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F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs Ivanti Connect Secure 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Man...
Ranking in SSL VPN
5th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
Secure Web Gateways (SWG) (19th), Network Access Control (NAC) (8th), Remote Access (13th), Access Management (10th)
Ivanti Connect Secure
Ranking in SSL VPN
1st
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
27
Ranking in other categories
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN (10th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the SSL VPN category, the mindshare of F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is 14.6%, down from 16.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ivanti Connect Secure is 24.1%, up from 18.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
SSL VPN
 

Featured Reviews

Ashish Kumar Rai - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers remote access control, good GUI and easy to configure
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 APM interface itself, they could add direct hyperlinks to relevant online documentation. This would provide easy access to admin guides and other resources when working within the GUI.
Naresh Rayakwar - PeerSpot reviewer
Though the tool is useful for VPN connectivity and remote access, the price and stability needs improvement
It is a stable solution. Previously, when we were using Cisco in our company, we had some stability issues, but with Ivanti Connect Secure, we haven't faced any stability problems. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a seven to eight out of ten. The stability of the product also depends on how many autoscaling features can be used. Once the load increases, there will be a direct impact on the stability. When the product is deployed on an on-premises model, using the scalability features will impact the stability of the tool. When it comes to SaaS, I would have a different opinion about this stability part, but I can't comment much since I haven't used the SaaS version of the solution.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"A lot of features are useful to me, including mostly the authentication, SAML, or SSO, with no sign-on."
"We have seen a return on investment from F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager. It provided access at a time when we didn't have it."
"The portal access was very good."
"The performance of the solution is valuable."
"The product allows us to create customized portals for your users."
"F5 BIG-IP APM is relatively easy to use."
"Stickiness is the most valuable feature of the product."
"This is a product that is easy to install and integrate, and it is simple to use."
"It's quite stable."
"The flexibility in their management is great."
"Ivanti secures access to the corporate network from various devices and locations."
"It is customer-friendly. It is quite easy for our users to connect. There is also the flexibility of the features."
"The stability of the product is its most valuable feature."
"The product is easy to use."
"The most valuable features of Pulse Connect Secure are multi-factor authentications, and VPNs and SSL VPNs we are using."
"What I like the most about Pulse Connect Secure is that it's user-friendly. It's easy to use. You just need to connect, and that's it."
 

Cons

"Integrating identity providers and single sign-on solutions can simplify user authentication and access control."
"F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager has room for improvement in integration with other products."
"We do not have knowledgeable support teams locally."
"The initial setup was complex."
"If I could copy and paste objects instead of picking and configuring them from scratch each time, it would be great."
"The solution’s GUI looks very old."
"I have had a lot of issues in the past few months with the agents, which was disappointing."
"Regarding price, I'm not directly involved in purchasing, but our CIO thinks the product is very expensive. He's considering moving from the tool to Citrix NetScaler WAF because it's cheaper, and we already have Citrix for VDI. We got NetScaler almost free as part of our VDI deal. Three years ago, I convinced him to use the solution because it's better, but now, with budget constraints, he may want to switch."
"Ivanti Connect Secure needs to have faster connections. It also needs to improve the stability."
"The stability could be better. There are sometimes bugs in the system."
"Zero test FDP (Fraud Protection and Prevention) should be improved."
"This solution normally works but at times, we have had trouble with connectivity."
"Pulse Connect Secure could improve the reporting, it is lacking in detail and should take the report automatically."
"The solution must be more user-friendly."
"The product could use additional dashboards."
"An area for improvement in Pulse Connect Secure is the concurrent connections, particularly needing a license if you want to use Pulse Connect Secure with your Microsoft or Windows machine."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The tool is a little bit expensive."
"Recently, they have simplified the licensing"
"The product is very expensive."
"I rate the tool's pricing an eight out of ten."
"Pulse Connect Secure is relatively cost-effective."
"A license is required for you to use Pulse Connect Secure, but I'm not aware of how much it costs."
"The pricing is quite nominal. We pay on a yearly basis."
"The cost of the product is high, but worth it because of the utility and great product support."
"The price of Pulse Connect Secure is expensive."
"The pricing for Pulse Connect Secure is not low and not high, so it's good. It's a six out of ten for me, price-wise."
"I rate the product price a six to seven on a scale of one to ten, where one is a low price, and ten is a high price."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Government
11%
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Computer Software Company
13%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
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 needs improvement with F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)?
Regarding price, I'm not directly involved in purchasing, but our CIO thinks the product is very expensive. He's considering moving from the tool to Citrix NetScaler WAF because it's cheaper, and w...
What do you like most about Pulse Connect Secure?
From an end-user perspective, the setup phase is easy.
What needs improvement with Pulse Connect Secure?
From our side, there is an issue when Windows updates. The security mechanisms of Ivanti Connect Secure are very slow to update. We expect them to provide weekly updates for compatibility with Wind...
 

Also Known As

F5 Access Policy Manager
Pulse Connect Secure
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

City Bank, Ricacorp Properties, Miele, American Systems, Bangladesh Post Office
Axcient, Baloise Group, Cygate, Catholic University of America, Datec Inc, Revlon, Santa Monica Networks, 7-Eleven
Find out what your peers are saying about F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs. Ivanti Connect Secure and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
832,138 professionals have used our research since 2012.