Microsoft Azure Application Gateway vs NetScaler comparison

Microsoft Azure Application...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 20, 2025

NetScaler and Microsoft Azure Application Gateway compete in the application delivery and security space. Based on features, deployment flexibility, and ROI, NetScaler appears to have the upper hand, especially for those utilizing Citrix products.

Features: NetScaler offers flexible deployment with TriScale architecture, SSL offload, load balancing, GSLB, and SSL VPNs. Microsoft Azure Application Gateway provides ease of use with WAF, traffic management, and integration with Azure services.

Room for Improvement: NetScaler is criticized for complex configuration, inconsistent support, and high licensing costs. Azure Application Gateway needs enhancements in flexibility, advanced security integrations, and improves support response times.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: NetScaler is available for on-premises, private, and hybrid clouds. Initial deployment is complex but integrates features well. Azure Application Gateway's cloud-based setup is simple, but support can be lacking in expertise and timeliness.

Pricing and ROI: NetScaler has high pricing due to additional features and licensing complexity but offers strong ROI. Azure Application Gateway offers competitive pricing and cost efficiency in Azure but may be costly compared to some alternatives.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Azure Application Gateway vs. NetScaler Report (Updated: May 2025).

Microsoft Azure Application Gateway vs. NetScaler

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:

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Azure Application...

Ranking in Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)

3rd

Ranking in Web Application Firewall (WAF)

3rd

Average Rating

7.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

NetScaler

Ranking in Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)

1st

Ranking in Web Application Firewall (WAF)

14th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

107

Ranking in other categories

Network Management Applications (5th)

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Azure Application Gateway is 7.6%, down from 10.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetScaler is 14.6%, down from 16.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)

Featured Reviews

Bonieber Orofeo

IT Manager at Chong Hua Hospital

Application gateway optimizes performance and simplifies cloud transitions

There are a lot of things I appreciate about Microsoft Azure Application Gateway. Microsoft Azure Application Gateway is beneficial for us as it helps in publishing our website, providing us comfort when it comes to the availability of our applications. The autoscaling feature in Microsoft Azure Application Gateway is very obvious, and I have no issues with it; it is well planned and organized. Microsoft Azure Application Gateway impacts our cost savings while maintaining higher performance. The Web Application Firewall (WAF) in Microsoft Azure Application Gateway has been very effective in protecting applications from security threats. Microsoft Azure Application Gateway helps us manage our AI-driven applications by enabling faster transactions, improving our work.

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DEMİRHAN ÇAVUŞOĞLU

Cloud Consultant at Migros Ticaret A.Ş.

A tool for centralized management including inventory and sales tracking

Citrix ADM has the ability to implement policies to tighten security. For instance, you can restrict access to your network from outsiders or lack necessary security measures such as antivirus programs. Additionally, there's the Delivery Controller, which allows for comprehensive monitoring and management tasks such as remote restarts, maintenance, and registration. Another essential component is the Director, which provides detailed insights into sessions, including identifying session failures, connection issues, user lockouts, etc. It presents a list of problems to address, enabling you to click on them and resolve them efficiently.

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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

"Microsoft Azure Application Gateway is an easy-to-use solution."

"The security feature in all the layers of the application is the most valuable."

"We find it valuable because it is compatible with our existing Azure solution."

"The product's initial setup phase was easy."

"The most valuable feature is WAF."

"The solution has built-in rules that reduce alerts and are easy to configure."

"I find Application Gateway’s WAF module valuable because it helps prevent layer 7 attacks."

"We chose this solution in the first place because it has access to Layer 7. I can control the requests and the content, which I can access on my network if I want to even if it's forbidden access to other external resources. If I want to monitor, for example, traffic, and apply this rule on Layer 7, I can do so. This was our main goal when implementing this application. We wanted to take advantage of the Gateway capabilities."

More Microsoft Azure Application Gateway pros

"The most valuable features are the VDA Delivery, Gateway Fort, and the load balancing."

"The solution is easy to work with and manage."

"Manageability and visibility are good."

"The solution can scale."

"The solution is extremely stable."

"It's very easy to configure."

"I like the ease of use. It's easy to manage. I also like it's ease of use with virtualization technologies with applications."

"The most valuable feature of Citrix NetScaler was the seamless integration. Additionally, the UI is good."

More NetScaler pros

Cons

"The monitoring on the solution could be better."

"There is room for improvement in the pricing model."

"The support can be improved when you are configuring the system rules. The Disaster Recovery feature can be added in the next release. The price of the solution can be reduced a bit."

"We faced some downtime while validating CNAME."

"Microsoft Azure Application Gateway could improve by allowing features to use more third-party tools."

"It is a bit tricky to configure. You've got to have a very specific format to configure it. They should make it a little bit easier to configure. Mapping the certificates into it isn't easy, and it could be better. Currently, you've to write a bit of automation to pull certificates directly to HTTPS."

"The tool's pricing could be improved."

"It could be more stable, and support could be better. It would also be better if they offered more features. For example, it lacks security features. Before we used another English solution, and we realized that some of the rules were not set up correctly and passed through the Application Gateway's English controllers. But the problem, in this case, is if you send ten rules, for example, six rules hit some issues. IP address blocking could be better. The rules, for example, don't work properly. If you have one issue, one rule or another rule will not work. This sounds like total madness to me."

