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Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs Sangfor SSL VPN comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

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 SSL VPN
4th
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
10th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
50
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Sangfor SSL VPN
Ranking in SSL VPN
8th
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
17th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the SSL VPN category, the mindshare of Cisco IOS SSL VPN is 10.3%, up from 8.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sangfor SSL VPN is 6.3%, up from 2.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
SSL VPN Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco IOS SSL VPN10.3%
Sangfor SSL VPN6.3%
Other83.4%
SSL VPN
 

Featured Reviews

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.
Wajeeh Ul Hasan . - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Administrator at Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology
A secure and user-friendly solution that is simple to implement and configure
We used Sangfor SSL VPN to access our servers from home during COVID-19 in case of emergency Sangfor SSL VPN has secured our organization, and we haven't faced any attacks. Sangfor SSL VPN is a secure and user-friendly solution. The other valuable features of the solution include web access…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The multicast feature is useful for us."
"The platform provides value and benefits to our organization through efficient and effective communication."
"The setup and installation was easy."
"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 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 has been tested and used widely so there are virtually no issues in terms of selecting Cisco."
"A reliable and stable solution for remote network access."
"Cisco certainly has a really strong support team."
"Altogether, this is a very good product."
"Sangfor SSL VPN has a user-friendly user interface."
"The platform is easy to use."
"Sangfor SSL VPN provides secure encryption for communication."
"The most valuable feature is our ability to limit access by user, IP address, or MAC address."
"Sangfor SSL VPN is a secure and user-friendly solution."
"It is a stable solution...The initial setup of the product is very easy."
 

Cons

"The solution needs to integrate password-less technology so that you don't have to remember passwords each time that you log in, which is otherwise tedious. We should be able to log in as long as our system is connected to the internet."
"It would be helpful if Cisco IOS SSL VPN could help us set up devices on our iPads and phones."
"The only issue with Cisco IOS SSL VPN is on the price point. Price is an area of the solution where improvements are required."
"Cisco IOS SSL VPN should improve its pricing."
"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."
"The administration should be improved."
"Compatibility can sometimes be a challenge. There have been issues with operating systems where newer updates cause problems with backward compatibility."
"Cisco IOS SSL VPN doesn't support the configuration of multiple VPNs."
"In redundancy mode, when the firewall goes off, the VPN should be able to connect to the secondary firewall automatically."
"No solution is perfect, so there is room for improvement."
"The solution's integration with other firewall vendors could be improved."
"Sangfor SSL VPN should provide advanced protection against ransomware and better data analysis."
"I think Sangfor can provide a web-based SSL VPN version."
"The technical support team takes around two months to respond to queries. It is very time-consuming."
"No solution is perfect, so there is room for improvement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is reasonably priced, and we have around 50% to 60% discounts from Cisco."
"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."
"With Cisco, there is a free solution or a licensed version of the solution with a set of endpoint services."
"It stands as the priciest solution available in the market."
"There are no pricing programs for non-profit organizations and the product is otherwise expensive by comparison."
"Price flexibility could be improved in comparison to other vendors."
"It is an expensive product."
"My company has a three-year license for Sangfor SSL VPN."
"The product is inexpensive."
"The pricing is good and the standard license allows for 30 users."
"The first 30 licenses are free, and you have to purchase the rest if required."
"Sangfor SSL VPN is a cheap solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Marketing Services Firm
10%
Computer Software Company
8%
Healthcare Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business23
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise25
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 needs improvement with Sangfor SSL VPN?
The solution's integration with other firewall vendors could be improved. Its interoperability matrices and different configurations with other vendor products also need improvements. Our client ha...
What is your primary use case for Sangfor SSL VPN?
We're currently exploring Sangfor SSL VPN more on the cybersecurity side.
 

Also Known As

Cisco SSL VPN
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

MST Systems
Investcorp, Central Bancorp, Griffiths & Armour
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. Sangfor SSL VPN and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
884,976 professionals have used our research since 2012.