Ivanti Connect Secure vs SonicWall SMA comparison

Ivanti and SonicWall are both solutions in the SSL VPN category. Ivanti is ranked #4 with an average rating of 6.6, while SonicWall is ranked #8 with an average rating of 10.0. Ivanti holds a 23.0% mindshare in SV, compared to SonicWall’s 5.1% mindshare. Additionally, 78% of Ivanti users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of SonicWall users who would recommend it.

Ivanti Connect Secure

Read 28 Ivanti Connect Secure reviews

1,165 Views
753 Comparison Views

78% willing to recommend

SonicWall SMA

Read 14 SonicWall SMA reviews

250 Views
142 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Ivanti Connect Secure

SonicWall SMA

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

SonicWall SMA and Ivanti Connect Secure compete in secure remote access solutions. While SonicWall SMA stands out for pricing and customer support, Ivanti Connect Secure dominates with feature richness, making it the more robust choice for many users.

Features: SonicWall SMA provides secure access gateways with comprehensive security tools, easy scalability, and reliable performance. It is also user-friendly and includes proprietary security technologies like Capture ATP for enhanced protection. Ivanti Connect Secure offers robust VPN capabilities, seamless enterprise integration, and strong endpoint protection, focusing on advanced security measures and application rewriting for thorough protection.

Room for Improvement: SonicWall SMA could enhance its customization capabilities and expand integration options with more third-party solutions. Additionally, offering broader support for more advanced enterprise environments could benefit users. Ivanti Connect Secure might improve its deployment ease, streamline its extensive features for more straightforward usage, and reduce the complexity of its initial setup for faster implementation.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SonicWall SMA boasts a swift deployment process supported by clear documentation and strong customer service, minimizing downtime. Ivanti Connect Secure requires a more complex deployment model because of its customization options, which can demand more initial effort. However, its dedicated customer service aligns with these sophisticated needs, ensuring effective support.

Pricing and ROI: SonicWall SMA offers cost-effective options with competitive pricing, providing quick ROI through its affordability and speedy setup. Ivanti Connect Secure demands a higher initial investment, reflecting its expansive feature set. Despite the cost, the investment proves worthwhile as businesses leverage its advanced capabilities for greater security and operational efficiency over time.

To learn more, read our detailed Ivanti Connect Secure vs. SonicWall SMA Report (Updated: May 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Ivanti Connect Secure vs. SonicWall SMA

May 2025

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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

Ivanti Connect Secure

Ranking in SSL VPN

4th

Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

11th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SonicWall SMA

Ranking in SSL VPN

8th

Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

19th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Universal Access Gateways (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the SSL VPN category, the mindshare of Ivanti Connect Secure is 23.0%, up from 19.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall SMA is 5.1%, up from 3.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

SSL VPN

Featured Reviews

Johan Derycke

Network Security Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Reliable remote access and tunneling enhance work efficiency, but upgrade processes need improvement

Ivanti needs improvement in its seamless upgrade and migration procedures, particularly with the browser components, which are fragile and sometimes cause issues depending on the Windows version, the browser version, and the different modules being used. On the client side, browser-initiated sessions are complex and require a more robust approach for non-admin users.

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

"The most valuable feature is being able to securely connect and use virtual desktops."

"The best feature of Pulse Connect Secure is the good security it provides. It gives a secure connection to your network."

"The most valuable features of Pulse Connect Secure are multi-factor authentications, and VPNs and SSL VPNs we are using."

"Ivanti secures access to the corporate network from various devices and locations."

"It's a very convenient and user-friendly application."

"It is customer-friendly. It is quite easy for our users to connect. There is also the flexibility of the features."

"The solution helps with principal decisions. It also helps with the security and configuration of many technologies."

"This is a very secure and stable tool."

More Ivanti Connect Secure pros

"I think they ask for a fair price."

"What I like best about SonicWall SMA is the relationship between its features and its price, because the solution is both affordable and functional."

