NetScaler vs Uplynk comparison

NetScaler and Uplynk are both solutions in the Web Application Firewall (WAF) category. NetScaler is ranked #14 with an average rating of 8.3, while Uplynk is ranked #31 with an average rating of 7.8. NetScaler holds a 3.2% mindshare in WAF, compared to Uplynk’s 0.8% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of NetScaler users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Uplynk users who would recommend it.

NetScaler

Read 107 NetScaler reviews

2,721 Views
647 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Uplynk

Read 6 Uplynk reviews

467 Views
67 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

NetScaler

Uplynk

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 5, 2025

NetScaler and Uplynk compete in the application delivery and performance optimization category. NetScaler, with its robust feature set and high availability focus, tends to have an edge for businesses prioritizing security and integration with Citrix products, while Uplynk is favored for cost-efficiency and media capabilities.

Features: NetScaler offers load balancing, SSL offloading, and seamless integration with Citrix products that ensure high availability and security. It is particularly valued for its application delivery capabilities. Uplynk, meanwhile, excels in optimizing application performance and provides a robust platform specifically for streaming, making it ideal for media-focused applications.

Room for Improvement: NetScaler users point out the lack of innovation, occasional stability issues, and complexity in customizations. Enhancements in documentation and support are frequently requested, along with concerns over its pricing model. Uplynk faces criticism for its limited feature set, notably lacking comprehensive WAF capabilities, and users highlight the need for better reporting and simplified configurations.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: NetScaler is praised for its flexible deployment options, supporting on-premises, private, and hybrid clouds. However, its customer service is seen as inconsistent, with some users encountering delays. Uplynk, designed for public and private cloud deployment, is noted for its easy-to-use system and highly responsive support, appealing to organizations with less complicated needs.

Pricing and ROI: NetScaler requires a significant investment, often seen as a barrier due to its complex licensing, but it is regarded as delivering a good return on investment due to its reliability and comprehensive capabilities. In contrast, Uplynk is a more affordable option, though optional features can raise costs. Users often find Uplynk offers a favorable cost-to-benefit ratio, especially when mindful of budgets.

To learn more, read our detailed NetScaler vs. Uplynk Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

NetScaler vs. Uplynk

June 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

NetScaler

Ranking in Web Application Firewall (WAF)

14th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

107

Ranking in other categories

Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) (1st), Network Management Applications (5th)

Uplynk

Ranking in Web Application Firewall (WAF)

31st

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Data Replication (9th), CDN (8th), Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Protection (18th)

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Web Application Firewall (WAF) category, the mindshare of NetScaler is 3.2%, down from 3.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Uplynk is 0.8%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Web Application Firewall (WAF)

Featured Reviews

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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Eduardo Oviedo-Blanco

CTO and Game Developer at Solospace

A CDN solution to enhance loading times and streamline navigation

When one of the primary nodes spanning from North to South America, from the northern US to the southern US, became operational, it had a big impact. It can be challenging to explain its advantages to clients. The technical nature of the marketing material is too technical for stakeholders. Integrating the solution was straightforward, requiring no extra effort. Edgio Global CDN operates, resembling familiar cloud services but offering elevated functionality. Unlike platforms such as Google Cloud Platform or RIN geared towards development teams, Edgio emphasizes client-facing services that are integral to our operations. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

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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

"SSL Offload"

"Enables a Web service that offers persistent client-server connections, IP restriction, URL rewrite (such as remove "/assets/" path from client-side URL path), and cache for CSS or JS files... You can easily use the GUI to set up all these requirements on the same network device within 20-30 minutes. (If you do the same steps on CLI, it might take less time.)"

"The advantage of Citrix Web App and API Protection is just its graphic user interface for beginners. The solution is nothing special, but we have to use it for the corporation. Another advantage of Citrix Web App and API Protection is that we have our copy to test things and get the know-how of it."

"My customers have told me that the performance of this solution is good."

"It is the best product out there."

"NetScaler Gateway: Why? Availability/Security: We delivered more than 200 applications thru Xenapp. This feature give us the possibility to deliver the applications anywhere. Currently, 30% of access is made through our NetScaler Gateway (Internet connections)."

"I find all of it to be valuable, because of the flexibility that is built into this product."

"If you need PCI-compliance and have high security requirements, WAF is the most valuable feature. If you need to monitor your load-balancing services with complex types of monitoring, make sure everything is alright, and load balancing is important, Content Switching and Monitoring features are the keys to your needs. If you want to provide a lot of static images or data, the Caching feature works best for you."

More NetScaler pros

"It's super easy to use and integrate with."

"The tool's most valuable feature is the Uplynk platform for streaming purposes."

"The customer support and service responsiveness were excellent."

"The product is easy to use and easy to implement."

"The Rules Engine V4 is the most valuable feature."

Cons

"I think there is always room for improvement in this type of solutions. For example, I think the GUI should be easy to understand."

"Should offer more flexible cost-effective licensing for small to medium sized organizations."

