I have not compared with other vendors, but the license is reasonably priced. The cost is about 100 million Ugandan shillings, which converts to approximately $30,000 per year.
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is very expensive. It is meant for enterprises, not for SMBs. The license costs can range between $50,000 to $100,000 per year for enterprises.
Service Line Manager (Service Operations Expert) - Network Access Control at a pharma/biotech company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 10
Nov 13, 2024
Setup costs vary. Cloud solutions are expensive, while on-prem setups with shared environments are cheaper but not effective. Dedicated resources are needed due to the demanding nature of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE), making large organizational costs significant. For small organizations, it's effective - not for larger ones.
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2025.
Previously, Cisco ISE had a perpetual licensing model, but now they have shifted to a subscription-based licensing system. We now have to pay recurring costs. This change in the pricing model has presented challenges for many customers accustomed to the simplicity of the previous licensing model.
Network Engineer at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Aug 3, 2023
It doesn't seem like we have a licensing model that we're aware of. It's not something that comes down where we have to say, "Oh, boy, we have to renew ISE again." It doesn't seem like it's a significant part of the budget that we have for licensing and ongoing maintenance.
Network Technical Lead at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Jun 15, 2023
I get very good pricing from Cisco, so I don't have a problem with that. I also don't have a problem with licensing because we get enterprise or global licensing.
The solution’s pricing is reasonable. For everything that it does, it's actually great. It's part of our Security Enterprise Agreement. So, we get guaranteed pricing for the length of the agreement, including upgrades. It's worth it. There are no hidden costs with Cisco.
Principal Consultant at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Consultant
Jun 15, 2023
The licensing could be better across all of the Cisco products. Cisco's licensing models seem to keep changing with different software versions. Cisco is moving towards a subscription service, which would mean additional costs.
Network Engineer II at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Jun 14, 2023
I am not aware of the current price for Cisco ISE, but considering it is a Cisco product, it is likely to be quite high. However, I do not have control over the checkbook.
Lead Network Engineer at a educational organization with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Aug 5, 2022
I have complaints. I don't enjoy the licensing model. Once we moved from 2.7 to 3.1, switching from Base, Plus, and Apex to Essential and Advantage in Premier, we went from a perpetual, with our base licenses, to now a subscription-base. So, we will have to renew those licenses every year, and I'm not a fan of that for our base licenses. Apex/Premier, we already expected, which is fine, but for basic connectivity, I am not a fan of that.
The licensing model is pretty straightforward. There are some changes from [version] 2.x going up to 3.0 and switching to the Smart Licensing. But if you have somebody who can explain it to you, so that you know that when you're upgrading you're not losing functionality, or you're not putting yourself in a position where the license count you're used to having can go away; as long as that's set up, it's fine.
Principal consulting architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
MSP
Jun 26, 2022
Licensing has gotten much simpler since Cisco moved to the DNA model because we just have the three tiers, but it could always stand to be improved upon.
Technical account manager at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
MSP
Jun 26, 2022
It's damn expensive and the licensing is terrible. There are three different types of licenses: Essential, Advantage, and Premier, and each one of them has certain features. I work with the SLED accounts and it's not easy for customers to find the money. I'm trying to sell their product but, at the same time, to utilize the product fully they have to pay millions of dollars on the licensing alone. And it's software. It's not like I'm selling them hardware with hardware value. It's just software. The prices need to be brought down. The majority of our clients are still using 2.7, while some have moved to 3.0 or 3.1. That's another issue with the licenses. If you have perpetual licenses on 2.7 and you upgrade to 3, you are forced to go with Essentials. That is one of the issues that I'm seeing with my clients now.
Security Solution Architect at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Top 10
May 20, 2022
ISE has always been expensive compared to other products in terms of what it does on a user level. I haven't had a client who didn't say that ISE wasn't expensive. I’ve had an issue where I was just selling four boxes, and it was four million. It was a high-end box, and the client didn't take it. They end up going with VM.
I don't handle the licensing aspect of the product. I can't speak to the exact costs involved. We have not faced any major challenges in terms of getting a good price point from our customer's perspective. That said, the pricing would depend upon the perceived value of the solution rather than the actual cost of the product. If the solution is able to help the customer in mitigating its challenges many customers don't see any point in discussing the price point if POC is successful
For the content, and the technologies it is made to be a bit more complex. The technology is good, but to use some of the other features, and capabilities, they request that we purchase the Cisco DNA Center. As a result, the bundled price is a little high. Once you purchase the DNA, you will need the SNA then the license, overall it's very expensive. If, however, you implement Cisco ISE without the DNA and the SDA, the price is reasonable.
