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F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) vs Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
7.1
F5 BIG-IP LTM offers strong ROI with 24/7 availability and security, though some note high costs and variable returns.
Sentiment score
7.1
The Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform enhances ROI and satisfaction by improving visibility, security, and cost-effectiveness over previous setups.
The major return on investment is the security of our data.
We don't have to purchase many components such as load balancers and proxy servers that were necessary in traditional setups.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.7
F5 BIG-IP's customer service is praised for expertise and resources, though some experience delays and regional support issues.
Sentiment score
4.8
Zscaler's customer support is generally good but inconsistent, with varied user experiences and ratings from four to ten.
I would rate the technical support of F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) nine out of ten.
Sometimes, support takes time since the solution has some bugs that need fixing.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.4
F5 BIG-IP LTM is valued for scalability, flexibility, and adaptability, with configuration and licensing considerations for optimal deployment.
Sentiment score
7.7
Zscaler's Zero Trust Exchange Platform is highly scalable, integrating seamlessly with systems and accommodating varying user needs effortlessly.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
F5 BIG-IP LTM is valued for stability, handling high loads well despite occasional bugs, making it preferred by organizations.
Sentiment score
7.8
Users rate Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange highly for stability, citing minimal downtime and suggesting occasional improvements for certain areas.
 

Room For Improvement

F5 BIG-IP LTM is expensive, complex, lacks flexibility, and needs better UI, reporting, support, cloud integration, and pricing.
Zscaler needs enhancements in speed, multi-tenant capabilities, compatibility, DLP features, cost, stability, support, and connectivity monitoring.
 

Setup Cost

F5 BIG-IP LTM pricing is higher with complex licensing, but performance justifies the cost; AWS Marketplace is convenient yet costlier.
Zscaler's pricing varies, becoming more competitive with larger user bases, but additional features can increase overall costs.
 

Valuable Features

F5 BIG-IP LTM provides traffic management, security, and customization with iRules, SSL offloading, and an intuitive interface.
Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange offers easy management, strong security, seamless connectivity, cloud deployment, threat protection, and AI-driven insights.
One of the most beneficial features of F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) is its ability to identify compromised traffic and its capabilities in authentication.
The solution is cloud-based with the latest inspection engines, which I find to be amazing.
 

Categories and Ranking

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Man...
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
122
Ranking in other categories
Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) (2nd)
Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange...
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
64
Ranking in other categories
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) (2nd), Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB) (5th), Application Control (4th), ZTNA as a Service (1st), Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) (1st), Remote Browser Isolation (RBI) (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) and Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) is designed for Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) and holds a mindshare of 15.9%, up 15.3% compared to last year.
Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform, on the other hand, focuses on ZTNA as a Service, holds 17.4% mindshare, down 21.4% since last year.
Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)15.9%
NetScaler14.3%
HAProxy11.3%
Other58.5%
Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)
ZTNA as a Service Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform17.4%
Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks14.0%
Cato SASE Cloud Platform12.6%
Other56.0%
ZTNA as a Service
 

Featured Reviews

Bonieber  Orofeo - PeerSpot reviewer
Identifying compromised traffic and securing data has been a significant advantage
One of the most beneficial features of F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) is its ability to identify compromised traffic and its capabilities in authentication. Additionally, the security aspect of it provides a significant advantage as it helps us secure our data, which is a major investment and benefit for us. Before using this system, we had difficulties in storing our data and managing the traffic that comes in and out.
Sumit Bhanwala - PeerSpot reviewer
Cloud-based platform simplifies device and data center management
I find it to be good. The solution is cloud-based with the latest inspection engines, which I find to be amazing. We are less dependent on data centers and device management, which reduces our efforts significantly. It improves our device management, data center management, and updating devices. We need fewer engineers for this management, and it reduces time and efforts for data center management, device upgrades, and IT support.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
16%
Computer Software Company
12%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Insurance Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business62
Midsize Enterprise31
Large Enterprise84
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business16
Midsize Enterprise11
Large Enterprise41
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with F5 BIG-IP?
The GUI of F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) could be improved. It's not something regarding how it processes or blocks, as that's perfect. However, it still feels a bit legacy regarding the GU...
What is your primary use case for F5 BIG-IP?
F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) is a perfect product for load balancing and WAF, and I would recommend it far more than any other product. The load balancing capabilities of F5 BIG-IP Local T...
What is the better solution - Prisma Access or Zscaler Private Access?
We looked into Prisma Access before choosing Zscaler Private Access (ZPA). Palo Alto’s Prisma Access is a secure access service edge (SASE) designed to deliver network security in a cloud-deliver...
What do you like most about Zscaler SASE?
The most valuable features of Zscaler Private Access are reliability, scalability, and availability.
What needs improvement with Zscaler SASE?
The solution needs to improve a lot of aspects.
 

Also Known As

F5 BIG-IP, BIG-IP LTM, F5 ASM, Viprion, F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition , Crescendo Networks Application Delivery Controller, BIG IP
Zscaler SASE, Zscaler DLP, Zscaler CASB, Zscaler CSPM, Zscaler Browser Isolation, Zscaler Posture Control
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Riken, TransUnion, Tepco Systems Administration, Daejeon University, G&T Bank, Danamon, CyberAgent Inc.
Siemens, AutoNation, GE, NOV
Find out what your peers are saying about NetScaler, F5, HAProxy and others in Application Delivery Controllers (ADC). Updated: August 2025.
867,445 professionals have used our research since 2012.