

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager and LoadBalancer Enterprise compete in the load balancing and application traffic management category. F5 BIG-IP LTM appears to have the upper hand due to its high performance and advanced features, although its higher cost can be a disadvantage.
Features: F5 BIG-IP LTM offers load balancing, SSL offloading, and custom traffic management via iRules, making it ideal for complex environments. It integrates well with Eclipse and .NET and provides Application Visibility and Reporting. LoadBalancer Enterprise focuses on effective load balancing with simplicity, appealing to organizations that prefer less complexity. It offers customizable features and straightforward management.
Room for Improvement: F5 BIG-IP LTM could enhance its pricing model for smaller enterprises and improve ease of use in its GUI and logging capabilities. Users have noted the complexity of some modules and the need for better administration tools. LoadBalancer Enterprise can improve by expanding security functionalities and simplifying certain configurations.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: F5 BIG-IP LTM supports various deployment environments, though some users find initial setup complex. LoadBalancer Enterprise is known for straightforward deployment and affordability. Both products are praised for customer support, although F5's support can face delays with complex inquiries.
Pricing and ROI: F5 BIG-IP LTM is recognized for its high cost but is justified by its performance and security offerings. LoadBalancer Enterprise is considered an affordable solution with transparent pricing, providing a good balance between cost and capability. Users value the ROI from both solutions, although F5's high initial investment is a consideration for smaller organizations.
The major return on investment is the security of our data.
I would rate the technical support of F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) nine out of ten.
The product is costly.
One of the most beneficial features of F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) is its ability to identify compromised traffic and its capabilities in authentication.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) | 15.7% |
| LoadBalancer Enterprise | 4.2% |
| Other | 80.1% |


| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 62 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 31 |
| Large Enterprise | 84 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 9 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 2 |
| Large Enterprise | 12 |
F5 BIG-IP LTM optimizes the speed and reliability of your apps via both network and application layers. Using real-time protocol and traffic management decisions based on app and server and connection management conditions, and TCP and content offloading, BIG-IP LTM dramatically improves application and infrastructure responsiveness. BIG-IP LTM's architecture includes protocol awareness to control traffic for the most important applications. BIG-IP LTM tracks the dynamic performance levels of servers and delivers SSL performance and visibility for inbound and outbound traffic, to protect the user experience by encrypting everything from the client to the server.
BIG-IP LTM provides enterprise-class Application Delivery Controller (ADC). You get granular layer 7 control, SSL offloading and acceleration capabilities, and advanced scaling technologies that deliver performance and reliability on-demand. The highly optimized TCP/IP stack combines TCP/IP techniques and improvements in the latest RFCs with extensions to minimize the effect of congestion and packet loss and recovery. Independent testing tools and customer experiences show LTM's TCP stack delivers up to a 2x performance gain for users and a 4x increase in bandwidth efficiency.
LoadBalancer Enterprise offers a reliable, high-availability solution designed for efficient load distribution and a user-friendly interface, catering to teams with foundational network expertise.
LoadBalancer Enterprise enhances network performance through effective traffic routing, monitoring, and high availability. Users benefit from SSL termination with SNI and Layer 7 load balancing, ensuring seamless connections with reduced complexity compared to alternatives. While known for its user-friendly approach, improvements in configuration simplicity, scalable hardware upgrades, and enhanced notification systems are often discussed for better user experience. Additional demands include HTTP API access, automated configuration backups, DNS load balancing, and enhanced graphing data capabilities. Competitive pricing and heightened security for sensitive data are frequently requested. Interface refresh issues and Microsoft compatibility are noted among users, who deploy it for SSL/HTTP traffic management, redundancy, failover capabilities, web filtering, and cloud migration support.
What are LoadBalancer Enterprise's key features?LoadBalancer Enterprise is implemented across industries for managing SSL/HTTP traffic, enhancing network reliability, and providing failover capabilities. It supports web filtering, balances Exchange and application servers, facilitates cloud migration, and manages multiple ISP lines for optimal traffic distribution across web applications and services, including SIP provisioning. Industries also use it for enhancing security with web application firewalls, DNS sharing, and application publishing.
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