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Cisco Duo vs F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) comparison

Cisco and F5 are both solutions in the Access Management category. Cisco is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.5, while F5 is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.5. Cisco holds a 3.9% mindshare in AM, compared to F5’s 2.0% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of F5 users who would recommend it.
Cisco Duo
Read 76 Cisco Duo reviews
  • 6,450 Views
  • 1,742 Comparison Views
96% willing to recommend
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Man...
Read 17 F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) reviews
  • 2,746 Views
  • 577 Comparison Views
88% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary
We performed a comparison between Cisco Duo and F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Access Management solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

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To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Duo vs. F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) Report (Updated: September 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Duo vs. F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)
September 2025
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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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
7.3
Cisco Duo enhances security with multifactor authentication, offering cost savings and ease of use despite minor productivity impacts.
Sentiment score
8.0
Organizations experience significant ROI from F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager through cost savings, security improvements, and critical access availability.
I think Cisco Duo offers a good return on investment for startups, newer organizations, or those utilizing cloud-based applications.
I have not seen ROI with Cisco Duo; probably the opposite, because it impedes productivity time to be able to get into the system.
From my point of view, the biggest return on investment when using Cisco Duo is the security and the ease of setting it up.
For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Duo report
No quotes available
For more quotes and insights, download the F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) report
Chandan Tripathi - PeerSpot reviewerRoger Gough - PeerSpot reviewerChris Kincaid - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.2
Cisco Duo's customer support garners mixed reviews, with praise for some aspects but noted variability in responsiveness and improvement needed.
Sentiment score
7.8
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager support is professional and helpful, but users suggest improved response times and communication.
They got back to us quickly, were nice, and gave us what we needed.
Other support sections have failed miserably because of the lack of response time.
I would rate the technical service and customer support of Cisco Duo a ten out of ten.
For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Duo report
Even if they respond, they don't update me with the process or what's going on.
Most of the technical support is managed in-house due to our extensive experience with F5 products.
F5 technical support is responsive and helpful.
For more quotes and insights, download the F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) report
reviewer2718387 - PeerSpot reviewerRoger Gough - PeerSpot reviewerChris Kincaid - PeerSpot reviewerreviewer2644098 - PeerSpot reviewer
SG
CL
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
Cisco Duo excels with scalable, seamless integration and adaptability, making it ideal for organizations of varying sizes and needs.
Sentiment score
7.8
F5 BIG-IP APM offers high scalability and usability for enterprises, with straightforward scaling and valuable traffic analysis tools.
I believe Cisco Duo is very scalable because it is cloud-based.
We started out with just the basics, getting a token, and then we changed to push, and now, we have added the offline mode.
It scales easily because it is just tied into our identity provider, and it grows along with that.
For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Duo report
The product's flexibility and company culture contribute to resolving these challenges.
I would rate the scalability of F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) between seven and eight.
For more quotes and insights, download the F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) report
Chandan Tripathi - PeerSpot reviewerRoger Gough - PeerSpot reviewerChris Kincaid - PeerSpot reviewer
SG
CL
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.4
Cisco Duo is highly reliable, with minimal downtime and efficient issue resolution, earning consistent positive user feedback.
Sentiment score
8.0
F5 BIG-IP APM is highly rated for stability, enabling reliable remote work despite minor log issues.
When there is a bigger problem, we get notifications from Cisco Duo saying, 'Hey, we have a problem,' and that has helped us.
It is very reliable, easy to use, and I don't have too many issues with it.
There has been no downtime, crashes, or performance issues with Cisco Duo.
For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Duo report
On a scale from one to ten for stability, I would rate F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) a ten.
Sometimes, the logs are not quite informational or easy to understand.
For more quotes and insights, download the F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) report
Roger Gough - PeerSpot reviewerThomas Botts - PeerSpot reviewerreviewer2721264 - PeerSpot reviewer
CL
reviewer2644098 - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Room For Improvement

Cisco Duo aims to improve integration, simplify authentication, enhance compatibility, and refine pricing and user experience across platforms.
F5 BIG-IP APM needs improvements in usability, integration, documentation, reporting, and support to enhance cloud integration and competitiveness.
If you don't have internet access, you can't access your computer, only local access is available.
Cisco should allow easier integration with third-party equipment because Cisco's own equipment is expensive.
There needs to be consideration for how to launch Cisco Duo with a handheld device that is not native, where you can install the application.
For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Duo report
If I could copy and paste objects instead of picking and configuring them from scratch each time, it would be great.
The main improvement needed for F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is to integrate into the cloud-delivered services from F5.
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) does not have a direction for SaaS.
For more quotes and insights, download the F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) report
BA
Wajid Khattak - PeerSpot reviewerreviewer2718303 - PeerSpot reviewerreviewer2644098 - PeerSpot reviewer
SG
CL
 

