Barracuda Load Balancer ADC vs F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition comparison

Barracuda Networks and F5 are both solutions in the Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) category. Barracuda Networks is ranked #14 with an average rating of 8.0, while F5 is ranked #11 with an average rating of 8.8. Barracuda Networks holds a 1.9% mindshare in ADC, compared to F5’s 0.5% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of Barracuda Networks users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of F5 users who would recommend it.

Barracuda Load Balancer ADC

Read 5 Barracuda Load Balancer ADC reviews

621 Views
602 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition

Read 7 F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition reviews

1,600 Views
80 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Barracuda Load Balancer ADC

F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Barracuda Load Balancer ADC and F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Barracuda Load Balancer ADC vs. F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Barracuda Load Balancer ADC vs. F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition

December 2025

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Helped 879,853 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

Barracuda Load Balancer ADC

Ranking in Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)

14th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition

Ranking in Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)

11th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) category, the mindshare of Barracuda Load Balancer ADC is 1.9%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition is 0.5%. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition	0.5%
Barracuda Load Balancer ADC	1.9%
Other	97.6%

Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)

Featured Reviews

Moges Bekru

Network and Security Engineer at Malam Engineering PLC

Balances loads efficiently and saves costs but could improve initial setup

The typical use case for Barracuda Load Balancer ADC involves managing and distributing network traffic efficiently to maintain system performance. Clients use Barracuda Load Balancer ADC for its ability to handle and balance loads across servers I have seen improvements in Barracuda Load…

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reviewer2716224

System Administrator at a non-tech company with 501-1,000 employees

Focuses on securing application access with dependable integration

I do not use the load balancing and traffic management features of F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition. I use other container orchestration platforms, but they are not relevant to F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition. I have utilized F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition's ability to integrate with cloud platforms including AWS, Azure, GCP, and Salesforce. I have no idea how this integration has helped my organization manage hybrid or multi-cloud environments. The seamless integration of F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition with existing F5 technologies is not important to me as I do not use other technologies from F5. Financially, we require F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition because we need the product. We don't have anything else that performs the same functions, so we use it without trying alternatives. I just use and manage F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition, though I didn't handle its deployment. I would recommend F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition as a solution to others. I would rate F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition an eight out of ten overall.

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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 most useful features in Barracuda Load Balancer are its security capabilities, load balancing efficiency, and scalability."

"I would rate the stability of Barracuda Load Balancer as a ten out of ten; it has high stability."

"The price is very good, and it's not very expensive."

"The solution is simple and powerful. I find the Barracuda Load Balancer ADC's load balancing function most valuable. It balances the traffic well. The security features, like the Web Application Firewall, are also very helpful."

"Barracuda's technical support is good - whenever we have an issue, they immediately connect and resolve it."

"The features that I like include LTM and Global Traffic Manager (GTM)."

"The tool's investment is less than a physical device."

"The integration capabilities of the product are easy to use, and there is no complexity involved in it."

"It's easy to use, and they have good support."

"It has DoS layer 7 protection, which not many vendors have."

"I have a specific issue with the network interface connector, the NIC. We're limited to a maximum of two NICs in a virtualized environment. It's a limitation of the tool."

"The advanced web application firewall protection and SSL offloading capabilities of F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition have been utilized in my organization; these features are contributing to our application security and compliance posture."

Cons

"The Barracuda Load Balancer ADC could be improved with more customization features. For example, F5 uses iRules for custom configurations. I haven't found something similar in Barracuda yet. The load balancer and WAF's basic and common features are enough, but we need more customization options."

"There are areas of Barracuda Load Balancer's security that have room for improvement, particularly concerning handling traffic."

"Load Balancer ADC is competitively priced, but it's not feature-rich, and its technology is not that advanced."

"The quality of the solution's performance could be improved."

"It's expensive and could be cheaper."

"F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition is a heavy system that needs a lot of CPU, memory, and hard disk."

"On-the-go upgrades are an option that the tool currently lacks, making it an area where improvements are required."

"BIG-IP could improve in supporting microservices, for example, in Docker and Kubernetes environments."

"The tool has limitations with respect to code and RAM."

"I have a specific issue with the network interface connector, the NIC. We're limited to a maximum of two NICs in a virtualized environment. It's a limitation of the tool."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I rate the solution's pricing a five out of ten."

"Load Balancer ADC is cost-effective and is about half the price of F5."

"F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition is an expensive solution, but it's worth the price."

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

"The pricing is standard."

"My company's customers need to make payments for the licensing charges attached to the product. It is an expensive product."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Media Company

Financial Services Firm

University

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	2

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Barracuda Load Balancer ADC?

Pricing for Barracuda Load Balancer ADC can be a consideration. However, it offers good value with its cost-saving benefits and efficient operation, balancing the initial financial outlay.

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What needs improvement with Barracuda Load Balancer ADC?

There are areas of Barracuda Load Balancer's security that have room for improvement, particularly concerning handling traffic. Also, more could be done to enhance the initial setup, as it can be c...

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What is your primary use case for Barracuda Load Balancer ADC?

See all answers

What do you like most about F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition?

The integration capabilities of the product are easy to use, and there is no complexity involved in it.

See all answers

What needs improvement with F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition?

I believe F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition can be improved because the 25 megabits throughput cap is small.

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition?

My advice for others looking into using F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition is to be aware of the throughput cap and how complex it can be. I would rate this product a 9 overall.

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)

December 2025

Download Barracuda Load Balancer ADC product report

Buyer's Guide

F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition

January 2026

Download F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition product report

Also Known As

Barracuda Load Balancer

No data available

Overview

Barracuda Load Balancer is ideal for organizations looking for a high-performance, yet cost-effective application delivery and security solution. With the broadest range of hardware and virtual models, Barracuda Load Balancer provides maximum flexibility for organizations looking to build highly secure and scalable application infrastructure, whether it's deployed on-premises or in the cloud.

Barracuda Networks

When you need to move faster than hardware allows, BIG-IP Virtual Editions (VEs) deliver the application services you need in a more agile and flexible form factor. Get the scalability, security, and automatability BIG-IP products are known for—all in software designed for use in single-, hybrid-, or multi-cloud architectures.

Sample Customers

Fenwal Blood Technologies

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Barracuda Load Balancer ADC vs. F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition

December 2025

Free Report: Barracuda Load Balancer ADC vs. F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition

Find out what your peers are saying about Barracuda Load Balancer ADC vs. F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.

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