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ExtremeCloud IQ vs Sophos Network Access Control comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 5, 2024

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

ExtremeCloud IQ
Ranking in Network Access Control (NAC)
10th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
78
Ranking in other categories
Network Management Applications (12th), Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) (18th)
Sophos Network Access Control
Ranking in Network Access Control (NAC)
8th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
24
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Network Access Control (NAC) category, the mindshare of ExtremeCloud IQ is 2.2%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sophos Network Access Control is 3.2%, up from 2.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Access Control (NAC) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Sophos Network Access Control3.2%
ExtremeCloud IQ2.2%
Other94.6%
Network Access Control (NAC)
 

Featured Reviews

Wael Awni - PeerSpot reviewer
Management Board Member And Network Engineer at NewLogics
Unified licensing and AI-driven control have simplified multi-site management and boosted automation
There is a little bit of delay for the analytics in ExtremeCloud IQ, but it is acceptable. The response time in ExtremeCloud IQ is a little slow. The system response time is slow, and the updates on the system, such as the updates for the analytics or for the location-based services, are slow. For example, if I want to update the location-based solution, it takes about one minute to update my location. This is too much time. It's not an accurate location over one minute. They should enhance the response of the system part of location-based services, such as Extreme LPS or Extreme Location Essentials. This needs a huge improvement for the latency and for the updates.
PS
System Administrator And Network Engineer at Vidyashilp University
Access control has strengthened security and central console management streamlines device oversight
In my opinion, one feature that should be added is the ability to trace emails from individuals who change their IP address or send misbehaving emails from alternative networks. If someone sends a misbehaving email from the network but is not connected to our network and uses a personal network instead, it becomes difficult to trace and identify which network the email is coming from. An inventory system should also be added in the future. Some antivirus solutions have inventory systems that provide all system details. Since we install the Sophos client on client machines, we could obtain details about which software is being used and what the configuration of the machines is. This information would be valuable, as some information was missing when I was using the product previously.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The cloud management gives us the tools and reports that we need to monitor and troubleshoot the network."
"The most valuable function in ExtremeCloud IQ is its unified licensing system that includes everything."
"Aerohive has been the perfect fit for a University like us."
"Being a controller-less solution is more cost effective and gives more flexibility."
"One of the most fancy nice-to-have are the BR routers, allowing to work from home as if you were at the office."
"Integrated Firewall in every AP (with DPI inspection) is a killer feature and it is included already in the price of licence (with others, this feature is an add-on licence)."
"Overall, we are definitely satisfied with this product."
"It is a scalable solution."
"The solution offers very good visibility."
"There is good documentation that helps to deploy a new wireless access point and a controller in a very easy way."
"We get full visibility into the network as a product, which is one of the key features of the product because recently they have acquired another product called Secure Wave, which is integrated into Sophos Network Access Control and provides advanced capabilities for managed detection and remediation, MDR, a major plus for customers."
"The biggest advantage of Sophos Network Access Control is that it is very synchronized with the security on both the endpoint and the firewall on a single platform, and it is easy to maintain."
"The installation is very straightforward."
"We have had interactions with the technical support team through the Xnet platform. It's good."
"The return on our investment was huge, mostly due to the time saved in managing thousands of physical endpoints."
"The wifi control is fantastic and makes it very easy to administer."
 

