F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) vs SonicWall SMA comparison

The compared F5 and SonicWall solutions aren't in the same category. F5 is ranked #2 in ADC , with an average rating of 8.9, and holds a 15.3% mindshare in the category. SonicWall is ranked #2 in UAG , with an average rating of 10.0, and holds a 50.0% mindshare. Additionally, 83% of F5 users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of SonicWall users who would recommend it.

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Man...

Read 121 F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) reviews

5,760 Views
4,645 Comparison Views

83% willing to recommend

SonicWall SMA

Read 14 SonicWall SMA reviews

60 Views
34 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Man...

SonicWall SMA

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) and SonicWall SMA based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) vs. SonicWall SMA Report (Updated: March 2020).

Buyer's Guide

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) vs. SonicWall SMA

March 2020

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Helped 860,632 peers since 2012

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 Local Traffic Man...

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

121

Ranking in other categories

Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) (2nd)

SonicWall SMA

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Universal Access Gateways (2nd), SSL VPN (7th), Enterprise Infrastructure VPN (18th)

Mindshare comparison

While both are Enterprise Networking solutions, they serve different purposes. F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) is designed for Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) and holds a mindshare of 15.3%, up 15.4% compared to last year.
SonicWall SMA, on the other hand, focuses on Universal Access Gateways, holds 50.0% mindshare, up 40.0% since last year.

Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)

Universal Access Gateways

Featured Reviews

Bonieber Orofeo

IT Manager at Chong Hua Hospital

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) ( /products/f5-big-ip-local-traffic-manager-ltm-reviews ) 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.

Read full review

Maheshbabu T

Project Manager at CGG

It allows us to provide CML-based access to any user, but the reporting could be better

I rate SonicWall SMA seven out of 10. If you're planning to implement this solution, I suggest checking the version to ensure it's compatible with your other technology. I say go for it if it's suitable for your use case. Multifactor authentication technologies are built into the product, whereas some products lack multifactor authentication. We need only one or two. They provide authentication, gateway integration, OTP integration, etc.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"iRule feature is useful."

"The web application firewall feature is the most valuable and useful feature. It is a leading industry product when it comes to load balancing. Its user interface is very simple. There isn't a steep learning curve. When we initiate someone to F5, they start using it quickly."

"It also has an AVR feature: application, visibility, and recording. It's good for customers looking for what is actually happening in their network and where the latency is."

"Traffic Learning is the most valuable feature."

"I've worked a little bit with iRules and it is amazing."

"One of the best features of the solution is the operating system."

"Features such as SSL offloading, various balancing methods, and the ability to work with HTTP, HTTPS, or TCP protocols are beneficial."

"We have multiple solutions we can deploy through the F5."

More F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) pros

"I like the load balancing capability."

"I am very satisfied with the technical support."

"Blocklisting and allowlisting are the most beneficial features for network security."

"The management and the dashboard are the solution's most valuable features."

"It is faster than other security options when using remote connections."

"The solution is reliable and has good overall performance."

"This solution has many options for remote desktop and access."

"I think they ask for a fair price."

More SonicWall SMA pros

Cons

"Certificate management needs improvement. I would like automated deployment of new certificates without manual intervention to be in the next release of this product."

"The license terms for "non-commercial" will are challenging for us."

"An area for improvement in F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) is that it's a high-priced product."

"The cost of the solution is pretty high. It would be ideal if it was more reasonable."

"If they made it easier for engineers to get F5 training then it would be better."

"A more intuitive interface would be helpful."

"The web interface could be better."

"Initial setup is tricky, if you do not understand the design of this product."

More F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) cons

"The solution has 2FA, it will generate a token and send it to an email, but multifactor authentication is not available. I would suggest that there should be MFA integration and provided with the appliance."

"Enhancing live tracking capabilities could improve the product, particularly in monitoring user activity and request statuses in real-time on the web interface."

"User interface could be improved."

"The solution could integrate better with other platforms."

"SonicWall's reporting isn't good. Reports should be part of a data plan. The login mechanism should be improved. It would be helpful if the client could use an agent to log in. An agent-server model would improve the performance of the RDB, which consumes a lot of bandwidth."