Setup Cost

Cisco Duo offers competitive pricing, flexible payment options, and cost-effective scalability with straightforward licensing and free trials available.
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager is costly but valued for its reliability; licensing is simplified, though cloud costs vary.
The approximate cost is around eighty dollars per user.
Licensing is straightforward and convenient for higher education because student populations are included.
I am pleased that the prices remained stable after Cisco acquired the solution.
For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Duo report
F5 products are more expensive than other solutions but are valued for their quality and reliability.
For more quotes and insights, download the F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) report
Wajid Khattak - PeerSpot reviewerChris Kincaid - PeerSpot reviewerreviewer2718396 - PeerSpot reviewer
SG
 

Valuable Features

Cisco Duo provides robust multi-factor authentication and efficient access management, ideal for secure, flexible remote and hybrid work environments.
F5 BIG-IP APM offers a robust, scalable platform with secure remote access, customization, and easy integration, ideal for corporate environments.
From a management perspective, I appreciate that we can enroll or control devices on the back end for people who get a new phone and forget to handle Cisco Duo properly and need to add a new device.
The benefit of having a complete passwordless environment in our organization is that it's gotten people away from using the sticky note under their keyboard - which is a huge problem.
A valuable feature of the solution is its hybrid structure, which involves proxy agents running on-premises while other services are on the cloud.
For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Duo report
APM is quite flexible for customers to use, providing secure remote access through various host-checking conditions for both machines and users.
It provides robust security and offers integration with multi-factor authentication systems, which is crucial for an organization's security policy.
A lot of features are useful to me, including mostly the authentication, SAML, or SSO, with no sign-on.
For more quotes and insights, download the F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) report
Charles R - PeerSpot reviewerScottPaul - PeerSpot reviewerChandan Tripathi - PeerSpot reviewer
CL
SG
reviewer2644098 - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Duo
Ranking in Access Management
5th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
76
Ranking in other categories
Single Sign-On (SSO) (4th), Authentication Systems (2nd), ZTNA as a Service (5th), Cisco Security Portfolio (4th), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) (2nd)
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Man...
Ranking in Access Management
9th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
Secure Web Gateways (SWG) (15th), Network Access Control (NAC) (7th), SSL VPN (5th), Remote Access (10th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Access Management category, the mindshare of Cisco Duo is 3.9%, down from 5.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is 2.0%, down from 2.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Access Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco Duo3.9%
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)2.0%
Other94.1%
Access Management
 

Featured Reviews

Thomas Botts - PeerSpot reviewer
Managing security policies effectively with seamless authentication
The feature of Cisco Duo that I prefer the most is the policies, being able to control what we need to within the policies. You can get pretty granular. There isn't a lot of training that goes on in school districts. Email is an easy way where many people give out their credentials, so the level of protection is something that we definitely need in a school district. Cisco Duo's strong security authentication system has been easy when logging in, although the teachers don't appreciate it as much. We have it configured so users essentially just hit accept. If it sees any sort of built-in risk, then it steps up authentication. It's pretty easy. I appreciate it. I've encountered advantages with Cisco Duo in that it has stopped significant pushback from teachers. It has prevented credential sharing and unauthorized access. We've seen a huge decrease since we've rolled it out across the entire district.
Read full review
Ashish Kumar Rai - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers remote access control, good GUI and easy to configure
I'd suggest improved documentation integration directly within the GUI. Right now, finding comprehensive documentation often requires going to external websites like the community portal. In the APM interface itself, they could add direct hyperlinks to relevant online documentation. This would provide easy access to admin guides and other resources when working within the GUI.
Read full review
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
18%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
6%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Government
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business27
Midsize Enterprise16
Large Enterprise36
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise8
 

Questions from the Community

How does Duo Security compare with Microsoft Authenticator?
We switched to Duo Security for identity verification. We’d been using a competitor but got the chance to evaluate Duo for 30 days, and we could not be happier. Duo Security is easy to configure a...
See all answers
What do you like most about Duo Security?
They are users who, as mentioned before, utilize RDPAP and MDPAP. It includes functionalities related to finance, specifically in single sign-on.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Duo Security?
My experience with the pricing, setup cost, and licensing of Cisco Duo is honestly above my pay grade. I don't know any of that.
See all answers
What do you like most about F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)?
In my opinion, the GUI is perfect with the configuration options provided. F5 BIG-IP has given customization options and policy configuration tools in the GUI. It's good and good enough to work.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)?
F5 products are more expensive than other solutions but are valued for their quality and reliability, akin to purchasing a Bentley as opposed to an Audi.
See all answers
What needs improvement with F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)?
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM ( /categories/application-performance-monitoring-apm-and-observability )) does not have a direction for SaaS. Most solutions focus more on remote access and acc...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

