Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Peplink SpeedFusion vs SonicWall SMA comparison

The compared Cisco and Peplink solutions aren't in the same category. Cisco is ranked #6 in NMA , with an average rating of 8.2. Peplink is ranked #8 in SDW , with an average rating of 9.5, and holds a 6.8% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Peplink users who would recommend it.

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Read 95 Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN reviews

210 Views
96 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Peplink SpeedFusion

Read 8 Peplink SpeedFusion reviews

2,421 Views
623 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

SonicWall SMA

Read 14 SonicWall SMA reviews

70 Views
36 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Peplink SpeedFusion

SonicWall SMA

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, Peplink SpeedFusion, and SonicWall SMA based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

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Network Management Applications

May 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:

Featured Reviews

Igor Van Den Ouden

Engineer at Routz

Enables secure and flexible branch connectivity with application-aware routing

The valuable features of Cisco SD-WAN include its security policies and zone-based firewall that are applied to every site, as well as application-aware routing. Security is standard compliant, eliminating config drift that was prevalent before manual configurations. Application-aware routing offers flexibility in using different lines for traffic, depending on the policy implemented.

Read full review

Samuel Romero

Field data engineer at a energy/utilities company with 501-1,000 employees

User-friendly, easy to install, and scalable

Peplink SpeedFusion needs a thin rail model for industrial solutions. The stability has room for improvement. Peplink SpeedFusion needs to have a heavy-duty heat sink on the case to perform better. Generally, what I found is that devices that have a heat sink on a case or, more weight on a case to absorb the heat, perform a little better. I get some areas where I'm right at the hundred and fifty degrees. So I've had a few failures not many, but I found more failures than a Cisco ISO eleven or a Moxa router. Those solutions have more mass to absorb the heat. Most failures have a lot to do with the case. That's why a lot of people have a hard time pushing Peplink SpeedFusion, and they want to move to Cradlepoint because they have a much more ruggedized case.

Read full review

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.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most useful feature is centralized telephony."

"There is minimum blind space in this solution."

"Cisco SD-WAN's collaborative features are unique and sustainable. I also like the protocols, which use two SD-WAN."

"The segmented traffic it provides is the best in the industry right now."

"The centralized management is the most important feature. We can monitor what is going on at every location in our network with just one center."

"The solution provides good consolidation, centralization, and manageability for edge routers."

"It's a complete solution with many security features."

"When we have had power outages for a few hours we have had no issue with Cisco SD-WAN coming back online and functioning."

More Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN pros

"Our customers find it to be an interesting and tempting solution."

"The valuable feature is that, after reading about its capabilities and using it for a while, Peplink SpeedFusion employs eight technologies within its SD-WAN profile, addressing issues like packet loss and latency. The solution is highly stable. I rate it a nine out of ten. The support team gives quick response and efficient local support."

"In the Philippines, VPN usage may not be widely known, but we leverage VPN effectively within my organization. I've shared our in-house systems with other district offices, as I cover fifteen municipalities and cater to the entire province. This platform is a valuable tool for us, enabling collaborative work, and allowing us to update our services remotely."

"The most valuable feature is the virtual VPN concentrator."

"The SpeedFusion feature is the most valuable."

"It is a very stable product."

"The SpeedFusion feature is good. It allowed us to move away from IPsec between the sites. It is also a really easy product to deploy."

"I am very satisfied with the technical support."

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

"I like the load balancing capability."

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

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

"I think they ask for a fair price."

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

"The performance is good."

More SonicWall SMA pros

Cons

"We need them to start focusing on the SD-WAN compatibility with other environments and not being so vendor locked with Cisco environments."

"The security features could be improved."

"Cyber security should also be implemented in the solution, along with maybe implementation of AI/ML."

"The technical support is a bit slow."

"I would recommend better-integrated management."

"It is expensive."

"We have had some problems with the licensing model, and it is something that should be improved."

"The initial setup was not very straightforward, but it gets easier the more deployments you complete."

More Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN cons

"I believe there could be some enhancements in the enterprise segment, offering greater options or something similar."

"Their hardware support isn't the greatest. We've had one unit go down, and it took a while for them to replace it. It was in the Caribbeans, so it might be a location-related issue."

"The product needs to aggregate the bandwidth of different ISPs. It needs to improve scalability as well."

"They don't have next generation firewall, UTM, like the other competitors."

"There is room for improvement in enhancing security features, such as incorporating intrusion detection blocking capabilities and integrating artificial intelligence to bolster security aspects on the device."

"The stability has room for improvement."

"Its pricing is the main issue. The pricing could be improved. I would like to see an outbound policy based on the application. It is a very good feature, and most of the customers are looking for that. They can also include stronger firewall features. This would help the customers in choosing this product as the only device for the SD network."

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

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

"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."

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

"The solution could integrate better with other platforms."

"The only thing that they could try to improve is the support for enterprise customers. Normally enterprises and SMBs can create a ticket, but for enterprises, SonicWall SMA needs to provide a global view, and this is what's currently missing. It's not even a question of timing. It's a question of the global vision because currently, it's lacking. They concentrate on the topic, but not on the means and not on the global picture. In most cases, there's something wrong with the integration of SonicWall SMA with other products, so that could also be improved."

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

More SonicWall SMA cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Cost-wise, Cisco SD-WAN is comparatively high."

"We can only buy three-year licenses, not monthly. The cost seems high for us, especially since we're in Vietnam, which isn't a rich country. But we still like the product because it is good."

"The price is high."

"There is a monthly subscription to use this solution."

"The costs are a bit on the high side."

