ClearPass has been the best NAC product and market leader for a decade. It is a robust product.
Pre-Sales Manager at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Robust product that supports multiple integrations
Pros and Cons
- "It is a robust product."
- "The pricing policy could be more flexible."
What is most valuable?
What needs improvement?
The pricing policy could be more flexible. Additionally, ClearPass can be integrated with the Aruba cloud solution because many companies are moving to the cloud.
For how long have I used the solution?
We use Aruba ClearPass for authentication purposes.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the product's stability an eight out of ten.
Buyer's Guide
Aruba ClearPass
March 2025

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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a very high-end product. Its scalability is an eight or nine out of ten.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I used Cisco before. ClearPass supports multi-vendor products. On the other hand, Cisco is limited to being designed, configured, and managed for a specific device. ClearPass configures any products for authentication, device sharing, security, etc.
How was the initial setup?
The configuration was very complex. It is not a product that normal users can use. A bunch of technologies are involved. There are a lot of other policies, which also include device posturing and management. There are many features involved in this product, best used by experts.
If you implement all of the modules, deployment will be perfect. Otherwise, it is not possible because it is very complex. You need to understand the entire system. Since we are just starting with this product, we need to redirect our switching and wireless traffic to the NAC solution. We need to know the network controller features and infrastructure.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The product is very costly, starting at a minimum of 500 users. No small or medium-sized business can go with it as a standard organization has more than 500 users.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I rate Aruba ClearPass a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
Sales Manager - GCC at Gerab System Solutions LLC
A budget-friendly NAC solution that provides quality and functionality to its users
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature, I would say, is the cost-effectiveness of the solution when compared to others."
- "I remember our technical team stating that the installation front of the solution was a bit difficult when compared to other solutions."
What is our primary use case?
Our clients use Aruba ClearPass since it is a NAC solution.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature, I would say, is the cost-effectiveness of the solution when compared to others.
What needs improvement?
Regarding the improvement needed in the solution, I remember our technical team stating that the installation front of the solution was a bit difficult when compared to other solutions. So, some of the other solutions, when compared to Aruba ClearPass, are more user-friendly to install.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Aruba ClearPass for almost five to six years. My company is a reseller of the solution. I am unsure about the version of the solution I am using since we also deal in other products.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution. I rate the solution's stability a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable solution. I rate the solution's scalability somewhere around seven to eight out of ten. Mostly, our organization deals with medium and enterprise-sized customers.
How are customer service and support?
I rate the solution's technical support team a seven out of ten. There are no issues with the support we are receiving. I will probably have to check with the engineers who have dealt with the technical support team. Since I have never heard a complaint against the support team, I would reconsider my decision over the rating provided by me previously and rate the technical support an eight.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
I rate the solution's initial setup a six on a scale where one is difficult and ten is easy. There are some difficulties when installing the solution. For our company, installation is not difficult since we are system integrators who are well-versed in Aruba ClearPass. However, one of our customers told us that it is difficult to manage the installation part of the solution.
The solutions deployment was quick because our company is well-versed in deployment. So, it took around twenty to thirty days. Usually, four L3 engineers from our company are involved in the deployment process. For the maintenance and deployment of the solution, we have a lot of people in our organization. So, our company has around 28 engineers, and we serve around 120 customers in UAE. Specifically speaking, two network engineers are handling the maintenance part of the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
On a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is too expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a six out of ten. So, the price could be lower. The solution has a yearly based licensing cost attached to it.
What other advice do I have?
I want to tell those planning to use the solution that it is a good solution where one needs to have a certain level of expertise to carry out the deployment phase. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
Buyer's Guide
Aruba ClearPass
March 2025

Learn what your peers think about Aruba ClearPass. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
842,672 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Great authentication and monitoring features
Pros and Cons
- "ClearPass' best features are authentication, support for multiple devices, and monitoring."
- "ClearPass' GUI could be more user-friendly."
What is our primary use case?
I mainly use ClearPass to issue and authenticate certificates.
How has it helped my organization?
ClearPass has simplified our security as an automatic email is now sent to concerned users when something goes down. For example, if your AP or controller is down, a log is immediately generated stating what's happened, and we can use that to work with local engineers or OEM to resolve it. This reduces the impact on business and has simplified around 70% of our work.
What is most valuable?
ClearPass' best features are authentication, support for multiple devices, and monitoring.
What needs improvement?
ClearPass' GUI could be more user-friendly.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Aruba ClearPass for almost three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
ClearPass is stable - we haven't had any issues since deployment.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
ClearPass' scalability is up to the mark.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was a bit complex and took a couple of days.
