F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs Thales SafeNet Trusted Access comparison

F5 and Thales are both solutions in the Access Management category. F5 is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.3, while Thales is ranked #23. F5 holds a 2.0% mindshare in AM, compared to Thales’s 1.8% mindshare. Additionally, 88% of F5 users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Thales users who would recommend it.

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Man...

Read 18 F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) reviews

2,814 Views
619 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

Thales SafeNet Trusted Access

Read 3 Thales SafeNet Trusted Access reviews

1,018 Views
509 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Man...

Thales SafeNet Trusted Access

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 11, 2024

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager and Thales SafeNet Trusted Access compete in the access management category. Thales SafeNet Trusted Access seems to have the upper hand due to its comprehensive features and perceived value for money.

Features: F5 BIG-IP APM is notable for traffic management, security policies implementation, and scalability. Thales SafeNet Trusted Access is known for its multi-factor authentication, ease of integration, and seamless cloud support. Thales' feature set provides an advantage over F5.

Room for Improvement: F5 BIG-IP APM users find the learning curve and configuration complex, needing improvement. Thales SafeNet Trusted Access could enhance reporting capabilities and its user interface. Thales generally requires fewer adjustments compared to F5.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: F5 BIG-IP APM has an intricate deployment process requiring careful planning but offers responsive customer service. Thales SafeNet Trusted Access stands out with straightforward deployment and excellent customer support.

Pricing and ROI: F5 BIG-IP APM has high initial setup costs, but long-term ROI justifies it. Thales SafeNet Trusted Access users are satisfied with the ROI due to its feature-rich offering and simplified management, presenting a more favorable pricing perception.

To learn more, read our detailed F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs. Thales SafeNet Trusted Access Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs. Thales SafeNet Trusted Access

December 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

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Man...

Ranking in Access Management

9th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Secure Web Gateways (SWG) (15th), Network Access Control (NAC) (7th), SSL VPN (5th), Remote Access (10th)

Thales SafeNet Trusted Access

Ranking in Access Management

23rd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Single Sign-On (SSO) (20th), Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) (25th)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Access Management category, the mindshare of F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is 2.0%, up from 1.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Thales SafeNet Trusted Access is 1.8%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Access Management Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)	2.0%
Thales SafeNet Trusted Access	1.8%
Other	96.2%

Access Management

Featured Reviews

SÜ

SalihUcpinar

Senior Cyber Security Consultant at KoçSistem

Has provided reliable policy controls and secure web access for large enterprises

I consider Cloudflare when evaluating centralized access control features; Cloudflare utilizes multi-factor authentication and full API support, while F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) needs to enhance its API support. I recommend F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) for large companies such as Tüpraş and Ford. Tüpraş is one of the biggest companies in Turkey, along with other customers such as Tofaş, Euroko, Koç Holding, and more. For on-premises deployment, I would rate it a 10. For cloud deployment, I would rate it a seven. I primarily use it on-premises. I rate F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) eight out of ten.

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GauravMathur

Vice President Information Technology at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Simple to use, easy to set up, and performs well

I'm not saying that we want to switch the product, however, since the requirement has increased, we are looking at other options that may be better suited. The scalability may not there. We have a few specific use cases where we have to avoid the cloud. Especially in Europe, we're not allowed to carry their phone in factories. We need some sort of secure access solution. There's a dependency on Microsoft Azure. I am paying to SafeNet and in parallel, I also need to pay Microsoft to use the same service. That makes no sense, to pay double. If they could do something about it, that would be very good.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution is stable and reliable."

"Stickiness is the most valuable feature of the product."

"The product allows us to create customized portals for your users."

"The load balancing features are valuable."

"The performance of the solution is valuable."

"Our customers have never complained about the stability"

"I recommend F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) to others due to its reliability, and it is perceived as critical to security infrastructure."

"F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) provides excellent WAF and bot defense solutions."

More F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) pros

"The validation and integrity features of the endpoint are great."

"The interface is easy to use."

"The solution is simple to use."

Cons

"The initial setup was complex."

"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."

"F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is not user-friendly and operates slowly."

"The technical support’s response time must be improved."

"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."

"Cloud services are something that F5 Access Policy Manager could do better"

"The operational deployment is not great."

"If I could copy and paste objects instead of picking and configuring them from scratch each time, it would be great."

More F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) cons

"Lacks the ability to integrate network monitoring solutions and authenticate the app users."

"SafeNet's reporting and monitoring features could be improved."

