Aruba ClearPass could be deployed on-premise in the cloud.
Scalable, helpful support, but user training needed
Pros and Cons
- "Aruba ClearPass is a simple solution for customers to see what is happening on their network."
- "The implementation can improve because it is challenging to explain some of the concepts to the client."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
Aruba ClearPass is a simple solution for customers to see what is happening on their network.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Aruba ClearPass for approximately five years.
Aruba ClearPass is used for our clients to control and access their network.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Aruba ClearPass is stable.
Buyer's Guide
Aruba ClearPass
March 2025

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842,672 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have found Aruba ClearPass to be scalable.
We have approximately three to four clients that are using this solution.
How are customer service and support?
The support has been good for our customers.
How was the initial setup?
Aruba ClearPass is complicated to install. Before our clients can use the solution they typically do a POC and we loan them some equipment for them to test with.
The projects from negotiation to acceptance take approximately three to six months.
The implementation can improve because it is challenging to explain some of the concepts to the client.
What about the implementation team?
We do the implementation of the solution, and the time it takes for us to do the deployment depends on the customer's size.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The starting price of Aruba ClearPass is 200k Hong Kong dollars. The licensing is based on the endpoints. For example, 100 - 500 endpoints.
There is a subscription for the support from the vendor that can be bundled together.
The solution can be expensive because you might have to train the customer.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Aruba ClearPass a seven out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
System Engineer at Neogenesis technical solutions
Easy-to-configure and has a user-friendly webpage
Pros and Cons
- "The customized modules for guests, the self-registration and login, one license for all, no license for guest users, and the self-integration of sandbox integration are the most valuable features."
- "There is room for improvement in the support."
What is our primary use case?
The solution is used for integration with the third party. If you are not selective of the switches in Juniper or Huawei, then the third-party scan integration of ClearPass is distinct.
What is most valuable?
The customized modules for guests, the self-registration and login, one license for all, no license for guest users, and the self-integration of sandbox integration are the most valuable features.
What needs improvement?
There is room for improvement in the support.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution since 2015. I work with the latest version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable solution.
How are customer service and support?
The support is okay.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have not used any other solution before. I have general information about FortiNAC from Fortinet.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. It takes around fifteen minutes to be deployed. Just one engineer can deploy the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
In Spain, Cisco is more expensive than ClearPass but in Jordan, there are big deals on Cisco, and even at times, it is free of charge. ClearPass is an affordable solution.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend ClearPass for its integration, stability, and scalability. It is easy to configure and has a user-friendly webpage.
I rate it an eight 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
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.
Consultant at Lantec
Scalable, stable, and has an 802.1X certificate-based authentication feature
Pros and Cons
- "What I like best about Aruba ClearPass is its 802.1X certificate-based authentication feature."
- "Aruba ClearPass has a complex pricing scheme, so that's an area for improvement. The process for setting up Aruba ClearPass also needs improvement. It could be easier."
What is our primary use case?
We use Aruba ClearPass for our network access system, particularly for authentication.
What is most valuable?
What I like best about Aruba ClearPass is its 802.1X certificate-based authentication feature.
What needs improvement?
Aruba ClearPass has a complex pricing scheme, so that's an area for improvement.
The process for setting up Aruba ClearPass also needs improvement. It could be easier.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using Aruba ClearPass for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of Aruba ClearPass is a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Aruba ClearPass is fine. Scalability-wise, it's a ten out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
I have yet to contact the Aruba ClearPass technical support team.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup for Aruba ClearPass is not that simple, yet it's not that complex. Setup-wise, it's a five out of ten.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing model for Aruba ClearPass is complex.
Customers only pay for the license fees, with no additional costs.
What other advice do I have?
My company has fifty clients using Aruba ClearPass.
Two network engineers handle the deployment and maintenance of Aruba ClearPass.
I'd recommend Aruba ClearPass and other Aruba solutions to others.
