Aruba VPN vs SonicWall Netextender comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and SonicWall are both solutions in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #33, while SonicWall is ranked #12 with an average rating of 9.5. Hewlett Packard Enterprise holds a 0.8% mindshare in EIV, compared to SonicWall’s 2.2% mindshare. Additionally, 70% of SonicWall users are willing to recommend the solution.

Aruba VPN

Read 4 Aruba VPN reviews

893 Views
875 Comparison Views

0% willing to recommend

SonicWall Netextender

Read 14 SonicWall Netextender reviews

3,008 Views
2,978 Comparison Views

70% willing to recommend

Aruba VPN

SonicWall Netextender

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 6, 2024

SonicWall NetExtender and Aruba VPN are popular VPN solutions. SonicWall NetExtender is favored for its security features, whereas Aruba VPN's advanced capabilities make it more versatile.

Features: SonicWall NetExtender offers strong security protocols, ease of access, and user-friendly functionality. Aruba VPN supports seamless integration with existing infrastructure, better scalability, and a diverse range of features suitable for complex environments.

Room for Improvement: SonicWall NetExtender needs more frequent updates, better mobility support, and enhanced performance. Aruba VPN requires easier initial setup, improved performance consistency, and reduced complexity in configuration.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SonicWall NetExtender is easier to deploy, with clear documentation and user-friendly support. Aruba VPN's comprehensive customer service somewhat offsets its challenging initial setup.

Pricing and ROI: SonicWall NetExtender is more economical, resulting in quicker ROI. Aruba VPN, though demanding higher initial investments, offers a favorable long-term ROI with its advanced features.

To learn more, read our detailed Aruba VPN vs. SonicWall Netextender Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Aruba VPN vs. SonicWall Netextender

September 2026

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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 VPN

Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

33rd

Average Rating

5.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SonicWall Netextender

Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

12th

Average Rating

7.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category, the mindshare of Aruba VPN is 0.8%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall Netextender is 2.2%, down from 3.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Enterprise Infrastructure VPN Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
SonicWall Netextender	2.2%
Aruba VPN	0.8%
Other	97.0%

Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

Featured Reviews

Prashant-Patel

Senior Presales Consultant - Networking Solutions at Mannai

A highly scalable solution that can be used to access corporate resources anywhere in the world

Currently, the connections on Aruba VPN are robust and the fastest. As it is a lighter client, it does not put any pressure or heavy connections. It's all about how much internet connection you have. Your VPN connection will work faster based on your internet connection. The authentication with Aruba VPN is faster and takes around five milliseconds. You need two or three engineers to deploy and maintain the solution at the start of a project. However, once it is set up, only one person is needed to do it. I would recommend Aruba VPN to other users. If someone has a workforce working from home or traveling, then Aruba VPN is the right solution for them. Overall, I rate Aruba VPN ten out of ten.

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Rich Darress

Chief Operating Officer at Darress Tech

Has provided secure remote access to multiple client networks with consistent performance

When buying the appliance itself, there is one downside that isn't exclusive to SonicWall. When you apply all the security settings, many people have one gig connections for internet ISP. If you're bringing in a one gig connection, you have to have a more robust SonicWall to handle that throughput with all your security settings turned on. It gets pretty pricey upfront if you're bringing in a one gig connection. If the customer starts with a two, three, four, or 500 meg connection and has a small unit, they have to replace the whole box when upgrading to a gig, so scalability there is atrocious. However, this issue exists with pretty much any appliance.

Read full review

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 the most about Aruba VPN is that it's great for companies with diverse network needs."

"Aruba VPN’s stability was okay."

"Aruba VPN is lighter on machines, and users don't feel any difference in having these items installed on their PCs or laptops."

"The initial setup was straightforward."

"The best feature is that employees can connect to our LAN, and have access to our network from home."

"Productivity for my remote workers went up dramatically once we switched providers."

"When we started to change from IPsec-type clients that were predominantly built right into the firewalls to this approach or deployment style for SSL VPN, the amount of time that our techs spent helping people with VPN issues was probably cut by more than half."

"It's a stable tool that does what it is supposed to do."

"The best features of the SonicWall Netextender were its ease of use."

"The product has two-factor authentication."

"The initial setup is pretty easy."

"My company opted for this solution because it can individually perform. Basically, we don't require load balancers and all those additional feature sets or additional devices that might be required. The solution can handle the certificate, DNS queries, and all that stuff individually."

More SonicWall Netextender pros

Cons

"They could release product updates more frequently."

"When around 100 to 300 users tried to connect at the beginning of the day, the appliance would crash, and the users would not be able to connect."

"There is room for improvement from the solution's security point of view."

"It should address issues that are vital to maintaining the company's reputation."

"Right now, you have to load each license on to an appliance. You can't pool across multiple appliances. So, you end up having to do a lot of administrative work to recover if an internet provider goes down, and you cannot leverage it as easily into a DR solution."

"The initial setup of SonicWall Netextender is straightforward. The only issue we encountered was with relocating the VPN appliance. If we needed to move it from an on-premise to an on-cloud architecture, we had to start over and redeploy it from scratch. Unfortunately, it is not portable and any changes to its physical location often result in the need for a fresh deployment to ensure everything functions properly."

"The solution takes up a lot of bandwidth."

"Right now, you have to load each license on to an appliance. You can't pool across multiple appliances."

"In future releases, introductions of AI features would be really helpful."

"The product does not work well."

"The only concern I do have is with the zero trust, and the solution is not coping with the newer technologies as much as it needs to do on that particular factor."

