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Apstra Operating System vs VMware NSX comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

Apstra Operating System
Ranking in Network Automation
15th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
VMware NSX
Ranking in Network Automation
5th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
107
Ranking in other categories
Network Virtualization (2nd), Cloud and Data Center Security (5th), Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) (7th), Network Detection and Response (NDR) (8th), Microsegmentation Software (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Network Automation category, the mindshare of Apstra Operating System is 2.1%, up from 1.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware NSX is 4.8%, up from 4.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Automation Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
VMware NSX4.8%
Apstra Operating System2.1%
Other93.1%
Network Automation
 

Featured Reviews

HF
Works at wolterskluwer
Highly secure, useful AB test, and stable
I am using Apstra Operating System for some classes and for my personal use Apstra Operating System's most important features are the security and AB test to define what approach we need to take in my company. Additionally, the solution does not take a lot of maintenance. The report data could…
Mahesh Bhadoriya - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Manager at Allianz Cloud Private Limited
Micro segmentation has strengthened zero trust security and isolates production from test environments
The advantages of VMware NSX include its micro-segmentation for internal security at the firewall and VM levels, which is very powerful and helps us comply with complete Zero Trust security models. We are able to achieve this and configure network level virtualization with no dependency on VLANs. Micro-segmentation helps improve our security significantly. We are not totally dependent upon our physical upfront firewall, and it makes sense to configure everything using VMware NSX, leading to multiple improvements in our organization. We moved from traditional networking such as VLANs from the firewall and switches to VMware NSX segmentation. We achieve one firewall per VLAN and can stop lateral movement such as ransomware control. The Zero Trust model is the main functionality and architecture it offers, allowing application isolation, such as having a separate production and test environment. Consistent networking and security policies across different environments have a major and very positive impact on our business operations, allowing us to achieve the security posture we want with compliance and regulations.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I find Apstra Operating System very good to use and would recommend this solution to others."
"Apstra Operating System's most important features are the security and AB test to define what approach we need to take in my company. Additionally, the solution does not take a lot of maintenance."
"Visibility, because on our environment, it's impossible mapping end to end, and we don't have any tools that provide this integration."
"The Distributed firewall is simple to add to the network and rules are easy to implement."
"The initial setup was straightforward. It follows a certain structure and you won't miss a step. It's all on the same level, step by step."
"I have found VMware NSX to be easy to use."
"VMware NSX has the ability to create networks in software."
"NSX is one of the simplest network solutions that I've ever worked with."
"It has reduced the number of people on the network team along with the system engineer involved in the security process, so it is valuable and we can't go without NSX, so it's invaluable from this perspective."
"Provides protection for virtual machines."
 

Cons

"The report data could improve in Apstra Operating System."
"We would like better integration with the standards on the market. For example, with OSPF, their integration in NSX is very low. It's not a full OSPF integration. It is too thin from a protocol perspective."
"It could be cheaper!"
"It should be more adapted to the physical side of network topology in order to prevent unavailability."
"It needs to be cheaper."
"There could be an improvement in regards to security."
"The solution could improve by having a more streamlined setup."
"Going through and getting more features sets from the routing protocols is definitely necessary for the future."
"It is a bit tricky to install the various components and to get it set up properly."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of the solution is competitive."
"We have saved man-hours and decreased our security exposure."
"If five is a good price and one is a high price, I would rate the price a one out of five."
"The solution is free and the price for the support can be expensive."
"The licensing is renewed every three years. The cost for implementation and renovation are a huge portion of that price."
"The subscription is on a yearly basis."
"I was not involved in the purchase of the solution but I hear it is on the expensive side."
"VMware NSX is a cheaper product compared to its competitor, Cisco."
"We are using a perpetual license to use the solution and we have support."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Outsourcing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Construction Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business34
Midsize Enterprise23
Large Enterprise70
 

Questions from the Community

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What are the biggest differences between Cisco ACI and VMware NSX?
There are some very major differences between both the Products and to name a few. -Cisco ACI have physical network gear (9K Switches) where the Code runs in ACI Policy Mode & the UCS server wh...
What are the biggest differences between Cisco ACI and VMware NSX?
Once you know your way around the Cisco ecosystem, using Cisco ACI is not so difficult. It is a global product, so when you change one interface, changes are automatically reflected on every switch...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for VMware NSX?
When measuring complexity and costs for our organization, we consider some parameters for effectiveness. In terms of effectiveness in reducing operational complexity, I measure it to be high on the...
 

Also Known As

Apstra OS, AOS
VMware Nicira, Lastline Defender
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Bloomberg Television, Energy Corporation, A mid-sized financial services company
City of Avondale, Lumeta, Kroll Ontrack, Heartland Payment Systems, Baystate Heallth, Exostar, Tribune Media, iGATE, NTT Communications, Synergent, California Natural Resources Agency, Bloomington Public Schools, Columbia Sportswear, Join Experience S.A, Schuberg Philis
Find out what your peers are saying about Red Hat, Infoblox, Cisco and others in Network Automation. Updated: October 2026.
920,769 professionals have used our research since 2012.