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Citrix Gateway vs F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) 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
5.5
Citrix Gateway offers cost-effective security, protecting against breaches and ransomware, enhancing ROI compared to traditional laptop deployment.
Sentiment score
6.6
Many companies found F5 BIG-IP LTM beneficial for security and deployment, with mixed views on ROI depending on pricing.
Citrix Gateway secures our environment from potential threats, which can save substantial financial resources, especially in preventing data breaches or ransomware attacks.
Co-Founder at Virajo
The major return on investment is the security of our data.
IT Manager at Chong Hua Hospital
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.1
Citrix Gateway's customer service is generally satisfactory with fast responses, knowledgeable staff, but concerns about delays and inconsistency.
Sentiment score
6.7
F5 BIG-IP LTM support experiences vary, with mixed reviews on responsiveness, knowledge, community resources, and regional support efficacy.
Very experienced engineers contact you in order to troubleshoot the problem.
Citrix VDI & Windows Virtualization Specialist at ATOS
The support experience has received mixed reviews, as not all support staff possess the necessary technical expertise to handle inquiries effectively.
Enterprise Architect at Wipro Limited
I would rate the technical support of F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) nine out of ten.
IT Manager at Chong Hua Hospital
Customer support is quite good but could be faster.
Network Engineer at Stryker
Overall, my experience with F5 is very good compared to Radware.
Project Manager at IBM
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.3
Citrix Gateway offers scalable, adaptable solutions for diverse deployments, with experiences varying on deployment size and requirements.
Sentiment score
7.4
F5 BIG-IP LTM offers scalable integration with AWS, suitable for enterprises, but requires careful sizing to avoid constraints.
The solution features high availability, supporting both active-passive and active-active deployments to ensure constant product availability.
Enterprise Architect at Wipro Limited
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.
Co-Founder at Virajo
Citrix Gateway is not for small companies; it's for medium companies because the pricing is better for more users.
Citrix VDI & Windows Virtualization Specialist at ATOS
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Citrix Gateway is reliable with positive user feedback, though some suggest improvements in setup and connection flow.
Sentiment score
8.0
F5 BIG-IP LTM is stable and reliable, with occasional bugs manageable through updates, supported by responsive customer service.
We used the EPA agent for client certificate authentication and gathered information for the Smart Access feature, but we are no longer using it.
Technical Manager at Migros Ticaret A.Ş.
I find Citrix products to be very stable.
Co-Founder at Virajo
 

Room For Improvement

Citrix Gateway needs better load balancing, security, user interface, integration, and cost-efficiency, along with enhanced support and automation.
F5 BIG-IP LTM needs better cost-effectiveness, user interface, cloud integration, documentation, security, automation, and a flexible licensing model.
The monitoring site could be much better because monitoring NetScaler and Citrix Gateway is too difficult with just SNMP traps available.
Technical Manager at Migros Ticaret A.Ş.
At this time it costs 35% more than other solutions.
Docente De Planta- Programa Ingeniería Física at Universidad del Cauca
There is potential for reducing administrative overhead by applying policies dynamically based on context rather than static rules.
Enterprise Architect at Wipro Limited
I expect faster resolutions when providing contact numbers while raising cases, as other companies typically do.
Network Engineer at Stryker
The pricing of F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) is on the higher side compared to competitors, but it is worth it.
Project Manager at IBM
 

Setup Cost

Citrix Gateway is a high-priced, premium network solution with various licensing options, attracting customers willing to invest in quality.
F5 BIG-IP LTM is feature-rich but costly, especially in AWS; consult F5 for tailored licensing options.
I consider Citrix Gateway to be an expensive solution, generally ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 yearly, depending on the model.
Co-Founder at Virajo
The price is one aspect, but technically it is complete.
Citrix VDI & Windows Virtualization Specialist at ATOS
 

Valuable Features

Citrix Gateway provides secure, scalable connectivity with load balancing, VPN, and dual-factor authentication for efficient remote access.
F5 BIG-IP LTM excels in load balancing, security, and customization, enhancing performance and reliability for complex network environments.
The product effectively helps me protect the organization's network from potential threats, thereby securing our environment from hackers and ransomware attacks.
Co-Founder at Virajo
The most valuable feature in Citrix Gateway is the securable, modular solution.
Citrix VDI & Windows Virtualization Specialist at ATOS
Secure SaaS access is particularly valuable as it ensures that SaaS-based applications are delivered securely.
Enterprise Architect at Wipro Limited
The impact of SSL offloading on reducing server load and latency is very much positive because whatever traffic we receive, we encrypt at our F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) level, which has definitely reduced the additional load and SSL decryption load on the servers, so it has very much helped us and it is very smooth; it will not take much time and will not impact our regular traffic.
Project Manager at IBM
R-series has better CPU and memory, leading to higher throughput with minimal downtime, making it a significant improvement over the I-series.
Network Engineer at Stryker
One of the most beneficial features of F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) is its ability to identify compromised traffic and its capabilities in authentication.
IT Manager at Chong Hua Hospital
 

