Question 1

What is the best FreeRADIUS alternative?

Accepted Answer

If you're tired of managing FreeRADIUS yourself, IronWiFi takes care of all that for you in the cloud. You'll be up and running in about 30 minutes instead of weeks, we handle all the updates automatically, and you get a 99.9% uptime guarantee. At $65/month, it's a lot cheaper than what most teams spend on hidden IT costs maintaining FreeRADIUS.

Question 2

How does IronWiFi compare to Cisco ISE?

Accepted Answer

Here's the thing - Cisco ISE is powerful, but it's also expensive and complex. We're talking $50,000+ in hardware, $15,000+/year for licensing, plus you need dedicated staff to run it. IronWiFi gives you most of what ISE does for WiFi authentication, starting at just $65/month. No hardware to buy, no complicated setup - you can be running in 30 minutes.

Question 3

Is IronWiFi better than Microsoft NPS?

Accepted Answer

It depends on your setup! If you're moving to the cloud and don't want to be tied to Windows Server and Active Directory, IronWiFi is probably a better fit. NPS needs Windows Server licensing ($1,000+/year) and on-premise servers. IronWiFi works with whatever identity provider you're using - Azure AD, Okta, Google, you name it. Plus we include extras like captive portals and guest WiFi that NPS doesn't have.

Question 4

What is the difference between IronWiFi and Aruba ClearPass?

Accepted Answer

ClearPass is a full-blown network access control platform - great if you need it, but it costs $30,000 to $100,000+ and takes a while to set up. IronWiFi is focused specifically on WiFi authentication, starting at $65/month. If you need complex wired and wireless NAC with device profiling, ClearPass might be your answer. But if you just want solid cloud WiFi authentication that's quick to deploy and easy on the budget, that's what we do.

Feature	IronWiFi	FreeRADIUS	Cisco ISE	Microsoft NPS	Aruba ClearPass
What You'll Pay	$65/month	Free (+ IT costs)	$50,000+	$1,000+/year	$30,000+
Time to Get Running	30 minutes	2-6 weeks	4-12 weeks	1-2 weeks	4-8 weeks
Cloud-Native	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗
Hardware Needed	None	Linux server	Dedicated appliance	Windows Server	Dedicated appliance
Azure AD / Entra ID	✓ Native	Manual config	✓	AD sync required	✓
Okta Integration	✓ Native	✗	✓	✗	✓
Google Workspace	✓ Native	✗	Limited	✗	Limited
Captive Portal	✓ Built-in	✗	✓	✗	✓
OpenRoaming	✓ WBA Partner	✗	✗	✗	Limited
Uptime SLA	99.9%	Self-managed	Self-managed	Self-managed	Self-managed
Free Trial	14 days	N/A	Eval license	N/A	Eval license
3-Year Cost (500 users)	~$12,000	~$90,000	~$150,000+	~$45,000	~$120,000+

How Do We Stack Up?

Pick Your Comparison

IronWiFi vs FreeRADIUS

IronWiFi vs Cisco ISE

IronWiFi vs Microsoft NPS

IronWiFi vs Aruba ClearPass

The Quick Rundown

Why Teams Are Making the Switch

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