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Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) vs F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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
7.8
Cisco Secure Client offers efficient remote connectivity with user-friendly setup, robust security, and supports diverse environments effectively.
Sentiment score
8.0
Organizations experience significant ROI from F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager through cost savings, security improvements, and critical access availability.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.6
Users praise Cisco support for its responsiveness and knowledge, but some note varying quality and prefer internal solutions.
Sentiment score
7.6
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager support is professional and helpful, but users suggest improved response times and communication.
Cisco offers very high-quality customer service.
Cisco Technical Support is very good, very friendly, and helpful.
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.
Most of the technical support is managed in-house due to our extensive experience with F5 products.
Even if they respond, they don't update me with the process or what's going on.
F5 technical support is responsive and helpful.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.7
Cisco Secure Client is praised for adaptability, efficiency, and scalability, effectively supporting diverse organizations' needs with reliable performance.
Sentiment score
7.8
F5 BIG-IP APM offers high scalability and usability for enterprises, with straightforward scaling and valuable traffic analysis tools.
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.
The solution is scalable.
The product's flexibility and company culture contribute to resolving these challenges.
I would rate the scalability of F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) between seven and eight.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.2
Cisco Secure Client is highly rated for stability and reliability, with minimal disconnections and dependable connectivity for remote access.
Sentiment score
8.0
F5 BIG-IP APM is highly rated for stability, enabling reliable remote work despite minor log issues.
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.
On a scale from one to ten for stability, I would rate F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) a ten.
Sometimes, the logs are not quite informational or easy to understand.
 

Room For Improvement

Cisco Secure Client needs improved Linux support, modern interface, better compatibility, and enhanced security features for seamless user experience.
F5 BIG-IP APM needs improvements in usability, integration, documentation, reporting, and support to enhance cloud integration and competitiveness.
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.
The various licensing options make it challenging to manage, and the cost is a significant issue for customers.
Vendors offer more features, such as a kill switch.
If I could copy and paste objects instead of picking and configuring them from scratch each time, it would be great.
The main improvement needed for F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is to integrate into the cloud-delivered services from F5.
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) does not have a direction for SaaS.
 

Setup Cost

Cisco Secure Client offers scalable, user-based licensing with reasonable pricing, though some find costs high compared to alternatives.
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager is costly but valued for its reliability; licensing is simplified, though cloud costs vary.
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 perceive the pricing to be a seven, however, I have perpetual licenses.
F5 products are more expensive than other solutions but are valued for their quality and reliability.
 

Valuable Features

Cisco Secure Client offers high security, seamless VPN access, user-friendly interface, strong encryption, and efficient remote connectivity.
F5 BIG-IP APM offers a robust, scalable platform with secure remote access, customization, and easy integration, ideal for corporate environments.
Beneficial for businesses needing secure access outside the office.
The encryption functionalities, such as data encryption and SSL VPN, also enhance our data protection.
Cisco Secure Client's AnyConnect VPN's reliability has been absolutely wonderful, as well as the ability to connect from any network, regardless of location.
APM is quite flexible for customers to use, providing secure remote access through various host-checking conditions for both machines and users.
It provides robust security and offers integration with multi-factor authentication systems, which is crucial for an organization's security policy.
A lot of features are useful to me, including mostly the authentication, SAML, or SSO, with no sign-on.
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Secure Client (includ...
Ranking in SSL VPN
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
75
Ranking in other categories
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN (4th), ZTNA as a Service (8th), Cisco Security Portfolio (3rd)
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Man...
Ranking in SSL VPN
5th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
Secure Web Gateways (SWG) (17th), Network Access Control (NAC) (8th), Remote Access (10th), Access Management (10th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the SSL VPN category, the mindshare of Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) is 15.6%, up from 13.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is 12.8%, down from 16.8% 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…
Ashish Kumar Rai - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers remote access control, good GUI and easy to configure
I'd suggest improved documentation integration directly within the GUI. Right now, finding comprehensive documentation often requires going to external websites like the community portal. In the APM interface itself, they could add direct hyperlinks to relevant online documentation. This would provide easy access to admin guides and other resources when working within the GUI.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
44%
Computer Software Company
20%
Financial Services Firm
5%
Government
4%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Government
11%
 

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?
The price of Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) is acceptable. I do not have detailed information about the cost per user or per year.
What needs improvement with Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client?
The deployment process should be improved, specifically making it easier. Fully automated deployments are quite challenging. I am using Intune ( /products/microsoft-intune-reviews ) for deployments...
What do you like most about F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)?
In my opinion, the GUI is perfect with the configuration options provided. F5 BIG-IP has given customization options and policy configuration tools in the GUI. It's good and good enough to work.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)?
F5 products are more expensive than other solutions but are valued for their quality and reliability, akin to purchasing a Bentley as opposed to an Audi.
What needs improvement with F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)?
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM ( /categories/application-performance-monitoring-apm-and-observability )) does not have a direction for SaaS. Most solutions focus more on remote access and acc...
 

Also Known As

Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client
F5 Access Policy Manager
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

MST, Molina Healthcare, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, Arup, New South Wales Rural FireService
City Bank, Ricacorp Properties, Miele, American Systems, Bangladesh Post Office
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) vs. F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
850,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.