More Microsoft Azure Application Gateway cons

"Finding relevant documentation for learning NetScaler can be challenging, especially for beginners who prefer a web interface over command-line interfaces."

"The customization has always been a key area where some improvements are required. In the beginning, everything was for customizing the outer shell of it. You had to use the command-based utility and you had to do a lot of manual work. They have improved it a little bit and now there are some GUI-based functionalities that can be used. However, more can be done that doesn't require a lot of intervention. Right now there are some features, there are some customizations that can be done, but it's still very tedious, very cumbersome, a lot of work. So that could be simplified."

"Citrix Web App and API Protection could improve in the area of licensing"

"Citrix should offer a demo or free-trial version of NetScaler. Several other vendors do, but Citrix does not. Pricing should also be more readily available."

"Reducing the overhead required for AppFlow data collection, specifically for HDX Insight, would be a huge improvement."

"Too many bugs in the software and it's always difficult when you need to update."

"In terms of what could be improved, I would say the user interface because sometimes it can be complicated."

"They need to make the solution a little more familiar with easy study guides, learning videos, etc."

More NetScaler cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is a need to pay a fixed price per month to use the product. There are no additional payments to be made to Microsoft apart from the charges paid towards the monthly licensing costs attached to the solution."

"The product is not expensive."

"The solution's pricing is not complex. It is not expensive from our point of view."

"Between v1 and v2, there is a lot of change in the pricing. It is very costly compared to AWS."

"Regarding pricing for Azure Application Gateway, I would rate it at seven."

"The solution is paid monthly. The solution is highly expensive."

"It is an expensive solution. We have an enterprise agreement, it is monthly."

"The cost is not an issue."

More Microsoft Azure Application Gateway pricing and cost advice

"Citrix NetScaler's pricing is slightly above average but not overly expensive. I would consider F5 BIG IP to be the most expensive, Citrix NetScaler to be the second most expensive, and then Kemp Load Balancer to be the third."

"I rate the tool's pricing an eight out of ten."

"We are quite happy with price. It's not too high."

"I do not have any experience with the pricing of the product."

"The pricing for Citrix Web App and API Protection is unreasonable. I don't know the exact price, but I heard it's tens of thousands and it's a bit too much for the small country I live in."

"It's an expensive product but it works well."

"Its licensing cost is much higher than other products, but it is acceptable because it is a one-time investment, and we are getting our requirements fulfilled when we buy this product. So, there is no issue with the pricing."

"It is true that it is a bit pricey compared to newer technologies coming to the market. For example, A10 is a load balancer that does everything that Citrix can and it does a lot more than what NetScaler does when it comes to the security space, and their prices are so cheap. Every box comes with its own license and support built into it. When you compare that with NetScaler, you have to buy licenses separately, you have to buy a support agreement that is going to be separate. A small NetScaler, even if it is a VPX which is a virtual server, could cost you close to $150,000 to $200,000 dollars. So the pricing is really high."

More NetScaler pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What's the difference between Azure Front Door and Application Gateway?

We found Azure Front Door to be easily scaled and very stable. The implementation is very fast and Microsoft provides excellent support. Azure Front Door can quickly detect abnormalities before the...

How does AWS WAF compare to Microsoft Azure Application Gateway?

Our organization ran comparison tests to determine whether Amazon’s Web Service Web Application Firewall or Microsoft Azure Application Gateway web application firewall software was the better fit ...

What do you like most about Microsoft Azure Application Gateway?

Application Gateway automatically redirects unwanted users and takes care of the security aspect. It also handles the performance side of things, which is why we use it.

What do you like most about Citrix ADC?

The most valuable feature for us is the application firewalling in Citrix NetScaler, ensuring only valid traffic enters our environment.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Citrix ADC?

After deployment, Citrix Netscaler shifted to a subscription-based license scheme for support, which is slightly more expensive.

What needs improvement with Citrix ADC?

Citrix NetScaler is a robust product, but mastering it requires significant learning and training due to its complexity. While it could be easier to manage, it is like transitioning from driving a ...

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Product Reports

Microsoft Azure Application Gateway

June 2025

Microsoft Azure Application Gateway report

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June 2025

Also Known As

Azure Application Gateway, MS Azure Application Gateway

Citrix ADC, Citrix NetScaler VPX, NetScaler Console, NetScaler Web Application Firewall

Overview

Azure Application Gateway is a web traffic load balancer that enables you to manage traffic to your web applications. Traditional load balancers operate at the transport layer (OSI layer 4 - TCP and UDP) and route traffic based on source IP address and port, to a destination IP address and port.

To learn more about our solution, ask questions, and share feedback, join our Microsoft Security, Compliance and Identity Community.

Microsoft

One platform for a consistent application delivery and security experience because nobody has time to learn multiple systems to manage ADC deployments. NetScaler is built with a single code base using a software-based architecture, so no matter which ADC form factor you choose — hardware, virtual machine, bare metal, or container — the behavior will be the same.

Sample Customers

Lilly, AccuWeather, AIRFRANCE, Honeywell

ABB Schweiz, Aer Lingus, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Amnet Technology Solutions, Aramex International, Ascenty, Atos, Autodesk