Portnox NAC vs PacketFence

Portnox NAC8.6Visit PacketFence8.5Visit

Higher score Portnox NAC #6 in Network Access Control Software 8.6/10 Pricing on request · 30-day trial Free trial✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Portnox

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

• Portnox NAC fits best

  Cloud-first NAC with continuous risk assessment

• PacketFence fits best

  Budget-conscious teams wanting full-featured NAC

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Side by side

Feature	Portnox NAC 8.6/10 Visit ↗	PacketFence 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.6	8.5
Ranking	#6 in Network Access Control Software	#7 in Network Access Control Software
Best for	Cloud-first NAC with continuous risk assessment	Budget-conscious teams wanting full-featured NAC
Pricing model	Paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	—	$5,000/yr
Free plan	—	✓ (best)
Free trial	30 days	30 days
Free trial length	30 days	30 days
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud, Desktop, Self-hosted
Platforms	Web	Web, Linux
Integrations	5 integrations	20 integrations
Features Portnox NAC 4/4 · PacketFence 4/4
Wired access control	✓	✓
Wireless access control	✓	✓
VPN access control	✓	✓
802.1X support	✓	✓
Specs
Deployment model	Cloud	Hybrid
Device limit	Not checked yet	250 devices
Our review
Pros	Controls wired, wireless, and VPN access with cloud RADIUS Combines posture assessment, quarantine, remediation, and segmentation Integrates with Entra ID, Active Directory, Okta, Intune, and Google Workspace	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	Pricing requires contact with sales There is no free plan Cloud deployment may not fit on-premises-only requirements	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	Portnox NAC is a cloud-delivered network access control platform for organizations securing distributed, hybrid, and device-dense networks. It provides visibility across managed, unmanaged, BYOD, IoT, and OT devices, then applies… 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

• Portnox NAC — where it wins

  • Controls wired, wireless, and VPN access with cloud RADIUS
  • Combines posture assessment, quarantine, remediation, and segmentation
  • Integrates with Entra ID, Active Directory, Okta, Intune, and Google Workspace

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing requires contact with sales
  • There is no free plan
  • Cloud deployment may not fit on-premises-only requirements

• 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

• Portnox NAC8.6/10 · Pricing on request · 30-day trial

  A cloud-first NAC platform combining access control, risk assessment, and zero trust.

  Visit PortnoxFull 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 →