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Barracuda SSL VPN[EOL] vs Cisco IOS SSL VPN comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 19, 2026

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 SSL VPN[EOL]
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco IOS SSL VPN
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
50
Ranking in other categories
SSL VPN (4th), Enterprise Infrastructure VPN (14th)
 

Featured Reviews

Ikh-Erdene Namsrai - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior System Administrator at Mongolian Mining Corporation
Provides good scalability and has a simple setup process
We use Barracuda SSL VPN for network connection The product is easy to connect. There could be more security features included in the product. We are the latest version of Barracuda SSL VPN. I rate Barracuda SSL VPN's stability an eight or nine out of ten. We have 30-40 Barracuda SSL VPN…
VM
student at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
Cost efficiency and ease of setup define network management while potential improvements in complexity handling are noted
Optimizing and configuring for network segmentation is the biggest thing for helping with segmenting traffic management. Configuring QoS on Linksys is pretty easy, especially compared to Cisco QoS, which I am certified in, as it helps ensure that the bandwidth for voice or other applications doesn't bleed over into the data links. In the past, Linksys has been pretty good at network protection, segmenting off that protection for unauthorized access or cyber threats. Cost savings and ease of use are the benefits I've seen from Linksys. It's a little bit less complex to set up and configure compared to Cisco switching. I utilized the VLAN support feature in the Linksys switches. A lot of the networks I have were broken up by VLAN, and I definitely configured them for different VLANs. The best feature of Linksys in my opinion is cost, as they tend to be more cost-effective compared to larger switches or Cisco switches.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature would be that you can actually narrow down your session to one application on one server, which is really nice."
"It's a stand alone system that functions well."
"The setup is straightforward and hassle-free."
"The product is easy to connect."
"The most valuable feature would be that you can actually narrow down your session to one application on one server, which is really nice."
"This solution is valuable because it's a stand alone system and doesn't disconnect, it functions well, it's a good software and good system, and I believe it's a better product than Cisco."
"What I find most valuable is the total cost of ownership."
"The customer service and support are the best. When it comes to support, Cisco is the best vendor ever."
"The solution is very easy to work with. This is its most valuable feature. They also did a good job surrounding how you configure the devices."
"The product's most valuable features are security, stability, and troubleshooting capabilities."
"The solution's environment is stable and doesn't get disconnected every now and then."
"The product is great because it is easy and simple."
"Overall performance and features of the device are great."
"IOS is user-friendly and simple. You connect to a particular VPN, and that's it. You become seamless after that."
"Cisco VPN is easy to connect."
 

Cons

"There could be more security features included in the product."
"Barracuda should find other ways to stir up interest about this product."
"Reporting could be improved."
"They are good, but sometimes it can take weeks to solve an issue."
"Since it's not going to be getting any more software updates as per the end of this year, we have to move off to a different product."
"Since it's not going to be getting any more software updates as per the end of this year, we have to move off to a different product.."
"Barracuda should find other ways to stir up interest about this product."
"The company sets the policies for the default location, and destination, which the VPN connects. If there is a problem with one of those locations, which happens sometimes when I travel I need to have an option to select a different available location. Currently, I am unable to see that from a user's point of view."
"Multi-factor authentication in Cisco IOS SSL VPN has certain shortcomings that need improvement."
"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 administration should be improved."
"In addition to Cisco, we work with other solutions on behalf of our customers, such as Fortinet for FortiGate, but this latter solution can achieve the same results at a lower price."
"The company sets the policies for the default location and destination which the VPN connects to; if there is a problem with one of those locations, which happens sometimes when I travel, I need to have an option to select a different available location."
"Unfortunately, the pricing is making us get out from incorporating Cisco products."
"I would like for it to have support for the Dutch language. I typically use English in 99% of our communications but for some people, it matters."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Barracuda SSL VPN is inexpensive."
"The product is affordable and reasonably priced so it would make a lot of sense for people to use it long-term."
"There are no pricing programs for non-profit organizations and the product is otherwise expensive by comparison."
"The pricing of the solution is reasonable"
"It stands as the priciest solution available in the market."
"Users have to pay a yearly licensing fee for Cisco IOS SSL VPN."
"Cisco IOS SSL VPN comes with a cost-effective subscription."
"The licensing fee is expensive."
"The product costs less."
"Cisco IOS SSL VPN is more expensive than the Aruba VPN, but it is worth the money."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
13%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Performing Arts
11%
Computer Software Company
11%
Construction Company
15%
Marketing Services Firm
9%
Healthcare Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business23
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise26
 

Questions from the Community

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What needs improvement with Cisco IOS SSL VPN?
I have not found any areas that could be improved so far. I am not sure how Cisco IOS SSL VPN can continue their improvements for the future, but I think it is a great product. To stay on top, they...
What is your primary use case for Cisco IOS SSL VPN?
Currently, I use Cisco IOS SSL VPN to VPN in, but not with high frequency. We use Cisco IOS SSL VPN as our VPN client to connect to our network. This is for health.
 

Also Known As

No data available
Cisco SSL VPN
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
MST Systems
Find out what your peers are saying about Citrix, Ivanti, Cisco and others in SSL VPN. Updated: May 2026.
894,668 professionals have used our research since 2012.