IronWiFi vs Aruba ClearPass

Do You Need Full NAC or WiFi Authentication?

Aruba ClearPass is a powerful NAC platform with extensive capabilities. But if your primary need is WiFi authentication, you may be paying for complexity you don't use. IronWiFi provides enterprise WiFi authentication at a fraction of ClearPass cost and complexity.

Pricing Comparison

Cost Component	IronWiFi	Aruba ClearPass
Hardware/Infrastructure	$0 (cloud)	$10,000-30,000 (appliances)
Access Licenses	Included	$10-25/device
Posture/OnGuard	N/A	$15-35/device additional
Guest Module	Included	$5-10/device additional
Annual Support	Included	15-20% of license
Deployment Time	30 minutes	4-8 weeks
1,000 Devices Year 1	~$2,400	~$60,000+
3-Year TCO	~$7,200	~$100,000+

Feature Comparison

Feature	IronWiFi	Aruba ClearPass
WiFi 802.1X Authentication	✓	✓
EAP-TLS / PEAP / TTLS	✓	✓
Captive Portal	✓	✓
Guest Management	✓	✓
Azure AD / Okta / Google	✓ Native	✓
OpenRoaming	✓ WBA Partner	Limited
Cloud-Native	✓	✗ On-prem
Wired NAC	✗	✓
Device Profiling	Basic	✓ Advanced
Posture Assessment	✗	✓
OnGuard Agent	✗	✓
Policy Manager	Basic	✓ Advanced
Aruba Ecosystem Integration	RADIUS only	✓ Deep
Multi-Vendor Support	✓ 45+ vendors	✓

When to Choose Aruba ClearPass

• You need wired AND wireless NAC in one platform
• Device posture assessment is required (antivirus, patch level, encryption)
• You have OnGuard agent requirements for endpoint compliance
• Advanced device profiling for IoT is essential
• You're all-Aruba and want deep ecosystem integration
• You have dedicated NAC administrators

When to Choose IronWiFi

• WiFi authentication is your primary use case
• You don't need posture assessment or OnGuard
• Budget matters ($65/month vs $60,000+)
• You want cloud-native without on-prem appliances
• OpenRoaming or Passpoint is on your roadmap
• You have mixed-vendor access points (not all Aruba)
• Fast deployment is important (30 min vs 4-8 weeks)