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F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition vs Sophos Central 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition
Ranking in AWS Marketplace
13th
Average Rating
8.6
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Sophos Central
Ranking in AWS Marketplace
4th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
8.5
Number of Reviews
39
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the AWS Marketplace category, the mindshare of F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition is 0.6%, down from 2.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sophos Central is 0.3%, down from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
AWS Marketplace
 

Featured Reviews

Lilian Blaitt - PeerSpot reviewer
Virtual deployment boosts efficiency and support is quick
In my company, we use NGINX. I don't work with NGINX. For us, it is better to have the virtual solution because we have more virtual VJPs on fewer machines. This is the reason we are using it today It's easy to use, and they have good support. When we open tickets, they are answered quickly, and…
Sandeepraj Gatla - PeerSpot reviewer
Cost-effective security management with a user-friendly interface, efficient resource utilization, and rapid response capabilities
While Sophos Central has demonstrated commendable functionality, there is room for improvement in the realm of automation. Specifically, addressing ransomware attacks often requires leveraging external tools, deploying virtual machines, and utilizing supplementary tools like Caliper Analytics for operations and security communication. The integration of these essential functionalities directly into the software would represent a significant enhancement, streamlining the incident response process and bolstering the platform's comprehensive threat mitigation capabilities. Furthermore, a valuable addition to future releases could involve augmenting the new screen component with advanced capabilities such as XML utilization and rule integration. This enhancement, especially pertinent to tools involved in sandboxing and virtual machines within the investigation process, would greatly streamline the analysis of logs and reports. This would prove particularly beneficial in the context of email analysis, spam attack detection, and other critical security aspects. By incorporating these features, Sophos Central could further elevate its utility in facilitating in-depth security analyses and response strategies.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I have a specific issue with the network interface connector, the NIC. We're limited to a maximum of two NICs in a virtualized environment. It's a limitation of the tool."
"It's easy to use, and they have good support."
"The integration capabilities of the product are easy to use, and there is no complexity involved in it."
"The tool's investment is less than a physical device."
"It has DoS layer 7 protection, which not many vendors have."
"The features that I like include LTM and Global Traffic Manager (GTM)."
"The product's initial setup phase is easy and user-friendly."
"The product's installation phase was easy."
"It is easy to save time using the Sophos Central centralized dashboard. It's definitely easier because you're in one place with all the products."
"The product is easy to use."
"The most valuable features of Sophos Central are total threat hunting and detection response."
"The level of protection offered by this antivirus product is highly commendable."
"The primary benefits include complete control over hardware devices and the valuable assistance provided in log shipment."
"Sophos Central is good. It's also free for all those firewalls because, from Sophos Central, we manage the firewalls and push the policies to the firewall."
 

Cons

"On-the-go upgrades are an option that the tool currently lacks, making it an area where improvements are required."
"BIG-IP could improve in supporting microservices, for example, in Docker and Kubernetes environments."
"F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition is a heavy system that needs a lot of CPU, memory, and hard disk."
"I have a specific issue with the network interface connector, the NIC. We're limited to a maximum of two NICs in a virtualized environment. It's a limitation of the tool."
"The tool has limitations with respect to code and RAM."
"It's expensive and could be cheaper."
"The firewall capabilities of Sophos Central need improvement."
"With the current hybrid work environment and travel requirements, having a mobile solution would greatly improve our ability to access and navigate Sophos Central on the go, enhancing the overall user experience and making it a more portable solution."
"It would be beneficial to incorporate automation."
"Sophos Central is not available in small packages in Indonesia."
"One area I would like to see improvement in Sophos Central is the multi-factor authentication process."
"The product must be made a little bit quicker."
"Improving the response time of the customer support team would be beneficial."
"There were challenges we faced with generating reports for the physical firewall in certain instances."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is standard."
"My company's customers need to make payments for the licensing charges attached to the product. It is an expensive product."
"I would rate the pricing a three out of ten, with ten being expensive."
"F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition is an expensive solution, but it's worth the price."
"Pricing is on a device basis."
"The tool's pricing is good."
"The product is inexpensive."
"The solution is moderately expensive."
"The product is not expensive."
"The pricing is highly affordable, with no additional costs."
"It is an expensive tool."
"It is not cheap, it is expensive. The price is too much."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
18%
Computer Software Company
13%
Retailer
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Comms Service Provider
18%
Manufacturing Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
14%
University
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition?
The integration capabilities of the product are easy to use, and there is no complexity involved in it.
What needs improvement with F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition?
It's expensive and could be cheaper. At the moment, I can't think of anything to improve.
What advice do you have for others considering F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition?
The solution is very good. I would rate the solution maybe ten out of ten.
What do you like most about Sophos Central?
One of the significant advantages of Sophos is its affordability compared to other technologies like Check Point and Fortinet.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sophos Central?
As we get more people, we just add another item or Sophos appliances, and then we are good to go.
What needs improvement with Sophos Central?
As a user, I suggest improving Sophos Central by addressing some error messages we occasionally encounter that we just do not know what they relate to, even when it says it has resolved them. To im...
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition vs. Sophos Central and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
857,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.