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Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs Citrix Gateway vs Peplink SpeedFusion comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

Mindshare comparison

SSL VPN
Universal Access Gateways
Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions
 

Featured Reviews

Rupesh Kolhapurkar - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers easy setup phase but needs to improve connectivity
For our company's remote workforce connectivity, the tool was very useful during the COVID-19 situation. In general, the VPN functionality offered by the product was very useful during the COVID-19 situation. In terms of the product's ability to secure third-party access, the tool works very well. The most valuable feature of the product in terms of network security stems from the fact that the tool provides access to the whole network, and even if users give access to some special applications, it is still really helpful. The clientless access feature is not available for clients. My company installed the product for its clients. If the product offers a clientless access feature, then it is okay and can be very helpful for our company. I recommend the product to those who plan to use it. Cisco IOS SSL VPN is a reliable product. The product is very helpful for a work-from-home setup as the tool can be used to access our company's internal network, which Falls outside the network of our organization. I rate the tool a seven to eight out of ten.
VivekKumar10 - PeerSpot reviewer
Enables secure remote access and load balancing with enhanced protection features
I find Citrix Gateway valuable for its capabilities as a reverse proxy, providing security to applications exposed to the Internet. Key features include load balancing, dual-factor authentication, clientless VPN, and Web Application Firewall (WAF). The product effectively helps me protect the organization's network from potential threats, thereby securing our environment from hackers and ransomware attacks.
Samuel Romero - PeerSpot reviewer
User-friendly, easy to install, and scalable
Peplink SpeedFusion needs a thin rail model for industrial solutions. The stability has room for improvement. Peplink SpeedFusion needs to have a heavy-duty heat sink on the case to perform better. Generally, what I found is that devices that have a heat sink on a case or, more weight on a case to absorb the heat, perform a little better. I get some areas where I'm right at the hundred and fifty degrees. So I've had a few failures not many, but I found more failures than a Cisco ISO eleven or a Moxa router. Those solutions have more mass to absorb the heat. Most failures have a lot to do with the case. That's why a lot of people have a hard time pushing Peplink SpeedFusion, and they want to move to Cradlepoint because they have a much more ruggedized case.

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 stable solution. In my company, we haven't faced any issues related to the product's stability. I rate the product's stability a ten out of ten."
"It is highly scalable, speedy, and reliable."
"It is very simple to use, and it allows me to get into the university's network from my home, which is very useful for me."
"Cisco IOS SSL VPN is very stable. We never experience issues with it."
"It is stable."
"The multicast feature is useful for us."
"IOS is user-friendly and simple. You connect to a particular VPN, and that's it. You become seamless after that."
"The platform provides value and benefits to our organization through efficient and effective communication."
"We haven't received any complaints or performance issues so far."
"The most valuable feature is that it is secure."
"It is easy to set up and is stable. It is scalable as well, depending on the model."
"Citrix Gateway is stable once I am connected."
"It's a stable solution while it's running. We don't have to work on it a lot. There are not many bugs, so it's easy to use if you deploy successfully. You can be sure of an uninterrupted solution for quite a long time. Citrix is a good product."
"The initial setup is simple. Normally with all setups, it's not very complicated. It really depends on the customer."
"Provides good performance and speed."
"Most of our customers are using the load balancing feature and also the verification feature is good as well, in my experience."
"It is a very stable product."
"In the Philippines, VPN usage may not be widely known, but we leverage VPN effectively within my organization. I've shared our in-house systems with other district offices, as I cover fifteen municipalities and cater to the entire province. This platform is a valuable tool for us, enabling collaborative work, and allowing us to update our services remotely."
"The SpeedFusion feature is good. It allowed us to move away from IPsec between the sites. It is also a really easy product to deploy."
"Our customers find it to be an interesting and tempting solution."
"The SpeedFusion feature is the most valuable."
"The most valuable feature is the virtual VPN concentrator."
"The valuable feature is that, after reading about its capabilities and using it for a while, Peplink SpeedFusion employs eight technologies within its SD-WAN profile, addressing issues like packet loss and latency. The solution is highly stable. I rate it a nine out of ten. The support team gives quick response and efficient local support."
 

