No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.

A10 Networks Thunder ADC vs F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) vs Radware Alteon comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
6.0
Users saw ROI with A10 Networks Thunder ADC in 3-6 months, noting cost savings, improved uptime, and simplified configuration.
Sentiment score
6.6
Many companies found F5 BIG-IP LTM beneficial for security and deployment, with mixed views on ROI depending on pricing.
Sentiment score
7.3
Radware Alteon offers quick implementation, affordability, robust threat blocking, boosting performance and satisfaction with immediate return on investment.
Troubleshooting effort reduced by around 20 to 25 percent compared to earlier workflows.
Product Developer at Cognizant
We do see a return on investment and cost reductions after the implementation of A10 Networks Thunder ADC.
Head Of Technical And Network Security at Connex Information Technologies
The major return on investment is the security of our data.
IT Manager at Chong Hua Hospital
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.1
A10 Networks Thunder ADC offers reliable support with quick response times, though urgent resolutions and emergency staff could improve.
Sentiment score
6.7
F5 BIG-IP LTM support experiences vary, with mixed reviews on responsiveness, knowledge, community resources, and regional support efficacy.
Sentiment score
7.5
Radware Alteon support is praised for responsiveness and Spanish assistance but criticized for delays and specific regional challenges.
Their tech support is very responsible, and their response time is very low, providing superb support.
PM at Connex Information Technologies
The support we receive from the team is quite excellent.
Head Of Technical And Network Security at Connex Information Technologies
The support experience is generally reliable, but faster resolution for advanced troubleshooting and more detailed technical guidance for complex integrations would make it even better.
Product Developer at Cognizant
I would rate the technical support of F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) nine out of ten.
IT Manager at Chong Hua Hospital
Overall, my experience with F5 is very good compared to Radware.
Security Analyst at IBM
Customer support is quite good but could be faster.
Network Engineer at Stryker
We never face support issues, and their team resolves any critical issues quickly once they are involved.
Program Manager at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees
There is a dedicated expert answering even the toughest questions.
Senior System Administrator at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
The customer service and support are excellent.
Lead Network Reliability Engineer at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.1
A10 Networks Thunder ADC excels in scalability and efficiency, managing traffic and subscriber growth with minimal oversight.
Sentiment score
7.4
F5 BIG-IP LTM offers scalable integration with AWS, suitable for enterprises, but requires careful sizing to avoid constraints.
Sentiment score
8.0
Radware Alteon offers seamless scalability and integration, supporting easy expansion and high performance under heavy loads for enterprises.
A10 Networks Thunder ADC's scalability is impressive.
IT Architecture Manager at a government with 10,001+ employees
A10 Networks Thunder ADC can handle growth easily, and I have scaled up during higher traffic periods.
Senior Consultant and Creative Director at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
It was able to handle increasing traffic loads without any major performance issues, and the load balancing capabilities helped distribute requests efficiently across the servers.
Product Developer at Cognizant
It handles peak loads and thousands of concurrent connections without exceeding 10% utilization.
Program Manager at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees
We have it deployed across multiple geographic locations, benefiting from load balancing resiliency.
Lead Network Reliability Engineer at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
I would rate it a nine out of ten for scalability.
Senior System Administrator at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.3
A10 Networks Thunder ADC is stable, reliable, with efficient load balancing and minimal downtime, offering quick troubleshooting and uptime.
Sentiment score
8.0
F5 BIG-IP LTM is stable and reliable, with occasional bugs manageable through updates, supported by responsive customer service.
Sentiment score
8.3
Radware Alteon offers high stability with minimal downtime, effective updates, and user ratings of nine to ten for reliability.
Features such as load balancing and SSL Offloading reduced the pressure on back-end servers.
Product Developer at Cognizant
In some of our deployments of A10 Networks Thunder ADC, we have employed DDoS and other security features, and for the past few years, we haven't experienced any major incidents.
Head Of Technical And Network Security at Connex Information Technologies
A10 Networks Thunder ADC is very stable in my experience.
Cloud Support Engineer at Microsoft
We've never faced downtime, even during peak transaction hours.
Program Manager at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees
There is minimal downtime, and the solution is quite stable.
Lead Network Reliability Engineer at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
There are no difficulties with the deployment of Radware Alteon; it is quite straightforward.
Technical Manager at Secur Links
 

