Purple vs Tanaza
Purple and Tanaza both run in the cloud, but they solve different problems. Tanaza is built for managing and controlling WiFi access points across multiple hardware vendors from one dashboard - its TanazaOS firmware turns commodity hardware into cloud-managed APs - with a captive portal included as one feature. Purple is built for guest engagement: captive portals, footfall and dwell analytics, and marketing automation across guest, staff and multi-tenant WiFi, with enterprise compliance and references.
Last fact-checked 2026-06-15. Tanaza: vendor-agnostic cloud platform for managing and controlling WiFi access points, with a built-in captive portal..
Best for Purple
Venues and enterprises that want to turn guest WiFi into visitor insight and marketing, with captive portals, footfall analytics and engagement at the core.
Best for Tanaza
MSPs, ISPs/WISPs and IT teams that need to provision, configure and monitor mixed-vendor access points centrally and want hardware-agnostic network control rather than guest marketing.
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | Purple | Tanaza |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus Different jobs: engagement vs network management. | Guest, staff and multi-tenant WiFi engagement and analytics | Cloud management and control of WiFi access points |
| Access point management Tanaza's core strength is multi-vendor AP control. | Works across existing infrastructure as an engagement layer | Vendor-agnostic AP configuration, provisioning and monitoring |
| Captive portal | Fully branded captive portals with multiple auth options | Built-in cloud splash editor with click-through and code login |
| Analytics Purple = visitor analytics; Tanaza = network analytics. | Footfall, dwell and visitor analytics for marketing | Network performance, bandwidth and AP health monitoring |
| Marketing automation | Purple Engage marketing automation with 70+ CRMs | Not a core focus; some marketplace integrations |
| Roaming & multi-tenant | Passpoint/OpenRoaming via SecurePass; iPSK Multi-Tenant WiFi | Multi-organisation management; Passpoint via integration partner only |
| Hardware support Tanaza is explicitly hardware-agnostic for low-cost APs. | Cisco Meraki, HPE Aruba, Ruckus, Juniper Mist, Ubiquiti UniFi, Cambium, Extreme, Fortinet | Commodity/white-box APs via TanazaOS (Ubiquiti, MikroTik, Open Mesh, Edgecore and others) |
| Compliance | ISO 27001, GDPR, CCPA, Cyber Essentials, B Corp | GDPR; no published ISO 27001 / SOC 2 |
| Pricing | Published pricing calculator; free Connect tier | Free up to 3 APs; Pro at US$1.99 per AP/month (or $19.99 per AP/year) |
When Purple is the right call
Purple wins when the goal is to do something with guest WiFi beyond keeping it online. If you want branded captive portals, footfall and dwell analytics, visitor data and marketing automation through Purple Engage, plus iPSK Multi-Tenant WiFi and Passpoint/OpenRoaming via SecurePass, Purple is built for that outcome - and proves it with results like a 57x return at Harrods across 80,000+ venues. It also carries enterprise compliance (ISO 27001, GDPR, CCPA, B Corp) and serves large brands that a network-management tool does not target.
When Tanaza is the right call
Tanaza is a strong fit when the core need is managing the network hardware itself. If you are an MSP, ISP or IT team running access points from several vendors and you want one hardware-agnostic cloud dashboard to provision, configure, push firmware and monitor commodity APs, Tanaza is purpose-built for that, and its low per-AP pricing (free up to 3 APs, then $19.99/AP/year) makes it accessible for smaller multi-site deployments. That is a different job from guest engagement, where Purple leads.
Frequently asked
What is the main difference between Purple and Tanaza?
Tanaza focuses on cloud management of WiFi access points across multiple hardware vendors, while Purple focuses on guest engagement: captive portals, footfall and dwell analytics, and marketing automation.
Does Tanaza have a captive portal?
Yes. Tanaza includes a cloud-hosted splash page editor supporting click-through and code-based login, alongside its access point management features.
Is Tanaza a good Purple alternative?
It depends on your goal. For multi-vendor access point management Tanaza is a strong choice. For guest WiFi analytics, visitor data, marketing automation and enterprise compliance, Purple is the more complete platform.
Where Purple beats Tanaza
See the product hub and the industries where teams pick Purple over Tanaza.
Compare Purple with other vendors
Still building a shortlist? See how Purple stacks up against the other vendors teams evaluate alongside Tanaza, or browse every comparison on the captive portal software hub.
See Purple running on your infrastructure
Purple deploys as a cloud overlay on your existing access points - Cisco Meraki, HPE Aruba, Ruckus, Juniper Mist, Ubiquiti UniFi, Cambium, Extreme, and Fortinet. No hardware swap, and you can be live in weeks.
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