HPE Aruba Networking ClearPass Policy Manager vs PacketFence

HAHPE Aruba Networking ClearPass Policy Manager9.2Visit PacketFence8.5Visit

Higher score HA HPE Aruba Networking ClearPass Policy Manager #2 in Network Access Control Software 9.2/10 Paid ✓ 4 of 4 features Visit HPE Aruba

vs

PacketFence #7 in Network Access Control Software 8.5/10 Free plan · 30-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 4 of 4 features Visit PacketFence

• HPE Aruba Networking ClearPass Policy Manager fits best

  Enterprise wired, wireless, and VPN access control

• PacketFence fits best

  Budget-conscious teams wanting full-featured NAC

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Side by side

Feature	HAHPE Aruba Networking ClearPass Policy Manager 9.2/10 Visit ↗	PacketFence 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	8.5
Ranking	#2 in Network Access Control Software	#7 in Network Access Control Software
Best for	Enterprise wired, wireless, and VPN access control	Budget-conscious teams wanting full-featured NAC
Pricing model	Paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Not checked yet	$5,000/yr
Free plan	—	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	30 days
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud, Desktop, Self-hosted
Platforms	Web	Web, Linux
Integrations	6 integrations	20 integrations
Features HPE Aruba Networking ClearPass Policy Manager 4/4 · PacketFence 4/4
Wired access control	✓	✓
Wireless access control	✓	✓
VPN access control	✓	✓
802.1X support	✓	✓
Specs
Deployment model	Hybrid	Hybrid
Device limit	Not checked yet	250 devices
Our review
Pros	Controls wired, wireless, VPN, guest, and non-802.1X access Adds profiling, posture assessment, onboarding, and certificate provisioning Supports clustering, REST APIs, and security integrations	802.1X, BYOD, guest access, profiling, posture, and remediation Free GPL-licensed Community Edition with unlimited devices Extensive directory, endpoint, firewall, and network integrations
Cons	No free plan is offered Reseller pricing varies by location Its broad enterprise scope may exceed smaller deployments	Cloud Starter is limited to 250 registered devices Self-hosted deployment requires internal infrastructure management Enterprise pricing is not listed with the plan details
Our verdict	HPE Aruba Networking ClearPass Policy Manager is a multi-vendor network access control platform for enterprises managing wired, wireless, and VPN environments. It centralizes authentication, authorization, accounting, profiling, posture… Read the review →	PacketFence is a network access control platform for organizations managing wired and wireless networks. It authenticates, authorizes, profiles, quarantines, and remediates devices through 802.1X/EAP, MAC authentication bypass, RADIUS,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• HPE Aruba Networking ClearPass Policy Manager — where it wins

  • Controls wired, wireless, VPN, guest, and non-802.1X access
  • Adds profiling, posture assessment, onboarding, and certificate provisioning
  • Supports clustering, REST APIs, and security integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan is offered
  • Reseller pricing varies by location
  • Its broad enterprise scope may exceed smaller deployments

• PacketFence — where it wins

  • 802.1X, BYOD, guest access, profiling, posture, and remediation
  • Free GPL-licensed Community Edition with unlimited devices
  • Extensive directory, endpoint, firewall, and network integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • Cloud Starter is limited to 250 registered devices
  • Self-hosted deployment requires internal infrastructure management
  • Enterprise pricing is not listed with the plan details

• HAHPE Aruba Networking ClearPass Policy Manager9.2/10 · Paid

  A comprehensive enterprise NAC platform for identity, device, guest, and endpoint policy control.

  Visit HPE ArubaFull verdict →
• PacketFence8.5/10 · Free plan · 30-day trial

  A broad NAC platform with strong open-source value and flexible paid support options.

  Visit PacketFenceFull verdict →