What about the implementation team?
I implemented ClearPass myself.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate ClearPass nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Technical Department at Telenor Comunicaciones
Versatile and stable solution
Pros and Cons
- "The aspect of Aruba ClearPass that I like most is that it has a lot of options, it is very versatile."
- "The initial setup was quite complex, it is not that easy."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case is for security.
What is most valuable?
The aspect of Aruba ClearPass that I like most is that it has a lot of options, it is very versatile.
What needs improvement?
One thing that could be improved in Aruba ClearPass is that we would like to have an option to recognize all the assets on the customer's site in one click. That is an easy way of recognizing all the assets on a customer site. We would like an easier way of recognizing the assets of the network so we could know in which VLAN we want to configure the port or the suite and which policies apply to that port. We'd like ClearPass do that automatically.
For how long have I used the solution?
We first installed ClearPass about two years ago.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In terms of stability, it is quite stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
One a scale of one to five, I would give the scalability a three. It is not scalable enough.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was quite complex, it is not that easy.
It took maybe two weeks. It takes a long time because it depends on the customer's industry or location or on the user's computers. It's not that fast normally.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Aruba ClearPass is expensive.
What other advice do I have?
On a scale of one to ten I would give Aruba ClearPass an eight.
It is a good solution for applying security to the network. I would recommend it.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
Network Team Lead at Digitain
A stable tool that offers its users downloadable user roles for authentication, along with NAS and backup
Pros and Cons
- "It is a very stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
- "The initial setup phase of the solution was really very difficult, owing to which the setup phase can be considered as an area that can be improved."
What is our primary use case?
My company uses Aruba ClearPass mainly for the initial goal we set during the initial setup of the solution, which includes Network Access Server (NAS) and backup. We use the application in our company with almost all the features it provides.
What is most valuable?
I have found all of the features of the solution to be valuable. One of the most important features of the solution is that you can have downloadable user roles for authentication in the solution, which I think is pretty good.
What needs improvement?
The initial setup phase of the solution was really very difficult, owing to which the setup phase can be considered as an area that can be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Aruba ClearPass for three years. I am a customer of the solution.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a very stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
My organization has about 3,000 users of the solution.
How are customer service and support?
I contacted the solution's technical support team since I had some questions related to the product and not due to any particular issues related to the solution.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
My company has a huge infrastructure, because of which we have to deal with a multi-vendor environment that includes Arista, Cisco, Juniper, and Fortinet.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Aruba ClearPass was really very difficult.
The solution is deployed on-premises.
Aruba ClearPass' deployment process that involves the configuration from scratch can take up to a couple of weeks, especially if you are not familiar with the product.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Though I don't remember the pricing model of the solution, I can say that the package or licensing model offered for the solution is a permanent one.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend those planning to use the solution to use it, but they need to consider that it comes across as a really complex solution. It is important to have some past experience with the solution.
I rate the overall product a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
CEO at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
The compatibility is a key valuable feature that sets it above other products
Pros and Cons
- "ClearPass is open to any operating system or mobile app."
- "Licensing cost is extremely high."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case of ClearPass is for network access control, wireless access and policy enforcement. We use it for authentication, verification and authorization, and then patch it to our users. We are system integrators.
What is most valuable?
The advantage of Aruba is that it is open to any operating system or mobile app. The compatibility of Aruba ClearPass is a key valuable feature and makes it a stronger product than Cisco ISE in this area.
What needs improvement?
The cost of Aruba is very, very high. It's the biggest challenge we have with this product. It would be helpful if Aruba would integrate the SDN controller into the solution. Cisco is moving towards that in order to create one platform.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using this solution for 10 years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability depends on the design policy. One device has a scalability provision of 20,000 but you might only use 5,000 licenses initially so it really depends on your needs.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is excellent.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy and there is no need to install anything whether you buy the virtual platform or the appliance. It's all very open and clear and a matter of configuring for policy enforcement.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There are licensing options but this is a very expensive product.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Forescout and ClearPass are both trying to build their system as an open platform for everyone which is why their reachability is very high. If you're using ClearPass or Forescout, you can use any open switches on the market. Cisco has a limited category that it has developed for its own products and infrastructure. If you use different switches and different Wi-Fi, it doesn't provide the pure solution inside.
What other advice do I have?
I rate this solution 10 out of 10.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator
Network Professional at Transformation Networks Inc.
The feature that I use the most is the Access Tracker. It displays all relevant information of each authentication request and troubleshooting is a breeze on how the data is displayed.
