Aruba Airwave vs Cisco Prime [EOL] comparison

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Cisco are both solutions in the Network Management Applications category. Additionally, 92% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

Aruba Airwave

Read 26 Aruba Airwave reviews

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1,205 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Cisco Prime [EOL]

Read 35 Cisco Prime [EOL] reviews

91% willing to recommend

Aruba Airwave

Cisco Prime [EOL]

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Aruba Airwave and Cisco Prime [EOL] based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Fortinet, NetScaler and others in Network Management Applications.

To learn more, read our detailed Network Management Applications Report (Updated: January 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Network Management Applications

January 2026

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Helped 881,733 peers since 2012

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

Aruba Airwave

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Management Applications (6th)

Cisco Prime [EOL]

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Featured Reviews

Edward Zeng

Senior Network Engineer at Auckland University of Technology

Troubleshooting obstacles occur but technical support excels

My general opinion on Aruba Airwave is that it's acceptable, but it's not ideal because we are accustomed to Cisco. We didn't use Aruba much, but once you set it up, you probably don't need to worry about it too much. The version we are using is quite old now, probably around version four. I can't remember the version exactly because a lot of the products require Aruba Central, but we haven't used Aruba Central yet. I face challenges with Aruba Airwave, particularly with troubleshooting. When someone has a problem, we try troubleshooting, but the end-to-end users' messages show some details that are not always up-to-date, and sometimes the information from the GUI is not exactly aligned with what's on the website. If Aruba Airwave can apply AI capabilities, that would be even more perfect. I'd appreciate integration with Aruba Central; it would be great if they could incorporate it into Airwave.

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AndrewRichardson

Network Engineer at Edmonton Catholic School Board

Has an easy implementation process, but the performance monitoring feature could be more intuitive

The project implementation was easy overall. Adapting Cisco's solutions to our specific environment required effort, as their documentation only covers some network scenarios. The deployment didn't happen all at once; it was staged and controlled to ensure a smooth transition. We started with a small test environment before gradually rolling it out to all campuses. This gradual approach helped mitigate the risk of any issues arising across multiple locations simultaneously, especially on a critical day like Monday morning. We have a team of three executives working on the process. Their job roles included network specialists and a manager. It requires maintenance, which is included in the annual cost. We receive updates and support as part of the renewal process.

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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

"It has improved my organization by increasing troubleshooting opportunities which makes things more efficient."

"AirWave definitely helps us troubleshoot and get to the root cause of the issues. It gives you an excellent indication of what's going on within your network at different locations. You can get to the area, take a look at the AirWave analysis, and make informed decisions."

"The monitoring and administration allow configurations for checking the association of the user to the network, then to the AP, then to the switch, and back to the controller."

"The solution's most valuable features are its usage, bandwidth existence, device capacity, and utilization."

"The solution's initial setup process is straightforward."

"It facilitated creating floor maps."

"What I like best about Aruba Airwave is its orchestration feature because it saves configuration time. I also like that it allows you to do ZTP installations for new Aruba equipment."

"One of the main advantages is its ability to draw building floor plans and analyze Wi-Fi signal behavior in real-time."

More Aruba Airwave pros

"Cisco Prime allows us to do a lot of functions with the users and it is flexible."

"The most valuable feature of Cisco Prime is the heat map."

"I have found the solution to be scalable."

"The VLAN mapping function has been most impactful in simplifying our network management tasks."

"The endpoint information Cisco Prime generates helps us troubleshoot, and it's also useful for compliance reporting and endpoint identification."

"The technical support team is very good."

"We use Cisco Prime for network mapping and surveys."

"The solution provides data that allows us to time travel through logs and perform remote operations or troubleshooting."

More Cisco Prime [EOL] pros

Cons

"We're looking for more device compatibility. Like compatibility with third-party devices."

"I am not deeply familiar with the solution, so if I mention a feature, it might already exist, yet I may be unaware of it."

"The integration with other platforms like Cisco needs to be improved."

"When attempting to copy a floor plan, it does not copy well, so I often have to redraw the walls. It's somewhat annoying since other Wi-Fi design software we use is easier for drawing walls and including floor plans."

