# PacketFence vs Aruba ClearPass: which do AI models recommend for NAC, October 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Network access control. Zero of fourteen models named PacketFence first on the direct prompt; one named Aruba ClearPass. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/network/network-access-control/packetfence-vs-aruba-clearpass/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PacketFence | 15% | #2 of 10 | 0% | 10 | 8 of 14 |
| Aruba ClearPass | 2% | #4 of 10 | 43% | 21 | 11 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- GPT-5.4 mini: aruba clearpass first (first choices: Aruba ClearPass) (alternatives: Cisco Identity Services Engine, FortiNAC, Portnox Cloud)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Portnox CLEAR, Portnox Cloud) (alternatives: Aruba ClearPass, Fortinet FortiNAC)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither named (first choices: Cloudflare One, Jamf Zero Trust) (alternatives: Fortinet FortiGate, Microsoft Entra ID)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither named (first choices: Portnox Cloud) (alternatives: Fortinet FortiNAC, HPE Aruba ClearPass, macmon NAC)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither named (first choices: Portnox Cloud) (alternatives: Forescout, Fortinet FortiNAC, HPE Aruba ClearPass)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither named (first choices: Portnox CLEAR) (alternatives: OPSWAT MetaAccess)
- Mistral Small: neither named (first choices: Portnox CLEAR) (alternatives: Cisco ISE, Fortinet FortiNAC)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named (first choices: OPSWAT MetaAccess) (alternatives: Portnox Cloud)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: neither named (first choices: Portnox CLEAR) (alternatives: Cisco Identity Services Engine, HPE Aruba ClearPass)
- Kimi K2: neither named (first choices: Portnox CLEAR) (alternatives: FortiNAC)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither named (first choices: Portnox Cloud) (alternatives: HPE Aruba ClearPass, Ivanti Policy Secure)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither named (first choices: Portnox Cloud) (alternatives: HPE Aruba ClearPass, Ivanti Policy Secure, OPSWAT MetaAccess)
- GPT-6 Luna: neither named (first choices: Portnox Cloud) (alternatives: Cisco ISE, FortiNAC, HPE Aruba Networking ClearPass)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: neither named (first choices: OPSWAT MetaAccess / MetaDefender NAC, Portnox CLEAR)

## What the models said about PacketFence

- "a well-configured open-source PacketFence or a modern zero-trust network access (ZTNA) solution beats any legacy appliance" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, negative prompt, first choice)
- "PacketFence offers the best value as it provides enterprise-grade NAC features completely free" (Qwen 3.7 Flash, budget prompt, first choice)
- "I'd recommend starting with PacketFence (self-hosted) if you have some technical expertise" (Kimi K2, budget prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Aruba ClearPass

- "What to Avoid - Cisco ISE and Aruba ClearPass – While excellent solutions, they are typically expensive and complex" (Kimi K2, budget prompt, hard negative)
- "Avoid Cisco/Aruba/Forescout – these are enterprise-priced" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, budget prompt, hard negative)
- "Support ticket resolution delays; challenging to identify responsible support teams; additional costs for maintenance and regional service" (Kimi K2, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Best overall: Aruba ClearPass" (GPT-5.4 mini, direct prompt, first choice)
- "Choose Aruba ClearPass for multi-vendor flexibility with mature policy capabilities" (Kimi K2, comparative prompt, alternative)
- "ClearPass is famous for its flexibility and ability to handle complex BYOD" (Qwen 3.7 Flash, comparative prompt, alternative)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.