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Aruba Access Points vs Fortinet FortiAP comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 31, 2024

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
5.5
Aruba Access Points offer ROI with reduced management needs, improving communication and efficiency, benefiting laptops and devices.
Sentiment score
6.3
Fortinet FortiAP offers high ROI with robust security, minimal maintenance, and 80% cost savings compared to competitors.
I do not have to continuously manage them, and their reliability means they are consistently up and running.
Fortinet FortiAP provides value for money, and I can quantify the savings at about 80%.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.8
Aruba Access Points support is generally praised for professionalism, though complex issues and HP's ticket system transitions present challenges.
Sentiment score
7.5
Fortinet FortiAP's customer service experiences vary, with mixed support quality influenced by region, service tier, and training resources.
For technical support alone, I would give them a score of nine out of ten.
Aruba's country manager is very responsive and supportive.
I haven't had a chance to get Aruba support, and while I have coordination with Forti and their TAC, I haven't had any opportunity to speak with any Aruba or HP TAC.
We keep a support contract open with Fortinet, so we have instantaneous response from them.
The RMA process is very good, with same-day replacement in our case.
I am not satisfied with Fortinet FortiAP's technical support in India.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.4
Aruba Access Points offer scalable network solutions for various company sizes, highly rated for scalability but may need extra resources.
Sentiment score
6.9
Fortinet FortiAP is scalable, supporting thousands of users, but may require new purchases due to technology constraints.
Aruba access points integrate well with existing networks via PoE switches.
While scaling up to five hundred users, it may cause some performance issues.
We have good scalability with Fortinet FortiAP because we have multiple ISPs connected to it through FortiManager.
There could be constraints where a product can't be scaled further without purchasing a new model.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
Aruba Access Points are widely regarded as reliable, with minor issues noted in long-term stability and firmware.
Sentiment score
6.6
Fortinet FortiAP's stability is mixed; some praise performance while others face disconnections and vulnerabilities, influenced by location and setup.
I have not experienced any issues, outages, or problems and have not had to interfere with them at all.
The stability of the solution is very high.
 

Room For Improvement

Aruba Access Points require improved coverage, security, support, integration, and pricing; users report bugs and inadequate technical support.
Fortinet FortiAP needs improvements in wireless functionality, support, outdoor performance, and configuration, despite effective cloud management capabilities.
Some customers comment that the shape and size of the access point is a little big, especially the one installed in the guest room.
I would like Aruba to provide integration capabilities for Microsoft Entra ID, Azure Directory, or other identity verification engines like Okta, Google Identity, or Ping Identity.
My only recommendation for Aruba Access Points would be better marketing and better promotion, specifically for this region.
Security is always a concern for any business, and the network should not be compromised easily.
I know they're going up to six soon, which will enhance reliability.
We earlier expected that Fortinet FortiAP could be managed through the cloud, which would be very good, but nowadays, FortiNet is providing FortiAPs with cloud management also.
 

Setup Cost

Aruba Access Points offer reasonable pricing with potential discounts, though hardware costs and licensing fees can be high.
Fortinet FortiAP offers competitive enterprise pricing, though licensing costs can be high, generally rated six to nine out of ten.
The pricing is reasonable and lower than competitors.
They are priced at half the rate of Juniper access points for basic models.
When comparing pricing between Aruba Access Points and Forti, I find Aruba to be on the higher side.
The license costs for Fortinet are more affordable when considering licensing costs with other leaders like Cisco.
The pricing is a little bit high, and I would rate it a ten on the scale where ten is the highest price.
Fortinet FortiAP is affordable, not expensive.
 

Valuable Features

Aruba Access Points offer reliability, easy setup, robust features, advanced security, AI optimization, and seamless integration, making them preferred.
Fortinet FortiAP excels in integration, management, and security, providing stability and performance for small to medium enterprises.
Aruba Access Points provide further coverage, more coverage, with better throughput and signal strength.
We receive support from Aruba, with assistance from the country manager in providing better quotations and support for projects.
Additionally, they do not require any kind of license for implementation.
Fortinet FortiAP is effective in protecting against wireless threats.
Compatibility with Fortinet firewalls allows clients to set up new businesses with integrated firewalls and access points, offering a cost-effective solution while providing excellent wireless coverage.
In a FortiGate, especially a Forti wireless environment, it's always easy to troubleshoot problems and it gives better visibility of our environment.
 

Categories and Ranking

Aruba Access Points
Ranking in Wireless LAN
5th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
38
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Fortinet FortiAP
Ranking in Wireless LAN
6th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
16
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Aruba Access Points is 2.5%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiAP is 6.2%, up from 2.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Aruba Access Points2.5%
Fortinet FortiAP6.2%
Other91.3%
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

PRADIPJOSHI - PeerSpot reviewer
Pricing competitiveness and remote management have enhanced network flexibility
One of the most valued aspects of Aruba access points is their price competitiveness; they are available at half the price of Juniper access points. Additionally, they do not require any kind of license for implementation. Despite this, many customers have their own firewall, and they can control everything from their firewall, ensuring flexibility. Furthermore, the ease of management with Aruba access points enables customers to connect them directly to their network via a PoE switch and manage them remotely from mobile devices.
Shahnawaz Nusrat - PeerSpot reviewer
Has simplified wireless integration while needing better throughput and captive portal features
The product can be improved depending on the model selected as per requirements. Support is good and throughput is good. What we need to do is select a better product as per our requirement and environment. If proper working is done in terms of wireless heat map or radio connectivity in our environment, I believe it's good. There is always a chance to improve. Throughput can be better in terms of other vendors, but currently, it's working fine. One feature that I still need to explore is the captive portal. When we deploy a unit in a public environment, users need to sign in with a pop-up box to connect.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Computer Software Company
11%
Government
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business20
Midsize Enterprise9
Large Enterprise11
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise3
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Aruba Access Points?
After we installed the Aruba switches, the work became faster because the network speed improved.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Access Points?
When comparing pricing between Aruba Access Points and Forti, I find Aruba to be on the higher side.
What needs improvement with Aruba Access Points?
My only recommendation for Aruba Access Points would be better marketing and better promotion, specifically for this region.
What do you like most about FortiAP?
If we have FortiClient installed on multiple devices, it is seamless to connect with FortiAP. It supports passwordless authentication as well. That is a great thing about it.
What needs improvement with FortiAP?
We earlier expected that Fortinet FortiAP could be managed through the cloud, which would be very good, but nowadays, FortiNet is providing FortiAPs with cloud management also. That requirement has...
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Access Points vs. Fortinet FortiAP and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
868,759 professionals have used our research since 2012.