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ExtremeControl vs Portnox comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 21, 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
6.4
ExtremeControl's ROI opinions varied, with mixed views on financial returns, Wi-Fi connectivity, security benefits, and cost concerns.
Sentiment score
4.8
Portnox CORE improved network visibility, security, and efficiency, reducing costs and enhancing decision-making through detailed analytics and automated features.
Having good connectivity through Wi-Fi is essential for the entire business.
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.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.6
ExtremeControl's support is praised for problem-solving but criticized for upgrade policies, varying satisfaction levels among users.
Sentiment score
6.7
Portnox customer service is responsive, but needs improvement in local support, ticketing, and technical training for better service.
If we are out of upgrades or there is a new upgrade, they sometimes require us to upgrade to provide support.
For technical support of ExtremeControl, I have no doubts that they cope with problems effectively.
The main area needing improvement is the technical knowledge of support staff.
They respond very immediately and provide detailed, amazing support.
I was seeing weird things, and they were able to explain things to me and help me quickly find a resolution.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.7
Opinions on ExtremeControl's scalability vary, with some praising its capacity while others find it limited across platforms.
Sentiment score
7.5
Portnox is highly scalable and flexible, efficiently supporting many endpoints with its adaptable cloud-based licensing model.
For scalability in larger environments, it can be rated a maximum of 10.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.7
ExtremeControl is highly stable, with users consistently rating it 8-9/10, indicating reliable performance meeting expectations.
Sentiment score
7.5
Portnox is stable but CORE faces issues; improved communication and support are needed, especially during updates and for older versions.
The product itself is available and its uptime is 100%.
In the four years that I used Portnox, if it crashed or the server crashed, that would not have been more than once.
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.
 

Room For Improvement

ExtremeControl requires better user control, third-party integration, on-premise enhancements, and clarity on wireless component configuration for optimal performance.
Portnox should optimize licensing, integration, UI, partner training, support hours, Wi-Fi integration, and resolve cloud authentication delays.
We rely more on the cloud for analytics rather than on-premise, and some customers prefer relying on an on-premise solution rather than a cloud solution.
For their wired network, especially with third-party switching, this is where most of the features are lost.
There is also another product called UZTNA, which is said to have NAC in this solution, but it is not as advanced as our regular ExtremeControl.
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.
When I'm doing filtering at times, it doesn't filter the items properly.
They don't have much support during Asia Pacific hours.
 

Setup Cost

ExtremeControl offers competitive pricing for large enterprises, but may be costly for smaller ones due to minimum user requirements.
Portnox pricing is considered balanced, offering scalable licenses, with mixed reactions to subscription-only plans and varying regional costs.
Compared to other competitors, they have the best pricing.
The pricing of ExtremeControl is considerable; I would rate it at eight or nine.
For smaller ones, they need to consider that the price for less than 1,000 users is important, as this is the minimum number of users required for a license.
If you compare Portnox with all other well-known standard products, it is the cheapest.
The pricing is a bit high, possibly due to the cloud features and running instances across regions like the US, Asia, and Europe.
You are charged according to the number of users.
 

Valuable Features

ExtremeControl provides robust security, seamless integration, and easy use with flexible policies and comprehensive network monitoring.
Portnox offers scalable, intuitive network management with seamless integration and security compliance for efficient endpoint management and visibility.
The biggest benefits for my customers from ExtremeControl include the ability to integrate third-party devices, integration with user databases like Microsoft Active Directory or other directory software, and it is easy to maintain by customers.
Integrating ExtremeControl with ExtremeConnect provides an additional layer of security and control over what devices are onboarding to the network, granting full visibility.
The most effective feature of ExtremeControl is that whenever any user is connected through the network, I can really dig down and check exactly what applications they have been using.
It's notable how Portnox has improved operational efficiency.
It is a very robust application because three teams use that part: the network team, the security team, and the support people.
It is very easy to implement on our current network hardware.
 

Categories and Ranking

ExtremeControl
Ranking in Network Access Control (NAC)
10th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Portnox
Ranking in Network Access Control (NAC)
6th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
24
Ranking in other categories
ZTNA (12th), Passwordless Authentication (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Network Access Control (NAC) category, the mindshare of ExtremeControl is 2.1%, up from 1.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Portnox is 4.7%, up from 2.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Access Control (NAC) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Portnox4.7%
ExtremeControl2.1%
Other93.2%
Network Access Control (NAC)
 

Featured Reviews

Jose Mota - PeerSpot reviewer
Has a simple setup process, but it could be affordable
We have noticed similarities between Extreme and Ubiquiti, particularly in their functionality, like how they operate wirelessly and can be managed from the cloud or locally. Based on our experience, Ubiquiti's system may be more user-friendly and capable of handling heavy loads. Still, Extreme could be more reliable, although you have yet to compare them side by side directly. For instance, we have observed Extreme performing well in a warehouse environment, which might have a different level of network traffic than a convention center.
Scott Kerr - PeerSpot reviewer
It is seamless and integrates well with our Azure setup
We use devices like PLCs and controllers, and when we receive a request to allow one on the network, we bypass typical authentication, associate it with a group account, and push it to a firewalled VLAN. However, problems arise when the same MAC address is requested for a different project. Our current system only finds authenticated MAC addresses, making it difficult to troubleshoot when the same device is used for multiple purposes. 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.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Healthcare Company
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
Government
10%
Educational Organization
9%
Manufacturing Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Computer Software Company
9%
Healthcare Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise3
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business12
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise7
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about ExtremeControl?
It has effectively enhanced network security and integrated with other security tools to streamline operations.
What needs improvement with ExtremeControl?
Regarding improvements for ExtremeControl, I think it is good as it is; however, some other products can support features like certificate management, which ExtremeControl currently lacks. Adding c...
What is your primary use case for ExtremeControl?
The main use cases for ExtremeControl among my customers are to authenticate the users here for the end systems in their companies and to manage authentication, authorization, and systems, and they...
What do you like most about Portnox CORE?
It's easy to manage and troubleshoot thanks to the lightweight components.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Portnox CORE?
It's not cheap. It's not expensive. It's in the middle, so I'll probably give it a seven out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive.
What needs improvement with Portnox CORE?
We have been having some issues with it. That's why we're considering migrating to Portnox Clear due to some limitations with CORE. At the end of the day, Portnox Clear's capabilities are much more...
 

Also Known As

Extreme Access Control, Enterasys NAC
Access Layers Portnox, Portnox CLEAR
 

Interactive Demo

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Street Crane, Robert Bosch, Molex Chengdu, Weir Valves & Controls UK, Renault, AESSEAL, Ducati, Alexander Dennis, UK Ministry of Defence, Manz
Data Realty, Royal London, Wales Millennium Centre, McLaren Construction Group, EL AL Israeli Airlines, 
Find out what your peers are saying about ExtremeControl vs. Portnox and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
869,566 professionals have used our research since 2012.