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 #9 with an average rating of 9.0, while F5 is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.7. Akamai holds a 2.0% mindshare in DS, compared to F5’s 6.4% 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 1 Akamai Secure Internet Access Enterprise review

706 Views
409 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

F5 BIG-IP DNS

Read 21 F5 BIG-IP DNS reviews

1,407 Views
1,407 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, Infoblox, Palo Alto Networks and others in Domain Name System (DNS) Security.

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

Buyer's Guide

Domain Name System (DNS) Security

August 2025

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Helped 865,164 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

9th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Secure Web Gateways (SWG) (23rd)

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 August 2025, in the Domain Name System (DNS) Security category, the mindshare of Akamai Secure Internet Access Enterprise is 2.0%, down from 2.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of F5 BIG-IP DNS is 6.4%, down from 6.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Domain Name System (DNS) Security

Featured Reviews

reviewer2159601

Manager- Secure Web Defense- Perimeter Security at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

A user-friendly security SaaS provider with an easy setup

Akamai SPS Threat Avert is deployed on-cloud in our organization. Users should choose Akamai SPS Threat Avert based on their needs and the organization's capability. If it's a small-scale business, I would recommend exploring other solutions that will be fairly cheaper than Akamai SPS Threat Avert. However, if it's an enterprise business with a lot of transactions, security concerns, and compliance issues, I would advise them to go ahead with Akamai SPS Threat Avert. Although it's a good solution, Akamai SPS Threat Avert is expensive and best suited for enterprise-level businesses, not mid-level or low-level organizations. Overall, I rate Akamai SPS Threat Avert a nine out of ten.

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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

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

"The GTM feature is very good, It's very useful, especially if we have multiple data centers. If we want to load balance traffic from multiple data centers, the GTM feature is very useful."

"It's very stable."

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

"F5 BIG-IP DNS is useful, depending on how you use it."

"It is easy to administer."

"F5 BIG-IP DNS is a stable solution."

"BIG-IP DNS's best feature is the Global Traffic Manager (GTM)."

"F5 BIG-IP DNS stands out as they are number one when it comes to WAF and load balancing technologies, and they have plenty of add-on features such as APM and AFM to handle DDoS attacks, DNS security, and GSLB."

More F5 BIG-IP DNS pros

Cons

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

"Scalability is a concern, it could be improved."

"The tool needs to improve its UI."

"The monitoring capabilities of F5 BIG-IP DNS could be improved."

"The solution's initial setup is complex compared to Fortinet."

"I would like to see deeper integration with VMware in the sense that F5 compliments VMware, in the context of application availability."

"There is room for improvement in pricing. It is very pricey."

"The analysis services needs improvement."

"The initial setup could be easier."

More F5 BIG-IP DNS cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

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

"In some cases, it is expensive."

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

"They are competitively priced."

"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."

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

"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."

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

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

26%

Financial Services Firm

16%

Government

Performing Arts

Financial Services Firm

17%

Computer Software Company

10%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

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.

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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?

The support response time could use improvement. In critical cases, such as in the big environment projects, faster support is needed to address critical issues promptly.

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 29% of the time

Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defense 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

Palo Alto Networks DNS Security vs Akamai Secure Internet Access Enterprise

Compared 10% of the time

More Akamai Secure Internet Access Enterprise Competitors

Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection vs F5 BIG-IP DNS

Compared 62% of the time

Cisco Umbrella vs F5 BIG-IP DNS

Compared 13% of the time

EfficientIP DNS Guardian vs F5 BIG-IP DNS

Compared 12% of the time

BlueCat Edge vs F5 BIG-IP DNS

Compared 7% of the time

EfficientIP DNS Blast vs F5 BIG-IP DNS

Compared 3% of the time

More F5 BIG-IP DNS Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Secure Web Gateways (SWG)

July 2025

Akamai Secure Internet Access Enterprise report

Download Akamai Secure Internet Access Enterprise product report

Buyer's Guide

F5 BIG-IP DNS

August 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

August 2025

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