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Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) vs Citrix Gateway 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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
7.1
Cisco Secure Client enables seamless, secure remote access with easy setup, benefiting businesses through service sales and improved workforce efficiency.
Sentiment score
7.3
Citrix Gateway enhances security, preventing breaches and ransomware, leading to savings and ROI depending on business models.
Citrix Gateway secures our environment from potential threats, which can save substantial financial resources, especially in preventing data breaches or ransomware attacks.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.7
Cisco Secure Client support is responsive and knowledgeable, but some users note declining service quality and slow response times.
Sentiment score
6.0
Citrix Gateway support is generally satisfactory, though users suggest improvements in engineer expertise, training, and proactive communication.
Cisco offers very high-quality customer service.
Over the years, there's been a decline in the quality, mainly in areas such as the experience level of support engineers and the time taken to address and escalate issues.
Cisco technical support is difficult, and it requires lots of contracts.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.3
Cisco Secure Client offers scalable solutions for large organizations, but performance varies based on hardware and infrastructure.
Sentiment score
7.5
Citrix Gateway is scalable for various enterprises, praised for flexibility but faces challenges due to updates and competition.
A smaller firewall can handle fewer sessions, while a larger one can handle tens of thousands of sessions.
The scalability of Cisco Secure Client depends on the hardware I choose.
Regarding scalability, Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) rates as excellent because we can scale out by simply buying more licenses from the vendor.
I believe that the scalability of Citrix Gateway depends on the project's requirements, as it can vary from simple load balancing to extensive Web Application Firewall implementations.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
Cisco Secure Client is stable and reliable, with minor issues quickly resolved, earning high satisfaction ratings from users.
Sentiment score
8.0
Citrix Gateway is highly rated for stability and reliability, with minor connection issues, offering a smooth, secure virtualization experience.
I would rate the stability ten out of ten.
The stability is really good, and I would rate it up to nine.
I do not encounter many issues with stability, but sometimes the hardware's capacity can be a limiting factor.
I find Citrix products to be very stable.
 

Room For Improvement

Cisco Secure Client needs modernization, improved compatibility, enhanced security, simpler deployment, better integration, and user-friendly updates to address user concerns.
Citrix Gateway needs UI, cloud, integration, VPN speed, security improvements, cost reductions, and enhanced support and performance.
I am using Intune for deployments, and it's not easy to create an automated deployment where users do not need to register server addresses.
Cisco's security portfolio, including Secure Client and the firewalls, is falling behind.
Vendors offer more features, such as a kill switch.
At this time it costs 35% more than other solutions.
 

Setup Cost

Cisco Secure Client offers subscription-based licensing, with variable costs depending on region and comparisons to competitors.
Citrix Gateway is seen as pricey, with flexible licensing, straightforward setup, and competitive features aligning with high-end solutions.
Palo Alto and Fortinet provide free VPN connections, but Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) requires a license purchase.
The pricing seems to align equally with other competitors like Palo Alto during a competitive situation.
The price of Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) is acceptable.
I consider Citrix Gateway to be an expensive solution, generally ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 yearly, depending on the model.
 

Valuable Features

Cisco Secure Client provides reliable VPN security, seamless integration, and user-friendly features, ensuring stable, secure remote network access.
Citrix Gateway provides seamless and secure connectivity with features like VPN, web app support, load balancing, and threat protection.
Beneficial for businesses needing secure access outside the office.
Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) is user-friendly and has features like auto-connection and callback.
The security features are beneficial.
The product effectively helps me protect the organization's network from potential threats, thereby securing our environment from hackers and ransomware attacks.
It's easy to scale and easy to implement.
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Secure Client (includ...
Ranking in SSL VPN
1st
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
76
Ranking in other categories
ZTNA as a Service (10th), Cisco Security Portfolio (5th)
Citrix Gateway
Ranking in SSL VPN
2nd
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
10th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
37
Ranking in other categories
Universal Access Gateways (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the SSL VPN category, the mindshare of Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) is 15.9%, up from 14.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Citrix Gateway is 14.5%, down from 19.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
SSL VPN
 

Featured Reviews

Wouter Beer - PeerSpot reviewer
Generates revenue through service offering while needing additional safety features
The primary use case for Cisco Secure Client, including AnyConnect, is as a VPN for remote access I use AnyConnect because I have Cisco infrastructure. It utilizes certificates, which allows for automatic setup. The security features are beneficial, and the whole idea of the app is that it should…
VivekKumar10 - PeerSpot reviewer
Enables secure remote access and load balancing with enhanced protection features
I find Citrix Gateway valuable for its capabilities as a reverse proxy, providing security to applications exposed to the Internet. Key features include load balancing, dual-factor authentication, clientless VPN, and Web Application Firewall (WAF). The product effectively helps me protect the organization's network from potential threats, thereby securing our environment from hackers and ransomware attacks.
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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which SSL VPN solutions are best for your needs.
856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
31%
Computer Software Company
24%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Government
5%
Educational Organization
46%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
6%
Healthcare Company
4%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client?
The tool is user-friendly, robust and easy to use in any environment.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client?
Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) is somewhat expensive compared to others such as Fortinet or Palo Alto, which provide free VPN when the firewall is purchased. Palo Alto and Fortinet prov...
What needs improvement with Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client?
Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) is sufficient now after the update to version five or later, and I believe there's nothing to improve. I would prefer the cost to be reduced by about 20% ...
What do you like most about Citrix Gateway?
We can maintain our systems using the solution.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Citrix Gateway?
I consider Citrix Gateway to be an expensive solution, generally ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 yearly, depending on the model. It is seen as a premium product compared to competitors like F5, and ...
What needs improvement with Citrix Gateway?
Currently, Citrix is improving its solutions, and focusing more on AI features could further enhance its performance.
 

Also Known As

Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client
Citrix NetScaler Unified Gateway
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

MST, Molina Healthcare, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, Arup, New South Wales Rural FireService
Aeronamic, Avianca, Bechtel Corporation, Betfair UK, Catholic University Leuven (K.U. Leuven), Centene Corporation, Cerner, Charityshare, City of High Point, Clark Builders
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) vs. Citrix Gateway and other solutions. Updated: May 2025.
856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.