IT Security manager at a energy/utilities company with 201-500 employees
Real User
May 19, 2021
We are running version 2.9 because version 2.9 of the ISE has a persistent license —it's a one-time payment. The latest version (3.1) is only available if you do a yearly subscription. It's a licensed physical device; there is no subscription. If you want the latest operating system, then you'll need to get an annual license.
Deputy Head of IT at a legal firm with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Mar 1, 2021
Its price is probably good if you use all of its features and functionalities to protect your environment. If you use only a part of the functionality, its price is too high. It is just a question of value and the functionality you use.
Associate Consultant at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Feb 26, 2021
It's an expensive solution when compared to other vendors. It's definitely more expensive than ClearPass. It's expensive, but the issue, again, comes down to scalability. Because you can't virtualize the product, there's a lot of investment when it comes to your hardware resources. Your CapEx is one of the biggest issues here. That's something Cisco needs to improve because organizations are looking at reducing their hardware footprint. It's unfortunate that ISE is such a resource-intensive application to begin with. As it's not a properly virtualized application, you need to rely on physical hardware to get the best performance. The CapEx cost is high. When it comes to operational expenditure, it all depends on the features you're using. They have their tiers, and it all depends on the features you're using. The basic tier, which is where most of the functionality is, is relatively quite cheap. But if you're using some advanced use cases, you need to go to their higher tiers. So, I'm not too worried about operations costs. You need to buy support for the hardware: you need space, power, and cooling for the hardware-side. All of that adds up. So, that all comes down to the product design and they need to make sure it's properly scalable and it's truly virtualized going forward.
Network Infrastructure Specialist at Central-Bank-Kenya
Real User
Feb 12, 2021
Cisco does not sell directly. They have authorized partners you need to buy through. I don't deal directly with the licensing and therefore do not have any idea what the pricing of the product is. It's not part of my responsibilities. It is my understanding, however, that it would be expensive for smaller organizations. Startups may not be able to afford these products. We don't really worry about pricing, as cheap might be expensive in the long run if you don't get a product that is right for your organization, or is more likely to break down over time.
Senior Solutions Manager at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Nov 8, 2020
The price can be lower, especially for subscriptions. It should be a lot cheaper to have a wide range of customers. The price should be comparable to competitive products like Forescout or Fortinet FortiNAC. Forescout is cheaper for customers looking for a cloud solution.
The pricing is okay. It's reasonable for functionality, however, if you're going to implement it as a full-stack with Cisco Connect, and a work station, and so on, it's very high.
Infrastructure and Cybersecurity Manager at George Washington's Mount Vernon
Real User
Jul 22, 2020
We did a five year deal and it was very reasonable. I think for the Avast virus scan, I think we were paying $95 a machine for five years, which nobody else could touch. And that includes all updates, technical support, etc. From the ISE side, I'm not really sure what it costs because it was all encompassed in equipment we were buying and the ISE and the AMP and the open DNS. I know that it was not more expensive than any of the things we had looked at with HP or BMC or other places. It was much more cost effective.
The licensing is too expensive. There is more complexity on the wifi environment, especially with Cisco DNA versus Cisco ONE licensing. As far as the ISE licensing is concerned, it's pretty straightforward. We normally follow the ordering guide which is quite detailed, so there's no problem there.
Network Administrator at a government with 51-200 employees
Real User
Feb 10, 2019
We are a big organization and we can arrange for licenses because we are a big customer. We have an agreement for the security license. Licenses aren't an issue for us. We pay for licenses every five years or six years.
Information Security System Specialist at everis New Company Erifson
Real User
Jan 31, 2019
We use a virtual machine so in terms of pricing, we can extend it as much as we need. The licensing; we had to renew twice and in my opinion, it's good.
Licensing is very complicated and it changes a lot. I know recently it changed since we acquired the solution. It had a different licensing scheme that has changed. The cost is high compared to other solutions. Even so, it is better than what's on the market. The licensing model is complicated and the cost is a little bit high.
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) offers comprehensive network access control and visibility, supporting features like 802.1X authentication, profiling, and posturing. It integrates with Microsoft and other Cisco products, facilitating robust security policies across distributed networks.Cisco Identity Services Engine is a key player in network access control, offering centralized management and a user-friendly interface. It supports zero trust principles and provides strong authentication...
