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Sangfor SSL VPN vs SonicWall SMA comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

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

Sangfor SSL VPN
Ranking in SSL VPN
8th
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
16th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SonicWall SMA
Ranking in SSL VPN
7th
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
18th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
Universal Access Gateways (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the SSL VPN category, the mindshare of Sangfor SSL VPN is 3.1%, up from 2.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall SMA is 4.8%, up from 3.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
SSL VPN
 

Featured Reviews

Wajeeh Ul Hasan . - PeerSpot reviewer
A secure and user-friendly solution that is simple to implement and configure
We used Sangfor SSL VPN to access our servers from home during COVID-19 in case of emergency Sangfor SSL VPN has secured our organization, and we haven't faced any attacks. Sangfor SSL VPN is a secure and user-friendly solution. The other valuable features of the solution include web access…
Maheshbabu T - PeerSpot reviewer
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The platform is easy to use."
"Sangfor SSL VPN provides secure encryption for communication."
"Sangfor SSL VPN has a user-friendly user interface."
"It is a stable solution...The initial setup of the product is very easy."
"The most valuable feature is our ability to limit access by user, IP address, or MAC address."
"Sangfor SSL VPN is a secure and user-friendly solution."
"Secure Mobile Access (SMA) is easy to configure and the deployment is straightforward. However, this is mostly because of the AWS setup."
"The performance is good."
"SonicWall SMA allows us to provide CML-based access to any user."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is they have IT consultants that know SonicWall."
"The management and the dashboard are the solution's most valuable features."
"Blocklisting and allowlisting are the most beneficial features for network security."
"It is faster than other security options when using remote connections."
"SonicWall SMA has the most valuable feature of proprietary security technologies like Capture ATP."
 

Cons

"The technical support team takes around two months to respond to queries. It is very time-consuming."
"I think Sangfor can provide a web-based SSL VPN version."
"Sangfor SSL VPN should provide advanced protection against ransomware and better data analysis."
"The solution's integration with other firewall vendors could be improved."
"No solution is perfect, so there is room for improvement."
"In redundancy mode, when the firewall goes off, the VPN should be able to connect to the secondary firewall automatically."
"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."
"The solution could integrate better with other platforms."
"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 product's technical support services could be improved."
"I'd like to see the product maybe polish keyboards in Bookmark."
"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 only thing that they could try to improve is the support for enterprise customers. Normally enterprises and SMBs can create a ticket, but for enterprises, SonicWall SMA needs to provide a global view, and this is what's currently missing. It's not even a question of timing. It's a question of the global vision because currently, it's lacking. They concentrate on the topic, but not on the means and not on the global picture. In most cases, there's something wrong with the integration of SonicWall SMA with other products, so that could also be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Sangfor SSL VPN is a cheap solution."
"The pricing is good and the standard license allows for 30 users."
"The first 30 licenses are free, and you have to purchase the rest if required."
"My company has a three-year license for Sangfor SSL VPN."
"The product is inexpensive."
"Our licenses are stackable and can be anywhere from five users to a million users."
"The platform has medium pricing."
"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."
"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."
"All the costs are included in a bundled license."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
21%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Real Estate/Law Firm
9%
Healthcare Company
7%
Computer Software Company
18%
Construction Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Retailer
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Sangfor SSL VPN?
The solution's integration with other firewall vendors could be improved. Its interoperability matrices and different configurations with other vendor products also need improvements. Our client ha...
What do you like most about SonicWall SMA?
Blocklisting and allowlisting are the most beneficial features for network security.
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.
 

Also Known As

No data available
SonicWall Aventail, SonicWall SMA SSL-VPN, SonicWall Secure Mobile Access
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Investcorp, Central Bancorp, Griffiths & Armour
UnitedStack, Newport City Homes, Faith Lutheran College Redlands, PRIME aerostructures GmbH, Celtic Manor Resort
Find out what your peers are saying about Sangfor SSL VPN vs. SonicWall SMA and other solutions. Updated: May 2025.
859,957 professionals have used our research since 2012.