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Nutanix Flow Network Security vs VMware NSX comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 3, 2026

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

Nutanix Flow Network Security
Ranking in Microsegmentation Software
4th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.0
Number of Reviews
11
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
VMware NSX
Ranking in Microsegmentation Software
3rd
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), Network Automation (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Microsegmentation Software category, the mindshare of Nutanix Flow Network Security is 6.5%, up from 5.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware NSX is 14.1%, down from 15.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Microsegmentation Software Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
VMware NSX14.1%
Nutanix Flow Network Security6.5%
Other79.4%
Microsegmentation Software
 

Featured Reviews

Vishnu Mohan - PeerSpot reviewer
Service Delivery Manager Cloud And Datacenter Operations at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Cloud-style segmentation has improved hybrid security but integration with on-prem tags still needs work
I would like to see better micro-segmentation capabilities in Nutanix Flow Network Security. It has to work with our Cisco on-premises tooling. We use something called tagging on-premises, so if the same tags could be used in Nutanix Flow Network Security, then that would make life easier. The Cisco part was a challenge in terms of how it integrates with third-party vendors and tools, so we have kept it for the next release.
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

"We appreciate the fact that this solution allows us to segregate two virtual machines that are in the same cluster."
"It is a very stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"Flow Network Security's most valuable features are user-friendliness, the console, and policy creation."
"The micro-segmentation feature helps to manage network security effectively because it helps the virtual machines that are already on the cluster and the applications inside the cluster itself, protects them and helps them communicate with each other without needing a complex external or internal firewall in this use case."
"Nutanix Flow is straightforward to install. You only need to select a checkmark that you want to enable Nutanix Flow."
"What I like about Nutanix Flow Network Security is that it features cloud-like segmentation, which is available in a hybrid environment for us."
"They also introduced that they develop API first and the rest follows."
"When comparing the costs of Nutanix Flow versus managing multiple VLANs and many other firewalls, it is far less expensive."
"It operates on a logical level, providing a comprehensive and centralized way to manage your network resources."
"It does have capabilities of micro-segmenting a network, being able to create smaller segments of various types of applications separated by various tiers."
"It's what we use the CIS Benchmarks for. It's for employing hardening rules and keeping them up to date when things happen on our systems. So it's really configurations and stuff that harden and report back."
"Their technical support is very good. They help us figure out solutions when we have problems."
"The organization of it is logical, useful, and intuitive."
"We like that everything is integrated."
"One of the big improvements between the NSX-V and NSX-T is that in NSX-T you are no longer dependent on V-Center anymore."
"From a security standpoint, the customer was able to better secure critical workloads while routing L2/L3 worked normally, giving them more confidence that they would be ready for any potential security incident mitigation or outage (DR)."
 

Cons

"For customers who are running Nutanix Flow and AHV, the largest area for improvement is in the disaster recovery environments."
"While the graphical interface of Nutanix Flow Network Security could have been improved, and some of the reporting features needed extra work, the product's features were similar to VMware's NSX. The difference lay more in the presentation and user interface."
"The most difficult part is the configuration of the initial blueprints."
"I would rate Flow Network Security's stability seven out of ten - it could be improved."
"Nutanix Flow's networking features could use some improvement. Also, I don't know if it's currently supporting load balancing or not."
"We would like the reporting functionality of this solution to be improved."
"The documentation offered by the product is an area with certain shortcomings where improvements are required."
"I would like to see better micro-segmentation capabilities in Nutanix Flow Network Security."
"It lacks full knowledge of physical side of the network topology."
"The technical support could use some improvement."
"The next release of NSX should try to make Kubernetes and container integration a little easier than it is now. It's quite a complicated process."
"The support from VMware NSX could improve."
"It takes time to do the initial setup. It is a bit slow, which is surprising."
"The setup of the solution could be simplified."
"I would rate this product an eight because it's a good product but it needs more work. They should fix some of the bugs."
"NSX-T supports more platforms, and VMware NSX only supports some platforms like KVM. I want to see support for Hyper-V and other hypervisors."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Flow Network Security is available on a three-year license, with annual renewals of the maintenance fee."
"In comparison to other options available in the market, I would rate their pricing as very competitive, probably a two or three out of ten for cost."
"This model is very accessible to implement."
"The product is available for free use."
"There is an annual subscription to use this solution. There is a 60-day trial to use the solution, it gives you time to decide if you want to continue using the solution."
"There are different licensing models."
"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a seven out of ten."
"VMware has a subscription and perpetual license. In the New Year, they're changing many things about the licensing model. Previously, NSX was licensed according to the number of sockets inside the appliance, so we bought VMware licenses based on that. However, that may have changed this year. We are still contacting the vendors to understand the new licensing strategy."
"The price of this product is too high."
"The price of VMware NSX is very good compared to other solutions."
"The licensing is renewed every three years. The cost for implementation and renovation are a huge portion of that price."
"The implementation of VMware NSX can be cost-intensive, especially if an organization is looking for a comprehensive solution. The costs can vary based on factors like the level of conversation and discounts obtained during negotiations. Some government organizations, for instance, may find the prices relatively high, leading to concerns about budget hikes, especially when deploying the solution across the entire organization. Regarding maintenance and support, they are typically included in the standard licensing costs for enterprise-level businesses. While these costs can be significant, many companies opt for standard licensing to ensure they have access to necessary support and maintenance services."
"Our customers have definitely complained about its cost. It's expensive. I'd rate it a nine out of ten in terms of pricing where ten represents a high price. There are other products out there that are equally expensive."
"VMware has always been geared towards enterprise and their pricing options are a bit high. Their price is higher than other options in the market."
"There is a license required for this solution, we pay annually."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Healthcare Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Outsourcing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Construction Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise5
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business34
Midsize Enterprise23
Large Enterprise70
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Nutanix Flow?
I would like to see better micro-segmentation capabilities in Nutanix Flow Network Security. It has to work with our Cisco on-premises tooling. We use something called tagging on-premises, so if th...
What advice do you have for others considering Nutanix Flow?
I cannot think of any weak sides, drawbacks, or something to improve. We have not implemented the impact on Nutanix Flow Network Security's zero-trust security model on our threat control processes...
What is your primary use case for Nutanix Flow?
I have experience with Nutanix Flow Network Security, and I have just started working with it this year. What I like about Nutanix Flow Network Security is that it features cloud-like segmentation,...
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

Nutanix Flow Microsegmentation
VMware Nicira, Lastline Defender
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

JetBlue, International Speedway Corporation, Volkswagen SAIC, Brighton and Hove City Council, Foresters Financial, Janus International Group, Cloud Comrade, Serco
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 Nutanix Flow Network Security vs. VMware NSX and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
920,769 professionals have used our research since 2012.