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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
3rd
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
8th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
49
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SonicWall SMA
Ranking in SSL VPN
8th
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
18th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
5.6
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
Universal Access Gateways (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the SSL VPN category, the mindshare of Cisco IOS SSL VPN is 9.1%, down from 9.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall SMA is 5.0%, up from 3.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
SSL VPN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco IOS SSL VPN9.1%
SonicWall SMA5.0%
Other85.9%
SSL VPN
 

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.
Mayur_Patel - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy-to-manage product with efficient features for network security
SonicWall SMA facilitates and protects remote workforce access to corporate resources from any location Enhancing live tracking capabilities could improve the product, particularly in monitoring user activity and request statuses in real-time on the web interface. We have been using SonicWall…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Cisco IOS SSL VPN is an easy-to-use and straightforward solution."
"Cisco IOS SSL VPN provides fast connectivity and the option to connect through multiple servers."
"The setup and installation was easy."
"The solution is very reliable."
"IOS is user-friendly and simple. You connect to a particular VPN, and that's it. You become seamless after that."
"The solution's environment is stable and doesn't get disconnected every now and then."
"The platform provides value and benefits to our organization through efficient and effective communication."
"The solution is very easy to work with. This is its most valuable feature. They also did a good job surrounding how you configure the devices."
"I am very satisfied with the technical support."
"SonicWall SMA allows us to provide CML-based access to any user."
"Secure Mobile Access (SMA) is easy to configure and the deployment is straightforward. However, this is mostly because of the AWS setup."
"SonicWall SMA has the most valuable feature of proprietary security technologies like Capture ATP."
"I think they ask for a fair price."
"It is faster than other security options when using remote connections."
"The solution is reliable and has good overall performance."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is they have IT consultants that know SonicWall."
 

Cons

"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."
"It would be nice if we could use this not just on mobile, but on laptops and desktops as well."
"I would like Cisco IOS SSL VPN to provide a faster connection."
"The configuration must be improved."
"The administration should be improved."
"The configuration is critical and complex."
"The pricing is a stumbling block to scaling our utilization of Cisco products and we would prefer to use more of them."
"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."
"I'd like to see the product maybe polish keyboards in Bookmark."
"The solution has 2FA, it will generate a token and send it to an email, but multifactor authentication is not available. I would suggest that there should be MFA integration and provided with the appliance."
"The timed synchronization between the network appliance needs improvement."
"The overall menu is not very user-friendly and it could be easier."
"The solution could integrate better with other platforms."
"The problem is that when combined with what the client already has, there are two different logins and two different management systems, and these should be consolidated into a single interface."
"Enhancing live tracking capabilities could improve the product, particularly in monitoring user activity and request statuses in real-time on the web interface."
"SonicWall SMA is difficult to use and it does not provide easy access to different parts of the network."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."
"I would say it is a bit expensive, but I think it is worth the price."
"The licensing cost of the solution is on a yearly basis, and it is expensive compared to other solutions in the market."
"Users have to pay a yearly licensing fee for Cisco IOS SSL VPN."
"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."
"Cisco IOS SSL VPN is more expensive than the Aruba VPN, but it is worth the money."
"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."
"Our licenses are stackable and can be anywhere from five users to a million users."
"This solution is priced well and we currently have the maximum number of licenses allowed."
"The platform has medium pricing."
"All the costs are included in a bundled license."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
23%
Educational Organization
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Computer Software Company
17%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Retailer
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business23
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise24
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise2
 

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?
It's hard for me to say how Linksys could be improved. I can't think of any specific improvements needed. I believe Cisco could support easier configuration and having tools that allow for easier m...
What do you like most about SonicWall SMA?
Blocklisting and allowlisting are the most beneficial features for network security.
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...
 

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: August 2025.
867,370 professionals have used our research since 2012.