Cons

"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 solution's configuration could be made easier."
"Compatibility can sometimes be a challenge. There have been issues with operating systems where newer updates cause problems with backward compatibility."
"It would be helpful if Cisco IOS SSL VPN could help us set up devices on our iPads and phones."
"Sometimes the connection drops, and we don't like that. I'm not sure the reason, but sometimes it will take time to connect or it will disconnect fast."
"The pricing is a stumbling block to scaling our utilization of Cisco products and we would prefer to use more of them."
"It would be nice if we could use this not just on mobile, but on laptops and desktops as well."
"The servers should be more user-friendly."
"I consider Citrix Gateway to be an expensive solution, generally ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 yearly, depending on the model."
"We have experienced issues relating to multi-factor authentication"
"I'd like to see support for reverse proxy and more security features."
"The initial setup is not straightforward."
"Their VAS product should be more productive because right now, we are using other VAS solutions but not using this one."
"The load balancing could be improved."
"The solution has unnecessary limitations."
"If the solution had a more advanced DNS, it would be an improvement."
"There is room for improvement in enhancing security features, such as incorporating intrusion detection blocking capabilities and integrating artificial intelligence to bolster security aspects on the device."
"Their hardware support isn't the greatest. We've had one unit go down, and it took a while for them to replace it. It was in the Caribbeans, so it might be a location-related issue."
"They don't have next generation firewall, UTM, like the other competitors."
"The stability has room for improvement."
"I believe there could be some enhancements in the enterprise segment, offering greater options or something similar."
"Its pricing is the main issue. The pricing could be improved. I would like to see an outbound policy based on the application. It is a very good feature, and most of the customers are looking for that. They can also include stronger firewall features. This would help the customers in choosing this product as the only device for the SD network."
"The product needs to aggregate the bandwidth of different ISPs. It needs to improve scalability as well."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is an expensive product."
"The licensing cost of the solution is on a yearly basis, and it is expensive compared to other solutions in the market."
"Price flexibility could be improved in comparison to other vendors."
"The licensing fee is expensive."
"I would say it is a bit expensive, but I think it is worth the price."
"My company makes payments on a quarterly basis to the vendor to cover the licensing costs attached to the product. Cisco IOS SSL VPN is an expensive product. There are no additional costs apart from the licensing costs attached to the product."
"Users have to pay a yearly licensing fee for Cisco IOS SSL VPN."
"The solution is reasonably priced, and we have around 50% to 60% discounts from Cisco."
"There are two or three different models, but you can actually have a CapEx where you purchase the unit outright and then there's a yearly maintenance cost on top for years two and three, and four, or you can actually do a subscription purchase through Citrix cloud and you pay on a monthly basis, or you can have a three-year subscription contract as well. I give the solution a six out of ten for its cost."
"It costs about 4,000 a year."
"I believe the pricing is comparable to SaaS"
"Pricing is very high if you do a comparison with what is available in the market."
"It is expensive and requires proper planning with strategy."
"Usually with Citrix the issue is the pricing, especially for the African region. We believe it's really expensive."
"Citrix is quite expensive."
"I consider Citrix Gateway to be an expensive solution, generally ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 yearly, depending on the model."
"It's not cheap, but it is highly competitive."
"The cost is in the middle, a five out of ten."
"It has lifetime licensing. Its pricing is high for most of the markets."
"Its licensing fee is on a yearly basis. For the price, it is actually pretty good value."
"Perpetual licensing, which is good for customers that don't want any annual or subscription based license."
"I rate Peplink SpeedFusion's pricing an eight out of ten."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
23%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Educational Organization
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Educational Organization
51%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Computer Software Company
5%
Healthcare Company
4%
Computer Software Company
11%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Construction Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco IOS SSL VPN?
The pricing for Cisco IOS SSL VPN is based on per user. For more than one hundred users, it costs about $60 per seat.
What needs improvement with Cisco IOS SSL VPN?
Compatibility can sometimes be a challenge. There have been issues with operating systems where newer updates cause p...
What do you like most about Citrix Gateway?
We can maintain our systems using the solution.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Citrix Gateway?
I consider Citrix Gateway to be an expensive solution, generally ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 yearly, depending on ...
What needs improvement with Citrix Gateway?
Currently, Citrix is improving its solutions, and focusing more on AI features could further enhance its performance.
What do you like most about Peplink SpeedFusion?
In the Philippines, VPN usage may not be widely known, but we leverage VPN effectively within my organization. I've s...
What needs improvement with Peplink SpeedFusion?
The product needs to aggregate the bandwidth of different ISPs. It needs to improve scalability as well.
 

Also Known As

Cisco SSL VPN
Citrix NetScaler Unified Gateway
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

MST Systems
Aeronamic, Avianca, Bechtel Corporation, Betfair UK, Catholic University Leuven (K.U. Leuven), Centene Corporation, Cerner, Charityshare, City of High Point, Clark Builders
MIT Robotics Team, Intel, Apple, Google, Hootsuite, Northrop Gruman, Alcatel-Lucent, Motorola, Avocent, GE, VW, Marriott, Renaissance, WSI, Union /Pacific
Find out what your peers are saying about Citrix, Cisco, Ivanti and others in SSL VPN. Updated: April 2025.
849,963 professionals have used our research since 2012.