Room For Improvement

A10 Networks Thunder ADC needs an intuitive UI, better documentation, third-party integration, scalability, security enhancements, and improved monitoring.
F5 BIG-IP LTM needs better cost-effectiveness, user interface, cloud integration, documentation, security, automation, and a flexible licensing model.
Radware Alteon needs improvements in automation, user interface, customer support, integration, security, and educational resources to enhance competitiveness.
Having more structured, real-world configuration examples would make a big difference, especially for teams that are new to the platform, helping reduce the initial learning curve for them.
Senior Consultant and Creative Director at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Overall, the platform is strong technically, but improving usability and documentation would make the experience much smoother for teams working on daily operations.
Product Developer at Cognizant
In the vThunder series of A10 Networks Thunder ADC, they have a perpetual license model and a subscription model, but in the Thunder series, the physical appliance does not have a perpetual license model, mainly operating on the subscription model.
PM at Connex Information Technologies
I expect faster resolutions when providing contact numbers while raising cases, as other companies typically do.
Network Engineer at Stryker
The pricing of F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) is on the higher side compared to competitors, but it is worth it.
Security Analyst at IBM
They keep integrating new features that sometimes break our production, but we use clustered systems, so we can test those software releases.
Senior System Administrator at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
Other OEMs offer free courses and hands-on labs on new technologies and features, which we find useful.
Program Manager at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees
In the future, I would like to see some other security features added, such as DDoS, which is Distributed Denial of Service.
Technical Manager at Secur Links
 

Setup Cost

A10 Networks Thunder ADC is competitively priced, offers cost-effective licensing, and annual maintenance is generally cheaper than competitors.
F5 BIG-IP LTM is feature-rich but costly, especially in AWS; consult F5 for tailored licensing options.
Enterprise buyers favor Radware Alteon for its competitive pricing, strong performance, and flexible, simple licensing options.
I estimate that I can save around 20 to 30 percent of my budget with A10 Networks Thunder ADC.
Head Of Technical And Network Security at Connex Information Technologies
For our solution, it was right in the middle of price performance.
Senior System Administrator at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
The cost of the Radware solution is reasonable and stable.
Program Manager at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The implementation and running costs are quite high.
Lead Network Reliability Engineer at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
 

Valuable Features

A10 Networks Thunder ADC boosts app performance with load balancing, SSL offloading, security, and efficiency, enhancing user experience.
F5 BIG-IP LTM excels in load balancing, security, and customization, enhancing performance and reliability for complex network environments.
Radware Alteon excels in availability, security, and load balancing with user-friendly GUI, scalability, and robust support services.
Application load balancing in A10 Networks Thunder ADC plays a crucial role in improving application reliability during peak periods.
PM at Connex Information Technologies
What really stands out to me about A10 Networks Thunder ADC is how customizable, performant, and automated the platform is.
IT Architecture Manager at a government with 10,001+ employees
Once we have SSL offloading, this application helps us to renew the SSL immediately without the burden of requesting a CSR, generating the CSR, and managing everything involved in that process.
Solution Architect at Synechron
The impact of SSL offloading on reducing server load and latency is very much positive because whatever traffic we receive, we encrypt at our F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) level, which has definitely reduced the additional load and SSL decryption load on the servers, so it has very much helped us and it is very smooth; it will not take much time and will not impact our regular traffic.
Security Analyst at IBM
R-series has better CPU and memory, leading to higher throughput with minimal downtime, making it a significant improvement over the I-series.
Network Engineer at Stryker
One of the most beneficial features of F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) is its ability to identify compromised traffic and its capabilities in authentication.
IT Manager at Chong Hua Hospital
The product allows us to manage multiple networks and VLANs into a single box and add numerous web services and farms efficiently.
Program Manager at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The best feature of Radware Alteon is basically the configuration; how we configure it is very straightforward, and it is very simple to configure.
Technical Manager at Secur Links
I find the best features to be the flexibility and ease of use.
Senior System Administrator at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) category, the mindshare of A10 Networks Thunder ADC is 5.7%, up from 5.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) is 12.6%, down from 15.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Radware Alteon is 4.3%, down from 4.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)12.6%
Radware Alteon4.3%
A10 Networks Thunder ADC5.7%
Other77.4%
Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)
 

