No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs SonicWall Global VPN Client 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

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Man...
Ranking in SSL VPN
7th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
Secure Web Gateways (SWG) (18th), Network Access Control (NAC) (11th), Remote Access (18th), Access Management (14th)
SonicWall Global VPN Client
Ranking in SSL VPN
9th
Average Rating
10.0
Reviews Sentiment
4.8
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the SSL VPN category, the mindshare of F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is 4.6%, down from 12.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall Global VPN Client is 2.9%, up from 2.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
SSL VPN Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)4.6%
SonicWall Global VPN Client2.9%
Other92.5%
SSL VPN
 

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.
Winsley De Oliveira - PeerSpot reviewer
Owner at ANOC
Reliable and efficient remote access boosts our network management capabilities
The SonicWall Global VPN Client is a very good product. Once I was connected for four days in a row with no faults or interruptions. It's fast, stable, and works. It's simple and effective. We use robust encryption protocols with the SonicWall Global VPN Client. These protocols help with maintaining confidentiality and security of the network data across our organization. Today it's a fact that you have to cryptograph your servers, hard disks, desktops, everything. The VPN is just part of that. The experience with the setup process and user interface of the SonicWall Global VPN Client is very easy. With the SonicWall Global VPN Client, you create a connection to the firewall, set up the cryptographic settings, keys, and passwords. Then download, create a download file, import in the client, enter username and password, and it's done. It is absolutely very simple.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I rate the overall solution nine out of ten."
"F5 BIG-IP APM is relatively easy to use."
"A lot of features are useful to me, including mostly the authentication, SAML, or SSO, with no sign-on."
"It was very stable, the solution itself."
"I recommend F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) to others due to its reliability, and it is perceived as critical to security infrastructure."
"The most valuable feature is the virtual IP creation. It's our most frequently used feature."
"The solution is stable and reliable."
"On a scale from one to ten for stability, I would rate F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) a ten."
"This VPN has a secure tunnel created between the end user and the standard machine. This secure connection facilitates the transfer of data without compromising on security or speed."
"The switch to SonicWall Global VPN was driven by its superior ease of use and more straightforward setup than previous solutions."
"It simplifies connecting remote clients to secure networks without extensive configuration."
 

Cons

"The operational deployment is not great and can be improved."
"Cloud services are something that F5 Access Policy Manager could do better."
"Integrating identity providers and single sign-on solutions can simplify user authentication and access control."
"If I could copy and paste objects instead of picking and configuring them from scratch each time, it would be great."
"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."
"F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) does not have a direction for SaaS."
"The solution is quite costly."
"In my opinion, the GUI side needs some improvement based on my usage. Sometimes, it doesn't work as efficiently as the CLI side."
"When it comes to the Windows VPN client, I find security to be a significant concern. It's not secure and it's very unstable."
"The product's integration process needs improvement with certain regional network configurations, especially in locations where ISP practices can affect performance."
"There is always a delay in response when I try to work on the VPN."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product is very expensive."
"Recently, they have simplified the licensing"
"The tool is a little bit expensive."
"It is a cost-effective product."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which SSL VPN solutions are best for your needs.
909,725 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
8%
Construction Company
7%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise9
No data available
 

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 SonicWall Global VPN Client?
In terms of pricing, normally a firewall box or appliance comes with some licenses. When we develop a solution for a company with a hundred users, normally 10% of that has remote access. So 10 VPN ...
What needs improvement with SonicWall Global VPN Client?
The only thing that we don't really appreciate about SonicWall, not specifically SonicWall but in general, is the SSL VPNs. We're still using GVC, the SonicWall Global VPN Client. The SonicWall Glo...
What is your primary use case for SonicWall Global VPN Client?
I have been using the SonicWall Global VPN Client for thirty years. We have a company here in Brazil that has extensive access to our customers' networks, all through site-to-site VPNs for managing...
 

Also Known As

F5 Access Policy Manager
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

City Bank, Ricacorp Properties, Miele, American Systems, Bangladesh Post Office
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs. SonicWall Global VPN Client and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
909,725 professionals have used our research since 2012.