Cons

"It needs to have a good Layer 7 and a better user interface."
"When there are errors, the description could be worded better to give you a better idea of what is wrong."
"I have had some stability issues with the older AP110/AP120 models taking newer v6 code."
"With the Online Manager, if you choose to view the connected clients and there are a lot of them (and you want to view them on one page), then it takes a little while to generate the page."
"Having a wizard for customers who are just starting might be helpful."
"Aerohive configuration management can be little hard to understand for someone who has never worked with it."
"I have never really felt their mounting system for the APs is all that good. The plastic plates are a bit flimsy and not well designed."
"They can improve just the onboarding process. More user information about the introduction to the product would be helpful. It would be good if they have a better user introduction to the new product because it is different than the prior version."
"There is room for improvement in pricing."
"I would like to be able to fully customize the reports."
"I'd like to see them include direct integration with Active Directory."
"Sophos Network Access Control needs improvement regarding its slow interface, loading time, and reporting."
"The solution can improve the for applying policies. They can be complex depending don't the group they are applied to."
"It would be beneficial to consider some improvements regarding the dashboard."
"The solution could increase the integration with other platforms or other systems. This would be very useful."
"An area that could be improved is the information about licensing, which is fairly confusing at present."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"ExtremeCloud IQ's pricing is high."
"Extreme is twice as cheap compared to Cisco due to the currency exchange. Normally, I think Cisco would be a little bit more expensive, but there wouldn't be that much of a difference."
"ExtremeCloud IQ's pricing is medium, but its support contract costs more."
"I did a multi-year license. It was a three-year license. It compares well with others in terms of the price. It is about a hundred dollars per year on a three-year scale."
"Extreme licensing is based on the number of access points. When you buy the license for the first year, everything is included, such as access to mapping, etc. If you don't renew your software assurance for the second year, the access points will still work, but you can't use the cloud management tools."
"For example, if you compare Aruba vs Aerohive, you need to check which licences from Aruba you need to match the functionality of Aerohive (usually you need at least three types of licences and a controller with redundancy). The same goes with Cisco, where you need buy additional licences for central management, firewall, spectral analysis, WIPS, PPSK, etc. Aerohive has a very simple model - one licence for all the functionalities - and you can believe that there are many. One licence makes it easy to maintain, scale, renew and you can plan your costs 10 years in advance."
"This solution offers annual licensing that is middle of the range in terms of cost."
"It is costly as compared to Meraki, Aruba, Juniper, and Cisco. Cloud IQ is an enterprise solution, whereas Meraki is specifically a single solution."
"It is quite expensive."
"It provides a moderate pricing option for all of its features and benefits."
"I rate the price of Sophos Network Access Control a five out of ten."
"Sophos Network Access Control is an expensive solution."
"Sophos Network Access Control is very cheap compared to other solutions like Cisco, Barracuda, and Palo Alto."
"Sophos Network Access Control is costly but has a similar price range as CrowdStrike and Check Point. The product can get more market share if Sophos can play around with Sophos Network Access Control pricing and improve it."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Construction Company
11%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Outsourcing Company
11%
Construction Company
10%
Healthcare Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business46
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise24
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business16
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise3
 

Questions from the Community

What are pros and cons of Aruba 515 Series AP vs. Cisco Meraki or Extreme Networks?
Depends. I have personally used both Cisco and Aruba so I am familiar with them. Extreme I am not, so unless they have some feature that I need or want, I wouldn't consider them. Do you have expe...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ExtremeCloud IQ?
The licensing was a challenge due to budget constraints, and I used ExtremeCloud IQ without a license for a period. The documentation and training courses were also costly, impacting how easily I c...
What advice do you have for others considering ExtremeCloud IQ?
The automated provisioning and zero-touch provisioning in ExtremeCloud IQ help with the deployment of mass products. For example, when I'm going to add 200 CCTV cameras to the network and they are ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sophos Network Access Control?
The pricing of Sophos Network Access Control is good, but it is somewhat high.
What needs improvement with Sophos Network Access Control?
In my opinion, one feature that should be added is the ability to trace emails from individuals who change their IP address or send misbehaving emails from alternative networks. If someone sends a ...
What is your primary use case for Sophos Network Access Control?
Sophos Network Access Control serves primary use cases for both networking purposes and security purposes.
 

Also Known As

Aerohive Networks, Aerohive HiveManager, HiveManager, ExtremeCloud , ExtremeSecurity
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Henry Ford Health System, Baltimore Ravens, Brandili, Federal University of Alagoas, CEDAE, Caxias do Sul, UNISC Concurrency, CenturyLink Field, Louisiana College, Cricket Tasmania Stadium, Moscow Internet Exchange
Rushmoor Borough Council
Find out what your peers are saying about ExtremeCloud IQ vs. Sophos Network Access Control and other solutions. Updated: November 2026.
920,769 professionals have used our research since 2012.