Featured Reviews

Nithin-Reddy - PeerSpot reviewer
Product Developer at Cognizant
Centralized traffic management has improved uptime and supports smooth high-demand deployments
One area where A10 Networks Thunder ADC could improve is the user interface and the overall ease of configuration. Some advanced configurations and troubleshooting steps can feel complex, especially for newer users who are still getting familiar with the platform. A more simplified and modern dashboard with clearer visibility into logs and traffic analytics would make day-to-day operations easier. Another challenge we faced occasionally was during troubleshooting complex traffic issues where identifying the exact root cause sometimes required deeper manual analysis. Better documentation and more detailed built-in analytics could help reduce that effort. The integration and configuration management can take time in larger enterprise environments, especially during deployment or changes, but overall, once the setup is stable, the platform performs reliably and handles traffic management quite efficiently. Documentation and integration support can still be improved for some advanced configurations. The setup process can take some time, especially in large enterprise environments where multiple applications and traffic policies are involved. Having more detailed examples and troubleshooting guides would help teams resolve issues much faster. I also feel the monitoring and analytics section could provide more granular insights in a simpler way so teams can identify performance bottlenecks more quickly without spending extra time on manual analysis. From a support perspective, quicker guidance for complex configuration issues would also help, especially during critical deployments or high traffic situations. Overall, the platform is strong technically, but improving usability and documentation would make the experience much smoother for teams working on daily operations.
edshyaa - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Engineer at Stryker
Load balancing has improved traffic distribution and currently supports high availability upgrades
F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) offers effective load balancing methods that help distribute traffic across our servers, whether we have two or several. This load balancing feature stands out as it is the fundamental work we do with F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM). While I recognize there are many features, such as iRules, which I have not explored yet, we primarily work on VIPs, pool members, and traffic distribution. The load balancing algorithms' flexibility makes them very useful for our team, enabling us to choose different servers and manage load effectively. We use various methods based on user or application requirements, making the algorithms set up by F5 in the backend quite helpful. F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) positively impacts our organization primarily through its load balancing capabilities. We avoid traffic overload on individual servers by placing backend servers behind F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) VIP. This load balancing helps us manage traffic effectively. Since the configuration of the I-series, we have had smooth performance, and with the recent migration to the R-series, it is working faster than before, providing positive outcomes for our operations. Since moving to the R-series, I notice improved performance; it is user-friendly and handles traffic efficiently. The upgrading process is different as we create tenants and a main host. R-series has better CPU and memory, leading to higher throughput with minimal downtime, making it a significant improvement over the I-series.
RaynielBadiola - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Manager at Secur Links
Load balancing has simplified deployments and improves application performance monitoring
I don't think of features that will make Radware Alteon better because it is already better, but to be able to compete also with other competitors, the price is something to consider. It is not actually that expensive, but for their level, there are other load balancers with the same feature, but they have a lower price, so pricing is the only point I can give. In the future, I would like to see some other security features added, such as DDoS, which is Distributed Denial of Service. Currently, it has the Web Application Firewall feature, but in the future, they can also add a DDoS feature or a more in-depth DDoS feature.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) solutions are best for your needs.
896,692 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Government
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Computer Software Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
7%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
7%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business14
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise16
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business62
Midsize Enterprise32
Large Enterprise86
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business17
Midsize Enterprise17
Large Enterprise22
 

Questions from the Community

Which is the best DDoS protection solution for a big ISP for monitoring and mitigating?
I would recommend A10 Networks due that it delivers high performance in a small form factor to reduce OPEX with signi...
Do you recommend A10 Networks Thunder ADC?
I do recommend A10 Networks Thunder ADC. It's very user-friendly, easy to configure, and flexible. It is a very usefu...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for A10 Networks Thunder ADC?
The experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for A10 Networks Thunder ADC is a question for another departm...
What needs improvement with F5 BIG-IP?
F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) could improve file upload speeds when opening cases and attaching files; someti...
What is your primary use case for F5 BIG-IP?
My main use case for F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) is placing our applications on F5 and the backend servers ...
What needs improvement with Radware AppWall?
There is room for improvement in reducing the number of false positives I receive. We could benefit from more configu...
What is your primary use case for Radware AppWall?
We are a system integrator company in the Philippines, and we are selling Radware Alteon product. Radware Alteon is u...
What advice do you have for others considering Radware AppWall?
I would rate Alteon nine out of ten. The main reason I would recommend it is Radware's excellent support. I rate the ...
 

Also Known As

Thunder ADC, AX Series
F5 BIG-IP, BIG-IP LTM, F5 ASM, Viprion, F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition , Crescendo Networks Application Delivery Controller, BIG IP
Alteon, Radware AppWall
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

123inkt.nl, Bentley University, Box, Brainshark, Buienradar, Capgemini, CGN/LSN & NAT64, Chengdu Telecom, Club One, Code Ready, CRC Health Group, Cyso, Deutsche Telekom, Earth Class Mail, Excite, FFF Enterprises, Florence County, Framingham State University, From30
Riken, TransUnion, Tepco Systems Administration, Daejeon University, G&T Bank, Danamon, CyberAgent Inc.
Convergys
Find out what your peers are saying about F5, HAProxy, NetScaler and others in Application Delivery Controllers (ADC). Updated: May 2026.
896,692 professionals have used our research since 2012.