F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) vs Microsoft Azure Application Gateway comparison

F5 and Microsoft are both solutions in the Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) category. F5 is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.6, while Microsoft is ranked #4 with an average rating of 7.2. F5 holds a 15.7% mindshare in ADC, compared to Microsoft’s 8.0% mindshare. Additionally, 83% of F5 users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 78% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Man...

Read 120 F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) reviews

6,924 Views
5,761 Comparison Views

83% willing to recommend

Microsoft Azure Application...

Read 47 Microsoft Azure Application Gateway reviews

4,176 Views
3,559 Comparison Views

78% willing to recommend

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Man...

Microsoft Azure Application...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 12, 2025

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager and Microsoft Azure Application Gateway compete in the load balancing and traffic management category. While F5 offers superior performance for enterprise environments, Azure's flexibility and cloud integration give it an edge in cloud-centric settings.

Features: F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager provides robust load balancing and customization with iRules, superior hardware performance for handling complex networks, and support for demanding enterprise environments. Microsoft Azure Application Gateway offers easy deployment in cloud environments, integrated security features, and essential capabilities for cloud-based applications.

Room for Improvement: F5 BIG-IP LTM users seek enhanced custom roles and permissions, better active-standby configurations, and improved pricing models. They also desire advancements in reporting and GUI interfaces. Azure Application Gateway users suggest enhancements in DDoS protection, UI customization, and additional protocol support, along with pricing adjustments and faster updates to keep pace with evolving security needs.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: F5 BIG-IP LTM is favored for on-premises and hybrid cloud deployments, offering strong technical support and comprehensive documentation, though initial setups may be complex. Azure Application Gateway excels in public cloud environments with straightforward deployment in Azure ecosystems. Its integration within the Microsoft ecosystem enhances deployment and support for users seeking cloud-native solutions.

Pricing and ROI: F5 BIG-IP LTM is generally more expensive with costs varying based on features and modules, potentially impacting smaller clients despite its robust capabilities. Azure Application Gateway's pay-as-you-go model offers cost efficiency and scalability, making it attractive for cloud-focused businesses, though usage can lead to increased costs. Both products offer visible ROI benefits, with Azure's pricing flexibility potentially more accessible for businesses focused on the cloud.

To learn more, read our detailed F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) vs. Microsoft Azure Application Gateway Report (Updated: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) vs. Microsoft Azure Application Gateway

March 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 Local Traffic Man...

Ranking in Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)

2nd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

120

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Microsoft Azure Application...

Ranking in Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)

4th

Average Rating

7.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Web Application Firewall (WAF) (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) category, the mindshare of F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) is 15.7%, up from 15.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Azure Application Gateway is 8.0%, down from 10.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)

Featured Reviews

Mahmoud-Yassin

Head of IT Infrastructure and Security Operations at United Arab Bank

You can fully automate disaster recovery

LTM's cloud capabilities could be improved. Cloud providers all offer load balancing, but you can't get the same level of security. F5's cloud service is still not on par with its on-prem service. F5 acquired multiple companies a few years ago, but they still haven't integrated those solutions. For example, F5 acquired Shape Security, which had an excellent solution for detecting bots and automated login attacks, but F5 offers the solution in an inflexible way. It is only available as a cloud-based solution. It isn't zone-based. Some companies are restricted from sending financial data outside the country because of GDPR in Europe or other national regulations. Here in the UAE, we can't send host data out.

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Shehzad Ali

Information Security and Compliance Officer at Carnation

Offers time and cost savings with integration, but user interface needs improvement

We are using it for our internal application development. We are testing those features of application gateways. We are integrating it with our solutions, application, Azure Application Gateway Microsoft has a vast variety of tools, and it blends very well. It provides a range of services, so it…

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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

"ASM for WAF."

"Routing and load balancing are its most valuable features."

"It integrates with AWS WAF, which makes it easy to deploy without changes to your infrastructure."

"The v11 clustering is a new technology they have brought in that does not require improvement. They are the leader in it."

"It is a scalable solution."

"I was able to simply and quickly set up the WAF rules and security, and also set up easily complex policies and rules which gave me some great features to redirect."

"I have found F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) to be stable."

"It has helped a lot to protect our organization from external attacks, especially XSS or XSRF types of attacks."

More F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) pros

"We find it valuable because it is compatible with our existing Azure solution."

"The production is a valuable feature."

"I find Application Gateway’s WAF module valuable because it helps prevent layer 7 attacks."

"We chose this solution in the first place because it has access to Layer 7. I can control the requests and the content, which I can access on my network if I want to even if it's forbidden access to other external resources. If I want to monitor, for example, traffic, and apply this rule on Layer 7, I can do so. This was our main goal when implementing this application. We wanted to take advantage of the Gateway capabilities."

"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Azure Application Gateway is its ease of use."

"The solution integrates different applications and APIs securely, enhancing overall security and network optimization."

"Load balancing and web application firewall features are the most valuable."

"Microsoft has a vast variety of tools, and it blends very well."

More Microsoft Azure Application Gateway pros

Cons

"The user interface could be improved in F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager."

"The license terms for "non-commercial" will be a challenge for us."

"It reaches a point where scaling is no longer possible."

"The license terms for "non-commercial" will are challenging for us."

"The initial setup can take a long time."

"The cost of the solution is pretty high. It would be ideal if it was more reasonable."

"F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager is sometimes a bit cumbersome to deal with some builds, although that's gotten significantly better over the years."

"I would like them to have more flexible models."

More F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) cons

"The user interface could be better."

"It does not have the flexibility for using public IPs in version 2."

