PacketFence
PacketFence: A broad NAC platform with strong open-source value and flexible paid support options. Ranked #7 of 22 in Network Access Control Software by our editors (8.5/10); pricing: Free plan · 30-day trial; best for budget-conscious teams wanting full-featured NAC.
At a glance
- Editor score8.5 / 10
- PricingFree plan · 30-day trial
- Best forBudget-conscious teams wanting full-featured NAC
- Free planYes
- Paid from$5,000/yr
- 802.1X supportYes
- Founded2005 · Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
- Facts checked19 Sep 2026
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
Our verdict on PacketFence
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, captive portals, dynamic VLANs, role-based enforcement, guest access, and BYOD onboarding. Its audience includes teams that need broad NAC coverage across users, endpoints, network equipment, and security controls, particularly where open-source deployment or flexible commercial support matters.
The pricing structure spans self-hosted and cloud-oriented options. Community Edition is free forever, GPL licensed, self-hosted, and supports unlimited devices with community forum support. The Starter plan costs $5,000 per year for up to 250 registered devices and 2,500 guest devices per year, with business-hours support and self-service onboarding. Professional costs $15,000 per year for up to 1,000 registered devices and 10,000 guest devices per year, adding 24/7 premium support and guided onboarding. Enterprise supports 10,000 or more registered devices, unlimited guest devices, 24/7 elite support, and white-glove onboarding. Premium Support costs $5,000 per server per year and includes 24/7 unlimited support, a one-hour urgent response SLA, yearly version upgrades, and performance tuning.
PacketFence’s main strength is breadth: integrated FreeRADIUS, Fingerbank device profiling, posture assessment, quarantine and remediation workflows, high-availability clustering, and database replication cover both access enforcement and ongoing device control. Integrations include Active Directory, LDAP, SAML 2.0, OAuth2, Microsoft Intune, JAMF, Kandji, MobileIron, VMware Workspace ONE, Palo Alto, FortiGate, and Check Point, with REST API and command-line administration available. Choose PacketFence when wide NAC functionality and deployment flexibility outweigh operational complexity. Teams wanting a simpler, narrowly focused access-control tool may prefer an alternative.
Your product? Our editors can test PacketFence in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →
PacketFence pricing
All 5 PacketFence plans and prices →
PacketFence fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | $5,000/yr |
| Wired access control | Yes |
| Wireless access control | Yes |
| VPN access control | Yes |
| 802.1X support | Yes |
| Deployment model | Hybrid |
| Device limit | 250 devices |
| Free trial | 30 days |
| Deployment | Cloud, Desktop, Self-hosted |
| Platforms | Web, Linux |
| Integrations | 20 integrations: Microsoft Active Directory, LDAP, RADIUS, SAML 2.0, OAuth2, SCEP/NDES … |
| Pricing | Free plan · 30-day trial (source) |
| Website | packetfence.com |
| Facts checked | 19 Sep 2026 |
PacketFence integrations
PacketFence lists 20 integrations on its own site.
- Microsoft Active Directory
- LDAP
- RADIUS
- SAML 2.0
- OAuth2
- SCEP/NDES
- Fingerbank
- Microsoft Intune
- JAMF
- Kandji
- MobileIron
- VMware Workspace ONE
- Palo Alto
- FortiGate
- Check Point
- Cisco
- Aruba
- Juniper
- Meraki
- Ruckus
Alternatives to PacketFence
- FortiNACBroad NAC coverage for enterprise wired, wireless, VPN, and hybrid networks.9.3
- HPE Aruba Networking ClearPass Policy ManagerA comprehensive enterprise NAC platform for identity, device, guest, and endpoint policy control.9.2
- ExtremeControlA broad NAC platform for organizations managing mixed wired, wireless, VPN, and IoT access.9.1
See all PacketFence alternatives →
PacketFence vs the competition
- PacketFence vs FortiNAC
- PacketFence vs HPE Aruba Networking ClearPass Policy Manager
- PacketFence vs ExtremeControl
- PacketFence vs Arista Guardian for Network Identity (AGNI)
- PacketFence vs Belden NAC
- PacketFence vs Portnox NAC
Compare PacketFence with any tool side by side →
Also Ranked In
PacketFence is ranked in 2 of our directories.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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