Nutanix Flow Network Security vs VMware NSX comparison

Nutanix and Broadcom are both solutions in the Microsegmentation Software category. Nutanix is ranked #5 with an average rating of 9.7, while Broadcom is ranked #1 with an average rating of 7.9. Nutanix holds a 5.8% mindshare in MS, compared to Broadcom’s 16.0% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Nutanix users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of Broadcom users who would recommend it.

Nutanix Flow Network Security

Read 9 Nutanix Flow Network Security reviews

1,576 Views
1,497 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

VMware NSX

Read 106 VMware NSX reviews

6,667 Views
3,800 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

Nutanix Flow Network Security

VMware NSX

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 4, 2024

VMware NSX and Nutanix Flow compete in the network security solutions category. VMware NSX stands out for its extensiveness and automation, making it favorable for tech buyers seeking comprehensive features. Nutanix Flow, however, is valued for its cost-effectiveness and easy deployment, appealing to those in need of straightforward security solutions.

Features: VMware NSX offers comprehensive security features, including micro-segmentation, extensive automation, and flexible network integration, fostering suitability for complex environments. Nutanix Flow provides simple and effective security measures that are easy to manage, suitable for users seeking straightforward solutions with a focus on ease of use and core functionalities.

Room for Improvement: VMware NSX could enhance encapsulation technology and simplify upgrades to tackle deployment speed issues. It would benefit from advanced routing protocols and improved cloud integration. Nutanix Flow needs improved documentation clarity and a better graphical interface while maintaining its robust core features.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: VMware NSX supports various cloud environments, adding complexity, but benefits from strong customer service with global variance in technical support. Nutanix Flow is easier to deploy and manage, noted for seamless technical support and a clear customer response strategy.

Pricing and ROI: VMware NSX is seen as expensive but justified by its robust capabilities and potential ROI through reduced network overhead and security enhancements. Nutanix Flow offers competitive pricing with subscription-based plans, providing a cost-effective solution appealing to small to medium-sized businesses looking for a balance between functionality and affordability.

To learn more, read our detailed Nutanix Flow Network Security vs. VMware NSX Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Nutanix Flow Network Security vs. VMware NSX

September 2025

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Helped 868,759 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

Nutanix Flow Network Security

Ranking in Microsegmentation Software

5th

Average Rating

9.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

VMware NSX

Ranking in Microsegmentation Software

1st

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

106

Ranking in other categories

Network Virtualization (2nd), Cloud and Data Center Security (3rd), Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) (7th), Network Detection and Response (NDR) (9th), Network Automation (5th)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Microsegmentation Software category, the mindshare of Nutanix Flow Network Security is 5.8%, down from 7.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware NSX is 16.0%, down from 20.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Microsegmentation Software Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
VMware NSX	16.0%
Nutanix Flow Network Security	5.8%
Other	78.2%

Microsegmentation Software

Featured Reviews

Gus Thompson

IT Principal Analyst at Pima Community College

Offers great integration capabilities and helps design a disaster recovery plan

My company is still determining how the product has improved network visibility. My organization is still actively developing the product. There are many things my company is doing in the background to make sure that our VMs come up. My company deals with Nutanix Cross Hypervisor Disaster Recovery, so we are moving from an ESXi or VMware to Nutanix AHV, meaning that my company is crossing over from hypervisor technologies and leveraging Nutanix to maintain the networks at our DR facility. The most valuable feature of the product in enhancing the security posture stems from the micro-segmentation provided by the product, but I think that it is a functionality in its early stages. The product's micro-segmentation features are being developed to be made robust against technologies such as NSX from VMware and other hypervisor-dependent technologies such as Guardicore. I can't say that the product has given my company any additional features yet, but we hope that the tool will provide us with additional functionalities in the future. The product's micro-segmentation features seem to be on par with the other technologies in the market when it comes to its ability to isolate workloads. I haven't noticed any improvements in my company due to the automation capabilities of the product, especially since everything is done manually in our organization because we know the application very well, and we also know how we want to protect it. I am sure the product has automatic features, but we haven't used them in our company. There has been a positive impact due to the integration capabilities of the product with the other solutions in our company's IT infrastructure. I recommend the product to those who plan to use it, especially those who use Nutanix AHV as a hypervisor. It would be a good choice to work with the account rep in your company so that you can get a system engineer to help you walk through the majority of the deployment and setup phases since the documentation has certain shortcomings. I rate the overall tool a ten out of ten.

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TAIYAB HASAN

Windows Redhat Linux Vmware & Azure & Cloud & Nutanix Ahv-Vmware & Backup Senior System Administrator at Al Dawaa 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.

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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 is a very stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."

"Nutanix Flow Network Security is a simple solution that is usable, easy to understand, and easy to deploy."

"They also introduced that they develop API first and the rest follows."

"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."

"We appreciate the fact that this solution allows us to segregate two virtual machines that are in the same cluster."

"Nutanix Flow has a lot of data protection features. It's also valuable for operations and management. It's a big solution that works well with different solutions and is suitable for most business cases."

"Nutanix Flow is straightforward to install. You only need to select a checkmark that you want to enable Nutanix Flow."

"It allows for policies that enable complete visibility and traffic control."

More Nutanix Flow Network Security pros

"The most valuable features are security and dynamic routing."

"It is a stable solution...The solution's initial setup process was easy."

"The microsegmentation is great, and the security team thinks it is great."

"The most valuable feature of VMware NSX is the DFW (distributed firewall)"

"We are happy with the scalability."

"The product has valuable features for security and network extension."