Categories and Ranking

Citrix Gateway
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
40
Ranking in other categories
Universal Access Gateways (1st), SSL VPN (2nd), Enterprise Infrastructure VPN (9th)
F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Man...
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
124
Ranking in other categories
Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Enterprise Networking solutions, they serve different purposes. Citrix Gateway is designed for Universal Access Gateways and holds a mindshare of 41.9%, down 47.2% compared to last year.
F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM), on the other hand, focuses on Application Delivery Controllers (ADC), holds 14.3% mindshare, down 15.6% since last year.
Universal Access Gateways Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Citrix Gateway41.9%
SonicWall SMA42.6%
Other15.5%
Universal Access Gateways
Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)14.3%
NetScaler12.7%
Fortinet FortiADC9.7%
Other63.3%
Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)
 

Featured Reviews

SK
Enterprise Architect at Wipro Limited
Strong security and versatile features drive positive experience, but support responsiveness can improve
The main purpose of Citrix Gateway is to enforce the appropriate level of access to the correct user on the proper device under the correct conditions. This is enabled through Citrix Gateway combined with endpoint analysis and optional Citrix analytics for security. Regarding improvements, implementing adaptive access policies on Citrix Gateway could be enhanced, particularly in security posture. Although it enforces real-time contextual access control based on device, user network risk, certain aspects can be improved. Other areas for improvement include BYOD access control and risk-based decision-making. Additionally, there is potential for reducing administrative overhead by applying policies dynamically based on context rather than static rules. Incident response speed is another area that could be enhanced.
edshyaa - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Engineer at Stryker
Load balancing has improved traffic distribution and currently supports high availability upgrades
F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) offers effective load balancing methods that help distribute traffic across our servers, whether we have two or several. This load balancing feature stands out as it is the fundamental work we do with F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM). While I recognize there are many features, such as iRules, which I have not explored yet, we primarily work on VIPs, pool members, and traffic distribution. The load balancing algorithms' flexibility makes them very useful for our team, enabling us to choose different servers and manage load effectively. We use various methods based on user or application requirements, making the algorithms set up by F5 in the backend quite helpful. F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) positively impacts our organization primarily through its load balancing capabilities. We avoid traffic overload on individual servers by placing backend servers behind F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) VIP. This load balancing helps us manage traffic effectively. Since the configuration of the I-series, we have had smooth performance, and with the recent migration to the R-series, it is working faster than before, providing positive outcomes for our operations. Since moving to the R-series, I notice improved performance; it is user-friendly and handles traffic efficiently. The upgrading process is different as we create tenants and a main host. R-series has better CPU and memory, leading to higher throughput with minimal downtime, making it a significant improvement over the I-series.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
9%
Government
7%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Computer Software Company
9%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business15
Midsize Enterprise9
Large Enterprise17
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business62
Midsize Enterprise32
Large Enterprise86
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Citrix Gateway?
The price is one aspect, but technically it is complete. Technically, it is really complete.
What needs improvement with Citrix Gateway?
It's difficult to say that because Citrix Gateway is changing all the time. It is improving all the time, and I think that it is periodically giving us patches. Anything that I can think to be impr...
What is your primary use case for Citrix Gateway?
I participate in integrator projects over the last year or two. Citrix Gateway is used in both my company and my customer's companies.
What needs improvement with F5 BIG-IP?
The pricing of F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) is on the higher side compared to competitors, but it is worth it.
What is your primary use case for F5 BIG-IP?
Our main use cases involve multiple applications, so we are using F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) services, and we are using WAF and ASM services to secure those applications and load balance...
 

Also Known As

Citrix NetScaler Unified Gateway
F5 BIG-IP, BIG-IP LTM, F5 ASM, Viprion, F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition , Crescendo Networks Application Delivery Controller, BIG IP
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Aeronamic, Avianca, Bechtel Corporation, Betfair UK, Catholic University Leuven (K.U. Leuven), Centene Corporation, Cerner, Charityshare, City of High Point, Clark Builders
Riken, TransUnion, Tepco Systems Administration, Daejeon University, G&T Bank, Danamon, CyberAgent Inc.
Find out what your peers are saying about Citrix Gateway vs. F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) and other solutions. Updated: March 2020.
884,266 professionals have used our research since 2012.