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Best for Purple

Multi-site retail, hospitality, stadiums, and MDU where WiFi is a customer-experience surface — captive portal, analytics, marketing automation, loyalty integration, and multi-tenant iPSK all matter alongside compliance.

Best for Cloudi-Fi

Multinational enterprises with strict compliance frameworks (GDPR, data residency, SOC 2) deploying guest WiFi across hundreds of offices with centralised security policy. Strong fit alongside Zscaler and other SASE stacks.

Feature-by-feature comparison

FeaturePurpleCloudi-Fi
Product surfaceGuest + Staff + Multi-Tenant WiFi, Captive Portal, RADIUS, Analytics, Marketing AutomationGuest WiFi, Captive Portal, DNS Security, Compliance (WPA2-Enterprise / 802.1X)
Captive portalFull portal builder with social login, SMS, email, voucherFull portal with compliance-first flows
Compliance postureISO 27001, GDPR, CCPA, B CorpISO 27001, GDPR, SOC 2, explicit data residency across regions
DNS / content filteringVia partner integrationNative — a headline feature
Marketing automationPurple Engage — email/SMS, loyalty, CRM syncNot a core product focus
AnalyticsFootfall, dwell, repeat visits, cohort benchmarksCompliance and session reporting
iPSK / multi-tenantYes — first-class product for MDU, coworking, student housingNot a core product focus
Passpoint / OpenRoamingYes — via SecurePass, federation memberSupported
RADIUS-as-a-ServiceYes — native, multi-regionYes — included with enterprise tier
Hardware supportCisco, Aruba, Ruckus, Juniper Mist, Meraki, Ubiquiti, CambiumCisco, Aruba, Meraki, Fortinet, Ruckus, Cambium
Enterprise referencesMcDonald's, Harrods, AGS Airports, Premier InnMultinational retailers and corporate chains
Pricing transparencyPublished pricing calculatorSales-led; no public pricing

When Purple is the right call

If the WiFi use case is customer-experience led — retail loyalty, hospitality personalisation, stadium fan data, multi-tenant buildings — Purple's marketing automation, analytics, and iPSK product are built for that. Teams wanting self-serve pricing and a published ROI calculator will also prefer Purple's transparency.

When Cloudi-Fi is the right call

If the driver is multinational compliance and you want DNS-level content filtering sitting alongside the guest WiFi portal as part of a broader SASE stack, Cloudi-Fi's security-adjacent positioning is stronger. Corporate IT rolling out guest WiFi across 300+ offices with Zscaler already in place will find the integration story cleaner.

Frequently asked

How does Purple compare on international compliance?

Both platforms serve multinational deployments and carry ISO 27001 and GDPR alignment. Cloudi-Fi has published more around regional data-residency options; Purple offers EU, UK, and US residency with ISO 27001 and B Corp certification. For most enterprise compliance checklists, either will pass — the question is usually around specific regional requirements.

Does Purple do DNS filtering like Cloudi-Fi?

Purple does not ship DNS filtering as a native module. Customers typically layer a specialist DNS filter (Cisco Umbrella, Cloudflare Gateway, NextDNS) on top of Purple. Cloudi-Fi bakes DNS security into the platform, which is tidier if that is a specific requirement.

Which is better for retail guest WiFi specifically?

Purple, in most cases. The retail use case leans on captive portal branding, first-party data, loyalty integration, and footfall analytics — all core to Purple. Cloudi-Fi can serve retail but tends to lead with compliance and security, which matter less in the merchandising-led retail stack.

Can we migrate from Cloudi-Fi to Purple?

Yes. Typical migration is two to four weeks for a mid-sized multi-site deployment: portal design parity, AP reconfiguration to point at Purple RADIUS, historical analytics export, and decommission of the old stack. Purple professional services run the cutover for enterprise customers.