Microsoft Azure Application Gateway vs NetScaler comparison

Microsoft Azure Application...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 20, 2025

NetScaler and Microsoft Azure Application Gateway compete in the application delivery and security space. Based on features, deployment flexibility, and ROI, NetScaler appears to have the upper hand, especially for those utilizing Citrix products.

Features: NetScaler offers flexible deployment with TriScale architecture, SSL offload, load balancing, GSLB, and SSL VPNs. Microsoft Azure Application Gateway provides ease of use with WAF, traffic management, and integration with Azure services.

Room for Improvement: NetScaler is criticized for complex configuration, inconsistent support, and high licensing costs. Azure Application Gateway needs enhancements in flexibility, advanced security integrations, and improves support response times.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: NetScaler is available for on-premises, private, and hybrid clouds. Initial deployment is complex but integrates features well. Azure Application Gateway's cloud-based setup is simple, but support can be lacking in expertise and timeliness.

Pricing and ROI: NetScaler has high pricing due to additional features and licensing complexity but offers strong ROI. Azure Application Gateway offers competitive pricing and cost efficiency in Azure but may be costly compared to some alternatives.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Azure Application Gateway vs. NetScaler Report (Updated: May 2025).

Microsoft Azure Application Gateway vs. NetScaler

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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

Microsoft Azure Application...

Ranking in Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)

3rd

Ranking in Web Application Firewall (WAF)

3rd

Average Rating

7.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

NetScaler

Ranking in Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)

1st

Ranking in Web Application Firewall (WAF)

14th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

107

Ranking in other categories

Network Management Applications (5th)

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Azure Application Gateway is 7.5%, down from 10.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetScaler is 14.5%, down from 16.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)

Featured Reviews

Bonieber Orofeo

IT Manager at Chong Hua Hospital

Application gateway optimizes performance and simplifies cloud transitions

There are a lot of things I appreciate about Microsoft Azure Application Gateway. Microsoft Azure Application Gateway is beneficial for us as it helps in publishing our website, providing us comfort when it comes to the availability of our applications. The autoscaling feature in Microsoft Azure Application Gateway is very obvious, and I have no issues with it; it is well planned and organized. Microsoft Azure Application Gateway impacts our cost savings while maintaining higher performance. The Web Application Firewall (WAF) in Microsoft Azure Application Gateway has been very effective in protecting applications from security threats. Microsoft Azure Application Gateway helps us manage our AI-driven applications by enabling faster transactions, improving our work.

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DEMİRHAN ÇAVUŞOĞLU

Cloud Consultant at Migros Ticaret A.Ş.

A tool for centralized management including inventory and sales tracking

Citrix ADM has the ability to implement policies to tighten security. For instance, you can restrict access to your network from outsiders or lack necessary security measures such as antivirus programs. Additionally, there's the Delivery Controller, which allows for comprehensive monitoring and management tasks such as remote restarts, maintenance, and registration. Another essential component is the Director, which provides detailed insights into sessions, including identifying session failures, connection issues, user lockouts, etc. It presents a list of problems to address, enabling you to click on them and resolve them efficiently.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution provides great automation and it is easy to upgrade service."

"I rate Microsoft Azure Application Gateway's scalability a ten out of ten. My company has more than 1000 users who use it daily."

"Using policies to link and manage these URL-based routing configurations is also valuable."

"The most valuable features of Microsoft Azure Application Gateway are the policies, the data store they are using, and the cloud platform it operates on."

"The health probe is pretty good for your backend health. It tells you whether it's communicating and talking to the endpoint correctly. It is quite useful."

"The load balancing features are valuable."

"The solution integrates different applications and APIs securely, enhancing overall security and network optimization."

"The tool helps manage microservices by providing developers with a platform to conduct tests and assessments on the web application. The custom domain option is one of the most valuable features I've found. This feature is incredibly helpful for the end-users of the web application. With the custom domain feature, you can change the lengthy link to a shorter, more memorable one. For example, instead of using a lengthy default link, you can customize it to something like imail.com, which is much easier to remember and share."

More Microsoft Azure Application Gateway pros

"Scalability is great. One of the best features of NetScaler is that it can scale out."

"The stability is good. If there is a problem, the load will be shifted to other sites automatically, which has been a good experience for us."

"The solution improves security performance."

"The web application firewalling component is a powerful feature."

"Unified Gateway allows me to provide secure external access to applications for suppliers and customers while requiring Multi-Factor Authentication."

"We use the solution's IP Reputation and bot protection features."

"I find all of it to be valuable, because of the flexibility that is built into this product."

"The solution is very stable."

More NetScaler pros

Cons

"In future releases of Microsoft Azure Application Gateway, I would to see more AI functionalities and a better dashboard as well as some customizations."

"In the next release, the solution could improve the integration with Service Mesh and other Azure Security Services."

"It could be easier to change servicing."