"The UI could be a little better."

More SonicWall Netextender cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We do not have to purchase a separate license for Aruba VPN; it is included in the ClearPass package."

"Customers need to buy a VPN client license."

"The price of SonicWall Netextender is reasonable. Whether it's a small shop with only five users or a larger operation with 130 users, we have received no complaints or objections regarding cost from any of the clients we are looking to deploy it with."

"The solution is cheap itself, not too costly."

"You have to pay for its license. There are some other companies that provide a VPN client for free. When you buy NetExtender, its license is available for one, three, or five years."

"Compared to others, it is cheaper. When we compare it with Palo Alto, Check Point, or Fortinet, it is a little cheaper."

"After a certain number of users, you require extra licensing."

"Cost wise, it would be a few hundred dollars for the base appliance with the first five clients. Then from there, your cost per seat depends on how many you're getting. It's a one-time cost, and then you have a few hundred dollars a year for the maintenance contract once you get the one-time seat costs out of the way."

"The solution has a pretty good price."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Manufacturing Company

10%

Outsourcing Company

10%

Construction Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	2

Questions from the Community

Ask a question

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SonicWall Netextender?

The pricing for my experience with the setup cost and licensing of SonicWall Netextender is fair. The Netextender itself has no cost. It's the SSL licensing that is attached to the SonicWall. It us...

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What needs improvement with SonicWall Netextender?

SonicWall Netextender has not helped with compliance, as it is not applicable for what I'm doing. I've put several feature requests in over the years and they've implemented them all, so it current...

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What is your primary use case for SonicWall Netextender?

Getting to local resources on a customer's network is my main use case with SonicWall Netextender or SonicWall SSL-VPN. As a managed service provider, all my customers have SonicWalls and I get int...

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Compared 21% of the time

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Compared 13% of the time

Sangfor SSL VPN vs Aruba VPN

Compared 9% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Aruba VPN

Compared 7% of the time

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Compared 20% of the time

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Compared 10% of the time

Fortinet FortiClient vs SonicWall Netextender

Compared 8% of the time

SonicWall Mobile Connect vs SonicWall Netextender

Compared 7% of the time

SonicWall SMA vs SonicWall Netextender

Compared 6% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

September 2026

Download Aruba VPN product report

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall Netextender

September 2026

Download SonicWall Netextender product report

Overview

Aruba VPN provides secure remote access for employees working from home or remote locations. Users appreciate its ease of deployment, strong security features, and reliable connectivity, adaptable to different devices and operating systems with high performance and minimal downtime.

Aruba VPN is known for its strong security protocols and user-friendly interface, reliable performance, and seamless remote access capabilities. It integrates easily with existing systems and offers scalability and efficient technical support. Notably, it supports a large number of concurrent connections efficiently. Issues were noted during the COVID lockdown with firmware causing connection problems and compatibility problems with Windows 7, which remain under focus for improvement.

What are the most important features?

Strong Security Protocols: Ensures data integrity and protection.
User-friendly Interface: Simplifies deployment and usage for all employees.
Reliable Performance: Provides consistent connectivity with minimal downtime.
Easy Integration: Seamlessly integrates with existing infrastructure.
High Scalability: Supports a large number of concurrent connections.
Efficient Technical Support: Resolves issues promptly and effectively.

What benefits and ROI should users look for in reviews?

Secure Remote Access: Allows employees to work securely from any location.
High Performance: Ensures a smooth and reliable user experience.
Cost Efficiency: Reduces the need for additional hardware or extensive IT resources.
Scalability: Adjusts to the growing needs without compromising performance.
Device Compatibility: Works across different devices and operating systems.

Aruba VPN is utilized across industries such as corporate sectors where secure remote access is critical, education institutions needing to provide students and faculty with reliable connections, and healthcare organizations requiring secure data transmission. Its adaptability and strong security make it a favored choice for dynamic and security-sensitive environments.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

SonicWall Netextender provides affordable and stable VPN connections with a focus on secure access through features like multifactor authentication and integration with Microsoft services, ensuring reliable remote connectivity.

SonicWall Netextender is a robust tool for managing VPN accounts securely while offering remote access integration with Microsoft solutions like Intune. It supports industries such as healthcare, education, and insurance, catering to remote work and hybrid arrangements. Its comprehensive documentation aids in efficient configuring and minimal latency, although it faces challenges with Mac OS support, outdated interfaces, and high bandwidth usage. Enhanced SaaS functionalities and improved support for AI features are sought after improvements.

What are SonicWall Netextender's key features?

Cost-effectiveness: Provides a budget-friendly solution for enterprise VPN connections.
Scalability: Easily adapts to growing organizational needs.
SSL-VPN Encryption: Utilizes advanced encryption for data security.
Microsoft Integration: Seamlessly connects with Microsoft Intune and Identity Management.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Remote Access Security: Maintains security with multifactor authentication.
Ease of Use: Detailed documentation facilitates easy setup and management.
High Availability: Supports stable connections with minimal downtime.
Efficiency: Helpful in managing VPN accounts and access control.

SonicWall Netextender is utilized in industries such as healthcare, education, and insurance to enable remote work and access to office resources. Its integration with Microsoft 365 supports file transfers and remote management of hybrid work environments, although some find it costly compared to free options.

SonicWall

Buyer's Guide

Aruba VPN vs. SonicWall Netextender

September 2026

Free Report: Aruba VPN vs. SonicWall Netextender

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