Akamai Secure Internet Access Enterprise vs F5 BIG-IP DNS comparison

Akamai and F5 are both solutions in the Domain Name System (DNS) Security category. Akamai is ranked #15, while F5 is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.7. Akamai holds a 2.1% mindshare in DS, compared to F5’s 6.2% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Akamai users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of F5 users who would recommend it.

Akamai Secure Internet Acc...

Read 2 Akamai Secure Internet Access Enterprise reviews

654 Views
353 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

F5 BIG-IP DNS

Read 21 F5 BIG-IP DNS reviews

1,336 Views
1,336 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Akamai Secure Internet Acc...

F5 BIG-IP DNS

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Akamai Secure Internet Access Enterprise and F5 BIG-IP DNS based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, Infoblox and others in Domain Name System (DNS) Security.

To learn more, read our detailed Domain Name System (DNS) Security Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Domain Name System (DNS) Security

September 2025

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Helped 868,759 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:

Categories and Ranking

Akamai Secure Internet Acc...

Ranking in Domain Name System (DNS) Security

15th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

5.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Secure Web Gateways (SWG) (30th)

F5 BIG-IP DNS

Ranking in Domain Name System (DNS) Security

4th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Domain Name System (DNS) Security category, the mindshare of Akamai Secure Internet Access Enterprise is 2.1%, up from 1.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of F5 BIG-IP DNS is 6.2%, down from 6.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Domain Name System (DNS) Security Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
F5 BIG-IP DNS	6.2%
Akamai Secure Internet Access Enterprise	2.1%
Other	91.7%

Domain Name System (DNS) Security

Featured Reviews

MeshwaShah

Senior Analyst at Deloitte

Have successfully routed high-volume application traffic through secure channels and maintain compliance across client environments

CDN capability is what I appreciate about Akamai Secure Internet Access Enterprise. It protects applications that are internet-facing or public-facing. Akamai Secure Internet Access Enterprise is a product which has very good features and capabilities. I have worked on Radware also, but Radware has some limited capabilities. Akamai Secure Internet Access Enterprise has positively impacted my organization. We have around 62 applications within our firm which are now routing traffic through Akamai Secure Internet Access Enterprise. It has fewer false positives, which is something we haven't encountered yet. I assess the impact of Akamai's real-time threat filtering as 10 out of 10, and I am satisfied with this feature.

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Raja Waqar Ahmad

Sr. Network Engineer at Tekboox

Suitable for use cases around multiple data centers and provides good stability

F5 is working on improving its identity management features. This is an important area for improvement, as it is a key component of Zero Trust architecture. So, when I was working on the zero-trust architecture, I noticed that there was a lack of documentation. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has published some documentation and frameworks for ZTA implementation. In the NIST framework, multiple vendors can be used for different components of the architecture. For example, for identity management, common vendors include Azure, Intune, AWS, Cisco Duo, and Zscaler. I remember reading about F5 mentioned in the context of the ZTA framework. So, it's encouraging to read that F5 is being considered for ZTA implementations. Netskope is also using F5 for their ZTA solutions. I would also like to see all of F5's features integrated into a single box, as it would be the most beneficial for end customers. F5 is already enhancing its security capabilities. Initially, load balancing and security required separate devices, but now F5 offers solutions that combine both functionalities in a single device.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Akamai Secure Internet Access Enterprise is a product which has very good features and capabilities."

"The best feature of Akamai SPS Threat Avert is that it's very user-friendly compared to other technologies."

"For one of our clients, F5 improved global server load balancing with an active-active site configuration for Disaster Recovery."

"One of the most effective feature of F5 BIG-IP DNS is its robustness and integration with our existing F5 infrastructure. It helps us to geographically connect and form an internal topology network with our clients."

"F5 BIG-IP DNS has been rock solid in terms of stability for years."

"It is easy to administer."

"It's very stable."

"BIG-IP DNS effectively handled a traffic surge. For example, we have application forms replicated across our DCs. If our primary application becomes unavailable, BIG-IP automatically fails over to a client-unaware secondary application."

"The solution is easy to configure and deploy. It is scalable and works without any downtime. F5 BIG-IP DNS is a flexible solution."

"F5 technical support is quite good and they follow up if there are any issues."

More F5 BIG-IP DNS pros

Cons

"Akamai SPS Threat Avert's pricing could be improved because it's a very expensive enterprise solution."

"Their support response time needs improvement. They take on average one week to respond, which is not satisfactory given how critical applications are to the organization."

"When it comes to denial of service or DNS security, F5 is not the best vendor as dedicated vendors such as Arbor for denial of service and Infoblox for DNS security offer more comprehensive solutions."

