CyberArk Secrets Management vs F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) comparison

CyberArk and F5 are both solutions in the Access Management category. CyberArk is ranked #19 with an average rating of 7.3, while F5 is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.5. Additionally, 100% of CyberArk users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of F5 users who would recommend it.

CyberArk Secrets Management

Read 5 CyberArk Secrets Management reviews

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74 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Man...

Read 17 F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) reviews

2,939 Views
617 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

CyberArk Secrets Management

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Man...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 15, 2025

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager and CyberArk Secrets Management are significant in enterprise security. F5 BIG-IP APM is seen as cost-effective with superior support, while CyberArk stands out for its strong credential management capabilities.

Features: F5 BIG-IP APM provides robust access management controls, integration capabilities, and security enforcement. CyberArk Secrets Management excels with credential vaulting, session recording, and seamless integration with various IT environments.

Room for Improvement: F5 BIG-IP APM could improve with quicker initial setup, more intuitive user experience, and enhanced documentation. CyberArk could benefit from streamlined configurations, reduced complexity in the user interface, and enhanced training materials.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: CyberArk is known for simple deployment and strong customer support, making it ideal for ready-to-deploy solutions. F5 BIG-IP APM, although requiring more initial setup, offers thorough customization options that users appreciate.

Pricing and ROI: F5 BIG-IP APM offers favorable pricing models for budget-conscious organizations, providing swift ROI through access management efficiencies. CyberArk, despite higher costs, provides long-term value with comprehensive security for in-depth credential protection.

To learn more, read our detailed CyberArk Secrets Management vs. F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

CyberArk Secrets Management vs. F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)

July 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

CyberArk Secrets Management

Ranking in Access Management

19th

Average Rating

7.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Enterprise Password Managers (16th)

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Man...

Ranking in Access Management

10th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Secure Web Gateways (SWG) (15th), Network Access Control (NAC) (7th), SSL VPN (5th), Remote Access (10th)

Featured Reviews

Rajat-Jain

Senior Member Of Technical Staff at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees

Helps with compliance and improves operational flexibility

We have had both on-premises and SaaS models. The on-premise setup was a little difficult, but now that it has been moved to the SaaS model, everything is controlled by CyberArk. We just go and do our work. The initial on-premises setup took two weeks because it was an integrated effort. I had to spin up the servers and bring in the CyberArk Secrets Management resource to deploy the scripts. I then had to open networks and firewalls between CyberArk Secrets Management's on-premise servers and the application server. In the initial phase, it took two to three weeks, but it became easier when moving to the SaaS model. In terms of maintenance, it requires patching or upgrades, which happens one day in a month. If there is a failure, we have to roll back and try once again, which takes more time, but if everything goes smoothly, there is three to five hours of downtime.

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Ashish Kumar Rai

Associate Network Engineer at a computer software company with 11-50 employees

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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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"CyberArk Secrets Management is a critical solution for strengthening our security posture."

"One of the most important features for us is the system's performance, particularly its speed of retrieving secrets."

"The automatic rotation of the password is the top feature."

"The granular controls of CyberArk Secrets Management are very niche in their development and very secure from the overall secret management perspective, offering high-level functionalities where we have control over user access, which can be tracked and monitored."

"CyberArk's support team is knowledgeable and helpful, consistently responding on time."

"It's vital for effectively managing and securing my credentials."

"The audit trails have been extremely important for us in helping our organization meet regulatory requirements."

"With CyberArk Secrets Management, we were able to resolve the automatic change of the passwords based on timelines. We were also able to retrieve the passwords in an encrypted format by utilizing the CyberArk platform, which was not provided to us by UiPath."

"We have seen a return on investment from F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager. It provided access at a time when we didn't have it."

"The product allows us to create customized portals for your users."

"I recommend F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) to others due to its reliability, and it is perceived as critical to security infrastructure."

"F5 BIG-IP APM is relatively easy to use."

"Our customers have never complained about the stability"

"A lot of features are useful to me, including mostly the authentication, SAML, or SSO, with no sign-on."

"Our organization is small - a college with about 3,500 students. We use F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager to protect our site, especially from the Iranian attacks we faced last year. We restrict access to only inside the country."

"The tool is reliable and easy to configure."

More F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) pros

Cons

"We occasionally experience incidents that delay password injection back into the script."

"There is room for improvement with better documentation and less need for CyberArk Secrets Management personnel to assist us with their presence."

"The password search feature and integration between different vaults could be enhanced. For instance, when updating passwords in both lower and higher environment vaults, improvement is required in search and upgrade functions."

"Implementation was complex and required professional services."

"Improvements for CyberArk Secrets Management include enhanced documentation with more use cases and step-by-step integration guides."

"We did not have a good experience with technical support because their numerous processes caused delays in engaging, leading to project delays or issues with production."

"Implementing it and ensuring seamless password rotations present challenges."

"If I could copy and paste objects instead of picking and configuring them from scratch each time, it would be great."

"The price of this product can be improved."

"F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) does not have a direction for SaaS."

"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."

"The operational deployment is not great."