"There's a dependency on Microsoft Azure."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Recently, they have simplified the licensing"

"The tool is a little bit expensive."

"The product is very expensive."

"I rate the tool's pricing an eight out of ten."

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Government

Computer Software Company

Performing Arts

10%

Legal Firm

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	9

No data available

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.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)?

F5 products are more expensive than other solutions but are valued for their quality and reliability, akin to purchasing a Bentley as opposed to an Audi.

See all answers

What needs improvement with F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)?

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is not user-friendly and operates slowly. Additional features for architecture such as Anycast would be beneficial. The ability to run the Anycast feature woul...

See all answers

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Comparisons

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

Compared 6% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate vs F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)

Compared 5% of the time

CyberArk Privileged Access Manager vs F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)

Compared 4% of the time

Citrix Gateway vs F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)

Compared 4% of the time

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)

Compared 4% of the time

More F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) Competitors

Microsoft Entra ID vs Thales SafeNet Trusted Access

Compared 18% of the time

Okta Platform vs Thales SafeNet Trusted Access

Compared 14% of the time

CyberArk Identity vs Thales SafeNet Trusted Access

Compared 11% of the time

Ping Identity Platform vs Thales SafeNet Trusted Access

Compared 9% of the time

CyberArk Secrets Management vs Thales SafeNet Trusted Access

Compared 9% of the time

More Thales SafeNet Trusted Access Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)

January 2026

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) report

Download F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) product report

Buyer's Guide

Single Sign-On (SSO)

December 2025

Download Thales SafeNet Trusted Access product report

Also Known As

F5 Access Policy Manager

SafeNet Trusted Access, Gemalto SafeNet Trusted Access

Overview

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is an access management proxy solution for managing global access to the enterprise networks, cloud providers, applications, and application programming interfaces (APIs). Through a single management interface, BIG-IP APM consolidates remote, mobile, network, virtual, and web access.

BIG-IP APM can also serve as a bridge between modern and classic authentication and authorization protocols and methods. For applications which are unable to support modern authentication and authorization protocols, like SAML and OAuth with OIDC, but which do support classic authentication methods, BIG-IP APM converts user credentials to the appropriate authentication standard supported by the application.

BIG-IP APM Benefits:

Ease of use
Flexibility
Ability to integrate with other systems
Security features
Granular access control
Responsive and helpful support team

BIG-IP APM Features:

Support for Identity Aware Proxy (IAP) enabling Zero Trust application access
Context-based authorization with dynamic L4/L7 ACLs
Integration with third-party MFA solutions
DTLS 2.0 mode for delivering and securing applications
SAML 2.0 identity federation support
Support for OAuth 2.0 authorization protocol
SSO support for classic authentication (Kerberos, header- based, etc.), credential caching, OAuth 2.0, SAML 2.0, and FIDO2 (U2F)
AAA server authentication and high-availability
Integration with leading IAM vendor products (Microsoft, Okta, Ping Identity)
BIG IP Edge Client and F5 Access integrate with VMware Horizon ONE (AirWatch), Microsoft Intune and IBM MaaS360
Risk-based access leveraging third-party UEBA and risk engines (HTTP Connector)

Reviews from Real Users

Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by BIG-IP APM users.

Mahmmoud Rabie, Senior Site Reliability Engineer, writes that BIG-IP APM is "A highly stable solution for load balancing, but the initial setup is complex."

Clyde Livingston, Senior Process Specialist at Telstra, says that BIG-IP APM is "Easy to use, useful access remotely, but lacking stability."

Chris Lam, Senior Solution Consultant at Macroview Telecom Limited, states that BIG-IP APM is "Useful for remote access VPN and VPI integration with VMware.

Thales SafeNet Trusted Access is a comprehensive access management solution that provides secure and seamless access to cloud and web applications. It offers a range of features, including multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, and adaptive authentication. With SafeNet, organizations can easily manage user access, enforce security policies, and monitor user activity to prevent cyber threats.

The solution is highly scalable and can be customized to meet the unique needs of any organization. Overall, SafeNet is a reliable and effective solution for preventing cyber threats and ensuring secure access to critical applications and data.

Thales

Sample Customers

City Bank, Ricacorp Properties, Miele, American Systems, Bangladesh Post Office

IBM, Western Union, Vanderbilt University Medical Centre, Novartis, and AT&T.

Buyer's Guide

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs. Thales SafeNet Trusted Access

December 2025

Free Report: F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs. Thales SafeNet Trusted Access

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