A10 Networks Thunder ADC vs NGINX Plus comparison

A10 Networks and F5 are both solutions in the Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) category. A10 Networks is ranked #11 with an average rating of 8.5, while F5 is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.3. A10 Networks holds a 5.6% mindshare in ADC, compared to F5’s 7.3% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of A10 Networks users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of F5 users who would recommend it.

A10 Networks Thunder ADC

Read 26 A10 Networks Thunder ADC reviews

2,812 Views
2,671 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

NGINX Plus

Read 32 NGINX Plus reviews

6,109 Views
3,482 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

A10 Networks Thunder ADC

NGINX Plus

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

A10 Networks Thunder ADC and NGINX Plus are both strong contenders in the application delivery and load balancing market. A10 Networks seems to have the upper hand with its feature-rich platform that emphasizes security and cost-effective licensing, while NGINX Plus appeals to developers with its modularity and efficiency.

Features: A10 Networks Thunder ADC is known for its superior troubleshooting capabilities, flexible deployment options, and security features like SSL offloading and DDoS mitigation. It also supports single-pane traffic management. NGINX Plus excels in reverse proxy routing, caching, and load balancing, especially in high-throughput environments, making it suitable for DevOps and microservices with necessary persistence features.

Room for Improvement: A10 Networks could improve its graphical dashboards, WAF capabilities, and scalability in cloud environments. Enhancements to the UI and logging features are also suggested. NGINX Plus could benefit from a more user-friendly interface, improved memory optimization, and comprehensive cluster management. The high cost is another area mentioned for potential enhancement.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: A10 Networks Thunder ADC supports mostly on-premises deployments with reliable technical support, though there's room for better first-call resolutions. NGINX Plus offers deployment flexibility across public, hybrid, and on-premises environments with robust community and documentation support but could improve its setup process and support interaction.

Pricing and ROI: A10 Networks Thunder ADC is considered cost-effective with all-inclusive licensing, leading to significant ROI due to ease of configuration and reduced operational costs. NGINX Plus, while more expensive than the open-source version, offers a modular pricing model for customization, perceived as valuable though costly for smaller deployments.

To learn more, read our detailed A10 Networks Thunder ADC vs. NGINX Plus Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

A10 Networks Thunder ADC vs. NGINX Plus

April 2026

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Helped 893,244 peers since 2012

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

7.0

A10 Networks Thunder ADC boosts ROI within six months, cutting costs, saving money, and improving operational efficiency for users.

Sentiment score

7.5

NGINX Plus boosts website speed and reduces costs, offering superior flexibility and scalability, ensuring significant returns for organizations.

We do see a return on investment and cost reductions after the implementation of A10 Networks Thunder ADC.

Nuwan Chathuranga

Head Of Technical And Network Security at Connex Information Technologies

For more quotes and insights, download the A10 Networks Thunder ADC report

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the NGINX Plus report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

6.9

A10 Networks Thunder ADC offers effective support with excellent response times, but some users desire more comprehensive materials and faster urgent responses.

Sentiment score

6.9

NGINX Plus offers robust support with responsive engineers, though some lower-tier licenses experience delayed responses; documentation often suffices.

Their tech support is very responsible, and their response time is very low, providing superb support.

Ayesh Jayaweera

PM at Connex Information Technologies

The support we receive from the team is quite excellent.

Nuwan Chathuranga

Head Of Technical And Network Security at Connex Information Technologies

For more quotes and insights, download the A10 Networks Thunder ADC report

Response time is good because they have assigned and dedicated support engineers to us, and we have weekly cadence calls.

Nadeem-Inamdar

Senior Information Security Engineer at a tech company with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the NGINX Plus report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

6.9

A10 Networks Thunder ADC efficiently scales across regions, supporting enterprises with easy integration, load balancing, and growth management.

Sentiment score

7.7

NGINX Plus is highly scalable and flexible, easily adapting to various enterprise needs and supporting multiple users and websites.

