NordLayer NAC vs Aruba ClearPass
Zero of fourteen models named NordLayer NAC first on the direct prompt; zero named Aruba ClearPass. NordLayer NAC was named by ten of the fourteen models and Aruba ClearPass by fourteen and NordLayer NAC carries 18 labels and Aruba ClearPass 27, so the shares are not directly comparable.
NordLayer NAC
accepted challengerNamed in one category this edition.
Named in one category this edition.
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; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the network access control page.
By framing
Across every category in the November 2026 Edition, NordLayer NAC and Aruba ClearPass were named in the same answer twenty times, of the 52 answers naming NordLayer NAC and the 91 naming Aruba ClearPass. In those answers Aruba ClearPass took the first choice three times and NordLayer NAC two.
Every model, every framing
| Model | DirectNN | ParaphraseNN | ComparativeNN | Budget-constrainedNN | Scale-constrainedNN | NegativeNN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | | |||||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | |||||
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | | |||
| Perplexity Sonar | | |||||
| Grok 4.20 | NN | NN | | | ||
| Mistral Small | NN | NN | NN | | ||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | | | |||
| Llama 4 Maverick | NN | NN | | |||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | NN | |||||
| Kimi K2 | | | NN | | ||
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | NN | | | NN | ||
| MiniMax M2.5 | NN | |||||
| GPT-6 Luna | | |||||
| Muse Glimmer 30B | | |
Aruba ClearPassNN first choiceNN named as an alternativeNN argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, NordLayer NAC on the left and Aruba ClearPass on the right.The direct prompt
Neither was the first choice, one was named
7 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Neither was named
7 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
Aruba ClearPass2%#6 of 11Aruba ClearPass2%#7 of 10Aruba ClearPass8%#4 of 7What the models said about NordLayer NAC
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Three of four in this category shown.
“Cloud-Native SaaS | Portnox, NordLayer, Mist (Juniper) | "Set it and forget it." Lower OpEx, easier to manage” Qwen 3.7 Flash · scale prompt · first choice
“For the most budget-conscious organizations, NordLayer and PacketFence are the best choices.” Mistral Small · budget prompt · first choice
“Combines NAC-like access control with VPN and threat protection in a user-friendly cloud platform” Grok 4.20 · budget prompt · alternative
What the models said about Aruba ClearPass
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“frequently mentioned as a solution to avoid due to its high cost and steep learning curve” Mistral Small · negative prompt · hard negative
“Skip Cisco ISE, Aruba ClearPass, or Forescout” Grok 4.20 · budget prompt · hard negative
“Outdated or poorly maintained NAC products (e.g., older versions of Cisco ISE, Aruba ClearPass, or generic 802.1X setups without ongoing updates)” Grok 4.20 · negative prompt · soft negative
“For most modern organizations, FortiNAC, Aruba ClearPass, or Palo Alto Prisma Access offer the best balance of features and flexibility.” GLM 4.7 FlashX · comparative prompt · first choice
“Aruba ClearPass — Consistently praised for reliability and integration” DeepSeek V4 Flash · negative prompt · first choice
“Best Overall Choice: Aruba ClearPass” GLM 4.7 FlashX · paraphrase prompt · first choice
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.