My rating for the solution is ten 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
Network Architect at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Beneficial extra security, useful authentication mechanisms, but under interface needs improvement
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features of Aruba ClearPass are the authentication mechanisms and the integration with Active Directory(AD)."
- "Aruba ClearPass could improve the user interface, it is a bit chunky."
What is our primary use case?
I am using Aruba ClearPass for 802.1X and backup indication.
How has it helped my organization?
Aruba ClearPass improved security across a diverse network, which is countrywide. It provides extra security so that anybody that gets on the network, belongs there, we know those that have allowed access to the network, get access to the network.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Aruba ClearPass are the authentication mechanisms and the integration with Active Directory(AD).
What needs improvement?
Aruba ClearPass could improve the user interface, it is a bit chunky.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Aruba ClearPass for approximately 18 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Aruba ClearPass is stable in my usage.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have found Aruba ClearPass to be scalable.
We have hundreds of users in different locations using this solution.
How are customer service and support?
I have not used the support from Aruba ClearPass.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have not used a previous solution.
How was the initial setup?
Aruba ClearPass was installed into the cloud and had the resiliency working. Then we had a test lab environment where we rolled out the configurations, to test it, and then we rolled out the overall configuration for all of the switches and access points around the network. The whole process was straightforward. The whole process took approximately three months from start to finish.
What about the implementation team?
The implementation was done in-house. We used three people for the process.
What was our ROI?
I felt we did not get a return on investment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of Aruba ClearPass is expensive. When you want to build redundant systems it can be seen as necessary, so the enterprise will manage all of those costs.
There are additional costs because we have implemented it into a cloud environment, there are costs associated with the cloud environment. We didn't go with appliances.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I did some research before choosing Aruba ClearPass. I looked at open NAC and some of the other proprietary systems.
What other advice do I have?
There are additional features that we haven't used, such as fingerprinting and guest reception type scenarios. There are other features we haven't implemented and there's no reason to implement them at this stage.
Planning is the most important aspect of getting started before implementing Aruba ClearPass. Don't jump into it, you need to plan. You need to understand what you're trying to do and plan it and then start off in a small, safe environment for rollout. Once you've tested all the scenarios and it works completely for each one, then roll it out over a long period of time to ensure that the user experience is good.
I rate Aruba ClearPass a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Solution Design Network at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
A good NAC solution with great QBT technology
Pros and Cons
- "Stable with good QBT technology."
- "Lacks the ability to handle more than one certificate for both the management process and the Captive Portal."
What is our primary use case?
I use this solution when I need deep authentication regarding security issues, passwords and so on. ClearPass is also available on the Captive Portal. We're also finding that customers with many IOT devices are interested in the product. We are customers of Cisco and deploy this solution for our customers.
What is most valuable?
ClearPass works, it's quite stable and the solution is NAC and will stay that way. The QBT technology is very good.
What needs improvement?
There is an issue on the technical side with ClearPass. Many devices work with SSL certificates but Aruba ClearPass only has the ability to handle one certificate for both the management process and also for the Captive Portal. I would like Aruba to permit the use of different certificates for the Captive Portal and for the management interfaces.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There is scalability but it's linked to the licensing model and is quite inferior to other solutions like Cisco ISE or Macmon.
How are customer service and support?
When we sell this solution to our customers it's always with a really, really high SLA. The support engineers at Aruba are knowledgeable and they provide good support.
How was the initial setup?
If you know what you're doing, deployment doesn't take much time. It requires first deploying a V-LAN schema so you have to keep that in mind.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution and rate it nine out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior Network & Security Engineer at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
The advanced RADIUS functionality is the most valuable feature for us. It needs to be more intuitive to use with simplified administration.
What is most valuable?
The advanced RADIUS functionality is the most valuable feature for us.
How has it helped my organization?
It is possible to connect corporate people and external people to the WiFi with certificates by doing CA and on-boarding for external people and traditional Radius for the corporate people.
What needs improvement?