A10 Networks Thunder ADC can handle growth easily, and I have scaled up during higher traffic periods.

reviewer2817951

Senior Consultant and Creative Director at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

A10 Networks Thunder ADC's scalability is impressive.

reviewer2817921

IT Architecture Manager at a government with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the A10 Networks Thunder ADC report

While some people use NGINX for web servers, my current use case focuses on networking and tunneling, which does not necessitate much scaling.

Michael Olayemi

Senior Software Engineer at Checkit

For more quotes and insights, download the NGINX Plus report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

8.2

A10 Networks Thunder ADC is highly stable, reliable, and handles demanding environments with features like DDoS protection and regular updates.

Sentiment score

7.8

NGINX Plus is highly stable and reliable, praised for connectivity and performance, despite some scalability challenges in clustering.

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.

Nuwan Chathuranga

Head Of Technical And Network Security at Connex Information Technologies

Most of the time, it just runs in the background without issues.

reviewer2817951

Senior Consultant and Creative Director at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the A10 Networks Thunder ADC report

I require ninety-nine point nine percent uptime, and NGINX has been pivotal in helping me achieve this along with our other DNS services.

Michael Olayemi

Senior Software Engineer at Checkit

For more quotes and insights, download the NGINX Plus report

Room For Improvement

A10 Networks Thunder ADC requires UI improvements, better API docs, third-party integration, enhanced logging, scalability, and pricing structure refinement.

NGINX Plus users seek improved scalability, user-friendly interface, better integration, cost-effectiveness, advanced features, and enhanced support services.

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.

reviewer2817951

Senior Consultant and Creative Director at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

Enhanced integration with third-party tools would be beneficial.

reviewer2817921

IT Architecture Manager at a government with 10,001+ employees

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.

Ayesh Jayaweera

PM at Connex Information Technologies

For more quotes and insights, download the A10 Networks Thunder ADC report

NGINX could provide a means to generate self-signed SSL certificates.

Michael Olayemi

Senior Software Engineer at Checkit

As with any application, there were initial issues, however, after receiving support, everything was rectified.

AnilKumar44

Executive Director at Geojit

There were some vulnerabilities in F5.

Nadeem-Inamdar

Senior Information Security Engineer at a tech company with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the NGINX Plus report

Setup Cost

A10 Networks Thunder ADC is cost-effective compared to F5, with flexible pricing and varying support costs based on requirements.

NGINX Plus has a modular licensing model with varying costs, offering value but can be expensive compared to alternatives.

I estimate that I can save around 20 to 30 percent of my budget with A10 Networks Thunder ADC.

Nuwan Chathuranga

Head Of Technical And Network Security at Connex Information Technologies

For more quotes and insights, download the A10 Networks Thunder ADC report

My use case involves using the free and open-source version of NGINX, making it cost-effective as I haven't incurred any costs.

Michael Olayemi

Senior Software Engineer at Checkit

The solution offers a cost advantage.

AnilKumar44

Executive Director at Geojit

For more quotes and insights, download the NGINX Plus report

Valuable Features

A10 Networks Thunder ADC offers load balancing, SSL offloading, security, scalability, and cost efficiency ideal for cloud environments.

NGINX Plus excels in load balancing, security, and integration, praised for simplicity, efficiency, and superior traffic management features.

In terms of cost, it can lower both CapEx and OpEx.

reviewer2817921

IT Architecture Manager at a government with 10,001+ employees

Application load balancing in A10 Networks Thunder ADC plays a crucial role in improving application reliability during peak periods.

Ayesh Jayaweera

PM at Connex Information Technologies

SSL offloading is one of the key features that I was seeking, significantly improving my backend performance.

reviewer2817951

Senior Consultant and Creative Director at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the A10 Networks Thunder ADC report

For API management, the WebSocket, and the WebServer, NGINX provides a cost advantage, value addition, and effective support.

