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F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) vs SecureLink vs Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

Mindshare comparison

Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)15.9%
NetScaler14.3%
HAProxy11.3%
Other58.5%
Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
SecureLink0.7%
OpenVPN Access Server Enterprise15.3%
Fortinet FortiClient10.5%
Other73.5%
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
ZTNA as a Service Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform17.4%
Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks14.0%
Cato SASE Cloud Platform12.6%
Other56.0%
ZTNA as a Service
 

Featured Reviews

Bonieber  Orofeo - PeerSpot reviewer
Identifying compromised traffic and securing data has been a significant advantage
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. Additionally, the security aspect of it provides a significant advantage as it helps us secure our data, which is a major investment and benefit for us. Before using this system, we had difficulties in storing our data and managing the traffic that comes in and out.
FS
Efficient technical support with good synchronization features, but it needs better security
We would like to be to secure access to all of the servers for all of the internal workers and engineers. We would like to have tools that provide us with security for our servers. I would like to see an improved repository to better see the users. We have a new project that requires a lot of security we will not continue with SecureLink. The security features offered in SecureLink are not enough.
Sumit Bhanwala - PeerSpot reviewer
Cloud-based platform simplifies device and data center management
I find it to be good. The solution is cloud-based with the latest inspection engines, which I find to be amazing. We are less dependent on data centers and device management, which reduces our efforts significantly. It improves our device management, data center management, and updating devices. We need fewer engineers for this management, and it reduces time and efforts for data center management, device upgrades, and IT support.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The F5 interface is easy to use."
"There is a lot of documentation available."
"We have multiple solutions we can deploy through the F5."
"it has TCP LAN and WAN optimization features. It has has caching."
"F5 BIG-IP is used with good applications and functions as an application firewall with additional features. We will not use any feature or any service unless there is a business case and there is a need for implementation."
"NetFlow balancing and traffic balancing are good features."
"It integrates with AWS WAF, which makes it easy to deploy without changes to your infrastructure."
"Tech support has been very quick to respond to all of the needs that we've had. If you want ad-hoc support. They also provide professional services that you can purchase as well."
"The most valuable feature is synchronizing the limited access for partners or sub-contractors."
"The most valuable features of this solution are the CASB solutions, which is protecting their Office 365."
"It is a very scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"The most valuable aspect of Zscaler Cloud DLP is its automatic DLP feature."
"As a cloud-based service, it is very easily implemented."
"It is a stable solution."
"It's one of the easier products on the market as far as set-ups and deployments. Even across their whole product suite, they've made it pretty simple."
"It has some good data security and WIP features, providing secure Internet access."
"What I find most valuable in Zscaler Private Access is that it's a VPN. Its connectivity as a VPN is its most valuable feature."
 