I'd like to see improvement with RADIUS and guest on-boarding. It also needs to be more intuitive to use with simplified administration.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used it for two to three years.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
There were issues with High Availability and very important changes and issues with version upgrades.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There were no issues with the stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There were no issues with the scalability.
How are customer service and technical support?
2/10 - it was very difficult to find the correct assistance. If we could find the right one, we would be happy.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Cisco NAC Guest Server and AMI GoPod. ClearPass is the evolution of AMI GoPod.
How was the initial setup?
It was too complex. There is too much functionality in one device such as RADIUS, Guest, Provisioning, On-boarding, and NAC.
What about the implementation team?
The implementation was done in-house. It is the corporative authentication solution and the Guest Portal for the customer.
What other advice do I have?
It is a very complete solution with some important functionalities, but it can be difficult to implement and the support is not the best.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Systems Engineer at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
The greatest feature in Aruba ClearPass, in my opinion, is its modularity.
Valuable Features:
The greatest feature in Aruba ClearPass, in my opinion, is its modularity and its openness to all vendors. Unlike its competitor (Cisco ISE), Aruba ClearPass supports integration with almost all vendors, and the ClearPass Guest module is unmatched by any other vendor.
The ability to tune small details is really powerful and is always a selling point.
Of course, let's not forget that the ClearPass Insight module which produces such valuable reports with small pieces of configurations is a great feature.
Improvements to My Organization:
Customers who have used ClearPass had their organized improved with the ability to control all devices connecting to their network and the ability to even form a database of all the endpoints in the network and their fingerprints as well.
Also, the integration with Aruba Wireless is always a plus point.
Room for Improvement:
The main issue I have seen with Aruba ClearPass is specific integration with Juniper firewalls, and this is definitely something I would like to see in the future.
Deployment Issues:
I've had no issues with deployment.
Stability Issues:
I didn't encounter any issues with stability.
Scalability Issues:
I didn't encounter any issues with scalability.
Other Advice:
I would advise customers who want to protect their network, do health checks on BYOD, provide guest access and of course AAA functions to manage their network devices to go for ClearPass, but they have to be ready to get into so much details as the power of ClearPass is in its ability to customize even the smallest details as they wish of course.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: The company I work for is a business partner of Aruba ClearPass.
Co Founder at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
The two most valuable features for us are ClearPass guest and policy manager.
What is most valuable?
The two most valuable features for us are ClearPass guest and policy manager.
How has it helped my organization?
It keeps your organization secure in many ways, has easy guest logins, tons of options to customize the portal page, and many other useful enterprise-level features.
Automated guest account creation and the customizable captive portal has reduced the burden of the receptionist generating a token for guest access. It supports multiple authentication methods and the access tracker makes admin life easy for troubleshooting.
ClearPass onboard reduces the IT admin burden as well.
What needs improvement?
ClearPass Insight needs to be worked on. The functionality is not quite there yet.
Also, add-on licenses are expensive.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used it for one year.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
There were no issues with deployment.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There have been no issues with stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There have been no issues with scaling it.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
Aruba has one of the best support teams amongst all the vendors.
Technical Support:Technical support is the best.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
There was no solution in place previously.
How was the initial setup?
It was a little complex to set up. Following the installation guide makes the initial setup easy.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented it in-house.
But if you do use a vendor, make sure your implementation partner is aware of all CleaPass features. Otherwise, it will be tough. Since ClearPass is a mix of AAA, NAC, Guest Module, Onguard, Profiling, and On-Boarding, make sure your partner is an expert in ClearPass.
What was our ROI?
The VM version is good for the cost, but add-on licenses are costly.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The VM version is good for the cost, but add-on licenses are costly.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We also looked at Cisco ISE.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: We are Aruba channel partners.
@WIFISuperman....I agree, customers should make best use of TAC, if any one want to implement new feature, image upgrade, suggestions.....knock TAC door for safe results!!!!!!!!

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Updated: March 2025
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Aruba has added juniper integration with Aruba Clearpass version 6.6. I have tested its work smoothly.