"I'd like to see the product maybe polish keyboards in Bookmark."

"The product itself is very good, but Dell needs to work on product visibility in their advertising."

"SonicWall SMA is difficult to use and it does not provide easy access to different parts of the network."

More SonicWall SMA cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"F5 is expensive."

"We purchased through the AWS Marketplace because it was a popular way to go, and we were intrigued. The price of this product is not an issue. They have good pricing and licensing."

"It's fair, it's not too expensive. Maybe just a little high."

"It is quite expensive as a product. Because it is very stable, it is also expensive."

"If you are planning to use security features, better to go for strong hardware and the best bundle license, which is great for web security."

"The tool is a bit expensive."

"Though functionality is high, its cost can be considered slightly higher than its competitors."

"The licensing pricing seems relatively easy enough to get your head around. I would advise anyone to ensure that you have a conversation with an F5 consultant before purchasing, as you would with most products."

More F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) pricing and cost advice

"All the costs are included in a bundled license."

"I don't know about the pricing of the SSL-VPN box. I know the SSL-VPN software is free. Global VPN client, by comparison, is licensed for around $150 or something like that. But the SSL-VPN software is free. It is already built-in with the box."

"Our licenses are stackable and can be anywhere from five users to a million users."

"The platform has medium pricing."

"The cost of the licensing is based on the maximum number of concurrent users, and it costs a lot to add them."

"This solution is priced well and we currently have the maximum number of licenses allowed."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

16%

Computer Software Company

13%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

18%

Construction Company

Retailer

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with F5 BIG-IP?

The price needs improvement as it is quite costly.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for F5 BIG-IP?

We're using F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) ( /products/f5-big-ip-local-traffic-manager-ltm-reviews ) for our applications and for managing our incoming and outgoing traffic.

See all answers

What do you like most about F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)?

The solution is robust and reliable.

See all answers

What do you like most about SonicWall SMA?

Blocklisting and allowlisting are the most beneficial features for network security.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SonicWall SMA?

The platform has medium pricing.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SonicWall SMA?

Enhancing live tracking capabilities could improve the product, particularly in monitoring user activity and request statuses in real-time on the web interface.

See all answers

Comparisons

Fortinet FortiADC vs F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)

Compared 19% of the time

Microsoft Azure Application Gateway vs F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)

Compared 8% of the time

VMWare Avi Load Balancer vs F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)

Compared 8% of the time

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

Compared 8% of the time

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

Compared 7% of the time

More F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) Competitors

Peplink SpeedFusion vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 20% of the time

SonicWall Netextender vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 17% of the time

Ivanti Connect Secure vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 16% of the time

Citrix Gateway vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 15% of the time

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 12% of the time

More SonicWall SMA Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)

July 2025

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) report

Download F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) product report

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall SMA

June 2025

Download SonicWall SMA product report

Also Known As

F5 BIG-IP, BIG-IP LTM, F5 ASM, Viprion, F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition , Crescendo Networks Application Delivery Controller, BIG IP

SonicWall Aventail, SonicWall SMA SSL-VPN, SonicWall Secure Mobile Access

Overview

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.

SonicWall SMA is a unified secure access gateway that enables organizations to provide anytime, anywhere and any device access to mission critical corporate resources. SMA's granular access control policy engine, context aware device authorization, application level VPN and advanced authentication with single sign-on empowers organizations to embrace BYOD and mobility in a hybrid IT environment.

SonicWall

Sample Customers

Riken, TransUnion, Tepco Systems Administration, Daejeon University, G&T Bank, Danamon, CyberAgent Inc.

UnitedStack, Newport City Homes, Faith Lutheran College Redlands, PRIME aerostructures GmbH, Celtic Manor Resort

Buyer's Guide

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) vs. SonicWall SMA

March 2020

Free Report: F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) vs. SonicWall SMA

Find out what your peers are saying about F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) vs. SonicWall SMA and other solutions. Updated: March 2020.

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See our F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) vs. SonicWall SMA report.

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