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Nutanix Flow Network Security vs VMware NSX comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 4, 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

Nutanix Flow Network Security
Ranking in Microsegmentation Software
5th
Average Rating
9.2
Reviews Sentiment
5.2
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
VMware NSX
Ranking in Microsegmentation Software
2nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
107
Ranking in other categories
Network Virtualization (2nd), Cloud and Data Center Security (2nd), Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) (6th), Network Detection and Response (NDR) (5th), Network Automation (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Microsegmentation Software category, the mindshare of Nutanix Flow Network Security is 6.9%, up from 6.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware NSX is 15.5%, down from 17.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Microsegmentation Software Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
VMware NSX15.5%
Nutanix Flow Network Security6.9%
Other77.6%
Microsegmentation Software
 

Featured Reviews

Mohammad Jundiah - PeerSpot reviewer
Solutions Architect at QDS
Has enabled consistent enforcement of zero-trust policies at the virtual layer
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. It protects them and helps them communicate with each other without needing a complex external or internal firewall in this use case. Working with the zero-trust security model means never trust but always verify. Every VM, application, and service in your environment must explicitly prove it's allowed to communicate with others. An application would be able to talk to a VM and vice versa. This zero-trust means explicitly proving that they are allowed to talk to each other, with no implicit trust just because they are on the same VLAN, subnet, cluster, or environment. Nutanix Flow brings the zero-trust model natively to the virtual layer inside the Nutanix software itself, the AHV. The AHV software enforces strict communication rules between workloads. Integration between Nutanix Flow and other products natively benefits the infrastructure itself as this is a networking segmentation software coming from Nutanix itself. This provides ultimate compatibility. There is no need for extra firewall VMs such as Palo Alto or third-party switches. Security becomes established at the hypervisor level, which creates a new conglomeration of security segmentation. The network performance analysis that Nutanix Flow Network Security provides is very beneficial and effective.
TAIYAB HASAN - PeerSpot reviewer
Windows Redhat Linux Vmware & Azure & Cloud & Nutanix Ahv-Vmware & Backup Senior System Administrator at AlDawaa Medical Services
Has improved network visibility and security through micro-segmentation and SDN capabilities
This feature gives us flexibility and allows us to manage everything under one pane. We can see everything on one console, including network operations and behavior. Monitoring and security are among the best features for VMware NSX. For micro-segmentation, it's integrated with our endpoint security. If there are any issues with servers or VMs, it notifies us so we can isolate the servers and investigate. It provides distributed security features such as firewall and intrusion, IDS, IPS. The security level with IPS and IDS in VMware NSX is excellent. It also provides logical switching and routing which gives an extra layer for Layer 2 and Layer 3 switching requirements. The solution provides flexibility, automation, and self-service capabilities, resulting in cost savings as extensive expertise isn't required. Once automation and self-service are implemented, many tasks can be completed automatically. Load balancing is another excellent feature. Multiple servers can run on load balancing features, which is particularly useful since we have many application servers running. Sharing loads between servers provides the best performance.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."
"Nutanix Flow Network Security is a simple solution that is usable, easy to understand, and easy to deploy."
"Flow Network Security's most valuable features are user-friendliness, the console, and policy creation."
"We appreciate the fact that this solution allows us to segregate two virtual machines that are in the same cluster."
"Nutanix Flow is straightforward to install. You only need to select a checkmark that you want to enable Nutanix Flow."
"It is a very stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"The network view was excellent as it allowed us to expand the server view and visualize all connections it made within the environment. This was particularly useful in identifying the path of our data and not just its location within the data center."
"It's a beneficial tool."
"It's changed the way we do things."
"We like that everything is integrated."
"When you have a solid secure solution between your on-prem and cloud solution, then you're in a safe place."
"The solution is very stable and reliable."
"The most valuable features for us at this early stage are the interface and the integration with existing VMware solutions."
"It's really a great product, it fits all of our needs, and everything that we've asked it to do or asked VMware to help us get done with it, we've been able to do."
"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

"We would like the reporting functionality of this solution to be improved."
"Nutanix Flow's networking features could use some improvement."
"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."
"For customers who are running Nutanix Flow and AHV, the largest area for improvement is in the disaster recovery environments."
"The most difficult part is the configuration of the initial blueprints."
"Nutanix Flow Network Security needs to improve threat hunting, compliance, and policy optimization - these things that security officers would use."
"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 product need to be improved. It is too complex."
"If you start with a new or greenfield environment, it is okay to implement. However, if there are other solutions already in place, it can be difficult to implement."
"They need to enhance their technical support. There is no comparison between VMware technical support and Cisco's technical support."
"They could do more with cloud management."
"I have concerns on the stability of VMware NSX, because it breaks multiple times in customer environments, especially when you scale it across a big data center."
"The price could be better. The non-enterprise version of the product should also be improved. I would like VMware to expand beyond the network and provide some VLAN technologies and more. I think we have one, but it's more on the distribution side because it's more on the upper side of the network. I'm looking forward to that."
"VMware NSX could improve by having more compatibility with other none Window-based operating systems."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There are different licensing models."
"This model is very accessible to implement."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"The product is available for free use."
"Flow Network Security is available on a three-year license, with annual renewals of the maintenance fee."
"The product pricing ranges from medium to expensive. I rate the pricing a seven out of ten."
"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."
"The solution is reasonable at the local level."
"I was not involved in the purchase of the solution but I hear it is on the expensive side."
"The pricing model for VMware NSX is good."
"The price could be better. We pay for the license every three years. The last time I checked, it cost around three million pesos in the Philipines. Most of the expense will go towards implementation and renovation."
"We haven't had to hire a dedicated network engineer because NSX handles 90 percent of it. The reduced overhead in terms of managing networks has been the biggest plus."
"VMware NSX is expensive and everything is licensed. We have to pay for each individual feature."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Healthcare Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
University
7%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
9%
Government
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise4
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business34
Midsize Enterprise23
Large Enterprise69
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Nutanix Flow?
There are different models like Nutanix AOS Pro or Ultimate license. The prices are different, but it's not in the same price range as Cisco ACI, for example.
What needs improvement with Nutanix Flow?
Nutanix Flow Network Security needs to improve threat hunting, compliance, and policy optimization - these things that security officers would use. Making these aspects clearer would enable easier ...
What advice do you have for others considering Nutanix Flow?
I am still working with these products. The cloud provider I'm usually using for Nutanix NC2 clusters is Azure. I usually purchase Nutanix directly from Nutanix. The solution is suitable for all ty...
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: April 2026.
893,221 professionals have used our research since 2012.