Aruba Airwave vs NetScaler comparison

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Aruba Airwave

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 2, 2025

NetScaler and Aruba Airwave are both competitive in the networking space, with NetScaler standing out for application delivery due to its flexible deployment and feature set, while Aruba Airwave is more suitable for multivendor network management.

Features: NetScaler offers comprehensive features such as load balancing, SSL offload, and robust application delivery capabilities that enhance security and performance. It supports a variety of network setups through its adaptable deployment models. Aruba Airwave provides excellent multivendor support, facilitating seamless monitoring and zero-touch provisioning, beneficial for managing diverse network environments.

Room for Improvement: NetScaler could improve in feature innovation and simplify its configurations and documentation to enhance usability. Its support response times vary, needing consistency. Aruba Airwave, facing high cost criticisms, might benefit from more competitive pricing strategies and enhanced integration capabilities with third-party devices.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: NetScaler is versatile, offering on-premises and cloud deployments, though its technical support is inconsistently reviewed with varying levels of satisfaction regarding responsiveness. Aruba Airwave, mainly on-premises, has straightforward monitoring capabilities with user experience hindered by some integration challenges. Both could improve in delivering more consistent support.

Pricing and ROI: NetScaler's pricing is perceived as high, often exceeding budget expectations for smaller organizations despite its reliable feature set justifying the investment. Aruba Airwave, although also considered expensive, provides more pricing flexibility and is viewed as more cost-justifiable compared to competitors like Cisco, delivering appreciated ROI with its robust features.

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

Aruba Airwave vs. NetScaler

April 2025

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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

Aruba Airwave

Ranking in Network Management Applications

2nd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

NetScaler

Ranking in Network Management Applications

3rd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

107

Ranking in other categories

Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) (1st), Web Application Firewall (WAF) (12th)

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Network Management Applications category, the mindshare of Aruba Airwave is 6.6%, down from 9.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetScaler is 1.5%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Management Applications

Featured Reviews

Prashant-Patel

Senior Presales Consultant - Networking Solutions at Mannai

The solution has multi-vendor support, and it can be used for network management

Aruba Airwave is an on-prem solution, so you have to manage it with your servers to be deployed. You can also deploy it on the cloud if you have your own private cloud. All the configuration guides and the different types of designs you need are available from Aruba Airwave's portal. I would recommend Aruba Airwave to other users. Overall, I rate Aruba Airwave ten out of ten.

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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

"What I like best about Aruba Airwave is its orchestration feature because it saves configuration time. I also like that it allows you to do ZTP installations for new Aruba equipment."

"It's scalable because it's licensed per device and we bought licenses with each device. I would rate it a nine out of ten for scalability."

"The most beneficial feature for network monitoring in Aruba Airwave is the Live Heat Map. It helps identify interferences, coverage issues, and user connectivity issues. The device management capability of Aruba Airwave is good. It provides end-to-end visibility from the user to the access point, the switch, and the internet breakout. From a monitoring, management, and orchestration standpoint, it is very effective and can manage any scale of deployment."

"The most valuable feature of Aruba Airwave is the multivendor support, which enables you to manage and monitor different vendors or products."

"The monitoring and administration allow configurations for checking the association of the user to the network, then to the AP, then to the switch, and back to the controller."

"It contains valuable features for engineers to C-level executives, who want visibility, performance, statistics, and a platform which can take action for them without manual intervention, saving time and money."

"It facilitated creating floor maps."

"All the technical support goes through our contractor. It is a local support, and it is perfect."

More Aruba Airwave pros

"Scalability is great. One of the best features of NetScaler is that it can scale out."

"The solution is easy to work with and manage."

"The feature that I have found most valuable is its load balancing."

"The solution is extremely stable."

"One feature that works really well is the SSL VPN. It's very easy to set up and you can go very granular with it. You can define what user groups get what kind of access and the management overhead is very low."

"The most valuable feature for us is the application firewalling in Citrix NetScaler, ensuring only valid traffic enters our environment."

