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Forescout Platform vs Portnox comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 3, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
6.4
Forescout Platform offers benefits in security and workload reduction, but users have mixed views on ROI and support quality.
Sentiment score
4.4
Portnox's cloud NAC boosts ROI by reducing infrastructure costs, automating processes, and enhancing security with improved device control.
We assess Forescout Platform's device inventory for helping track vulnerabilities and ensure patch compliance through penetration testing.
Consultant at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees
If I compare this to an on-premises environment using Cisco ISE or Aruba ClearPass, it would require phenomenally large teams for infrastructure management.
Principle Cloud Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
If you were moving from a traditional on-premise NAC that was 100% managed by the IT department, there would be great savings in going to a cloud-based NAC with Portnox.
IT Infrastructure Manager at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees
By automating the device containment and remediation processes, we save countless hours weekly.
Network operation center engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.6
Forescout's customer service is responsive and knowledgeable, though improvements are needed in responsiveness and handling inconsistencies.
Sentiment score
6.8
Portnox customer support is praised for responsiveness and efficiency, with proactive assistance and comprehensive documentation, aiding in issue resolution.
We have had experience with their technical support and must pay additionally for maintenance, support, and regional service.
IT Head at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
The main area needing improvement is the technical knowledge of support staff.
Senior Network Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
For very high severity issues where the entire office is non-functional, response time is within 30 minutes.
Principle Cloud Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
In terms of support, it is usually quite impressive. I usually get support in a matter of minutes or seconds, depending on the priority of the ticket.
Engineer at Applied Principles Limited
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
Forescout Platform is scalable and adaptable for varied deployments, though large-scale implementations may need careful planning and cost consideration.
Sentiment score
7.6
Portnox enables seamless growth with a scalable, cloud-native architecture, supporting centralized management and integration of remote and IoT devices.
Scalability can be costly since a physical box needs to be installed for every site.
Director, International IT Infrastructure Support & Information Security at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
We have never had any challenge based on a customer who has 1,000 devices versus a customer who has 30,000 devices; the feel is the same.
Product Manager at Applied Principles Limited
Its infrastructure scales automatically in the background, eliminating concerns about capacity or backend upgrades.
Network operation center engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
It has a centralized cloud-based architecture, so we do not have to worry about other considerations such as local infrastructure or purchasing additional equipment.
Full Stack Software Engineer at mindpathtech
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Forescout Platform is stable and reliable, with minimal issues and excellent uptime, despite occasional configuration-related problems.
Sentiment score
7.6
Portnox is largely viewed as a stable platform with robust security, though some report minor glitches and update issues.
I would rate its stability as 9.5 out of ten.
Director, International IT Infrastructure Support & Information Security at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The product itself is available and its uptime is 100%.
Systems Analyst at a construction company with 1,001-5,000 employees
In the four years that I used Portnox, if it crashed or the server crashed, that would not have been more than once.
Information Technology System Administrator at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
If there is a version one and another version, the communication between the organization using it and Portnox should be firm so they can coordinate effectively.
Windows Server Administrator/ IT Support Officer at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Forescout Platform requires enhancements in memory, compatibility, support, user management, integration, and scalability for improved functionality and cost-effectiveness.
Users suggest load distribution, improved vendor integration, better reporting, UI updates, and increased support for enhanced system performance.
It would help if during integration, an admin user could check the password or credential used, as they currently cannot see the password after it is entered and saved.
Security Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Forescout Platform could enhance its integration of AI to improve IoT and OT device security to better meet our needs.
IT Head at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Easier integration through APIs to automation platforms is something that would really help us when it comes to future requirements or future features that we're looking for from Forescout Platform.
Consultant at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Ideally, we should be able to search for any MAC address in the database, regardless of its authentication status, to see all its associated groups and potential conflicts.
President at TrackerSoft
When I reach the technical support, they give solutions that do not help me much, so I try to search the internet for other users' experiences to find solutions.
IT Project Manager at Xpress technologies
I would definitely request a UI refresh that makes the dashboard more modern and surfaces critical logs so they are easier to access in a pinch.
Manager at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
 

Setup Cost

Forescout Platform's flexible, device-based pricing appeals to enterprises, offering discounts and competitive costs despite potential additional fees.
Portnox offers flexible, competitive pricing based on switch ports, with cloud-native licensing attractive for enterprises seeking simplified budgeting.
Installing a physical box on each site can be expensive.
Director, International IT Infrastructure Support & Information Security at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The overall pricing of Forescout Platform is reasonable for the functionality it provides.
IT Head at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
The price of Forescout Platform is reasonable and not overly costly.
Security Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
If you compare Portnox with all other well-known standard products, it is the cheapest.
IT Network Engineer at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
The pricing is a bit high, possibly due to the cloud features and running instances across regions like the US, Asia, and Europe.
President at TrackerSoft
You are charged according to the number of users.
Senior Network Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
 