"In my opinion, the GUI side needs some improvement based on my usage. Sometimes, it doesn't work as efficiently as the CLI side."

"F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager has room for improvement in integration with other products."

"F5 BIG-IP APM disconnects when you leave it for long enough, but that is natural for IT solutions to do. That's a little bit frustrating."

More F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"CyberArk Secrets Management has a moderate pricing structure based on a per-tenant licensing model rather than a per-user account model like their PAM solution."

"It is in the middle. It is neither very cheap nor very expensive, so I would place it in the middle."

"Recently, they have simplified the licensing"

"The product is very expensive."

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

"The tool is a little bit expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Financial Services Firm

15%

Government

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

10%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for CyberArk Secrets Management?

One of the CPL licenses costs around 60 to 80k GBP.

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What needs improvement with CyberArk Secrets Management?

The tool is very good, but the commercialized training, which is paid, could be improved. Regularizing those trainings as part of a global alliance between the customer, SI partner, and CyberArk wo...

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What is your primary use case for CyberArk Secrets Management?

The main use case for CyberArk Secrets Management is application integrations and the CI and CD part. In CyberArk Secrets Management, there are a variety of tools that they cover, one being the Cre...

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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.

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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.

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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...

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

CyberArk Secrets Management

August 2025

Download CyberArk Secrets Management product report

Buyer's Guide

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)

August 2025

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) report

Download F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) product report

Also Known As

No data available

F5 Access Policy Manager

Overview

CyberArk Secrets Management offers comprehensive security for managing sensitive information, addressing crucial needs in secure storage, access, and control of credentials across IT environments.

CyberArk Secrets Management focuses on ensuring the secure handling of sensitive enterprise data, offering a robust infrastructure for credentials and secrets management. Designed for organizations that need high levels of security, it provides efficiency in automating access controls and compliance. Its features are tailored to integrate seamlessly with existing IT frameworks, facilitating a secure and scalable approach to managing critical information across complex infrastructures. CyberArk's approach addresses both security and operational efficiency.

What features make CyberArk Secrets Management essential?

Enhanced Security Controls: Allows detailed configuration of access policies to safeguard sensitive data.
Automated Credential Rotation: Automatically rotates credentials to minimize the risk of security breaches.
Integrated Audit Trails: Provides comprehensive tracking and reporting to ensure compliance and accountability.

What benefits and ROI can be expected from CyberArk Secrets Management?

Risk Reduction: Minimizes potential exposure to data breaches through advanced security measures.
Operational Efficiency: Streamlines access management tasks, reducing manual overhead and errors.
Regulatory Compliance: Helps maintain adherence to industry standards and regulations, reducing the risk of fines.

CyberArk Secrets Management is widely implemented across sectors like finance, healthcare, and government, focusing on industries where data sensitivity and compliance are critical. Its application helps organizations mitigate risks and enhance data governance, proving invaluable in environments where trust and security are paramount.

CyberArk

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is an access management proxy solution for managing global access to the enterprise networks, cloud providers, applications, and application programming interfaces (APIs). Through a single management interface, BIG-IP APM consolidates remote, mobile, network, virtual, and web access.

BIG-IP APM can also serve as a bridge between modern and classic authentication and authorization protocols and methods. For applications which are unable to support modern authentication and authorization protocols, like SAML and OAuth with OIDC, but which do support classic authentication methods, BIG-IP APM converts user credentials to the appropriate authentication standard supported by the application.

BIG-IP APM Benefits:

Ease of use
Flexibility
Ability to integrate with other systems
Security features
Granular access control
Responsive and helpful support team

BIG-IP APM Features:

Support for Identity Aware Proxy (IAP) enabling Zero Trust application access
Context-based authorization with dynamic L4/L7 ACLs
Integration with third-party MFA solutions
DTLS 2.0 mode for delivering and securing applications
SAML 2.0 identity federation support
Support for OAuth 2.0 authorization protocol
SSO support for classic authentication (Kerberos, header- based, etc.), credential caching, OAuth 2.0, SAML 2.0, and FIDO2 (U2F)
AAA server authentication and high-availability
Integration with leading IAM vendor products (Microsoft, Okta, Ping Identity)
BIG IP Edge Client and F5 Access integrate with VMware Horizon ONE (AirWatch), Microsoft Intune and IBM MaaS360
Risk-based access leveraging third-party UEBA and risk engines (HTTP Connector)

Reviews from Real Users

Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by BIG-IP APM users.

Mahmmoud Rabie, Senior Site Reliability Engineer, writes that BIG-IP APM is "A highly stable solution for load balancing, but the initial setup is complex."

Clyde Livingston, Senior Process Specialist at Telstra, says that BIG-IP APM is "Easy to use, useful access remotely, but lacking stability."

Chris Lam, Senior Solution Consultant at Macroview Telecom Limited, states that BIG-IP APM is "Useful for remote access VPN and VPI integration with VMware.

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

City Bank, Ricacorp Properties, Miele, American Systems, Bangladesh Post Office

Buyer's Guide

CyberArk Secrets Management vs. F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)

July 2025

Free Report: CyberArk Secrets Management vs. F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)

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