"You can get subscriptions for three or five years."

"It is expensive. The license limitation is there in terms of bandwidth. Basically, Cisco is always good in terms of performance and related things. However, if you want to have a license, for example, for 100 Mbps, they charge you because of their 100 Mbps. If you want to go without the license of 300 Mbps, it is a bandwidth license as well. This is not happening with other vendors. That is the reason why we moved away from Cisco. The bill gets a little bit high. I do remember that one time we were trying to increase the bandwidth for at least five devices, and the license got as high as 20-grand for five devices, only for the license. It was expensive for us at the time. Our company is not a big company, but it is a solid company. The price was very high, and we moved away from Cisco because of the price."

"On a scale of one to five, I would rate Cisco's pricing as a three."

More Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN pricing and cost advice

"I rate Peplink SpeedFusion's pricing an eight out of ten."

"The cost is in the middle, a five out of ten."

"Perpetual licensing, which is good for customers that don't want any annual or subscription based license."

"Its licensing fee is on a yearly basis. For the price, it is actually pretty good value."

"It has lifetime licensing. Its pricing is high for most of the markets."

"It's not cheap, but it is highly competitive."

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

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

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

"The platform has medium pricing."

"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."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

36%

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

Government

Computer Software Company

18%

Construction Company

Retailer

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco SD-WAN?

When considering the most valuable features of Cisco SD-WAN, the decoupling of self-monitoring stands out significant...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco SD-WAN?

The pricing of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is rated between eight and nine out of ten, where ten is the most expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco SD-WAN?

There's nothing I could put my finger on right away for improvements in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN. There is definitely no...

See all answers

What do you like most about Peplink SpeedFusion?

In the Philippines, VPN usage may not be widely known, but we leverage VPN effectively within my organization. I've s...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Peplink SpeedFusion?

I rate Peplink SpeedFusion's pricing an eight out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Peplink SpeedFusion?

The product needs to aggregate the bandwidth of different ISPs. It needs to improve scalability as well.

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 ...

See all answers

Comparisons

Fortinet FortiGate vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 16% of the time

VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 11% of the time

Prisma SD-WAN vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 10% of the time

Meraki SD-WAN vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 10% of the time

Cisco Catalyst Center vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 4% of the time

More Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Competitors

Fortinet FortiGate vs Peplink SpeedFusion

Compared 25% of the time

Cradlepoint NetCloud vs Peplink SpeedFusion

Compared 23% of the time

VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN vs Peplink SpeedFusion

Compared 10% of the time

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) vs Peplink SpeedFusion

Compared 5% of the time

Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform vs Peplink SpeedFusion

Compared 4% of the time

More Peplink SpeedFusion Competitors

SonicWall Netextender vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 17% of the time

Ivanti Connect Secure vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 15% of the time

Citrix Gateway vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 14% of the time

Fortinet FortiClient vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 12% of the time

More SonicWall SMA Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

June 2025

Download Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN product report

Buyer's Guide

Peplink SpeedFusion

May 2025

Download Peplink SpeedFusion product report

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall SMA

May 2025

Download SonicWall SMA product report

Also Known As

Cisco SD-WAN

No data available

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

Overview

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN serves to connect remote offices, reduce MPLS costs, and facilitate cloud and internet access while providing secure connectivity and centralized management for hybrid networks.

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is leveraged for secure connectivity, load balancing, VPN, centralized network management, and migrating from traditional networks to SD-WAN. It supports hybrid networks, enabling centralized management across branches and data centers, improving security, and optimizing bandwidth usage. Industries such as banking and retail benefit from its capabilities for secure and efficient network management.

What are the main features of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN?

Centralized Management: Simplifies network operations and administration.
Application-Level Routing: Enhances performance for critical applications.
Segmentation: Provides robust network segmentation for security.
Policy Configuration: Customizable policies for traffic management.
Real-Time Traffic Visibility: Enables monitoring for better insights.
Load Balancing: Distributes network traffic efficiently.
Hybrid Cloud Connectivity: Seamless integration with cloud services.
Deep Packet Inspection: Detailed traffic analysis for security.
High Security: Offers strong security protocols to protect the network.
Ease of Deployment: Features like zero-touch provisioning simplify setup.

What benefits should be considered in reviews?

Cost Savings: Reduces operational expenses through efficient network management.
Reliability: Proven performance and uptime for critical operations.
Scalability: Grows with the organization's needs.
Integrated Health Monitoring: Proactively identifies and resolves issues.
Industry Trust: Cisco's reputation for quality and support.

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN's implementation in banking enhances secure transaction communication between branches and data centers. Retailers utilize it to ensure steady connectivity for point-of-sale systems and inventory management. Organizations benefit from centralized management, making it easier to handle networks across multiple locations.

Cisco

Peplink’s patent-pending SpeedFusion technology powers enterprise VPNs that tap into the bandwidth of up to 13 low-cost cable, DSL, 3G/4G/LTE, and other links connected anywhere on your corporate or institutional WAN. Whether you’re transferring a few documents or driving realtime POS data, video feeds, and VoIP conversations, SpeedFusion pumps all your data down a single fat datapipe that’s budget-friendly, ultra-fast, and easily configurable to suit any networking environment.

Peplink

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

Doyle Research, Ashton Metzler & Associates

MIT Robotics Team, Intel, Apple, Google, Hootsuite, Northrop Gruman, Alcatel-Lucent, Motorola, Avocent, GE, VW, Marriott, Renaissance, WSI, Union /Pacific

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

Buyer's Guide

Network Management Applications

May 2025

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