bit expensive."

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

"Bring the cost down."

More ExtremeCloud IQ pricing and cost advice

"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."

"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."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Educational Organization

10%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

15%

Government

Educational Organization

Real Estate/Law Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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 do you like most about ExtremeCloud IQ?

The Client 360 feature provides a comprehensive view of your clients and their activities, including the devices they use. Additionally, a feature called Network 360 offers a 360-degree view of the...

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 do you like most about Sophos Network Access Control?

Sophos Network Access Control has a useful interface, and I like its dashboard, which is very useful for us to check everything.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sophos Network Access Control?

I am not able to say much on the financial specifics as it pertains to the sales unit.

What needs improvement with Sophos Network Access Control?

For now, I may not be able to say exactly what needs improvement. However, continuous development in specific areas might be required.

Cisco Meraki Wireless LAN vs ExtremeCloud IQ

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Aruba Wireless vs ExtremeCloud IQ

Compared 7% of the time

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Compared 32% of the time

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Fortinet FortiNAC vs Sophos Network Access Control

Compared 19% of the time

Forescout Platform vs Sophos Network Access Control

Compared 12% of the time

Twingate vs Sophos Network Access Control

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More Sophos Network Access Control Competitors

Product Reports

ExtremeCloud IQ

Download ExtremeCloud IQ product report

Sophos Network Access Control

Download Sophos Network Access Control product report

Also Known As

Aerohive Networks, Aerohive HiveManager, HiveManager, ExtremeCloud , ExtremeSecurity

No data available

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

Sophos NAC Provides comprehensive, easy-to-deploy network access control that protects enterprise networks from the threats posed by non-compliant, compromised, or misconfigured endpoint computers. The software solution is vendor-neutral and works with existing network infrastructure and security applications. Computers are permitted or denied access to the network, based on a centrally defined, policy-driven assessment - and isolated, quarantined for remediation, automatically remediated, or sent alerts. Administrators can define and manage policies uniquely for managed and guest computers, including checking their security status and ensuring that no unwanted applications are run.

Sophos

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

ExtremeCloud IQ vs. Sophos Network Access Control