"The pricing of the solution is a bit high. The solution should offer different pricing systems."

"Microsoft Azure Application Gateway's first deployment is complex. It needs to improve its pricing."

"The product's performance should be better."

"Microsoft Azure Application Gateway is not scalable."

"The solution can sometimes feel a little cumbersome unless you're a professional infrastructure person."

More Microsoft Azure Application Gateway cons

"The WAF component needs to be simplified so that it is easier to use."

"I feel that Citrix NetScaler's customer support needs to improve."

"We face challenges with the solution's firmware upgrades frequently."

"The tool needs to add a feature where we can access the network policy access manager."

"I would like to see them make it easier to do some of the more complex things. For example, a web re-direct requires two pieces to it. You have two ports and when people want to go to a web page, they just type in the webpage that on the backend it will redirect them to a secure link. The initial setup of that is cumbersome because you have to do it twice. There are things that can be replicated. The IP address, for example, is the same. This change would go a long way. Don't make me do it twice and don't make me have to read tons of documentation to figure out how to do it. Ease of configuration for some of the more complex processes would be a good improvement."

"The interface needs to be improved because the competition is coming up with ones that are more eye-catching, straightforward, and sophisticated."

"Quality assurance could improve by ironing out security vulnerabilities before releasing upgrades."

"An area for improvement would be the difficulty in finding information about standard licensing costs over the internet. They should provide some reference prices on the net to be quickly referred to."

More NetScaler cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is a need to pay a fixed price per month to use the product. There are no additional payments to be made to Microsoft apart from the charges paid towards the monthly licensing costs attached to the solution."

"The price of the solution can be reduced a bit."

"The pricing is based on how much you use the solution."

"I rate the price of Microsoft Azure Application Gateway an eight out of ten."

"The product is not expensive."

"Every solution comes with a license and cost. Microsoft provides the license and the total cost is for the maintenance every year."

"Between v1 and v2, there is a lot of change in the pricing. It is very costly compared to AWS."

"It is not expensive."

More Microsoft Azure Application Gateway pricing and cost advice

"For the specific use case that my customers primarily engage with, I would give the pricing a rating of seven out of ten."

"I give the price of the solution a seven out of ten."

"Citrix ADM costs us approximately $5000 per month."

"The pricing for Citrix Web App and API Protection is unreasonable. I don't know the exact price, but I heard it's tens of thousands and it's a bit too much for the small country I live in."

"The tool is cheap."

"The pricing could be lower."

"It is very pricey, but we get it. If you need the best, money shouldn't be a problem."

"We have been evaluating F5, Citrix, and other ADC products. Citrix is the most expense of all of them."

More NetScaler pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Government

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What's the difference between Azure Front Door and Application Gateway?

We found Azure Front Door to be easily scaled and very stable. The implementation is very fast and Microsoft provides excellent support. Azure Front Door can quickly detect abnormalities before the...

How does AWS WAF compare to Microsoft Azure Application Gateway?

Our organization ran comparison tests to determine whether Amazon’s Web Service Web Application Firewall or Microsoft Azure Application Gateway web application firewall software was the better fit ...

What do you like most about Microsoft Azure Application Gateway?

Application Gateway automatically redirects unwanted users and takes care of the security aspect. It also handles the performance side of things, which is why we use it.

What do you like most about Citrix ADC?

The most valuable feature for us is the application firewalling in Citrix NetScaler, ensuring only valid traffic enters our environment.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Citrix ADC?

After deployment, Citrix Netscaler shifted to a subscription-based license scheme for support, which is slightly more expensive.

What needs improvement with Citrix ADC?

Citrix NetScaler is a robust product, but mastering it requires significant learning and training due to its complexity. While it could be easier to manage, it is like transitioning from driving a ...

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Product Reports

Microsoft Azure Application Gateway

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Microsoft Azure Application Gateway report

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Also Known As

Azure Application Gateway, MS Azure Application Gateway

Citrix ADC, Citrix NetScaler VPX, NetScaler Console, NetScaler Web Application Firewall

Overview

Azure Application Gateway is a web traffic load balancer that enables you to manage traffic to your web applications. Traditional load balancers operate at the transport layer (OSI layer 4 - TCP and UDP) and route traffic based on source IP address and port, to a destination IP address and port.

To learn more about our solution, ask questions, and share feedback, join our Microsoft Security, Compliance and Identity Community.

Microsoft

One platform for a consistent application delivery and security experience because nobody has time to learn multiple systems to manage ADC deployments. NetScaler is built with a single code base using a software-based architecture, so no matter which ADC form factor you choose — hardware, virtual machine, bare metal, or container — the behavior will be the same.

Sample Customers

Lilly, AccuWeather, AIRFRANCE, Honeywell

ABB Schweiz, Aer Lingus, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Amnet Technology Solutions, Aramex International, Ascenty, Atos, Autodesk

Microsoft Azure Application Gateway vs. NetScaler