"The performance is good."

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

"SonicWall SMA has the most valuable feature of proprietary security technologies like Capture ATP."

"Secure Mobile Access (SMA) is easy to configure and the deployment is straightforward. However, this is mostly because of the AWS setup."

"I like the load balancing capability."

"SonicWall SMA allows us to provide CML-based access to any user."

More SonicWall SMA pros

Cons

"I would like the solution to be more secure and compatible. It also needs to improve integration with other systems."

"At the moment, Pulse Connect Secure is a pretty good solution, and I don't see any issues with it. Currently, I'm not aware of a new or additional feature that's needed in Pulse Connect Secure, but it would be good if the team could look at how the speed of connection could be increased. Though it's quite seamless and I didn't face any problem with the speed, it would be better to improve the speed and keep going forward, especially as the industry's changing and people would love connections to be a lot faster."

"Ivanti needs improvement in its seamless upgrade and migration procedures, particularly with the browser components, which are fragile and sometimes cause issues depending on the Windows version, the browser version, and the different modules being used."

"Connection-wise, Pulse Connect Secure could be faster, and this is its area for improvement."

"The solution can be improved by addressing the failure to connect on public 2-step networks."

"Pulse Connect Secure could improve the reporting, it is lacking in detail and should take the report automatically."

"The user experience has room for improvement."

"We want to switch to another solution because there are some challenges with the support from Pulse. The quality of documentation is also not good. It is sometimes very hard to find documentation that provides a solution and describes how all this works."

More Ivanti Connect Secure cons

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

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

"The problem is that when combined with what the client already has, there are two different logins and two different management systems, and these should be consolidated into a single interface."

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

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

"The timed synchronization between the network appliance needs improvement."

"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."

"The product's technical support services could be improved."

More SonicWall SMA cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing for Pulse Connect Secure is not low and not high, so it's good. It's a six out of ten for me, price-wise."

"I rate the product price a six to seven on a scale of one to ten, where one is a low price, and ten is a high price."

"A license is required for you to use Pulse Connect Secure, but I'm not aware of how much it costs."

"The price of Pulse Connect Secure is expensive."

"The pricing is quite nominal. We pay on a yearly basis."

"Pulse Connect Secure is relatively cost-effective."

"The cost of the product is high, but worth it because of the utility and great product support."

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

"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."

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

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

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

19%

Construction Company

Comms Service Provider

Retailer

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Pulse Connect Secure?

From an end-user perspective, the setup phase is easy.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Pulse Connect Secure?

Ivanti has always been known to be pricey, making it a rather high-cost solution.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Pulse Connect Secure?

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 FortiClient vs Ivanti Connect Secure

Compared 20% of the time

Ivanti Secure Access vs Ivanti Connect Secure

Compared 17% of the time

Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) vs Ivanti Connect Secure

Compared 8% of the time

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs Ivanti Connect Secure

Compared 7% of the time

Check Point Harmony SASE (formerly Perimeter 81) vs Ivanti Connect Secure

Compared 2% of the time

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Peplink SpeedFusion vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 21% of the time

SonicWall Netextender vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 18% of the time

Citrix Gateway vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 13% of the time

Fortinet FortiClient vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 13% of the time

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 10% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Ivanti Connect Secure

May 2025

Download Ivanti Connect Secure product report

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall SMA

May 2025

Download SonicWall SMA product report

Also Known As

Pulse Connect Secure

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

Overview

Ivanti Connect Secure provides a seamless, cost-effective SSL VPN solution for remote and mobile users from any web-enabled device to corporate resources— anytime, anywhere.

Ivanti

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

Axcient, Baloise Group, Cygate, Catholic University of America, Datec Inc, Revlon, Santa Monica Networks, 7-Eleven

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

Buyer's Guide

Ivanti Connect Secure vs. SonicWall SMA

May 2025

Free Report: Ivanti Connect Secure vs. SonicWall SMA

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