AnilKumar44

Executive Director at Geojit

The web application firewall feature has helped enhance security for our applications because most of the attacks which are performed on our website are being blocked by it.

Nadeem-Inamdar

Senior Information Security Engineer at a tech company with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the NGINX Plus report

Categories and Ranking

A10 Networks Thunder ADC

Ranking in Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)

11th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

NGINX Plus

Ranking in Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)

9th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Infrastructure (4th)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) category, the mindshare of A10 Networks Thunder ADC is 5.6%, up from 5.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NGINX Plus is 7.3%, down from 7.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
NGINX Plus	7.3%
A10 Networks Thunder ADC	5.6%
Other	87.1%

Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)

Featured Reviews

reviewer2817921

IT Architecture Manager at a government with 10,001+ employees

Application delivery has improved and security now ensures reliable high‑traffic e‑commerce

A10 Networks Thunder ADC offers several strong features that make it a very competitive solution. First, they provide advanced Layer 4 or Layer 7 load balancing. Another key feature is SSL offloading and encryption handling. A10 Networks Thunder ADC is also highly scalable and flexible. Scalability for A10 Networks Thunder ADC shows up in my day-to-day operations during high-traffic events such as Black Friday. One feature I find really powerful and something underrated about A10 Networks Thunder ADC is A-Flex. Beyond the standard ADC feature, what really stands out to me about A10 Networks Thunder ADC is how customizable, performant, and automated the platform is. A10 Networks Thunder ADC has a significant impact on my organization in several ways. First, it improves application availability and performance. From a security perspective, it helps protect applications against threats such as DDoS attacks. It also has a strong operational impact. In terms of cost, it can lower both CapEx and OpEx.

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Nadeem-Inamdar

Senior Information Security Engineer at a tech company with 10,001+ employees

Advanced policies and web firewall have strengthened application protection and reduced attack traffic

There were some vulnerabilities in F5. They tried to fix it, but the fixes were not available at the time because they were zero days, so they attempted to fix it, but their support was not proper. Their support should be improved because sometimes features which we need for customization take time, and they are sometimes feasible and sometimes not feasible by the team, so their support and the engineering team should improve their product. I would like to see more features regarding customization which should be built into the application, and the tool optimization should be good, and the dashboard should be more crisp and clear.

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

14%

Computer Software Company

10%

Government

Insurance Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	13
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	13

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	16
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	11

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 significantly lower power usage, rack space, and cooling requirements compared to oth...

See all answers

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 useful solution - especially now, when a lot of employees are working remotely. I hav...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for A10 Networks Thunder ADC?

I estimate that I can save around 20 to 30 percent of my budget with A10 Networks Thunder ADC, though it's not an exact figure.

See all answers

Which is better - IIS or NGINX Plus?

IIS is a flexible, secure, and manageable web server to host anything on the web. IIS’s scalable and open architecture can handle the most demanding tasks. From media streaming to web applications,...

See all answers

What do you like most about NGINX Plus?

It performs very well. That's one of the primary reasons we use NGINX.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NGINX Plus?

Pricing is reasonable and that is fine.

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 15% of the time

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

Compared 14% of the time

Fortinet FortiADC vs A10 Networks Thunder ADC

Compared 11% of the time

Radware Alteon vs A10 Networks Thunder ADC

Compared 9% of the time

LoadBalancer Enterprise vs A10 Networks Thunder ADC

Compared 6% of the time

More A10 Networks Thunder ADC Competitors

IIS vs NGINX Plus

Compared 9% of the time

HAProxy vs NGINX Plus

Compared 8% of the time

Apache Web Server vs NGINX Plus

Compared 8% of the time

NetScaler vs NGINX Plus

Compared 8% of the time

Radware Alteon vs NGINX Plus

Compared 3% of the time

More NGINX Plus Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

A10 Networks Thunder ADC

May 2026

Download A10 Networks Thunder ADC product report

Buyer's Guide

NGINX Plus

April 2026

Download NGINX Plus product report

Also Known As

Thunder ADC, AX Series

NGINX

Overview

A10 Networks Thunder ADC delivers efficient load balancing, SSL offloading, and enhanced security to ensure high application availability across cloud and on-premises environments. It optimizes performance and reduces costs while maintaining reliability during peak loads.