I have not compared with other vendors, but the license is reasonably priced. The cost is about 100 million Ugandan shillings, which converts to approximately $30,000 per year.
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is very expensive. It is meant for enterprises, not for SMBs. The license costs can range between $50,000 to $100,000 per year for enterprises.
Setup costs vary. Cloud solutions are expensive, while on-prem setups with shared environments are cheaper but not effective. Dedicated resources are needed due to the demanding nature of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE), making large organizational costs significant. For small organizations, it's effective - not for larger ones.
Cisco ISE doesn't come cheap but it's still valid working.
If you consider money only, Cisco ISE is not a cheap solution. Functionality-wise, however, it offers a very good price for the value you receive.
The solution is not that cheap.
The product has moderate pricing and comes with a subscription model.
Previously, Cisco ISE had a perpetual licensing model, but now they have shifted to a subscription-based licensing system. We now have to pay recurring costs. This change in the pricing model has presented challenges for many customers accustomed to the simplicity of the previous licensing model.
It doesn't seem like we have a licensing model that we're aware of. It's not something that comes down where we have to say, "Oh, boy, we have to renew ISE again." It doesn't seem like it's a significant part of the budget that we have for licensing and ongoing maintenance.
I get very good pricing from Cisco, so I don't have a problem with that. I also don't have a problem with licensing because we get enterprise or global licensing.
Cisco ISE is not inexpensive, but the solution is well-built and worth the expense.
The solution’s pricing is reasonable. For everything that it does, it's actually great. It's part of our Security Enterprise Agreement. So, we get guaranteed pricing for the length of the agreement, including upgrades. It's worth it. There are no hidden costs with Cisco.
The licensing could be better across all of the Cisco products. Cisco's licensing models seem to keep changing with different software versions. Cisco is moving towards a subscription service, which would mean additional costs.
Cisco ISE's licensing can get pricey.
I am not aware of the current price for Cisco ISE, but considering it is a Cisco product, it is likely to be quite high. However, I do not have control over the checkbook.
In general, licensing can be quite complex with Cisco products. It would be nice if it was a bit more intuitive and had fewer "gotchas" in there.
I have complaints. I don't enjoy the licensing model. Once we moved from 2.7 to 3.1, switching from Base, Plus, and Apex to Essential and Advantage in Premier, we went from a perpetual, with our base licenses, to now a subscription-base. So, we will have to renew those licenses every year, and I'm not a fan of that for our base licenses. Apex/Premier, we already expected, which is fine, but for basic connectivity, I am not a fan of that.
The licensing model is pretty straightforward. There are some changes from [version] 2.x going up to 3.0 and switching to the Smart Licensing. But if you have somebody who can explain it to you, so that you know that when you're upgrading you're not losing functionality, or you're not putting yourself in a position where the license count you're used to having can go away; as long as that's set up, it's fine.
It is not that pricey.
Licensing has gotten much simpler since Cisco moved to the DNA model because we just have the three tiers, but it could always stand to be improved upon.
Licensing is a disaster. It's a mess and I hope they fix it soon.
It's damn expensive and the licensing is terrible. There are three different types of licenses: Essential, Advantage, and Premier, and each one of them has certain features. I work with the SLED accounts and it's not easy for customers to find the money. I'm trying to sell their product but, at the same time, to utilize the product fully they have to pay millions of dollars on the licensing alone. And it's software. It's not like I'm selling them hardware with hardware value. It's just software. The prices need to be brought down. The majority of our clients are still using 2.7, while some have moved to 3.0 or 3.1. That's another issue with the licenses. If you have perpetual licenses on 2.7 and you upgrade to 3, you are forced to go with Essentials. That is one of the issues that I'm seeing with my clients now.
The pricing seems fair. The licensing can be confusing, but it is still pretty good.
The Essentials licensing is reasonable, but I would like the Premier version to be perpetual instead of a subscription.
I can't speak to the exact pricing of the product.
ISE has always been expensive compared to other products in terms of what it does on a user level. I haven't had a client who didn't say that ISE wasn't expensive. I’ve had an issue where I was just selling four boxes, and it was four million. It was a high-end box, and the client didn't take it. They end up going with VM.
Our customers pay for the license of Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine). They have an annual subscription, rather than a monthly subscription.
The licensing is subscription-based and based on the user account.
There is a license to use this solution and the price is reasonable.
