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Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs Ivanti Secure Access Client (ISAC) comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on May 20, 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

Cisco IOS SSL VPN
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
14th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
50
Ranking in other categories
SSL VPN (4th)
Ivanti Secure Access Client...
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
26th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
8.3
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category, the mindshare of Cisco IOS SSL VPN is 3.3%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ivanti Secure Access Client (ISAC) is 1.6%, down from 2.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco IOS SSL VPN3.3%
Ivanti Secure Access Client (ISAC)1.6%
Other95.1%
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
 

Featured Reviews

VM
student at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
Ease and speed of connectivity impress and recommend
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 probably need updates to this product. I do not know what kind of improvements these updates are offering. It is a great product so far.
BabarShahbaz - PeerSpot reviewer
Saleas Lead at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
A cloud solution to access the corporate network with BYOD policy
Ivanti Secure Access and Zscaler provide secure access to corporate networks, their methods and features may differ. Ivanti Secure Access offers granular control over network access, allowing for on-demand VPN connections when accessing corporate resources. This means users may not need to initiate a VPN connection manually but can access resources seamlessly when accessing corporate websites or applications. This granular feature helps enhance security and user experience by providing secure access only when needed.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The split panel functionality is much better in the Cisco IOS SSL VPN than in the Aruba VPN."
"Cisco has been tested and used widely so there are virtually no issues in terms of selecting Cisco."
"The solution is pretty fast."
"With Cisco IOS SSL VPN, you can access your corporate data safely and securely."
"I have found that Cisco IOS SSL VPN is stable."
"The solution is very easy to use, very robust and durable, stable, scalable, and supported by great technical support."
"A reliable and stable solution for remote network access."
"Overall performance and features of the device are great."
"The most valuable feature of Pulse Client is integration with Google authenticator for two-factor authentication."
"It also provides an auto-connect feature. When you turn on your laptop and put it on auto-connect, it automatically connects."
"Pulse Client is a very good solution; it is very easy to manage, and very stable."
"The scalability of Pulse Client is good."
 

Cons

"In terms of what needs improvement, it should have better integration. Although, it might have already been taken care of."
"The product's RPA tools need enhancement for simplified business process automation."
"Cisco IOS SSL VPN should add a sensor that can authenticate with a fingerprint instead of having to type the username and password every time."
"Cisco IOS SSL VPN should improve its pricing."
"Only its mobile-based application is available right now."
"Improvements could be made in terms of connectivity for applications."
"Compatibility can sometimes be a challenge. There have been issues with operating systems where newer updates cause problems with backward compatibility."
"Cisco device management is quite difficult. They should work to simplify this."
"Pulse Client could improve the system tokens for authentication."
"Ivanti Secure Access and Zscaler provide secure access to corporate networks, their methods and features may differ."
"Pulse Client could improve the reports. The reports are not in PDF and we can't check the details in the reports of users who are using the VPNs."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"With Cisco, there is a free solution or a licensed version of the solution with a set of endpoint services."
"Cisco IOS SSL VPN is more expensive than the Aruba VPN, but it is worth the money."
"Users have to pay a yearly licensing fee for Cisco IOS SSL VPN."
"The platform is expensive."
"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."
"The licensing fee is expensive."
"It is an expensive product."
"The tool is expensive."
"Pulse Client has two types of licenses. One is subsistence-based and the second is perpetual-based. The license cost is good, it is not very costly."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
21%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Healthcare Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Performing Arts
13%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
9%
 

Company Size

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

Questions from the Community

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.
Ask a question
Earn 20 points
 

Also Known As

Cisco SSL VPN
Pulse Client
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

MST Systems
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. Ivanti Secure Access Client (ISAC) and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
909,099 professionals have used our research since 2012.