Brocade ADX [EOL] vs F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) comparison

Why PeerSpot?

HCLSoftware and F5 are both solutions in the Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) category. Additionally, 100% of HCLSoftware users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 83% of F5 users who would recommend it.

Brocade ADX [EOL]

Read 1 Brocade ADX [EOL] review

100% willing to recommend

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Man...

Read 124 F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) reviews

14,944 Views
9,415 Comparison Views

83% willing to recommend

Brocade ADX [EOL]

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Man...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Brocade ADX [EOL] and F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about F5, HAProxy, NetScaler and others in Application Delivery Controllers (ADC).

To learn more, read our detailed Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) Report (Updated: October 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)

October 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 920,769 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

Brocade ADX [EOL]

Average Rating

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Man...

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

124

Ranking in other categories

Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) (1st)

Featured Reviews

it_user735237

Sr Technology Architect at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees

Makes local load balancing relatively simple but could use more options for L7 load balancing

L7 load balancing features like URL re-write, persistence, etc. Also some of the global load balancing features like sticky, sticky-sync, etc Organization has a lot of client facing applications and needs to have multiple servers for scalability. With ADX network load balancer, local load…

Read full review

edshyaa

Network Engineer at Stryker

Load balancing has improved traffic distribution and currently supports high availability upgrades

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) offers effective load balancing methods that help distribute traffic across our servers, whether we have two or several. This load balancing feature stands out as it is the fundamental work we do with F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM). While I recognize there are many features, such as iRules, which I have not explored yet, we primarily work on VIPs, pool members, and traffic distribution. The load balancing algorithms' flexibility makes them very useful for our team, enabling us to choose different servers and manage load effectively. We use various methods based on user or application requirements, making the algorithms set up by F5 in the backend quite helpful. F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) positively impacts our organization primarily through its load balancing capabilities. We avoid traffic overload on individual servers by placing backend servers behind F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) VIP. This load balancing helps us manage traffic effectively. Since the configuration of the I-series, we have had smooth performance, and with the recent migration to the R-series, it is working faster than before, providing positive outcomes for our operations. Since moving to the R-series, I notice improved performance; it is user-friendly and handles traffic efficiently. The upgrading process is different as we create tenants and a main host. R-series has better CPU and memory, leading to higher throughput with minimal downtime, making it a significant improvement over the I-series.

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

"ADX is better in capacity and its chassis-based product (10K) is much more scalable."

"We can load balance the request to servers, which was the main reason we bought the product."

"The scalability of the solution depends on the sizing of the network. Generally, the scalability is quite good."

"Initial setup was straightforward. We were up and running in three hours."

"The support from F5 BIG-IP LTM is good."

"We have multiple solutions we can deploy through the F5."

"We use it to publicly deliver applications."

"We used to have Cisco, then we have Citrix NetScaler, but the Citrix NetScaler is just a load balancer and did not give me the complete ADC features, which is why F5 is the king of load balancing."

"It is an easy way to build application policies (graphical)."

More F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) pros

Cons

"Should have more options for L7 load balancing. Also, troubleshooting is a little difficult with this product."

"Native support for containers should be added to future releases, as this is the future of load balancing."

"Right now, there are a lot of products within F5's portfolio. They acquired a couple of companies like NGINX and Volterra. Some features and technologies overlapped when this acquisition occurred. They need to refine it and come up with a single, proper solution. F5 should focus more on zero trust network access (ZTNA).They should be more focused on that framework because the industry is moving towards that. Everyone is talking about SASE and zero trust."

"There is a challenge in Pakistan. This is when there is a hardware failure. Sometimes, it takes more time to get a replacement because it is sent out from the U.S. or some other regional outpost. Thus, it takes two to three days to receive a replacement."

"The solution is scalable."

"The solution's hardware quality needs improvement."

"My only point of contention would be that it is a little pricey."

"In the LTM solution, it would be beneficial to have more algorithms for traffic segmentation or the ability to create user-defined algorithms rather than being restricted to predefined ones."

"It is not scalable. It is a licensed product."

More F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"It is quite expensive as a product. Because it is very stable, it is also expensive."

"When we purchased additional licenses for our other locations, we received a discount of between 20% and 25%."

"F5 is more expensive than other solutions, so you have to be sure F5 is the best solution to fit the requirements."

"It is a bit expensive product. Kemp Loadmaster is much cheaper than F5. Its licensing is on a yearly basis. It can be for one year or three years."