"It takes a lot of time for a certificate to update in the system. That is a huge drawback, affecting the load-balancing side. And when there are changes to the load balancing, it affects the end-user."

"The solution needs improvements in integrating different services and creating a better application balance."

"The configuration is very specific right now and needs to be much more flexible."

"The solution can sometimes feel a little cumbersome unless you're a professional infrastructure person."

"The solution doesn’t support wildcard-based and regular expression-based rules."

"The working speed of the solution needs improvement."

More Microsoft Azure Application Gateway cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Try to negotiate all the software features that you require upfront."

"The pricing is inclusive of many features."

"When we purchased additional licenses for our other locations, we received a discount of between 20% and 25%."

"It's fair, it's not too expensive. Maybe just a little high."

"The tool is a bit expensive."

"The cost is high for this product, so it's not suitable for small customers, e.g. those with small environments."

"Security should be involved in any base license. When you bring on F5, you only have default license. Then, the ASM product license has to be purchased. It would be great if F5 could include the ASM in the base license."

"F5 pricing is too high, compared to Citrix."

More F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) pricing and cost advice

"There is some additional cost, such as extended support."

"Regarding pricing for Azure Application Gateway, I would rate it at seven."

"The solution is cheaper than Imperva. I rate it four to five out of ten."

"I rate the pricing seven out of ten because some third-party solutions are even costlier than this."

"The solution is reasonably priced compared to other solutions."

"We use the tool's basic subscription. Its licensing costs are monthly."

"Microsoft Azure Application Gateway is a pretty affordable product. My company needs to make yearly payments towards the licensing costs of the solution. The additional costs apart from the licensing costs of the solution vary."

"There is a need to pay a fixed price per month to use the product. There are no additional payments to be made to Microsoft apart from the charges paid towards the monthly licensing costs attached to the solution."

More Microsoft Azure Application Gateway pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Computer Software Company

14%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with F5 BIG-IP?

There are no specific areas for improvement as it is already well-resolved and doesn't require further enhancements.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for F5 BIG-IP?

The primary use case includes load balancing to serve application servers and basic web application firewall solutions. Our customers use it for that purpose.

See all answers

What do you like most about F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)?

The solution is robust and reliable.

See all answers

What's the difference between Azure Front Door and Application Gateway?

We found Azure Front Door to be easily scaled and very stable. The implementation is very fast and Microsoft provides excellent support. Azure Front Door can quickly detect abnormalities before the...

See all answers

How does AWS WAF compare to Microsoft Azure Application Gateway?

Our organization ran comparison tests to determine whether Amazon’s Web Service Web Application Firewall or Microsoft Azure Application Gateway web application firewall software was the better fit ...

See all answers

What do you like most about Microsoft Azure Application Gateway?

Application Gateway automatically redirects unwanted users and takes care of the security aspect. It also handles the performance side of things, which is why we use it.

See all answers

Comparisons

Fortinet FortiADC vs F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)

Compared 19% of the time

NetScaler vs F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)

Compared 8% of the time

VMWare Avi Load Balancer vs F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)

Compared 8% of the time

HAProxy vs F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)

Compared 7% of the time

Radware Alteon vs F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)

Compared 6% of the time

More F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) Competitors

F5 Advanced WAF vs Microsoft Azure Application Gateway

Compared 12% of the time

Cloudflare Web Application Firewall vs Microsoft Azure Application Gateway

Compared 12% of the time

AWS WAF vs Microsoft Azure Application Gateway

Compared 10% of the time

HAProxy vs Microsoft Azure Application Gateway

Compared 9% of the time

Akamai App and API Protector vs Microsoft Azure Application Gateway

Compared 5% of the time

More Microsoft Azure Application Gateway Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)

March 2025

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) report

Download F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Azure Application Gateway

February 2025

Microsoft Azure Application Gateway report

Download Microsoft Azure Application Gateway product report

Also Known As

F5 BIG-IP, BIG-IP LTM, F5 ASM, Viprion, F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition , Crescendo Networks Application Delivery Controller, BIG IP

Azure Application Gateway, MS Azure Application Gateway

Overview

F5 BIG-IP LTM optimizes the speed and reliability of your apps via both network and application layers. Using real-time protocol and traffic management decisions based on app and server and connection management conditions, and TCP and content offloading, BIG-IP LTM dramatically improves application and infrastructure responsiveness. BIG-IP LTM's architecture includes protocol awareness to control traffic for the most important applications. BIG-IP LTM tracks the dynamic performance levels of servers and delivers SSL performance and visibility for inbound and outbound traffic, to protect the user experience by encrypting everything from the client to the server.

BIG-IP LTM provides enterprise-class Application Delivery Controller (ADC). You get granular layer 7 control, SSL offloading and acceleration capabilities, and advanced scaling technologies that deliver performance and reliability on-demand. The highly optimized TCP/IP stack combines TCP/IP techniques and improvements in the latest RFCs with extensions to minimize the effect of congestion and packet loss and recovery. Independent testing tools and customer experiences show LTM's TCP stack delivers up to a 2x performance gain for users and a 4x increase in bandwidth efficiency.

Azure Application Gateway is a web traffic load balancer that enables you to manage traffic to your web applications. Traditional load balancers operate at the transport layer (OSI layer 4 - TCP and UDP) and route traffic based on source IP address and port, to a destination IP address and port.

To learn more about our solution, ask questions, and share feedback, join our Microsoft Security, Compliance and Identity Community.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Riken, TransUnion, Tepco Systems Administration, Daejeon University, G&T Bank, Danamon, CyberAgent Inc.

Lilly, AccuWeather, AIRFRANCE, Honeywell

Buyer's Guide

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) vs. Microsoft Azure Application Gateway

March 2025

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