"The WAF component needs to be simplified so that it is easier to use."

"The main areas for improvement would be around documentation and support. If a feature can be used in two or three ways, show that feature being used in all of those ways. Documentation seems to only cover the primary use case and leaves you to either run through trial and error or consult the user community. In terms of support, I have never actually had them solve any of my issues. I have always solved them myself and then provided the resolution to support."

"The configuration is complex, and only one or two people know how to assist when problems arise."

"Citrix NetScaler has been recently acquired by another company and the support has been negatively impacted, the solution is at its end of life. The support for the solution could improve. The sales team needs to be improved."

"The solution should be able to scale more effectively than it does."

"The vendor provides frequent patches, however, the security of the website has room for improvement."

More NetScaler cons

"In the next release, I would like to see more global endpoints for their CDN and a lower price."

"We could not create more than 15 custom rules."

"The web interface of the Verizon Edgecast portal is very old. It's not user-friendly, slow, and it is missing some valuable features like the ability to make bulk changes."

"The tool needs to resolve its lack of innovation."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"For the specific use case that my customers primarily engage with, I would give the pricing a rating of seven out of ten."

"NetScaler does the same thing as an F5 and it's cheaper."

"The client pays for the Citrix NetScaler license annually."

"Our licensing fees including technical support are approximately $3,500 USD."

"Licensing is adequate. I wanted to have a more prominent license, but until I do they don't give enough support. The additional cost would be too much."

"We have all the features and functions of Citrix because we have a premium license."

"We have a yearly licencing fee, and there are no additional costs."

"Costly product and complicated licensing."

More NetScaler pricing and cost advice

"Be careful about the options because to have all the features can be very expensive."

"The product is cheaper compared to other solutions."

"When I modeled it out, we are spending somewhere between $600 to $800 a month with Verizon EdgeCast."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Government

Educational Organization

Computer Software Company

14%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

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.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

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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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Edgio Global CDN?

The pricing was initially very expensive. However, after improving and restructuring the application, it became more affordable and now offers reasonable pricing.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Edgio Global CDN?

Regarding improvements, I focused on testing and compatibility to ensure reliability across various mobile devices. By writing comprehensive tests and leveraging Expo's capabilities, I ensured cons...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Edgio Global CDN?

I usually use the product for mobile development. At my last company, OmniTier, I worked as a senior principal software engineer, and one of my responsibilities was leading mobile app development. ...

See all answers

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F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) vs NetScaler

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VMWare Avi Load Balancer vs NetScaler

Compared 7% of the time

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Compared 20% of the time

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Compared 17% of the time

Akamai vs Uplynk

Compared 15% of the time

Windows Azure CDN vs Uplynk

Compared 14% of the time

Fastly vs Uplynk

Compared 7% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

NetScaler

May 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Data Replication

June 2025

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Also Known As

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

Edgio, Limelight Content Delivery, Limelight Orchestrate Delivery, Limelight Origin Storage, Global CDN, Verizon EdgeCast

Overview

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.

NetScaler

Uplynk is a robust platform providing CDN integration and optimized streaming services, improving user experience and application performance. It offers control over CDN caching, redirects, and asset transformations, supporting seamless asset management and mobile security.

Uplynk enhances application performance through efficient API calls, optimized web server loads, and robust CDN configurations. It ensures high availability and performance by leveraging Verizon EdgeCast CDN, crucial for managing high-volume traffic on e-commerce platforms. Though Uplynk excels in asset caching and mobile security with JWT tokens and AES encryption, some users note its global reach needs improvement, and its interface lacks modern user-friendliness. Deployment of new rules can be slower compared to competitors, while documentation and rate limiting features require enhancement. Despite this, Uplynk remains a preferred choice for organizations seeking streamlined web server load optimization and enhanced application performance.

What are Uplynk's key features?

Rules Engine V4: Manages CDN caching, redirects, and asset transformations.
Seamless Integration: Easily integrates with Verizon's existing offerings.
Efficient API Calls: Enhances streaming and application performance.
Staging Support: Testing in staging environments without impacting production.
Mobile Security: Includes JWT tokens and AES encryption.

What benefits should users expect in reviews?

Improved Load Times: Efficient CDN configurations enhance site speed.
Enhanced User Navigation: Optimized performance for high-volume traffic.
DDoS Protection: Layer 3, 4, and 7 protection for comprehensive security.
Performance Optimization: Mobile development and streamlined caching.

Organizations deploy Uplynk to optimize web server load, enhance streaming service performance and support high-traffic volume management, especially in e-commerce. Its security measures, combined with Verizon EdgeCast CDN, ensure high availability and reliable performance, enhancing mobile engagement through specialized frameworks.

Uplynk

Sample Customers

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

TD Ameritrade, Plus500, Solvay Bank, Yahoo, Deckers Brands, and Coach

Buyer's Guide

NetScaler vs. Uplynk

June 2025

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