AWS PrivateLink vs SonicWall SMA comparison

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and SonicWall are both solutions in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is ranked #24 with an average rating of 7.0, while SonicWall is ranked #18 with an average rating of 9.7. Amazon Web Services (AWS) holds a 1.1% mindshare in EIV, compared to SonicWall’s 1.2% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Amazon Web Services (AWS) users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of SonicWall users who would recommend it.

AWS PrivateLink

Read 1 AWS PrivateLink review

573 Views
567 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

SonicWall SMA

Read 15 SonicWall SMA reviews

966 Views
763 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

AWS PrivateLink

SonicWall SMA

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between AWS PrivateLink and SonicWall SMA based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet, OpenVPN, Cisco and others in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN.

To learn more, read our detailed Enterprise Infrastructure VPN Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

July 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

AWS PrivateLink

Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

24th

Average Rating

7.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SonicWall SMA

Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

18th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

5.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Universal Access Gateways (2nd), SSL VPN (7th)

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category, the mindshare of AWS PrivateLink is 1.1%, down from 1.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall SMA is 1.2%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

Featured Reviews

Francis Adesalu

Network Administrator at WSTC Financial Services Limited

A highly stable tool that needs to improve its security

The most valuable features of the solution stem from the fact that the tool provides security features, and AWS serves as a certificate of trust for its uses. The tool is easy to set up, and it secures your internet connection, so your IP address and email are not exposed over the internet since the VPN has the ability to mask the IP addresses of users after users get an Amazon ID to use for internet browsing.

Read full review

Maheshbabu T

Project Manager at CGG

It allows us to provide CML-based access to any user, but the reporting could be better

I rate SonicWall SMA seven out of 10. If you're planning to implement this solution, I suggest checking the version to ensure it's compatible with your other technology. I say go for it if it's suitable for your use case. Multifactor authentication technologies are built into the product, whereas some products lack multifactor authentication. We need only one or two. They provide authentication, gateway integration, OTP integration, etc.

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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

"It is a very stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."

"I am very satisfied with the technical support."

"The management and the dashboard are the solution's most valuable features."

"I think they ask for a fair price."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is they have IT consultants that know SonicWall."

"SonicWall SMA has the most valuable feature of proprietary security technologies like Capture ATP."

"Blocklisting and allowlisting are the most beneficial features for network security."

"The solution is reliable and has good overall performance."

"It is faster than other security options when using remote connections."

More SonicWall SMA pros

Cons

"Security is an area of concern in the product where the solution needs to improve."

"The solution could integrate better with other platforms."

"The solution has 2FA, it will generate a token and send it to an email, but multifactor authentication is not available. I would suggest that there should be MFA integration and provided with the appliance."

"User interface could be improved."

"Enhancing live tracking capabilities could improve the product, particularly in monitoring user activity and request statuses in real-time on the web interface."

"The problem is that when combined with what the client already has, there are two different logins and two different management systems, and these should be consolidated into a single interface."

"SonicWall SMA is difficult to use and it does not provide easy access to different parts of the network."

"This is an expensive solution and I think that the price could be improved."

"The timed synchronization between the network appliance needs improvement."

More SonicWall SMA cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The tool is not completely available for free, especially if you want to use certain features for which the cost is very minimal."

"I don't know about the pricing of the SSL-VPN box. I know the SSL-VPN software is free. Global VPN client, by comparison, is licensed for around $150 or something like that. But the SSL-VPN software is free. It is already built-in with the box."

"Our licenses are stackable and can be anywhere from five users to a million users."

"All the costs are included in a bundled license."

"The cost of the licensing is based on the maximum number of concurrent users, and it costs a lot to add them."

"The platform has medium pricing."

"This solution is priced well and we currently have the maximum number of licenses allowed."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

25%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Computer Software Company

12%

Healthcare Company

Computer Software Company

16%

Construction Company

Comms Service Provider

Retailer

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about AWS PrivateLink?

It is a very stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AWS PrivateLink?

The tool is not completely available for free, especially if you want to use certain features for which the cost is very minimal.

See all answers

What needs improvement with AWS PrivateLink?

Security is an area of concern in the product where the solution needs to improve. The security features are limited since the tool is available for free from Amazon.

See all answers

What do you like most about SonicWall SMA?

Blocklisting and allowlisting are the most beneficial features for network security.

See all answers

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

The pricing for the solution could be a lot less.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SonicWall SMA?

I haven't utilized the high availability and scalability features of SonicWall SMA yet because I've never had a need to. I don't know where they can focus their energy on continuous improvements, a...

See all answers

Comparisons

AWS Direct Connect vs AWS PrivateLink

Compared 47% of the time

Tailscale vs AWS PrivateLink

Compared 15% of the time

OpenVPN Access Server Enterprise vs AWS PrivateLink

Compared 14% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs AWS PrivateLink

Compared 14% of the time

Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway vs AWS PrivateLink

Compared 9% of the time

More AWS PrivateLink Competitors

Peplink SpeedFusion vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 17% of the time

SonicWall Netextender vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 17% of the time

Ivanti Connect Secure vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 15% of the time

Citrix Gateway vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 14% of the time

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 10% of the time

More SonicWall SMA Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

July 2025

Download AWS PrivateLink product report

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall SMA

July 2025

Download SonicWall SMA product report

Also Known As

No data available

SonicWall Aventail, SonicWall SMA SSL-VPN, SonicWall Secure Mobile Access

Overview

AWS PrivateLink simplifies the security of data shared with cloud-based applications by eliminating the exposure of data to the public Internet. AWS PrivateLink provides private connectivity between VPCs, AWS services, and on-premises applications, securely on the Amazon network.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

SonicWall SMA is a unified secure access gateway that enables organizations to provide anytime, anywhere and any device access to mission critical corporate resources. SMA's granular access control policy engine, context aware device authorization, application level VPN and advanced authentication with single sign-on empowers organizations to embrace BYOD and mobility in a hybrid IT environment.

SonicWall

Sample Customers

Heroku, Twilio, Autodesk, SigOpt, Aqua, Snowflake

UnitedStack, Newport City Homes, Faith Lutheran College Redlands, PRIME aerostructures GmbH, Celtic Manor Resort

Buyer's Guide

Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

July 2025

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