Valuable Features

Forescout Platform offers strong network access control, device visibility, and threat response with scalability and flexibility across various environments.
Portnox offers cloud-native architecture for network visibility, automated access control, scalability, and enhanced security through various features.
Automated threat response helps manage potential breaches very much, because that's something that is very critical, especially to overcome zero-day attacks.
Consultant at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees
One of the most valuable features of Forescout Platform is its automation, particularly the ability to automate remediation of rogue devices on the network.
Director, International IT Infrastructure Support & Information Security at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The most effective feature has been network access management, which has been crucial for our primary use cases in the organization.
IT Head at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
It's notable how Portnox has improved operational efficiency.
IT Network Engineer at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
It is a very robust application because three teams use that part: the network team, the security team, and the support people.
Windows Server Administrator/ IT Support Officer at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
It is possible to find the MAC address in the switch, but in Portnox, it is very useful to see the status of those ports, and that increases our security.
Assistant System Engineer at Tata Consultancy
 

Categories and Ranking

Forescout Platform
Ranking in Network Access Control (NAC)
6th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
79
Ranking in other categories
IoT Security (5th), Endpoint Compliance (2nd), Extended Detection and Response (XDR) (35th)
Portnox
Ranking in Network Access Control (NAC)
5th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
40
Ranking in other categories
ZTNA (7th), Passwordless Authentication (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Network Access Control (NAC) category, the mindshare of Forescout Platform is 8.1%, down from 12.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Portnox is 7.6%, up from 4.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Access Control (NAC) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Portnox7.6%
Forescout Platform8.1%
Other84.3%
Network Access Control (NAC)
 

Featured Reviews

AshishKumar Rai - PeerSpot reviewer
Security Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Comprehensive visibility has strengthened endpoint control and automated threat response across networks
When it comes to improving Forescout Platform, I have faced some issues recently, particularly with the switch integration part. When integrating a switch, it asks for the vendor type, and often it does not match. For example, one series of HP switches may not be found in that vendor list. This leads to frustration because you have to check again with different HP models, and once you integrate a switch, you cannot edit the vendor list without removing it. Other issues are being worked on, particularly related to switch integration. I believe they will be fixed in the next upgrade or patch fix. There are no major issues, but the configuration changes needed for the switch model are necessary, and I think it would help if during integration, an admin user could check the password or credential used, as they currently cannot see the password after it is entered and saved.
Maurice Mwaura - PeerSpot reviewer
Product Manager at Applied Principles Limited
Unified access control has improved compliance visibility and simplified passwordless access
There is work to be done when it comes to making the solution more seamless. For example, when a user is denied access, they would need a way to maybe self-resolve themselves, perhaps a way to generate a ticket on their own, something around resolutions. When it comes to users using the product, that is where good products are differentiated from products that are a bit of a challenge. Portnox has much to do in terms of their reporting. The generated reports need improvement. Things that other tools would say are normal are usually not present. For example, there is a page called NAS devices or NAS network that is able to show the switches that have been managed. Currently, there is no way of generating an easy report or an easy way of just generating something to tell the customer what they have been able to achieve so far. This is not done yet and is still very manual. I think there is work to be done there. More integrations around the various products being used would be beneficial. So far I have not encountered any major challenge. Where there was a challenge, I think support came in and helped us resolve. In fact, most of the challenges are not with the product; they are with the customer environment. I think that is just to update their documentation where they have come across a new vendor for easier integrations in the future.
report
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
7%
Construction Company
6%
Manufacturing Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Construction Company
8%
Healthcare Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business30
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise45
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise9
Large Enterprise15
 

Questions from the Community

What advice do you have for others considering Forescout Platform?
Forescout is a very powerful NAC product that does not rely on port level configuration. It can detect and block unauthorized devices very quickly. But it has a lot of capabilities and really would...
What advice do you have for others considering Forescout Platform?
I would rate the Forescout Device and Visibility Control Platform at a six out of ten.
What advice do you have for others considering Forescout Platform?
I recommend doing a compression demo. If people use it, they will buy it. So they have to see the product in place. That's the main recommendation is to do a proof of concept. If they do, they will...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Portnox Clear?
We did not purchase it directly. We gained access through our higher authorities, so I do not have substantial knowledge about where they obtained it. As I understand it, they acquired it from Port...
What needs improvement with Portnox Clear?
One area for improvement in Portnox is the initial setup complexity and documentation for custom policy creation. Navigating the cloud console can feel clunky when configuring specific posture rule...
What is your primary use case for Portnox Clear?
I mainly use Portnox to instantly isolate a compromised or non-compliant endpoint from the rest of the network the moment a threat or vulnerability is detected. Portnox's main use case is for authe...
 

Also Known As

Forescout Platform, CounterACT for Endpoint Compliance, ForeScout CounterACT
Access Layers Portnox, Portnox CLEAR
 

Interactive Demo

Demo not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

RWJ Barnabas HealthEnbridge EnergyToyota MotorsSt. Luke's University Health NetworkGlobal Credit Union
Sallie Mae, Roku, Vuori, Legal Zoom, Anaplan, Aecon, H.I.G. Capital, McLaren Construction Group, PFCU, UK Mortgage Lending Limited, CCC Intelligent Solutions
Find out what your peers are saying about Forescout Platform vs. Portnox and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
908,834 professionals have used our research since 2012.