Cons

"The license terms for "non-commercial" will be a challenge for us."
"Improvements should enable customers to build a tailor-made solution in the future through a service portal."
"In terms of what could be improved, I would expect more integration with different platforms and more integration with the backend systems. Additionally, in the next release, I would like a more secure version."
"Security enhancement should be more user friendly."
"Technical support is somewhat slow and could be improved."
"I would like there to be more device security. I would like the tool to support SSL links, along with SSL and TLS."
"The solution could improve the documentation."
"I would like them to have more flexible models."
"The security features offered in SecureLink are not enough."
"More on-prem infrastructure is required when Zscaler Private Access is to be implemented as a single point of entry."
"There is improvement in enhancing proper manageability, policies, and logs. So, log management could be improved."
"Users report application access or latency issues with Zscaler Private Access."
"The product is not reliable."
"The granularity in blocking is not sufficient, as new domains are automatically blocked for 30 days without further information."
"The solution needs to improve a lot of aspects."
"User management can be improved."
"It has massive room for improvement. The Zscaler product itself is okay, but it doesn't give enough granularity for us as an organization to stipulate rules or processes, especially for data-driven services. For instance, we can stick on SSL inspection, but it's just a click box. It doesn't allow us to go any further into the detail of the SSL inspection. We also can't pull it out without having an additional logging server. It just doesn't give us enough granularity. They should give us more control over the interfaces because it is all backend. They weren't very open to discussing their backend architecture with us in terms of their own data centers. They can maybe a little bit more open about what components are there and how the backend infrastructure works alongside Zscaler. Its licensing can be better. Some of the additional licensing costs are quite high, and they should have certain features ready and available as a baseline rather than having to purchase additional licenses for it. Their support should also be improved. I initially had a consultant from Zscaler for its deployment, but the support that I had throughout the deployment of the project wasn't the best."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Try to negotiate all the software features that you require upfront."
"F5 BIG-IP is a stable solution. It is quite mature and does not have many concerns."
"There are no additional fees to the standard licensing fee; everything is paid once."
"There are a few licensing options available for F5 BIG-IP LTM. You can have a perpetual license which is a lifetime license. You then only need to renew the support, if you choose to open a ticket with the support."
"Unless the price difference is large, this is not the primary concern for the product. The performance and product-related issues (secure for VPN, multi-function for network device, etc.) are the keys."
"I found F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) an expensive product. The costs would depend on the appliance and infrastructure size. However, my company didn't have to pay extra to use additional features."
"The price should be reduced because it is expensive when compared to the competition."
"Purchasing through the AWS Marketplace was very simple. The main reason that we went this way was the simplicity of buying it there. It is maintained and upgraded for us, and this makes it easy to stay current."
"We are not happy with the recent increase in the price."
"In the long run, cloud services are not inherently costly."
"As per industry leads, Zscaler CASB is an expensive solution."
"Zscaler CASB is an expensive solution."
"In terms of market positioning, I would describe Zscaler Private Access as offering optimal pricing. Based on our experience, Cato Networks tends to be slightly more expensive."
"The cost is expensive. It depends on the number of users."
"It has been relatively reasonable for what it does. Some of the additional license costs based on the advanced next-generation firewall functions are quite high, and they should have certain features ready and available as a baseline rather than having to purchase additional licenses for it. Overall, the cost seems reasonable."
"The pricing is expensive and on the higher end. Honestly, in my opinion, it is not worth the price."
"The solution is expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
16%
Computer Software Company
12%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Healthcare Company
31%
Performing Arts
8%
Non Profit
6%
Media Company
6%
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Insurance Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business62
Midsize Enterprise31
Large Enterprise84
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business16
Midsize Enterprise11
Large Enterprise41
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with F5 BIG-IP?
The GUI of F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) could be improved. It's not something regarding how it processes or ...
What is your primary use case for F5 BIG-IP?
F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) is a perfect product for load balancing and WAF, and I would recommend it far m...
Ask a question
Earn 20 points
What is the better solution - Prisma Access or Zscaler Private Access?
We looked into Prisma Access before choosing Zscaler Private Access (ZPA). Palo Alto’s Prisma Access is a secure ac...
What do you like most about Zscaler SASE?
The most valuable features of Zscaler Private Access are reliability, scalability, and availability.
What needs improvement with Zscaler SASE?
The solution needs to improve a lot of aspects.
 

Also Known As

F5 BIG-IP, BIG-IP LTM, F5 ASM, Viprion, F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition , Crescendo Networks Application Delivery Controller, BIG IP
No data available
Zscaler SASE, Zscaler DLP, Zscaler CASB, Zscaler CSPM, Zscaler Browser Isolation, Zscaler Posture Control
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Riken, TransUnion, Tepco Systems Administration, Daejeon University, G&T Bank, Danamon, CyberAgent Inc.
NISC, Sotera Wireless, InterSystems, Allscripts, Cerner, Allscripts
Siemens, AutoNation, GE, NOV
Find out what your peers are saying about NetScaler, F5, HAProxy and others in Application Delivery Controllers (ADC). Updated: August 2025.
867,821 professionals have used our research since 2012.