NACIO vs PacketFence
NACIO
nac-io.com
PacketFence
packetfence.comSide by side
| Figure | NACIO | PacketFence |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | $416.67/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 7 |
| Spec score · Network Access Control Software | 7.1 (#17) | 8.7 (#1) |
| Captive portal | Guest portals support sponsor approval, SMS or email verification, social login, and time-limited access. | It provides customizable captive portals for guest registration, remediation and sponsored access. |
| Device profiling | NACIO profiles endpoints using DHCP fingerprinting, HTTP user-agent data, and network behavior analysis. | Fingerbank profiling classifies endpoints using DHCP fingerprints, user-agent data and network behavior. |
| High availability | NACIO offers active-passive high availability with automatic failover and synchronized sessions, leases, and endpoint records. | High availability uses active/active clustering, automatic failover, Galera synchronous multi-master replication, geographic distribution, and automatic recovery. |
| Identity integrations | Listed identity sources include Active Directory, Azure AD/Entra ID, Okta, Google Workspace, SAML 2.0, LDAP/LDAPS, RADIUS proxy, and NACIO’s local user database. | Supported identity options include Active Directory, LDAP, external RADIUS, OAuth2 social login and SAML 2.0. |
| What it does | NACIO provides network access control, including 802.1X RADIUS, device profiling, compliance enforcement, and captive portals. | PacketFence is a network access control system for authenticating, profiling, onboarding, isolating and remediating devices on wired, wireless and VPN networks. |
Plans
PacketFence
- Community EditionFree
- Premium Support$5,000 a year
- Starter$5,000 a year
- Professional$15,000 a year
- Professional Deployment$20,000, paid once
- EnterprisePriced on request
- Training ServicesPrice not published
In their own words
NACIO
NACIO is network access control software for 802.1X RADIUS authentication, device profiling, compliance enforcement, and captive portals. It supports wired, wireless, and VPN access control and is currently in pre-release, with early access available by request. NACIO can be self-hosted on customer infrastructure or used as a cloud-hosted service. Its built-in RADIUS supports EAP-TLS, PEAP-MSCHAPv2, EAP-TTLS, EAP-FAST, and CHAP. Identity sources include Active Directory, Azure AD/Entra ID, Okta, Google Workspace, SAML 2.0, LDAP/LDAPS, RADIUS proxy, and a local user database. Windows and macOS agents check patch level, antivirus, disk encryption, firewall status, and custom rules before access. NACIO also provides an internal certificate authority, endpoint profiling from DHCP, HTTP user-agent data and network behavior, and guest portals with sponsor approval, verification, social login, and time limits. Licensing uses perpetual per-device licenses tied to a major version, with optional upgrades. Pricing is available on request.
PacketFence
PacketFence is an enterprise network access control platform for organizations managing wired, wireless, and VPN access. It can enforce policy through SNMP or RADIUS, inline Layer 2 or Layer 3 deployment, VLAN assignment, and quarantine isolation. Authentication options include 802.1X/EAP, directory services, external RADIUS, OAuth2 social login, SAML 2.0, and PKI certificates. Guest workflows include self-registration, sponsored access, email or SMS confirmation, and CSV imports. Self-service provisioning can configure 802.1X profiles for iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS. The platform checks antivirus, operating system patch level, and security-agent presence, and can quarantine devices that fail policy. Administrators get a web interface, command-line tools, REST API, customizable captive portals, and Perl extension points. The self-hosted Community Edition is GPL v2+ with unlimited devices and full source code. Its listed minimum requirements include Debian 12.x or RHEL 8.x, four CPU cores, 16 GB RAM, 200 GB disk, and a network interface. Paid plans include Starter at $5,000 /year for up to 250 registered devices.