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F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs Idira Identity comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 2, 2026

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
6.8
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager offers cost savings, quick ROI, and enhances security by ensuring crucial access and reducing costs.
Sentiment score
5.0
CyberArk Identity offers time savings, financial benefits, improved security, and strategic focus, enhancing user experience and investment value.
I have seen over 30% return on investment due to the improvement in operational efficiencies through automation, which enhances productivity.
Private Wealth Advisor at Arima Fund Limited
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.8
F5 BIG-IP APM customer service receives mixed reviews, with some praising responsiveness and others citing delays and communication issues.
Sentiment score
6.4
CyberArk Identity garners mixed reviews on support and pricing, with satisfactory service but improvement needed in response and organization.
Even if they respond, they don't update me with the process or what's going on.
Professional Services Specialist at a security firm with 51-200 employees
Most of the technical support is managed in-house due to our extensive experience with F5 products.
Business Development Manager at Pylones
F5 technical support is responsive and helpful.
Solutions Manager at Macroview Telecom Limited
They resolved the problem immediately after I reported it, on the same day, within one hour.
Access Management Analyst at Telefónica
They respond immediately when requests are raised, and they are always available for priority one tickets.
Lead Identity Engineer at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees
I received prompt responses and support, which I would rate as very good.
Cybersecurity Delivery Analyst at Accenture
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.3
F5 BIG-IP APM scales for diverse deployments, offering flexibility and effective tools, though hardware limitations might challenge scalability.
Sentiment score
7.4
CyberArk Identity is praised for scalability, adaptability across environments, user support, flexible licensing, but noted for technical complexity.
The product's flexibility and company culture contribute to resolving these challenges.
Business Development Manager at Pylones
I would rate the scalability of F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) between seven and eight.
Solutions Manager at Macroview Telecom Limited
We can use it on different phones and computers, demonstrating its scalability.
Program associate at IMAGINE HER
When delving deep into the concepts, there is a lot to address and learn, especially when facing real-time scenarios.
Cybersecurity Delivery Analyst at Accenture
You can scale it out pretty easily, and you can implement it very small.
Cloud Specialist at Perini Beheer
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
F5 BIG-IP APM is praised for reliability, performance, and minimal bugs, with minor suggestions for log clarity improvement.
Sentiment score
8.0
CyberArk Identity is stable and reliable, with high availability, minor complexities, and demands for real-time status updates.
On a scale from one to ten for stability, I would rate F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) a ten.
Solutions Manager at Macroview Telecom Limited
Sometimes, the logs are not quite informational or easy to understand.
Professional Services Specialist at a security firm with 51-200 employees
We no longer have our data infiltrated by unauthorized persons, and tracking actions within the system has become very easy.
Private Wealth Advisor at Arima Fund Limited
When you have it in the cloud, you have CyberArk every time you need it.
Access Management Analyst at Telefónica
With a stable network, due to the redundant data centers across the globe, it is a lot easier to use as a SaaS solution.
Senior Cyber Security Specialist Architect at a outsourcing company with 11-50 employees
 

Room For Improvement

F5 BIG-IP APM requires improvements in pricing, cloud integration, user interface, documentation, support, and additional features for enhanced performance.
Enhancements are needed in scalability, integration, network management, AI effectiveness, and cost-ease balance for improved user experience.
If I could copy and paste objects instead of picking and configuring them from scratch each time, it would be great.
Professional Services Specialist at a security firm with 51-200 employees
The main improvement needed for F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is to integrate into the cloud-delivered services from F5.
Business Development Manager at Pylones
The ability to run the Anycast feature would be valuable, as the current solution only operates on-premises.
Senior Cyber Security Consultant at KoçSistem
It would be helpful if they released a generalized document for processes such as migration.
Cybersecurity Delivery Analyst at Accenture
Integration or deployment is extremely difficult for CyberArk Identity.
Head of IT at Skutin Solutions
There's a need to enhance network performance.
Senior Technology Manager at a outsourcing company with 501-1,000 employees
 

Setup Cost

F5 BIG-IP APM is costly but valued for high performance, with unpredictable cloud pricing and additional fees for features.
CyberArk Identity's high pricing offers good value, flexibility, discounts, and effectiveness for enterprises needing advanced identity management features.
F5 products are more expensive than other solutions but are valued for their quality and reliability.
Business Development Manager at Pylones
Regarding pricing, it can be quite a lot for small companies.
Access Management Analyst at Telefónica
The pricing is acceptable.
Program associate at IMAGINE HER
If I am not going fully cloud, there are additional resources I will need to purchase, such as spinning more VMs or acquiring an HSM device to encrypt the vault.
Head of IT at Skutin Solutions
 