"Load Balancing and SSL offloading are key features."

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

More NetScaler pros

Cons

"We sometimes have problems with troubleshooting between the GUI and the CLI manipulation."

"We encounter delayed ETAs in the manufacturing of hardware."

"The tool's expensive nature is an area of concern where improvements are required."

"Its pricing and support could be improved."

"We're looking for more device compatibility. Like compatibility with third-party devices."

"The solution’s pricing could be improved."

"The main challenge we've faced with Aruba Airwave is its high cost, especially regarding high availability and failover licenses, which can be relatively expensive for customers. As for recommendations for improvement, considering that Aruba is planning to retire Airwave soon and introduce a new solution, it's crucial that the new product meets or exceeds the current Airwave's feature set. Customers expect a seamless transition without losing any functionality, so Aruba needs to ensure that the new solution is ready with all the essential features and capabilities from day one to avoid any gaps or dissatisfaction among users and partners."

"They should make it cheaper. By doing that, they can replace Cisco, which is also very expensive. If it is equivalent to Cisco in the features, with a reduced price, they can sell it more than Cisco."

More Aruba Airwave cons

"I feel that Citrix NetScaler's customer support needs to improve."

"I think the documentation should be improved."

"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."

"The tool's pricing is a pain point since we have many cheaper alternatives."

"The reporting is not so good. They don't have an application to connect the logs."

"Should offer more flexible cost-effective licensing for small to medium sized organizations."

"I am not an expert in this solution, but simplicity and user-friendly interfaces are crucial for me. I would appreciate advice from Citrix, particularly in the form of an interactive guide for API protection. It would be helpful if they could provide specific points and recommendations for cybersecurity, indicating areas that need attention or improvement. I find such interactive guidance valuable."

"We would like the licensing model for this product to be improved, as it isn't currently very transparent. There isn't a standard package available, and each extra feature creates an additional cost."

More NetScaler cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost is perfect because the devices have a lifetime warranty, and the licensing is good as well."

"It is an expensive solution."

"The licensing is on an yearly basis."

"It's device-based licensing. One device requires one license."

"We must buy a new license to connect more devices to scale up the solution."

"AirWave is a very expensive solution. If you implement it in a wide range network, it will cost a lot. There is no option to sell it outside that price segment, which is a problem."

"The tool is expensive. If one is bad or expensive, and ten is very good or cheap, I rate the product's price as a six."

"Run a 90 day free Proof of Concept (PoC) for each product by implementing and using it fully in your environment. This way you will be educated on its features, functionality, and manageability."

More Aruba Airwave pricing and cost advice

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

"The pricing for Citrix Web App and API Protection is unreasonable. I don't know the exact price, but I heard it's tens of thousands and it's a bit too much for the small country I live in."

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

"I rate the pricing an eight out of ten since it is expensive."

"You can do CapEx and then a yearly monthly fee, or you can do a subscription model, whether that's one month, month-to-month, or three-year subscription model."

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

"It's an expensive product but it works well."

"Its price is comparable to others and affordable."

More NetScaler pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Government

University

Computer Software Company

15%

Educational Organization

14%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Aruba Airwave?

I would rate the stability a nine out of ten.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Airwave?

I am not involved in the pricing or setup cost.

What needs improvement with Aruba Airwave?

When attempting to copy a floor plan, it does not copy well, so I often have to redraw the walls. It's somewhat annoying since other Wi-Fi design software we use is easier for drawing walls and inc...

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

Download Aruba Airwave product report

Aruba Airwave

April 2025

Download NetScaler product report

March 2025

Also Known As

No data available

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

Overview

Offering granular visibility into wired and wireless networks, AirWave is the only management platform designed with mobile devices and apps in mind. By proactively monitoring the health and performance of all things connected, AirWave lets IT gain the insights they need to support the digital workplace.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

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

Henkel, University of Findlay, University of Minnesota Duluth, University of Iowa

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