"Technically, VMware NSX is more advanced technology-wise when compared to others. We have been studying it and so far, so good. We know that the NSX product is superior when it comes to software virtualized networks. </p> <p>If you are looking to work with new and future technologies, then NSX is one of the best options. It costs less for power consumption since it will be a virtual network and not a pure physical network that consumes more energy."

"The best part is the blueprint creation where I can create their things and then move on to the target environment."

More VMware NSX pros

Cons

"The solution’s pricing could be improved."

"The documentation offered by the product is an area with certain shortcomings where improvements are required."

"I would rate Flow Network Security's stability seven out of ten - it could be improved."

"We would like the reporting functionality of this solution to be improved."

"Last time I used it, it was not handy to see or to analyze traffic logs."

"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. To automate the populate of rules from one side to the other side in case of disaster you report everything on the disaster recovery site, and you have all the rules automatically applied. This was something that was being built when I left Nutanix. It might already be available. Additionally, the usability of the rules editor could improve."

"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."

More Nutanix Flow Network Security cons

"Its licensing model could be VM based."

"In the next release, they should enhance the visual interface. With NSX-T, it's difficult to communicate between the public cloud and the container."

"One drawback is this solution requires a lot of other products in the VMware ecosystem to have a full end-to-end operation orchestration monitoring. You have to buy a lot of add-ons to fully utilize the functionality."

"The technical support could use some improvement."

"Lacks integration with other solutions."

"Our technical team is always looking for the solutions that they work with to offer more convenient integrations."

"If there are other solutions already in place, it can be difficult to implement."

"The licensing model is expensive and could be more flexible, especially after Broadcom bought VMware. It made it an expensive licensing model with no other options to take something specific from the license itself."

More VMware NSX cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Flow Network Security is available on a three-year license, with annual renewals of the maintenance fee."

"This model is very accessible to implement."

"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."

"There are different licensing models."

"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."

"The product is available for free use."

"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."

"The tool's pricing is reasonable."

"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."

"The solution is very 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."

"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."

"The solution is free and the price for the support can be expensive."

"I was not involved in the purchase of the solution but I hear it is on the expensive side."

"All the institutions have to pay monthly for the services in the cloud. They have to pay $30,000 every month for this service every three years."

More VMware NSX pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

20%

Healthcare Company

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	4

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	33
Midsize Enterprise	23
Large Enterprise	69

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Nutanix Flow?

Nutanix Flow Network Security is a simple solution that is usable, easy to understand, and easy to deploy.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Nutanix Flow?

Last time I used it, it was not handy to see or to analyze traffic logs. As a Check Point partner as well, we have some more expectations to log in. Probably, it's possible to forward all the traff...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

What do you like most about VMware NSX?

The product has valuable features for security and network extension.

See all answers

Comparisons

Akamai Guardicore Segmentation vs Nutanix Flow Network Security

Compared 11% of the time

Illumio vs Nutanix Flow Network Security

Compared 10% of the time

Cisco Secure Workload vs Nutanix Flow Network Security

Compared 4% of the time

More Nutanix Flow Network Security Competitors

Illumio vs VMware NSX

Compared 18% of the time

Akamai Guardicore Segmentation vs VMware NSX

Compared 14% of the time

Cisco Secure Workload vs VMware NSX

Compared 8% of the time

Cisco ACI vs VMware NSX

Compared 6% of the time

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs VMware NSX

Compared 3% of the time

More VMware NSX Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Nutanix Flow Network Security

September 2025

Download Nutanix Flow Network Security product report

Buyer's Guide

VMware NSX

September 2025

Download VMware NSX product report

Also Known As

Nutanix Flow Microsegmentation

VMware Nicira, Lastline Defender

Overview

Flow Network Security is a stateful, distributed, microsegmentation firewall. It is provided as part of NCI Ultimate or as part of the optional Security Add-On package for NCI Pro.

Nutanix

VMware NSX is a comprehensive tool for network virtualization and security, offering advanced features like micro-segmentation and multi-cloud networking to enhance scalability and management efficiency within enterprises.

VMware NSX revolutionizes enterprise networking by integrating security and scalability into one streamlined platform. With capabilities like dynamic policy updates and automation, it simplifies complex configurations and provides robust API integration. Its support for Layer 4 and 7 load balancing, along with its seamless integration in multi-cloud environments, makes it a preferred choice among companies. Although deployment speed and management console features require refinement, NSX is an effective solution for private cloud and hybrid environments, enabling centralized orchestration and management of complex networks.

What are the key features of VMware NSX?

Micro-segmentation: Provides secure, granular network segmentation for enhanced security.
Distributed Firewall: Offers policy-driven firewall capabilities across all network endpoints.
Automation: Enables dynamic policy updates and simplifies network configurations.
API Integration: Facilitates seamless third-party integrations and improves configuration processes.
Multi-Cloud Networking: Supports seamless integration across various cloud environments.

What benefits and ROI should users consider?

Scalability: Offers significant improvements in network scalability and management efficiency.
Security: Ensures enhanced security through advanced features like micro-segmentation.
Cost-Effectiveness: Potential to reduce costs through network automation and efficiency improvements.
Flexibility: Supports various enterprise requirements with its comprehensive feature set.

In the tech industry, VMware NSX is instrumental in managing private and hybrid cloud environments, allowing companies to replace traditional networking with software-defined networks. In finance, it helps secure transactional data through micro-segmentation. Healthcare organizations leverage its flexibility for managing sensitive patient information securely and integrating cloud services.

Broadcom

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

Buyer's Guide

Nutanix Flow Network Security vs. VMware NSX

September 2025

Free Report: Nutanix Flow Network Security vs. VMware NSX

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