Fortinet FortiAuthenticator vs Cisco Duo Logo
Fortinet FortiAuthenticator vs Cisco Duo
Compared 13% of the time
Microsoft Entra ID vs Cisco Duo Logo
Microsoft Entra ID vs Cisco Duo
Compared 11% of the time
Fortinet FortiToken vs Cisco Duo Logo
Fortinet FortiToken vs Cisco Duo
Compared 10% of the time
Yubico YubiKey vs Cisco Duo Logo
Yubico YubiKey vs Cisco Duo
Compared 7% of the time
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs Cisco Duo Logo
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs Cisco Duo
Compared 6% of the time
More Cisco Duo Competitors
Ivanti Connect Secure vs F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) Logo
Ivanti Connect Secure vs F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)
Compared 8% of the time
Fortinet FortiProxy vs F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) Logo
Fortinet FortiProxy vs F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)
Compared 6% of the time
BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access vs F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) Logo
BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access vs F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)
Compared 6% of the time
IBM Security Verify Access vs F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) Logo
IBM Security Verify Access vs F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)
Compared 5% of the time
CyberArk Privileged Access Manager vs F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) Logo
CyberArk Privileged Access Manager vs F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)
Compared 5% of the time
More F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Cisco Duo
October 2025
Cisco Duo reportDownload Cisco Duo product report
Buyer's Guide
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)
October 2025
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) reportDownload F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) product report
 

Also Known As

Duo Security
F5 Access Policy Manager
 

Overview

Cisco Duo is a cloud-based identity security tool offering easy and wide-ranging access protection for users and devices worldwide. It assures identity-first security with clear visibility across multi-cloud, hybrid, and on-premises environments.

Cisco Duo provides robust multi-factor authentication and seamless integration capabilities with existing infrastructures. Appreciated for its stability and speed, it supports distributed workforces by securing VPN access, corporate networks, and cloud services. Duo’s comprehensive identity ecosystem supports easy deployment and management through a single-pane-of-glass management interface. It seamlessly merges with popular platforms like Active Directory and Office 365 across diverse hardware.

What are Cisco Duo’s Essential Features?

  • Multi-Factor Authentication: Offers secure access with options like push notifications and hardware tokens.
  • Seamless Integration: Easily fits with existing systems and third-party applications.
  • User-Friendly Management: Provides centralized control with a single-pane-of-glass interface.
  • Wide Compatibility: Supports broad applications and devices, enhancing security management.
  • Stable and Fast: Reliable speed and intuitive interaction for users across platforms.

What Benefits and ROI Can Cisco Duo Users Expect?

  • Enhanced Security: Increases protection with versatile MFA options for critical resources.
  • Ease of Use: Simplifies deployment and management with intuitive interfaces.
  • Scalability: Adapts to growing needs with broad compatibility and integration support.
  • Support for Distributed Workforces: Ensures secure remote access for teams anywhere.

Cisco Duo finds extensive applications across education, finance, retail, and government sectors by fortifying network and application access security. Organizations leverage it for its MFA capabilities, integrating with ERP systems, ensuring protected connectivity with VPN and cloud-based services, crucial in maintaining secure and efficient operations.

Cisco

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is an access management proxy solution for managing global access to the enterprise networks, cloud providers, applications, and application programming interfaces (APIs). Through a single management interface, BIG-IP APM consolidates remote, mobile, network, virtual, and web access. 

BIG-IP APM can also serve as a bridge between modern and classic authentication and authorization protocols and methods. For applications which are unable to support modern authentication and authorization protocols, like SAML and OAuth with OIDC, but which do support classic authentication methods, BIG-IP APM converts user credentials to the appropriate authentication standard supported by the application.

BIG-IP APM Benefits:

  • Ease of use
  • Flexibility
  • Ability to integrate with other systems
  • Security features
  • Granular access control
  • Responsive and helpful support team

BIG-IP APM Features:

  • Support for Identity Aware Proxy (IAP) enabling Zero Trust application access
  • Context-based authorization with dynamic L4/L7 ACLs
  • Integration with third-party MFA solutions
  • DTLS 2.0 mode for delivering and securing applications
  • SAML 2.0 identity federation support
  • Support for OAuth 2.0 authorization protocol
  • SSO support for classic authentication (Kerberos, header- based, etc.), credential caching, OAuth 2.0, SAML 2.0, and FIDO2 (U2F)
  • AAA server authentication and high-availability
  • Integration with leading IAM vendor products (Microsoft, Okta, Ping Identity)
  • BIG IP Edge Client and F5 Access integrate with VMware Horizon ONE (AirWatch), Microsoft Intune and IBM MaaS360
  • Risk-based access leveraging third-party UEBA and risk engines (HTTP Connector)

Reviews from Real Users

Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by BIG-IP APM users.

Mahmmoud Rabie, Senior Site Reliability Engineer, writes that BIG-IP APM is "A highly stable solution for load balancing, but the initial setup is complex."

Clyde Livingston, Senior Process Specialist at Telstra, says that BIG-IP APM is "Easy to use, useful access remotely, but lacking stability."

Chris Lam, Senior Solution Consultant at Macroview Telecom Limited, states that BIG-IP APM is "Useful for remote access VPN and VPI integration with VMware.

F5
 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
City Bank, Ricacorp Properties, Miele, American Systems, Bangladesh Post Office
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Duo vs. F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)
September 2025
Free Report: Cisco Duo vs. F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Duo vs. F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
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See our Cisco Duo vs. F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) report.
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