Valuable Features

F5 BIG-IP APM offers secure remote access with SSL VPN, multi-factor authentication, and comprehensive integration and security features.
CyberArk Identity enhances security and user management with seamless integrations, robust SSO, MFA, and compliance with ISO and PCI DSS.
APM is quite flexible for customers to use, providing secure remote access through various host-checking conditions for both machines and users.
Solutions Manager at Macroview Telecom Limited
It provides robust security and offers integration with multi-factor authentication systems, which is crucial for an organization's security policy.
Business Development Manager at Pylones
A lot of features are useful to me, including mostly the authentication, SAML, or SSO, with no sign-on.
Professional Services Specialist at a security firm with 51-200 employees
It impacts zero trust security strategies. It prevents lateral movements in the organization.
Head of IT at Skutin Solutions
The two-factor authentication is very important, but the fact that every account is being regenerated every time we use it is the most important security feature for us.
Cloud Specialist at Perini Beheer
It is the most powerful access management system.
Access Management Analyst at Telefónica
 

Categories and Ranking

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Man...
Ranking in Access Management
15th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
18
Ranking in other categories
Secure Web Gateways (SWG) (20th), Network Access Control (NAC) (11th), SSL VPN (7th), Remote Access (19th)
Idira Identity
Ranking in Access Management
7th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
29
Ranking in other categories
Authentication Systems (9th), Identity Management (IM) (9th), Authorization Software (2nd), Enterprise Password Managers (9th), User Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) (10th), Active Directory Management (6th), Cloud Resource Access Management (3rd), Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) (6th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Access Management category, the mindshare of F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is 2.4%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Idira Identity is 3.5%, up from 3.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Access Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
CyberArk Identity3.5%
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)2.4%
Other94.1%
Access Management
 

Featured Reviews

Senior Cyber Security Consultant at KoçSistem
Has provided reliable policy controls and secure web access for large enterprises
I consider Cloudflare when evaluating centralized access control features; Cloudflare utilizes multi-factor authentication and full API support, while F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) needs to enhance its API support. I recommend F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) for large companies such as Tüpraş and Ford. Tüpraş is one of the biggest companies in Turkey, along with other customers such as Tofaş, Euroko, Koç Holding, and more. For on-premises deployment, I would rate it a 10. For cloud deployment, I would rate it a seven. I primarily use it on-premises. I rate F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) eight out of ten.
Hariharan Thangasamy - PeerSpot reviewer
Cybersecurity Delivery Analyst at Accenture
Has strengthened privileged access control and improved audit visibility through session monitoring and password rotation
On the identity product side, it is awesome. However, they can improve in the documentation parts. For example, if there is a migration process, I can see the maximum customers are moving from self-hosted to on-premises or from on-premises to the cloud. It would be helpful if they released a generalized document for processes such as migration. A clear overview document would assist us in understanding more about the tool, configurations, and automations to enhance our security. Regarding the initial setup of CyberArk Identity, I faced some challenges. At some points, I could not find proper documentation for deploying, enhancing, or integrating with other components. I could not find the proper documentation in the community portal.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
15%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Government
8%
Computer Software Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Construction Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise9
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business20
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise10
 

Questions from the Community

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.
What needs improvement with F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)?
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is not user-friendly and operates slowly. Additional features for architecture such as Anycast would be beneficial. The ability to run the Anycast feature woul...
What is your primary use case for F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)?
I am using F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) along with Bot Management, API Gateway, API Security, and F5 Cloud. I am using F5 Advanced WAF, but I switch between ZTNA solutions such as FortiSAS...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for CyberArk Identity?
I am not certain about CyberArk Identity's exact pricing model. For comparison, Okta was around five dollars per user. CyberArk Identity offers good discounts to some clients, which influences thei...
What needs improvement with CyberArk Identity?
We do not specifically use the password vaulting feature of CyberArk Identity. The centralized user dashboard of CyberArk Identity has not been that important for us. If it would be possible to sha...
What is your primary use case for CyberArk Identity?
It's not being purchased through AWS, but we're using CyberArk Identity as a SaaS solution. I think it's running on AWS, but we bought it directly from CyberArk.
 

Also Known As

F5 Access Policy Manager
Idaptive
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

City Bank, Ricacorp Properties, Miele, American Systems, Bangladesh Post Office
MLB, Citi, Pfizer, SulAmerica, GE Capital, Shiseido
Find out what your peers are saying about F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs. Idira Identity and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
896,692 professionals have used our research since 2012.