A10 Networks Thunder ADC supports enterprises in managing server load and ensuring secure, high-availability application delivery with features like DDoS protection and SSL offloading. Its cloud flexibility, operational efficiency, and advanced traffic management are key attributes, despite areas for improvement in user interface design, documentation examples, and third-party tool integration. Scalability, logging capacity, and automation for virtual appliances need attention, along with pricing adjustments for certain markets.

What are the most important features?

Load Balancing: Ensures even distribution of network traffic, enhancing performance and reliability.
SSL Offloading: Reduces the burden on servers by handling SSL encryption and decryption processes.
Security Enhancements: Provides robust features like DDoS protection for safer application delivery.
Cloud Flexibility: Adapts to both on-premises and cloud environments for versatile application support.
User-Friendly Interface: Prioritizes ease of use for efficient management, though improvements are needed.

What benefits and ROI should users look for in reviews?

High Availability: Guarantees that applications remain accessible even during high traffic.
Scalability: Offers the ability to expand operations, addressing evolving enterprise demands.
Cost Efficiency: Optimizes costs through strategic resource allocation and efficient management.
Operational Efficiency: Enhances performance through effective traffic management and resource optimization.
Comprehensive Licensing: Provides flexible licensing options to accommodate diverse organizational setups.

In industries such as finance and healthcare, A10 Networks Thunder ADC enables secure, efficient management of server loads and application delivery. Enterprises use its features to protect data, facilitate remote work, and maintain performance amid traffic spikes by hosting applications centrally, ensuring continuous business operations.

A10 Networks

NGINX Plus efficiently handles heavy loads with lightweight software and simple configuration. It seamlessly integrates with F5, offering high-performance load balancing and robust reverse proxy capabilities for HTTP, IMAP, POP, and SMTP protocols.

NGINX Plus stands out for its load balancing, authentication, caching, and modular design. Its flexibility and scalability make it ideal for web servers, traffic routing, and enterprise use, supported by comprehensive documentation and a strong community. However, improvements in pricing, graphical interface, and advanced load balancing are desired. Users seek enhanced performance, better security, and simpler configuration. Automation and integration capabilities need attention, and scalability requires further refinement.

What are the key features of NGINX Plus?

Load Balancing: Manages traffic efficiently for better resource utilization.
Reverse Proxy: Offers robust support for directing requests to the appropriate backend server.
Caching: Improves speed and reduces server load through effective content caching.
Modularity: Customizable setup with various modules for specific functionalities.
Security Features: Provides web application firewall and DDoS protection.

What benefits can users expect?

Performance Enhancement: Boosts speed and efficiency in web and application servers.
Scalability: Easily adapts to increased demand with minimal effort.
Flexibility: Supports a wide range of deployment scenarios from cloud to on-premises.
Security: Fortifies web applications with comprehensive protection measures.

NGINX Plus is vital for industries deploying reverse proxy, load balancing, and application delivery control. Enterprises utilize it for both cloud and on-premises setups to manage content, secure traffic, and improve application performance. It plays a crucial role in CDN deployments, API management, and microservices architecture by providing enterprise-grade capabilities in caching and traffic management, along with security features like web application firewall and DDoS protection.

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

Locaweb, AppNexus, Wix, Reliam, Montana Interactive, MuleSoft, Warpwire, Discovery Education, InkaBinka, WordPress.com, Gogo, GOV.UK, NASA

Buyer's Guide

A10 Networks Thunder ADC vs. NGINX Plus

April 2026

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