I don't handle the licensing aspect of the product. I can't speak to the exact costs involved. We have not faced any major challenges in terms of getting a good price point from our customer's perspective. That said, the pricing would depend upon the perceived value of the solution rather than the actual cost of the product. If the solution is able to help the customer in mitigating its challenges many customers don't see any point in discussing the price point if POC is successful
The price of Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) is expensive and we are thinking about changing to FortiGate.
For the content, and the technologies it is made to be a bit more complex. The technology is good, but to use some of the other features, and capabilities, they request that we purchase the Cisco DNA Center. As a result, the bundled price is a little high. Once you purchase the DNA, you will need the SNA then the license, overall it's very expensive. If, however, you implement Cisco ISE without the DNA and the SDA, the price is reasonable.
The price is a bit on the high side.
The price of the solution is price fair for the features you receive.
We are running version 2.9 because version 2.9 of the ISE has a persistent license —it's a one-time payment. The latest version (3.1) is only available if you do a yearly subscription. It's a licensed physical device; there is no subscription. If you want the latest operating system, then you'll need to get an annual license.
Its price is probably good if you use all of its features and functionalities to protect your environment. If you use only a part of the functionality, its price is too high. It is just a question of value and the functionality you use.
It's an expensive solution when compared to other vendors. It's definitely more expensive than ClearPass. It's expensive, but the issue, again, comes down to scalability. Because you can't virtualize the product, there's a lot of investment when it comes to your hardware resources. Your CapEx is one of the biggest issues here. That's something Cisco needs to improve because organizations are looking at reducing their hardware footprint. It's unfortunate that ISE is such a resource-intensive application to begin with. As it's not a properly virtualized application, you need to rely on physical hardware to get the best performance. The CapEx cost is high. When it comes to operational expenditure, it all depends on the features you're using. They have their tiers, and it all depends on the features you're using. The basic tier, which is where most of the functionality is, is relatively quite cheap. But if you're using some advanced use cases, you need to go to their higher tiers. So, I'm not too worried about operations costs. You need to buy support for the hardware: you need space, power, and cooling for the hardware-side. All of that adds up. So, that all comes down to the product design and they need to make sure it's properly scalable and it's truly virtualized going forward.
I think licensing costs roughly $2,000 a year. ISE is more expensive than Network Access Control.
I think the price is okay.
We pay a fee based on a subscription model. The pricing could always be better.
Cisco does not sell directly. They have authorized partners you need to buy through. I don't deal directly with the licensing and therefore do not have any idea what the pricing of the product is. It's not part of my responsibilities. It is my understanding, however, that it would be expensive for smaller organizations. Startups may not be able to afford these products. We don't really worry about pricing, as cheap might be expensive in the long run if you don't get a product that is right for your organization, or is more likely to break down over time.
The price is okay.
There are other cheaper options available.
The price can be lower, especially for subscriptions. It should be a lot cheaper to have a wide range of customers. The price should be comparable to competitive products like Forescout or Fortinet FortiNAC. Forescout is cheaper for customers looking for a cloud solution.
The price for Cisco ISE is high.
The pricing is okay. It's reasonable for functionality, however, if you're going to implement it as a full-stack with Cisco Connect, and a work station, and so on, it's very high.
We did a five year deal and it was very reasonable. I think for the Avast virus scan, I think we were paying $95 a machine for five years, which nobody else could touch. And that includes all updates, technical support, etc. From the ISE side, I'm not really sure what it costs because it was all encompassed in equipment we were buying and the ISE and the AMP and the open DNS. I know that it was not more expensive than any of the things we had looked at with HP or BMC or other places. It was much more cost effective.
The SMARTnet technical support is available at an additional cost.
The licensing is too expensive. There is more complexity on the wifi environment, especially with Cisco DNA versus Cisco ONE licensing. As far as the ISE licensing is concerned, it's pretty straightforward. We normally follow the ordering guide which is quite detailed, so there's no problem there.
If you go directly with Cisco for the implementation it's very, very expensive.
We are a big organization and we can arrange for licenses because we are a big customer. We have an agreement for the security license. Licenses aren't an issue for us. We pay for licenses every five years or six years.
We use a virtual machine so in terms of pricing, we can extend it as much as we need. The licensing; we had to renew twice and in my opinion, it's good.
Licensing is very complicated and it changes a lot. I know recently it changed since we acquired the solution. It had a different licensing scheme that has changed. The cost is high compared to other solutions. Even so, it is better than what's on the market. The licensing model is complicated and the cost is a little bit high.
The price is not very expensive.