Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Fortinet FortiAP vs Mist AI and Cloud comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 31, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiAP
Ranking in Wireless LAN
12th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Mist AI and Cloud
Ranking in Wireless LAN
9th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
8.2
Number of Reviews
22
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiAP is 4.8%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Mist AI and Cloud is 2.3%, down from 3.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

Yati Gharat - PeerSpot reviewer
Integrates well with Fortinet products, but there are signal issues in the outdoor environment
FortiAP is very good in an indoor environment, but we are struggling with the outdoor environment. That is where we are having certain issues. We are not 100% happy with it. With the indoor environment, we are okay, but we are facing some issues when certain voice-related calls go from wireless points. There are certain drops, and we have faced these issues on an ongoing basis. We also have other vendors such as Aruba and Meraki, and we do not face any issues when there is a Teams or Zoom meeting going on. It could be that FortiAP is okay, but that particular device or appliance is not capable of handling that much load of voice and video. This might be the issue. RF Spectrum Analysis helps to understand what is the coverage and hotspots related to a particular access point, but then when we bought it, we did heat mapping through different vendors. If there are any rogue APs, we can identify them with RF Spectrum Analysis. We can see what the coverage area is, but there are some issues with that. Some of the offices have thick glasses, or the cabins are different, so in the RF coverage, what is shown is not what we get on the practical grounds. There are some issues with signal performance. It has the basic functionality that is mostly used, but there are certain devices that are not able to interconnect. When there is any issue or problem, if the administrator can get some information about that, that will be good. With Meraki and Aruba, we get certain beautiful things. If those can be integrated into this solution, it will be more beneficial, but we understand that being a security company, Fortinet's focus is on security.
ALEXANDRE VIANNA - PeerSpot reviewer
Scalable and AI-driven automation helps in quick implementation
I have a global customer who wants to start the design phase in a big warehouse, but we do not have the equipment to do a site survey. I need support for the access point to implement in a freezer area. I do not have it. The customer tried to send one piece of equipment to Brazil. However, we had a problem because the customer needed to implement it in three months, and it took two months to send one equipment to Brazil.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Fortinet FortiAPs are useful for small to medium-scale companies where there are budget concerns."
"The integration is efficient, allowing for management through the firewall."
"The setup was straightforward."
"If we have FortiClient installed on multiple devices, it is seamless to connect with FortiAP. It supports passwordless authentication as well. That is a great thing about it."
"The most valuable aspect of Fortinet FortiAP is the support."
"The pricing is reasonable for what it offers."
"FortiAP's integration using SSID configuration for the input/output makes deploying permission rules easier."
"I like FortiAP's performance and stability. The reporting is also quite good."
"The triangulation feature can be used to determine where a person is in relation to the access point."
"AI is the most valuable feature."
"It's really easy to provision and support. Those are its main features."
"Natural language patching is an important feature."
"The AI deployment process involves adding access points and placing them in the designated area. The AI system automatically adjusts channel selection and transmission power without any issues with stability or throughput. It has improved network performance."
"If you compare wired versus wireless, it's convenient. You don't need to have one place for connectivity. You can move around and it's easier. Sometimes it's a hassle to work with wires, which is why wireless is so convenient."
"There are several valuable features. One of them is Cibas, and another one is Marvis."
"The most valuable aspect is that they operate on small microservices, offering numerous open APIs that enhance the value of our Wi-Fi network. This flexibility allows us to optimize various aspects such as workforce planning and occupancy management. The platform is highly open in the market, providing robust APIs for seamless integration with other tools. Currently, we leverage these capabilities at a building site, incorporating IoT sensors to gather data. The collected data is stored in a centralized location, and we plan to use AI for analysis. This analysis will include insights on peak activity times, humidity levels, temperature variations, and other relevant metrics within the building."
 

Cons

"The improvement factor could be in APs. Also, it could have a control, like MAC address."
"There could be constraints where a product can't be scaled further without purchasing a new model."
"There is room for improvement in the product by expanding the number of SSIDs that can be broadcast."
"There is nothing that particularly comes to mind for improvement."
"I would like to have automation capabilities that would help us reduce the configuration steps."
"FortiAP is very good in an indoor environment, but we are struggling with the outdoor environment."
"The wireless functionality is not the best."
"The support offered by the solution has certain shortcomings, making it in areas where improvements are required."
"The user experience should be improved. It's not user-friendly."
"There are some technical issues that may require attention"
"The solution doesn't provide mail notifications currently."
"Mist AI and Cloud need to improve the configuration speed."
"Sometimes it takes a lot of time for the access point to connect with the cloud."
"The solution lacks documentation."
"Juniper should integrate all their dashboards instead of having separate dashboards...Since it lacks the integration of dashboards, Juniper needs to improve it."
"There could be more integration."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Fortinet FortiAP offers a more cost-effective solution compared to Palo Alto and Check Point."
"The devices under Fortinet are not expensive. The solution's licensing part is expensive."
"We purchased perpetual licensing, and additional costs may vary depending on the services acquired from Fortinet."
"On a scale of one to ten with ten being the most expensive, I would rate FortiAP a six."
"If I compare it with the other enterprise products, the price is good."
"FortiAP is more expensive than some other options."
"The product is available at a very comfortable price for my company compared to the other products available in the market. The prices of products from Meraki and Aruba are high compared to those of Fortinet."
"The price of Mist AI and Cloud is approximately 20 percent less than competitors, such as Aruba and Cisco. However, Cisco has a lifetime warranty for its solutions."
"The solution's price is too high for the end-users. My customers pay 1,000 USD towards the licensing cost of the solution every year."
"I rate the pricing a seven on a scale of one to ten, where one is low and ten is high."
"Depending on the features, I think it's quite reasonably priced, especially considering the facilities of the product."
"The custom licensing is a little bit expensive and I would rate it 7.5 out of 10."
"Mist AI and Cloud is expensive."
"The solution is expensive in Brazil."
"The price is about the same compared to other vendors. There is an add-on license, but it's up to you if you want to buy it or not."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Wireless LAN solutions are best for your needs.
846,617 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
11%
Government
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Educational Organization
31%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Retailer
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about FortiAP?
If we have FortiClient installed on multiple devices, it is seamless to connect with FortiAP. It supports passwordless authentication as well. That is a great thing about it.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for FortiAP?
Fortinet solutions are more cost-effective compared to Cisco. The license costs for Fortinet are more affordable when considering licensing costs with other leaders like Cisco.
What needs improvement with FortiAP?
I cannot pinpoint the exact improvements needed at the moment. However, security is always a concern for any business, and the network should not be compromised easily. There should be alerts to in...
What do you like most about Mist AI and Cloud?
AI-driven automation helps implement the solution quickly.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Mist AI and Cloud?
The price is very high in Brazil because of the high tax. The solution is expensive in Brazil.
What needs improvement with Mist AI and Cloud?
There are many aspects of AI, and how acquisitions are proceeding, particularly between Juniper and Aruba, remains unclear. From a Juniper perspective, there is a need for further improvements in t...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Mist Access Points
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Dartmouth, Hitachi, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Nebraska Furniture Mart, NTT, Okta
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet FortiAP vs. Mist AI and Cloud and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
846,617 professionals have used our research since 2012.