"Whenever you get an error it doesn't immediately tell you what the thing is that is causing the error. You have to sit down and research it. If it could say what error is causing the issue, it would make my troubleshooting a lot quicker."

"Cost is always a big issue for partners."

"When upgrading hardware, there were technical issues with network interfaces and Red Hat, which required escalation to developers."

"They should make it cheaper. By doing that, they can replace Cisco, which is also very expensive. If it is equivalent to Cisco in the features, with a reduced price, they can sell it more than Cisco."

More Aruba Airwave cons

"The product's pricing can be cheaper."

"Some improvements are needed, specifically in the form of more updates and enhancements."

"The onboarding process could be improved and developed to enhance compatibility for non-Cisco devices."

"Cisco Prime's initial setup is complex."

"The product needs to improve its interface and reporting."

"I would rate the scalability of Cisco Prime a six out of ten. To scale up from a hundred to a thousand devices, the platform needs to be rebuilt logically. This process might require a downtime window and may involve changing the hardware or upgrading to a larger appliance."

"There is room for improvement in the Access layer."

"The reporting could be simplified and the information made clearer to the user."

More Cisco Prime [EOL] cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The tool is expensive. If one is bad or expensive, and ten is very good or cheap, I rate the product's price as a six."

"It is an expensive solution."

"Licensing and pricing are extremely straightforward."

"The licensing is on an yearly basis."

"Aruba Airwave is an expensive solution."

"We must buy a new license to connect more devices to scale up the solution."

"This product is not expensive."

"Run a 90 day free Proof of Concept (PoC) for each product by implementing and using it fully in your environment. This way you will be educated on its features, functionality, and manageability."

More Aruba Airwave pricing and cost advice

"You need to get special quotes from the company for each order."

"I would rate the pricing of Cisco Prime a seven out of ten."

"I rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten."

"The product is expensive compared to other vendors in the market."

"The cost is quite high."

"The solution is not inexpensive but is worth it for large-scale environments."

"The price of Cisco Prime was reasonable because we purchased it as part of a Cisco One package. The package was a bundle of Cisco solutions together, such as Cisco ISE and CMX. The price is reasonable com compared to other solutions."

"The product's performance monitoring feature could be more intuitive."

More Cisco Prime [EOL] pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Government

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

Educational Organization

Government

13%

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	14

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	24

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Airwave?

I think the solution is quite affordable.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Aruba Airwave?

They have other sensors which can manage and control all the sites. There is an IoT component where we can restrict internet services such as Facebook and YouTube. These things can also be managed....

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Aruba Airwave?

For Aruba Airwave, I am using the wireless devices for the Wi-Fi for the full company with access points. This is the top product I feel, and I see in the Gartner also. It is a good product and eas...

See all answers

What do you like most about Cisco Prime?

The most valuable features of Cisco Prime include its comprehensive functionality as a one-stop solution for basic SNMP port management.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco Prime?

The product's performance monitoring feature could be more intuitive.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Cisco Prime?

We use Cisco Prime for centralized configuration management backups and monitoring.

See all answers

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Compared 9% of the time

Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista vs Aruba Airwave

Compared 8% of the time

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Compared 12% of the time

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Compared 11% of the time

NetMaster Network Intelligence vs Cisco Prime [EOL]

Compared 10% of the time

Junos Space Network Director vs Cisco Prime [EOL]

Compared 10% of the time

More Cisco Prime [EOL] Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Airwave

February 2026

Download Aruba Airwave product report

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Prime [EOL]

February 2026

Download Cisco Prime [EOL] product report

Also Known As

No data available

Cisco Prime Infrastructure

Overview

Offering granular visibility into wired and wireless networks, AirWave is the only management platform designed with mobile devices and apps in mind. By proactively monitoring the health and performance of all things connected, AirWave lets IT gain the insights they need to support the digital workplace.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Cisco Prime products deliver next-generation management by supporting an intuitive workflow-oriented user experience and integrated lifecycle operations across Cisco architectures, technologies, and networks.

Cisco

Sample Customers

Henkel, University of Findlay, University of Minnesota Duluth, University of Iowa

Mohawk Industries, Universidad EAFIT, Halton Healthcare

Buyer's Guide

Network Management Applications

January 2026

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