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Aruba Remote Access Points vs Cisco IOS SSL VPN comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 6, 2024

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

Aruba Remote Access Points
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
11th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
20
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco IOS SSL VPN
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
9th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
49
Ranking in other categories
SSL VPN (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category, the mindshare of Aruba Remote Access Points is 1.0%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco IOS SSL VPN is 1.3%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
 

Featured Reviews

Theesula Majuwanagamage - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficient Setup and Strong Performance Highlight Versatile Capabilities
In terms of areas for improvement in Aruba Remote Access Points, when planning for the customer's end, you need to highlight the precautions against EMF emissions and environmental emissions, as well as power management limitations. If the user is in one direction and you're transmitting everywhere, that's not good power management. Currently, all access points provide the same power requirement to the client, but we should explore what extra mile we can go. We are facing energy crises and climate issues, along with GHG and SDGs protocols. If we highlight the alignment with these protocols, it can enhance the product quality as an environmentally friendly option. Apart from that, service-wise, every unit is the same. Users can only distinguish those requirements using spectrum analyzers; otherwise, minor data delays of one or two seconds do not matter, but for high-security or high-speed needs, it becomes significant.
Rupesh Kolhapurkar - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers easy setup phase but needs to improve connectivity
For our company's remote workforce connectivity, the tool was very useful during the COVID-19 situation. In general, the VPN functionality offered by the product was very useful during the COVID-19 situation. In terms of the product's ability to secure third-party access, the tool works very well. The most valuable feature of the product in terms of network security stems from the fact that the tool provides access to the whole network, and even if users give access to some special applications, it is still really helpful. The clientless access feature is not available for clients. My company installed the product for its clients. If the product offers a clientless access feature, then it is okay and can be very helpful for our company. I recommend the product to those who plan to use it. Cisco IOS SSL VPN is a reliable product. The product is very helpful for a work-from-home setup as the tool can be used to access our company's internal network, which Falls outside the network of our organization. I rate the tool a seven to eight out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"What I like best about Aruba Remote Access Points is that it's pretty easy to set up."
"The platform has the most valuable advanced filtering feature."
"It’s very light."
"The most valuable feature of Aruba Remote Access Points is the manageability from the central cloud platform."
"Overall, I would rate Aruba Remote Access Points nine out of ten. I can definitely recommend them to other users."
"It is a very stable tool."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is experienced by those working at home since they get a secure Wi-Fi connection."
"There are no bad features in Aruba Remote Access Points. Every feature is customized to meet customer requirements according to their limitations, and we can make use of all features to benefit us as needed."
"Cisco IOS SSL VPN provides fast connectivity and the option to connect through multiple servers."
"The solution's technical support is very good."
"The solution is very stable."
"The solution is very stable."
"It is very simple to use, and it allows me to get into the university's network from my home, which is very useful for me."
"Cisco certainly has a really strong support team."
"I like to work with the CMD command line because it's easy and it doesn't take very long to configure."
"A reliable and stable solution for remote network access."
 

Cons

"There are some issues, like the VLAN capabilities and support for routing between two VMs."
"One thing that would be beneficial is for the Aruba Central mobile app to work more effectively. Currently, it does not function as expected when I really need it."
"The remote access point coverage should be bigger than it is now."
"The product needs an increased level of security for the end user."
"Its scalability capabilities should be improved."
"They can add more graphical reporting systems so that network admins and system admins get more information about user usage, such as which user, what they use, and when they use it."
"Our difficulty with Aruba is that the product and the license are two different items. So, if we are adding an access point, we have to pay for two items. We have to pay to add the access point in the controller and we have to pay for the license."
"I would rate stability as five out of ten. Sometimes it is stable, and sometimes it is not."
"They could provide the cloud-based as-a-service model with monthly rental payments."
"It can be difficult to find service and at times we cannot connect with the internet easily."
"The only issue with Cisco IOS SSL VPN is on the price point. Price is an area of the solution where improvements are required."
"The configuration is critical and complex."
"The flexibility of configurations could be improved."
"The pricing needs to be better."
"It would be helpful if Cisco IOS SSL VPN could help us set up devices on our iPads and phones."
"Multi-factor authentication in Cisco IOS SSL VPN has certain shortcomings that need improvement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"You require no separate licensing to convert an access point to RAP."
"Aruba Remote Access Points' pricing is good and affordable."
"The price of Aruba Remote Access Points could be better. It is a little expensive."
"In terms of pricing, we've found Aruba's offerings to be very competitive."
"Aruba pricing is not very high. They offer competitive pricing for what they provide."
"There are no other expenses than standard licenses for the product."
"Price-wise, Aruba Remote Access Points is in the middle, so my rating for its pricing is three out of five."
"Cisco IOS SSL VPN comes with a cost-effective subscription."
"The licensing fee is expensive."
"The solution is reasonably priced, and we have around 50% to 60% discounts from Cisco."
"The platform is expensive."
"The product costs less."
"My company makes payments on a quarterly basis to the vendor to cover the licensing costs attached to the product. Cisco IOS SSL VPN is an expensive product. There are no additional costs apart from the licensing costs attached to the product."
"There are no pricing programs for non-profit organizations and the product is otherwise expensive by comparison."
"It stands as the priciest solution available in the market."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Healthcare Company
15%
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
22%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Educational Organization
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Aruba Remote Access Points?
This solution is widely adopted and involves both technology and non-technical devices. It is robust, except in cases of significant power outages.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Remote Access Points?
The pricing is adequate. It is available in every range, from medium range to high range and enterprise level. Thus, it is not an issue.
What needs improvement with Aruba Remote Access Points?
In terms of areas for improvement in Aruba Remote Access Points, when planning for the customer's end, you need to highlight the precautions against EMF emissions and environmental emissions, as we...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco IOS SSL VPN?
The pricing for Cisco IOS SSL VPN is based on per user. For more than one hundred users, it costs about $60 per seat.
What needs improvement with Cisco IOS SSL VPN?
It's hard for me to say how Linksys could be improved. I can't think of any specific improvements needed. I believe Cisco could support easier configuration and having tools that allow for easier m...
 

Also Known As

Aruba RAP
Cisco SSL VPN
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Trafford Metropolitan Borough
MST Systems
Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Remote Access Points vs. Cisco IOS SSL VPN and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
865,140 professionals have used our research since 2012.