SonicWall SMA vs Symantec VIP Access Manager comparison

The compared SonicWall and Broadcom solutions aren't in the same category. SonicWall is ranked #2 in UAG , with an average rating of 9.5, and holds a 42.2% mindshare in the category. Broadcom is ranked #12 in AS , with an average rating of 8.0, and holds a 2.2% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of SonicWall users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 86% of Broadcom users who would recommend it.

SonicWall SMA

Read 15 SonicWall SMA reviews

1,750 Views
158 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Symantec VIP Access Manager

Read 15 Symantec VIP Access Manager reviews

2,230 Views
1,316 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

SonicWall SMA

Symantec VIP Access Manager

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between SonicWall SMA and Symantec VIP Access Manager based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Citrix, SonicWall and others in Universal Access Gateways.

To learn more, read our detailed Universal Access Gateways Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Universal Access Gateways

April 2026

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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

SonicWall SMA

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

5.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Universal Access Gateways (2nd), SSL VPN (6th), Enterprise Infrastructure VPN (16th)

Symantec VIP Access Manager

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Authentication Systems (12th), Access Management (18th)

Mindshare comparison

SonicWall SMA and Symantec VIP Access Manager aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. SonicWall SMA is designed for Universal Access Gateways and holds a mindshare of 42.2%, down 50.0% compared to last year.
Symantec VIP Access Manager, on the other hand, focuses on Authentication Systems, holds 2.2% mindshare, up 1.7% since last year.

Universal Access Gateways Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
SonicWall SMA	42.2%
Citrix Gateway	42.2%
Other	15.599999999999994%

Universal Access Gateways

Authentication Systems Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Symantec VIP Access Manager	2.2%
Microsoft Entra ID	6.6%
Okta Platform	4.6%
Other	86.6%

Authentication Systems

Featured Reviews

Barry Arendt

Owner at ThinkEzIT

Security enhances through autonomous protection and strong support while multi-factor authentication secures access

I haven't utilized the high availability and scalability features of SonicWall SMA yet because I've never had a need to. I don't know where they can focus their energy on continuous improvements, as I haven't been looking at what they're releasing. We're a small shop, so we drop stuff in and manage it and do what we need to do to maintain it. If we run into an issue, we contact support. There's a learning curve, but it comes down to getting support to train you on the product, and then once you have the training you need, you're able to make the changes and updates that you need to.

Read full review

Berk Onur

Presales Consultant at Cyberwise

With its mobile application, this tool offers a convenient and user-friendly experience to its users

To improve the tool, I think that the solution should consider integrations with other cybersecurity and IT technologies, such as Privileged Access Management and Site Integration. Additionally, the implementation of second-factor authentication via Symantec VIP Access Manager, CyberArk, and Delinea, among other technologies, could be best for the product. While the existing technology is okay, improving the integration capabilities for Symantec VIP Access Manager would benefit the product. I would like to see the solution meet the integration needs at our company. While many cybersecurity solutions can function independently, they often lack integration with our systems due to missed integration points. Improving the solution's integration feature would be beneficial.

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

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

"These are very nice appliances and they give us all that we need for our work in the hospital."

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

"I like the load balancing capability, it is very fast and it has a simple interface."

"Secure remote access is now available from home offices."

"The SonicWall SSL-VPN solution offers the best protection with the least effect on services."

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

"I think they ask for a fair price."

More SonicWall SMA pros

"If you're looking for a fairly lightweight client that works very well for remote access purposes, I think Symantec is definitely a good product."

"The product is useful for providing user access from an in-built office server as we follow the work-from-home model."

"The two-factor authentication is most definitely valuable and moves us closer to being able to check off those important boxes for compliance."

"Other than it provides us with remote access, so it's fairly easy to install, fairly easy to set up, and provides us the ability to get into our corporate environment."

"In this version 9.1, lots of changes are done for the dashboard, User Store etc."

"It's a good tool. It's pretty straightforward."

"The tool has been very stable, in my experience. Also, I haven't faced any issues or problems with integration or connectivity."

"The solution has helped to increase staff productivity by approximately a minute."

More Symantec VIP Access Manager pros

Cons

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

"User interface could be improved."

"The overall menu is not very user-friendly and it could be easier."

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

"The only thing that they could try to improve is the support for enterprise customers."

"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."

"There are some features that are available on Palo Alto or Cisco that don't exist. The solution could integrate better with other platforms."

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

More SonicWall SMA cons

"At times, the relay server could not contact Symantec; it would fail open and allow access without a passcode."

"Geofencing needs improvement."

"In my opinion, for this solution, the technical support is not so expert when we talk about integration using the API."

"Geofencing needs improvement."

"The User Store synchronization part needs to improve. Also, the logs, reports, and dashboard can be improved."

"The reporting on the VIP Manager is not correct."

"The gateway server is a RADIUS server, but it lacks the functionality of returning RADIUS attributes other than those that are required for the gateway to authenticate the users."

"The VIP Manager can be accessed from the outside which is a security vulnerability."

More Symantec VIP Access Manager cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

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

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

"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."

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

"There is a one-time setup fee plus the licenses are provided as per the number of users. For SMS and voice calls, the costs are separate."

"There are additional costs for maintenance."

"Licensing and pricing seems very fair."

"I can say that the solution is worth the money."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

11%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Construction Company

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	2

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	10

Questions from the Community

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 pricing for the solution could be a lot less.

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What needs improvement with SonicWall SMA?

See all answers

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Comparisons

OpenVPN Access Server vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 12% of the time

Citrix Gateway vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 12% of the time

Ivanti Connect Secure vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 11% of the time

Sangfor SSL VPN vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 10% of the time

SonicWall Netextender vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 8% of the time

More SonicWall SMA Competitors

Microsoft Entra ID vs Symantec VIP Access Manager

Compared 7% of the time

Yubico YubiKey vs Symantec VIP Access Manager

Compared 7% of the time

Okta Platform vs Symantec VIP Access Manager

Compared 7% of the time

Cisco Duo vs Symantec VIP Access Manager

Compared 6% of the time

Sangfor SSL VPN vs Symantec VIP Access Manager

Compared 6% of the time

More Symantec VIP Access Manager Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall SMA

March 2026

Download SonicWall SMA product report

Buyer's Guide

Symantec VIP Access Manager

March 2026

Download Symantec VIP Access Manager product report

Also Known As

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

Symantec VIP

Overview

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

Symantec VIP Access Manager is the next generation control platform that integrates Single Sign-On (SSO) with strong authentication, access control, and user management. It offers users and administrators control, convenience, and compliance for public and private cloud- based applications. Symantec VIP Access Manager solves cloud security problems using identity and/or context-based access control across multiple cloud applications. In the cloud, where a traditional enterprise perimeter doesn't exist, this solution fills the gap. Through Symantec VIP Access Manager, administrators can define policies that utilize the built-in user directory or existing identity management infrastructure to enforce security and compliance for applications without getting in the way of productivity. Symantec VIP Access Manager can also protect and consolidate access management for on-premise web applications. It also simplifies compliance auditing for cloud applications by consolidating logs across all applications it protects.

Broadcom

Sample Customers

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

Maine Medical Center, Aria S.p.A

Buyer's Guide

Universal Access Gateways

April 2026

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