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Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs SonicWall SMA 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
14th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
50
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SonicWall SMA
Ranking in SSL VPN
5th
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
16th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
5.6
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
Universal Access Gateways (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the SSL VPN category, the mindshare of Cisco IOS SSL VPN is 10.1%, up from 9.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall SMA is 6.8%, up from 5.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
SSL VPN Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco IOS SSL VPN10.1%
SonicWall SMA6.8%
Other83.1%
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.
BA
Owner at ThinkEzIT
Security enhances through autonomous protection and strong support while multi-factor authentication secures access
I haven't utilized the high availability and scalability features of SonicWall SMA yet because I've never had a need to. I don't know where they can focus their energy on continuous improvements, as I haven't been looking at what they're releasing. We're a small shop, so we drop stuff in and manage it and do what we need to do to maintain it. If we run into an issue, we contact support. There's a learning curve, but it comes down to getting support to train you on the product, and then once you have the training you need, you're able to make the changes and updates that you need to.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The user interface is user-friendly."
"The most valuable features of the solution are its ease of use, management, and support."
"The solution is quite transparent."
"It's a very stable solution and I'd say it works perfectly."
"The product's most valuable features are security, stability, and troubleshooting capabilities."
"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."
"The customer service and support are the best. When it comes to support, Cisco is the best vendor ever."
"Cisco certainly has a really strong support team."
"I like the load balancing capability, it is very fast and it has a simple interface."
"I think they ask for a fair price."
"Blocklisting and allowlisting are the most beneficial features for network security."
"What I like best about SonicWall SMA is the relationship between its features and its price, because the solution is both affordable and functional."
"My advice to others is this solution is reliable, feature-rich, and reasonable-priced."
"The management and the dashboard are the solution's most valuable features."
"These are very nice appliances and they give us all that we need for our work in the hospital."
"Secure remote access is now available from home offices."
 

Cons

"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."
"I would like for it to have support for the Dutch language. I typically use English in 99% of our communications but for some people, it matters."
"The performance could be improved."
"In addition to Cisco, we work with other solutions on behalf of our customers, such as Fortinet for FortiGate, but this latter solution can achieve the same results at a lower price."
"The graphical interface is old and needs to improve."
"The high price of the product is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"The product's RPA tools need enhancement for simplified business process automation."
"Cisco ASA system doesn't provide interface with radius based user mapping, other than the standard schema of users and groups."
"I'd like to see the product maybe polish keyboards in Bookmark."
"The product's technical support services could be improved."
"The timed synchronization between the network appliance needs improvement."
"This solution is very slow, and the competitors have much higher speeds."
"The solution could integrate better with other platforms."
"SonicWall SMA is difficult to use and it does not provide easy access to different parts of the network."
"The overall menu is not very user-friendly and it could be easier."
"The product itself is very good, but Dell needs to work on product visibility in their advertising."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Users have to pay a yearly licensing fee for Cisco IOS SSL VPN."
"The licensing cost of the solution is on a yearly basis, and it is expensive compared to other solutions in the market."
"The licensing fee is expensive."
"FortiGate does not charge the client a licensing fee, although Cisco charges clients a couple of dollars per year for each license."
"I would say it is a bit expensive, but I think it is worth the price."
"The tool is expensive."
"Price flexibility could be improved in comparison to other vendors."
"It is an expensive product."
"The cost of the licensing is based on the maximum number of concurrent users, and it costs a lot to add them."
"I don't know about the pricing of the SSL-VPN box. I know the SSL-VPN software is free. Global VPN client, by comparison, is licensed for around $150 or something like that. But the SSL-VPN software is free. It is already built-in with the box."
"The platform has medium pricing."
"Our licenses are stackable and can be anywhere from five users to a million users."
"All the costs are included in a bundled license."
"This solution is priced well and we currently have the maximum number of licenses allowed."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
15%
Marketing Services Firm
9%
Healthcare Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Financial Services Firm
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
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business12
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise2
 

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.
What needs improvement with SonicWall SMA?
I haven't utilized the high availability and scalability features of SonicWall SMA yet because I've never had a need to. I don't know where they can focus their energy on continuous improvements, a...
What is your primary use case for SonicWall SMA?
I have experience with the SonicWall SMA; we have rolled it back into our stack. We use SonicWall SMA for all of our clients that need VPNs, including doctor's offices and lawyer offices. Our clien...
 

Also Known As

Cisco SSL VPN
SonicWall Aventail, SonicWall SMA SSL-VPN, SonicWall Secure Mobile Access
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

MST Systems
UnitedStack, Newport City Homes, Faith Lutheran College Redlands, PRIME aerostructures GmbH, Celtic Manor Resort
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. SonicWall SMA and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,311 professionals have used our research since 2012.