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Citrix Gateway vs SonicWall SMA 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Citrix Gateway
Ranking in Universal Access Gateways
1st
Ranking in SSL VPN
2nd
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
10th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
38
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SonicWall SMA
Ranking in Universal Access Gateways
2nd
Ranking in SSL VPN
7th
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
18th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Universal Access Gateways category, the mindshare of Citrix Gateway is 50.0%, up from 45.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall SMA is 50.0%, up from 40.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Universal Access Gateways
 

Featured Reviews

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.
Maheshbabu T - PeerSpot reviewer
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution is very stable. If I were to rate it out of ten, I would give stability a nine."
"We have users in a remote environment that might require to access the service."
"The technical support is very responsive and fast"
"It's a stable solution while it's running. We don't have to work on it a lot. There are not many bugs, so it's easy to use if you deploy successfully. You can be sure of an uninterrupted solution for quite a long time. Citrix is a good product."
"The solution is scalable."
"Citrix Gateway is stable once I am connected."
"For our use case, it was scalable. There were at least 25 end users using this solution from remote locations. And once the connection was established, there weren't any complaints."
"I didn't have any hiccups or issues with it."
"I like the load balancing capability."
"I am very satisfied with the technical support."
"Secure Mobile Access (SMA) is easy to configure and the deployment is straightforward. However, this is mostly because of the AWS setup."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is they have IT consultants that know SonicWall."
"SonicWall SMA allows us to provide CML-based access to any user."
"The performance is good."
"SonicWall SMA has the most valuable feature of proprietary security technologies like Capture ATP."
"What I like best about SonicWall SMA is the relationship between its features and its price, because the solution is both affordable and functional."
 

Cons

"The solution has unnecessary limitations."
"The load balancing could be improved."
"If the solution had a more advanced DNS, it would be an improvement."
"Focusing more on AI features could further enhance its performance."
"The dashboard or interface should be more clear in reporting issues. Integration with other applications should be more user-friendly."
"The initial connection could be faster. That handshake takes a few seconds sometimes. That could be better and improved upon."
"I would like to see improved logging because it doesn't keep much information for the session monitoring or historical sessions."
"There could be a faster connection, increased user-friendliness, and more comprehensive dashboards for the platform."
"The product itself is very good, but Dell needs to work on product visibility in their advertising."
"Enhancing live tracking capabilities could improve the product, particularly in monitoring user activity and request statuses in real-time on the web interface."
"The solution could integrate better with other platforms."
"The overall menu is not very user-friendly and it could be easier."
"SonicWall SMA is difficult to use and it does not provide easy access to different parts of the network."
"I'd like to see the product maybe polish keyboards in Bookmark."
"The timed synchronization between the network appliance needs improvement."
"User interface could be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is a license to use Citrix Gateway and it is less expensive to use when compared to other solutions."
"The price could be lower."
"There is a need to make yearly payments for licensing purposes. Also, it is not an expensive one."
"Pricing is very high if you do a comparison with what is available in the market."
"I consider Citrix Gateway to be an expensive solution, generally ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 yearly, depending on the model."
"Usually with Citrix the issue is the pricing, especially for the African region. We believe it's really expensive."
"The solution has a yearly licensing fee."
"It is expensive and requires proper planning with strategy."
"Our licenses are stackable and can be anywhere from five users to a million users."
"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."
"The cost of the licensing is based on the maximum number of concurrent users, and it costs a lot to add them."
"All the costs are included in a bundled license."
"The platform has medium pricing."
"This solution is priced well and we currently have the maximum number of licenses allowed."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
24%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
18%
Construction Company
8%
Retailer
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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?
In the past, I submitted some support tickets, and while the support did resolve the problems, the time taken was sometimes long. They can perhaps improve the time for solutions in the support tick...
What do you like most about SonicWall SMA?
Blocklisting and allowlisting are the most beneficial features for network security.
What needs improvement with SonicWall SMA?
Enhancing live tracking capabilities could improve the product, particularly in monitoring user activity and request statuses in real-time on the web interface.
 

Also Known As

Citrix NetScaler Unified Gateway
SonicWall Aventail, SonicWall SMA SSL-VPN, SonicWall Secure Mobile Access
 

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
UnitedStack, Newport City Homes, Faith Lutheran College Redlands, PRIME aerostructures GmbH, Celtic Manor Resort
Find out what your peers are saying about Citrix Gateway vs. SonicWall SMA and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
861,481 professionals have used our research since 2012.