Akamai Ion vs NetScaler comparison

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Akamai Ion

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

NetScaler and Akamai Ion compete in application delivery and performance optimization, with Akamai Ion often seen as more desirable due to its superior features.

Features: NetScaler offers robust load balancing, application security, and traffic optimization with strong enterprise integration. Akamai Ion focuses on web performance, real-time dynamic content delivery, and personalized content processing, featuring advanced performance technologies.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: NetScaler provides streamlined deployment with modular architecture for scalability, enhanced by dedicated customer support. Akamai Ion emphasizes rapid cloud-based deployment, optimized for diverse environments, with specialized consultancy for performance enhancement.

Pricing and ROI: NetScaler presents a favorable initial setup cost with consistent ROI from enterprise efficiencies, appealing to larger organizations. Akamai Ion has a higher setup cost, offering significant performance improvements and speed optimizations, with strong ROI for businesses focused on web experience.

To learn more, read our detailed Akamai Ion vs. NetScaler Report (Updated: April 2025).

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Akamai Ion vs. NetScaler

April 2025

Helped 847,772 peers since 2012

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

Akamai Ion

Ranking in Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)

14th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

NetScaler

Ranking in Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)

1st

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

107

Ranking in other categories

Network Management Applications (3rd), Web Application Firewall (WAF) (12th)

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) category, the mindshare of Akamai Ion is 0.6%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetScaler is 14.8%, down from 15.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)

Featured Reviews

HarshBhardiya

SOC Engineer at Just Dial Limited

Reliable bot management with valuable traffic analytics and good delivery configuration

We are using Akamai Ion primarily for CDN services. It is more about delivery configuration, and for security, we use Akamai WAF security controls and Botman Akamai Ion helps protect us from DOS, SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and scraping tools. Real-time analytics are very helpful for…

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VivekKumar10

Co-Founder at Virajo

Good stability and offers various valuable features like WAF

Pricing is one area for improvement. It's on the higher side because NetScaler is a premium product used for over 70% of internet traffic worldwide. However, price is not the only concern. Manageability and adaptability can also be challenging for end customers, who may require the assistance of experts like us to deploy and manage the product effectively. Although this is good for us as partners, it can limit the product's appeal to customers who prioritize ease of use. Moreover, having some GUI-based tools for log management and troubleshooting would be helpful and make it easier for customers to manage and troubleshoot their databases. For the future release of Citrix NetScaler, I would like to see better pricing, as well as improved manageability and log management features. Another thing is if a problem occurs, we have to rely on the central support system. We need to collect the log and send it back to support for analysis, and then Citrix support will provide the solution. It would be much easier to troubleshoot if something is handy, such as a web portal or a common platform where customers can upload logs and resolve some of the issues automatically.

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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 most valuable feature is bot management."

"Akamai is easy to use and very effective."

"I like app flows and custom flows. They integrate with multiple flows."

"The solution can scale."

"The maintenance of the solution is not complex."

"The load balancing is one of the most valuable features."

"The solution is very stable. We don't have any downtime or issues of that nature."

"The work balancing applications are the most valuable feature."

"Helped us a lot with load balancing."

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

More NetScaler pros

Cons

"Log management should display data for more than two months."

"The product must provide more flexibility."

"I would like to see support for scripting, like "iRule", which gives you the option to implement any configuration which is not available out of the box."

"When a new version comes out, sometimes, my existing configuration gets wiped out. They should work on this so that my existing configuration doesn't get impacted with an upgrade to a newer version. There could also reduce frequent firmware upgrade activities and have a stable version so that once we upgrade it, we don't have to upgrade it for two to three years."

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

"Scripting and writing expressions need to be improved by putting logic behind the rules and improve policies involving some of the scripting part, which is a tedious task to do."

"Their upgrades are not very backward compatible, and sometimes they mess up."

"It does not have a sandbox cloud service and antivirus. It should have on-prem or cloud sandboxing and antivirus."

"We are looking for some in-depth monitoring and analytics and more information that Citrix Director doesn't provide. ControlUp has insights that not only give you an overview but also allow you to do some drill-down troubleshooting for what's going on in your environment. We are looking for some more analytical and monitoring data to be able to monitor the environment better, not only from an application standpoint but also from the standpoint of the infrastructure to everything it sits on. They can provide more data to the administrators about what's going on within the application. They can provide data not only on the application side but also about what the application sits on. They're making strides with Citrix Analytics in regards to that."

"The main areas for improvement would be around documentation and support. If a feature can be used in two or three ways, show that feature being used in all of those ways. Documentation seems to only cover the primary use case and leaves you to either run through trial and error or consult the user community. In terms of support, I have never actually had them solve any of my issues. I have always solved them myself and then provided the resolution to support."

More NetScaler cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The tool is expensive."

"The licenses for this product are payable as a yearly subscription, and carry a high price-point. The subscription scheme is quite complicated, and costs will increase with each additional feature that is required, outside of the basic setup."

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

"We get value for money. Its price is fair. I don't think it is overpriced."

"I do not have any experience with the pricing of the product."

"Licensing is adequate. I wanted to have a more prominent license, but until I do they don't give enough support. The additional cost would be too much."

"There isn't much of a difference between the cost of Citrix and that of other similar solutions."

"It is true that it is a bit pricey compared to newer technologies coming to the market. For example, A10 is a load balancer that does everything that Citrix can and it does a lot more than what NetScaler does when it comes to the security space, and their prices are so cheap. Every box comes with its own license and support built into it. When you compare that with NetScaler, you have to buy licenses separately, you have to buy a support agreement that is going to be separate. A small NetScaler, even if it is a VPX which is a virtual server, could cost you close to $150,000 to $200,000 dollars. So the pricing is really high."

"The client pays for the Citrix NetScaler license annually."

More NetScaler pricing and cost advice

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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) solutions are best for your needs.

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Computer Software Company

15%

Educational Organization

14%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Akamai Ion?

Akamai is easy to use and very effective.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Akamai Ion?

The billing cycle is monthly, however, payment is done yearly. While expensive, it provides value for the services offered.

What needs improvement with Akamai Ion?

Log management should display data for more than two months. The traffic report needs to be more flexible. The response time of technical support should be improved.

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

Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)

April 2025

Download Akamai Ion product report

Download NetScaler product report

March 2025

Also Known As

No data available

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

Overview

Ion, Akamai’s flagship performance solution, is a suite of intelligent performance optimizations and controls that helps deliver superior web, iOS, and Android app experiences. Built on the SLA-backed availability of the globally distributed Akamai Intelligent Edge Platform, Ion continuously monitors real user behavior — applying best-practice performance optimizations automatically — and adapting in real time to content, user behavior, and connectivity changes.

Akamai

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

Eurail, Boston Scientific

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