Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs SonicWall SMA comparison

Cisco and SonicWall are both solutions in the SSL VPN category. Cisco is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.8, while SonicWall is ranked #7 with an average rating of 10.0. Cisco holds a 9.5% mindshare in SV, compared to SonicWall’s 4.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of SonicWall users who would recommend it.

Cisco IOS SSL VPN

Read 49 Cisco IOS SSL VPN reviews

1,063 Views
638 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

SonicWall SMA

Read 15 SonicWall SMA reviews

1,001 Views
270 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Cisco IOS SSL VPN

SonicWall SMA

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

SonicWall SMA and Cisco IOS SSL VPN are competing in the secure remote access solutions category. Cisco IOS SSL VPN seems to have the upper hand due to its advanced feature set compared to SonicWall SMA's focus on cost benefits and customer service.

Features: SonicWall SMA offers compatibility with a wide range of devices, strong security protocols, and valuable security technologies like Capture ATP. Cisco IOS SSL VPN provides extensive network integration capabilities, seamless scalability, and integrated multifactor authentication with Cisco Duo.

Room for Improvement: SonicWall SMA could enhance advanced feature sets and deeper network integration. Its scalability could also be improved. Cisco IOS SSL VPN has room to simplify its deployment process, reduce initial costs, and improve detailed device compatibility.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SonicWall SMA is known for a straightforward deployment process complemented by comprehensive customer support. Cisco IOS SSL VPN deployment is more complex, but the robust support and extensive resources available post-deployment compensate for this.

Pricing and ROI: SonicWall SMA's initial low setup cost often leads to a quicker ROI. Cisco IOS SSL VPN, despite its higher initial cost, promises long-term benefits and feature-rich implementation, which can justify the investment through extended use and capabilities.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. SonicWall SMA Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. SonicWall SMA

July 2025

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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

9th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SonicWall SMA

Ranking in SSL VPN

7th

Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

18th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

5.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Universal Access Gateways (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the SSL VPN category, the mindshare of Cisco IOS SSL VPN is 9.5%, down from 10.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall SMA is 4.5%, up from 3.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

SSL VPN

Featured Reviews

Rupesh Kolhapurkar

Manager at Reliance Industries Ltd

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.

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Maheshbabu T

Project Manager at CGG

It allows us to provide CML-based access to any user, but the reporting could be better

I rate SonicWall SMA seven out of 10. If you're planning to implement this solution, I suggest checking the version to ensure it's compatible with your other technology. I say go for it if it's suitable for your use case. Multifactor authentication technologies are built into the product, whereas some products lack multifactor authentication. We need only one or two. They provide authentication, gateway integration, OTP integration, etc.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution is very stable."

"The multicast feature is useful for us."

"The solution is pretty fast."

"The product is very stable."

"The solution is very stable."

"Cisco IOS SSL VPN provides fast connectivity and the option to connect through multiple servers."

"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's a stable solution."

More Cisco IOS SSL VPN pros

"SonicWall SMA allows us to provide CML-based access to any user."

"This solution has many options for remote desktop and access."

"I think they ask for a fair price."

"I am very satisfied with the technical support."

"Blocklisting and allowlisting are the most beneficial features for network security."

"SonicWall SMA has the most valuable feature of proprietary security technologies like Capture ATP."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is they have IT consultants that know SonicWall."

"What I like best about SonicWall SMA is the relationship between its features and its price, because the solution is both affordable and functional."

More SonicWall SMA pros

Cons

"The high price of the product is an area of concern where improvements are required."

"The performance could be improved."

"Cisco IOS SSL VPN doesn't support the configuration of multiple VPNs."

"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."

"When many people are using the internet at home, which is usually right after dinner, this type of service is a little bit hard to use. The internet becomes quite slow, and sometimes, I have to stop using this application. I am not sure if this issue is because of the application or my internet provider."