"I use a yearly subscription, which is the most expensive one now compared to its competitors."

"This solution comes with a standard license, and there are also extra licenses that can be obtained. The licenses are purchasable for durations of one, two, three, and five years. The hardware is something to consider when purchasing"

"The only area that has room for improvement would be pricing, so its competitors do not have a say."

"It could be priced a little less, especially on the virtual side. It gets a bit expensive, but you get what you pay."

More F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

920,769 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Financial Services Firm

13%

Outsourcing Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	62
Midsize Enterprise	32
Large Enterprise	86

Questions from the Community

Ask a question

Earn 20 points

What needs improvement with F5 BIG-IP?

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) could improve file upload speeds when opening cases and attaching files; sometimes, downloading files like QKView takes time, depending on size. I expect faste...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for F5 BIG-IP?

My main use case for F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) is placing our applications on F5 and the backend servers on the pool. We also regularly renew SSL certificates before they expire, usuall...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)?

The product is costly. I would rate the price a five out of ten.

See all answers

Comparisons

NetScaler vs Brocade ADX [EOL]

Compared 31% of the time

LoadBalancer Enterprise vs Brocade ADX [EOL]

Compared 28% of the time

HAProxy vs Brocade ADX [EOL]

Compared 18% of the time

Radware Alteon vs Brocade ADX [EOL]

Compared 9% of the time

More Brocade ADX [EOL] Competitors

Fortinet FortiADC vs F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)

Compared 8% of the time

NetScaler vs F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)

Compared 7% of the time

HAProxy vs F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)

Compared 6% of the time

A10 Networks Thunder ADC vs F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)

Compared 5% of the time

Microsoft Azure Application Gateway vs F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)

Compared 5% of the time

More F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)

October 2026

Download Brocade ADX [EOL] product report

Buyer's Guide

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)

October 2026

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) report

Download F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) product report

Also Known As

ADX

F5 BIG-IP, BIG-IP LTM, F5 ASM, Viprion, F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition , Crescendo Networks Application Delivery Controller, BIG IP

Overview

Brocade ADX Series, used by service provider networks and large enterprise data centers, provides a comprehensive application delivery portfolio. All Brocade ADX platforms run the same software and support the same features. In addition, the base model for all Brocade ADX platforms can be upgraded via two software licenses - a Premium feature license and an SSL license. The Brocade ADX family of application delivery switches includes: Brocade ADX 1000 Series, Brocade ADX 4000 Series and Brocade ADX 10000 Series.

HCLSoftware

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) specializes in load balancing, iRules, and application security. It provides flexibility and stability, supporting SSL offloading and enhancing application performance and reliability with low downtime.

F5 BIG-IP LTM is designed for efficient traffic management and security. Its intuitive interface allows users to customize traffic through iRules and ensures stable application delivery. Its performance stability and ability to inspect TLS traffic, along with web application firewall features, make it preferred for consistent application delivery. While praised for its capabilities, users note its challenges with complex configuration and management. Calls for streamlined processes, training, support, better logging, and cloud integration highlight areas for improvement.

What are the key features of F5 BIG-IP LTM?

Load Balancing: Distributes HTTP and HTTPS traffic to ensure high availability.
iRules: Allows for customized traffic management.
Application Security: Includes TLS inspection and web application firewall capabilities.
SSL Offloading: Reduces server load by handling SSL processing.

What benefits and ROI should users expect?

Performance Stability: Ensures high reliability and less downtime.
Flexibility: Offers customizable traffic management through iRules.
Security: Provides strong protection against application attacks.
Network Management Efficiency: Simplifies traffic distribution and infrastructure management.

F5 BIG-IP LTM is widely used in industries requiring robust application delivery and security, such as finance and healthcare. It supports load balancing and traffic management across different environments and acts as a reverse proxy, helping companies secure their infrastructure against cyber threats while facilitating high availability and scalability.

Sample Customers

Fusebill, Niagra Falls Bridge Commission, Medien System Partner

Riken, TransUnion, Tepco Systems Administration, Daejeon University, G&T Bank, Danamon, CyberAgent Inc.

Buyer's Guide

Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)

October 2026

Download Free Report

Find out what your peers are saying about F5, HAProxy, NetScaler and others in Application Delivery Controllers (ADC). Updated: October 2026.

DOWNLOAD NOW

920,769 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our list of best Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) vendors.

We monitor all Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.