"In the product, one of the shortcomings is related to its configuration part...Though you can find some manuals or F5 documents, in real life, it's very hard to understand this product."

"The support response time could use improvement."

"The analysis services needs improvement."

"The initial setup could be easier."

"CNC (control and command) communication would be beneficial. We would like to have control and command blocking to prevent visiting malicious websites."

"I would like to see the login facilities improved, as well as more troubleshooting."

"I would like to see more marketing documentation, rather than technical documentation."

More F5 BIG-IP DNS cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Provided the features Akamai SPS Threat Avert provides, it is bound to be expensive."

"The on-prem version is only available on a yearly license, but the cloud version can be paid for on a day-by-day basis."

"In some cases, it is expensive."

"Cost is a factor. It is really costly."

"You cannot do much around DDoS protection without an additional license from F5."

"I would rate the pricing a three out of ten, with ten being a low price."

"This product is quite pricey but if you compare the feature set and its compatibility with similar products on the market, you would understand why it's that price."

"BIG-IP DNS is more expensive than its competitors like Citrix, but it gives good value for money."

"They are competitively priced."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

18%

Financial Services Firm

17%

Government

Performing Arts

Financial Services Firm

16%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Retailer

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	9

Questions from the Community

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What do you like most about F5 BIG-IP DNS?

For one of our clients, F5 improved global server load balancing with an active-active site configuration for Disaster Recovery.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for F5 BIG-IP DNS?

In terms of pricing, F5 BIG-IP is not cheaper compared to other solutions like Fortinet or Citrix. The cost can be high due to its comprehensive modules.

See all answers

What needs improvement with F5 BIG-IP DNS?

When it comes to denial of service or DNS security, F5 is not the best vendor as dedicated vendors such as Arbor for denial of service and Infoblox for DNS security offer more comprehensive solutio...

See all answers

Comparisons

Cisco Umbrella vs Akamai Secure Internet Access Enterprise

Compared 34% of the time

Zscaler Internet Access vs Akamai Secure Internet Access Enterprise

Compared 28% of the time

Palo Alto Networks DNS Security vs Akamai Secure Internet Access Enterprise

Compared 11% of the time

Forcepoint Secure Web Gateway vs Akamai Secure Internet Access Enterprise

Compared 10% of the time

Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defense vs Akamai Secure Internet Access Enterprise

Compared 9% of the time

More Akamai Secure Internet Access Enterprise Competitors

Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection vs F5 BIG-IP DNS

Compared 57% of the time

Cisco Umbrella vs F5 BIG-IP DNS

Compared 13% of the time

EfficientIP DNS Guardian vs F5 BIG-IP DNS

Compared 9% of the time

CIRA Anycast DNS vs F5 BIG-IP DNS

Compared 8% of the time

BlueCat Edge vs F5 BIG-IP DNS

Compared 5% of the time

More F5 BIG-IP DNS Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Secure Web Gateways (SWG)

August 2025

Akamai Secure Internet Access Enterprise report

Download Akamai Secure Internet Access Enterprise product report

Buyer's Guide

F5 BIG-IP DNS

September 2025

Download F5 BIG-IP DNS product report

Also Known As

Akamai Enterprise Threat Protector, Akamai ETP, Akamai SPS Threat Avert

F5 BIG-IP DNS, F5 DNS Delivery

Overview

Safely connect users & devices to the internet with a secure web gateway.

Akamai Secure Internet Access Enterprise (SIAE) enables security teams to proactively identify, block, and mitigate targeted threats such as malware, ransomware, phishing, and data exfiltration that exploit the Domain Name System (DNS). Powered by real-time intelligence from Akamai Cloud Security Intelligence and Akamai’s proven, globally distributed recursive DNS platform, Enterprise Threat Protector efficiently delivers security, control, and visibility to the enterprise while easily integrating with your existing network defenses.

Akamai

F5® BIG-IP® DNS distributes DNS and user application requests based on business policies, data center and cloud service conditions, user location, and application performance. BIG-IP DNS is commonly configured as a full proxy to provide global server load balancing (GSLB) for applications and DNS across architectures, and across the globe.

The BIG-IP platform delivers DNS services with visibility, reporting, and analysis; scales and secures DNS responses geographically to survive increased traffic or threats; delivers a real-time DNSSEC solution; designed to provide availability of global applications in all cloud environments.

Sample Customers

MCNC, Educational Testing Service

Ricacorp Properties, Bangladesh Post Office, Shawbrook Bank, Shinsegae Internet Duty Free

Buyer's Guide

Domain Name System (DNS) Security

September 2025

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