F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs Okta Workforce Identity comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Man...
Ranking in Access Management
6th
Average Rating
8.2
Number of Reviews
13
Ranking in other categories
Secure Web Gateways (SWG) (16th), Network Access Control (NAC) (6th), SSL VPN (4th), Remote Access (10th)
Okta Workforce Identity
Ranking in Access Management
4th
Average Rating
8.4
Number of Reviews
59
Ranking in other categories
Single Sign-On (SSO) (4th), Authentication Systems (6th), Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) (2nd), ZTNA as a Service (6th)
 

Market share comparison

As of June 2024, in the Access Management category, the market share of F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is 3.0% and it decreased by 17.0% compared to the previous year. The market share of Okta Workforce Identity is 16.9% and it increased by 51.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Access Management
Unique Categories:
Secure Web Gateways (SWG)
0.4%
Network Access Control (NAC)
1.2%
Single Sign-On (SSO)
27.0%
Authentication Systems
1.5%
 

Featured Reviews

MR
May 12, 2023
A highly stable solution for load balancing, but the initial setup is complex
We use the product for load balancing. We use it to read, understand, and direct traffic The solution helps us to distribute the load. Stickiness is the most valuable feature of the product. The solution’s automation is not good. The solution’s GUI looks very old. I have been using the…
TH
Aug 3, 2022
Secure and multifeatured with trusted device, SSO, and MFA features; integrates well with other solutions
A room for improvement in Okta Workforce Identity is its price. It could be cheaper. The biggest benefit of the solution is that everything works securely without extra steps, so you're saving on your workforce's time and effort because your applications work smoothly and securely, but you'd need to pay some amount of money for that. Another area that could be improved, though not necessarily regarding Okta Workforce Identity, is the SSO applications because so many of the source applications charge extra money to put the SSO to work, which means you have to buy a more expensive license. Nowadays, SSO is a mainstream functionality and it should be out-of-the-box in those applications because it's so easy to set up.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The performance of the solution is valuable."
"Stickiness is the most valuable feature of the product."
"The load balancing features are valuable."
"The tool is reliable and easy to configure."
"This is a product that is easy to install and integrate, and it is simple to use."
"The most valuable feature is the virtual IP creation. It's our most frequently used feature."
"Our customers have never complained about the stability"
"The product allows us to create customized portals for your users."
"It's easy to use and straightforward."
"It is flexible and easy to install."
"Okta Workforce Identity is easy to use and has a lot of components."
"Workforce Identity offers a comprehensive access management solution with multi-factor authentication, total control, and features like app access management, identity governance, and administration tools such as certification and access request management. These are typically found in identity management solutions, but Okta integrates them seamlessly into its user interface."
"It is dependent on the evolution of your user base. It depends on usage per user, so the more sign-ins there are, the more expensive it becomes, so it works best for smaller companies from a financial perspective."
"It is a very stable solution."
"The most valuable feature in Okta Workforce Identity is the single sign-on, universal directory, and lifecycle management."
"Other than Okta being an easy and awesome integration tool, one of the best features it has is the provisioning and deprovisioning, which makes management way easier. You don't need to be too technical to understand how it works."
 

Cons

"The operational deployment is not great."
"In my opinion, the GUI side needs some improvement based on my usage. Sometimes, it doesn't work as efficiently as the CLI side."
"F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager has room for improvement in integration with other products."
"The technical support’s response time must be improved."
"The solution’s GUI looks very old."
"We do not have knowledgeable support teams locally."
"The solution is quite costly."
"The initial setup was complex."
"The ability or the options in the solution for changing the look and feel are not good enough because in our partner portal, essentially what they have is an ugly admin interface."
"The only area of concern in the solution stems from the fact that my company needs some help regarding the setup phase from a partner."
"The solution can be quite expensive."
"They also have single sign-on (SSO). When we bought Okta Workforce Identity a year and a half ago, I was also looking at SSO, but not much documentation was available for SSO. The documentation for SSO should be a little more robust for somebody who is implementing it for the first time."
"They should focus on improving them to provide top-notch team access management while still offering those typical features."
"It's not compatible with on-premises installations, unless you host it as a SaaS. We were not able to do that. For example, imagine a scenario where the cloud is not available. Then, Okta will not work for you. That use case will readily fail because it doesn't have an on-premises installation that you can use to authenticate or provide identity and access management. If you have a purely on-premises solution that is not connected to the internet, then this will not work. This is one area that can be improved."
"In my country, there's a lot of stealing of mobile phones, and mobile phones are the authentication device through the Okta application. If someone should steal my mobile phone, which is very common in my country, he or she might have access to my company account. That's my concern."
"There are some issues with the interface that can be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Recently, they have simplified the licensing"
"The tool is a little bit expensive."
"The product is very expensive."
"The licensing is per user per month and includes full technical support."
"The solution’s pricing needs to be reasonable. You are dealing with a lot of components and the pricing is component-based."
"It is costly for large companies."
"The product is expensive compared to other vendors."
"Workforce Identity is well-priced."
"It has a yearly subscription. As compared to its competitors, it is quite expensive. It also has a complex licensing model."
"The pricing is reasonable."
"The price of Okta Workforce Identity is competitively priced. We pay annually for the use of the solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
13%
Computer Software Company
11%
Government
11%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)?
In my opinion, the GUI is perfect with the configuration options provided. F5 BIG-IP has given customization options and policy configuration tools in the GUI. It's good and good enough to work.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)?
The tool is a little bit expensive. I rate the pricing a six out of ten.
What needs improvement with F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)?
I'd suggest improved documentation integration directly within the GUI. Right now, finding comprehensive documentation often requires going to external websites like the community portal. In the AP...
What do you like most about Okta Workforce Identity?
Okta has introduced the Universal Directory. It has custom attribute capability and user permissions to read/write on their profiles or hide them. Profile sources and identity profile sourcing are ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Okta Workforce Identity?
The pricing itself is a bit more expensive than the other products in the market so far. Since I know the product is in full demand. But, again, the price texture, features, and everything suits we...
What needs improvement with Okta Workforce Identity?
Okta has a limitation with directory integrations. If you have multiple Active Directory integrations, the user distinguished name (DN) and the manager DN don't get imported properly into the Okta ...
 

Also Known As

F5 Access Policy Manager
No data available
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

City Bank, Ricacorp Properties, Miele, American Systems, Bangladesh Post Office
FedEx, Zoom, Takeda, Lululemon Athletica, GrunHub, jetBlue, McKensson, Bain & Company, Engie, Peloton, Sonos, T-Mobile, Hewlett Packard, MGM Resorts, Ally Financial, Priceline, Albertsons, Itercom, Classy, FICO, Kensho, Live Nation, Drata, Rotary, and others.
Find out what your peers are saying about F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs. Okta Workforce Identity and other solutions. Updated: May 2024.
787,061 professionals have used our research since 2012.