"The pricing is a stumbling block to scaling our utilization of Cisco products and we would prefer to use more of them."

"Cisco has a history of problems with the area of web filtering, because of which my company sometimes had to change the vendor and the appliance."

"The solution takes some time to log in because of some unavoidable security barriers, but it would be better if that could happen faster."

More Cisco IOS SSL VPN cons

"User interface could be improved."

"The timed synchronization between the network appliance needs improvement."

"I'd like to see the product maybe polish keyboards in Bookmark."

"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."

"SonicWall's reporting isn't good. Reports should be part of a data plan. The login mechanism should be improved. It would be helpful if the client could use an agent to log in. An agent-server model would improve the performance of the RDB, which consumes a lot of bandwidth."

"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 overall menu is not very user-friendly and it could be easier."

"The product's technical support services could be improved."

More SonicWall SMA cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Cisco IOS SSL VPN is more expensive than the Aruba VPN, but it is worth the money."

"With Cisco, there is a free solution or a licensed version of the solution with a set of endpoint services."

"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 pricing of the solution is reasonable"

"The platform is expensive."

"The tool is expensive."

"There are no pricing programs for non-profit organizations and the product is otherwise expensive by comparison."

"The solution is reasonably priced, and we have around 50% to 60% discounts from Cisco."

More Cisco IOS SSL VPN pricing and cost advice

"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."

"All the costs are included in a bundled license."

"The cost of the licensing is based on the maximum number of concurrent users, and it costs a lot to add them."

"The platform has medium pricing."

"This solution is priced well and we currently have the maximum number of licenses allowed."

"Our licenses are stackable and can be anywhere from five users to a million users."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

21%

Financial Services Firm

Educational Organization

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

16%

Construction Company

Comms Service Provider

Retailer

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco IOS SSL VPN?

The solution is pretty fast.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

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...

See all answers

What do you like most about SonicWall SMA?

Blocklisting and allowlisting are the most beneficial features for network security.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SonicWall SMA?

The platform has medium pricing.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SonicWall SMA?

Enhancing live tracking capabilities could improve the product, particularly in monitoring user activity and request statuses in real-time on the web interface.

See all answers

Comparisons

Ivanti Connect Secure vs Cisco IOS SSL VPN

Compared 29% of the time

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs Cisco IOS SSL VPN

Compared 24% of the time

Citrix Gateway vs Cisco IOS SSL VPN

Compared 17% of the time

OpenVPN Access Server Enterprise vs Cisco IOS SSL VPN

Compared 17% of the time

Fortinet FortiClient vs Cisco IOS SSL VPN

Compared 13% of the time

More Cisco IOS SSL VPN Competitors

Peplink SpeedFusion vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 19% of the time

Ivanti Connect Secure vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 17% of the time

Citrix Gateway vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 16% of the time

SonicWall Netextender vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 16% of the time

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 12% of the time

More SonicWall SMA Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco IOS SSL VPN

July 2025

Download Cisco IOS SSL VPN product report

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall SMA

July 2025

Download SonicWall SMA product report

Also Known As

Cisco SSL VPN

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

Overview

Cisco SSL VPN solutions help you easily and securely extend the network to users who have access to the Internet and a web browser. You can customize access and extend the reach of your corporate network to individuals based on their roles, including teleworker contractors and business partners.

Cisco

SonicWall SMA is a unified secure access gateway that enables organizations to provide anytime, anywhere and any device access to mission critical corporate resources. SMA's granular access control policy engine, context aware device authorization, application level VPN and advanced authentication with single sign-on empowers organizations to embrace BYOD and mobility in a hybrid IT environment.

SonicWall

Sample Customers

MST Systems

UnitedStack, Newport City Homes, Faith Lutheran College Redlands, PRIME aerostructures GmbH, Celtic Manor Resort

Buyer's Guide

Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. SonicWall SMA

July 2025

Free Report: Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. SonicWall SMA

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We monitor all SSL VPN reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.