Valuable Features
A major feature that I deploy and all my customers enjoy is the On-boarding function. Once properly set-up, it is very easy to configure and maintain all on boarded devices and users associated with those devices.
The feature that I use the most is the Access Tracker. It displays all relevant information of each authentication request and troubleshooting is a breeze on how the data is displayed.
Improvements to My Organization
I have deployed ClearPass in a number of organizations that have been using any number of outdated and obsolete security protocols for their wireless security from WEP and PSKs to MAC based authentication and global user names and passwords. Deploying ClearPass allowed these organizations to move from weak security protocols to industry standard security protocols.
Room for Improvement
Every deployment of ClearPass I have run into a bug or a feature that is not as user friendly as it could be. This can be easily improved upon by providing documentation and guides of proper syntax inputs. I have gotten around these issues by purely trial and error.
Use of Solution
I have used ClearPass for the past five years and have deployed all the features that ClearPass has to offer. I have deployed it in school districts, hospitals, government agencies and all major industry verticals.
Deployment Issues
It is not as user-friendly and intuitive when first using it as it takes some time to know were everything is.
Stability Issues
I have deployed Clearpass in environments that require over 500,000 authentications per day and have not had any issues.
Scalability Issues
I have deployed Clearpass in environments that require over 500,000 authentications per day and have not had any issues
Customer Service and Technical Support
For 90% of troubleshooting and basic configuration the Technical Assistance Center has always been very good, once the issue becomes a unique case specific to the customer that’s when resolving issues may take longer the three hours. Overall, Aruba Networks is really good in supporting ClearPass.
Initial Setup
The basic network set-up is straightforward to get it on the network. Activating the licenses and getting the subscription key for ClearPass is a bulky and compression process with very little guidance or documentation. If there is an issue with the license, the only solution to almost always call Aruba tech support. Once the licenses are sorted out an upgrade needs to happen and the size of the update is 1.4Gb or more and based on the customers network, may take a long time. Finally, after ClearPass is on-line and fully updated, the configuration and basic troubleshooting is pretty straightforward. If it’s the first time someone is looking at it there is defiantly a learning curve.
Implementation Team
I am the system integrator if it would be done in-house. If the person that is deploying ClearPass has experience with radius servers, deploying it would take three to six times longer than to hire a system integrator. Unless the in-house IT team has the time and resources to learn to deploy and troubleshoot ClearPass out of the box, then I definitely recommend getting a systems integrator. They would know how the system works, what questions to ask and troubleshooting techniques.
ROI
There are a lot of questions need to be answered before answering the real ROI question correctly, the biggest questions are how secure is your current network? Does it meet the industry security standards? Can you afford to have your network infiltrated or have loss of data? And can you afford to lose data? If not then pricing and licensing can be worked out.
Pricing, Setup Cost and Licensing
Before you buy licensing know how and way you are using clearpass. I cant count how many times a customer has perched the wrong license or to many or not enough.
Other Advice
It can easily handle all types of authentication methods and has a large amount of flexibility, which can cover all scenarios. However it is lacking in third party integrations and little to no documentation on customization. Aruba assumes that you have working knowledge of their CSS tags, JavaScript, REST API integration and others.
If you are looking for a NAC solution ClearPass is one of the best all in one solution it covers all authentication methods and has a large flexibility that can be easily customized to fit any scenario in any industry vertical.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: We are currently a sliver partner with Aruba Networks
Head of Project Management at Saudi Biga
It's suitable for deploying at large hospitality projects.
Pros and Cons
- "Aruba is a highly scalable product. It just works. We have no issues with scalability."
- "The technical support has some room for improvement. It takes them a long time to respond sometimes. I rate Aruba support six out of 10."
What is our primary use case?
We use ClearPass for access points. We are primarily working on hospitality projects, including some major hotels in Saudi Arabia. They only allow Aruba and Cisco, so we need this product.
For how long have I used the solution?
I joined this company a few days ago, but they've been dealing with Aruba for a long time. They use it for specific projects with a local partner in Saudi Arabia that requires Aruba.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We haven't had any issues with stability so far .
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Aruba is a highly scalable product. It just works. We have no issues with scalability.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support has some room for improvement. It takes them a long time to respond sometimes. I rate Aruba support six out of 10.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Aruba is a little more expensive than other products in the market here.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Aruba eight out of 10. I would recommend it. Our company prefers Aruba because it has an attractive design that can decorate a hospitality area.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner

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Updated: March 2025
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It is flexible, has multivendor support and many features, but needs training to learn. The permanent licensing model is great. I'm giving Clearpass courses as a certified instructor and love this product.