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

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Man...

Read 107 NetScaler reviews

8,049 Views
5,814 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 12, 2025

F5 BIG-IP LTM and NetScaler are two prominent competitors in the ADC category. F5 BIG-IP seems to have the upper hand in hardware performance and advanced features, while NetScaler is praised for its flexible deployment.

Features: F5 BIG-IP LTM is recognized for advanced traffic management, SSL offloading, and iRules for customization. It also delivers robust hardware performance and comprehensive security with its WAF. Meanwhile, NetScaler offers flexible deployment models, SSL offloading, global server load balancing, and NetScaler Gateway for secure remote access.

Room for Improvement: F5 BIG-IP LTM users suggest improvement in its high upfront costs, lack of a flexible licensing model, and its interface. Users of NetScaler point to its complicated licensing and the need for improved customization, support response, and more straightforward integration processes.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: F5 BIG-IP LTM supports multiple deployment environments including hybrid and cloud, with generally well-received customer service, although consistency can be an issue. NetScaler, praised for its customer service, also offers versatile deployment options but faces some complexity issues during integration.

Pricing and ROI: F5 BIG-IP LTM is considered more expensive than its competitors, though its feature set often justifies the cost for many users. Its licensing system adds complexity. NetScaler, while also pricey, offers a competitive feature set and a promising ROI when its strengths are capitalized on.

To learn more, read our detailed F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) vs. NetScaler Report (Updated: January 2025).

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

January 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 838,640 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

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

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 (4th), Web Application Firewall (WAF) (11th)

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) category, the mindshare of F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) is 15.4%, down from 15.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetScaler is 15.5%, up from 15.0% 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.

Read full review

DEMİRHAN ÇAVUŞOĞLU

Cloud Consultant at Migros Ticaret A.Ş.

A tool for centralized management including inventory and sales tracking

Citrix ADM has the ability to implement policies to tighten security. For instance, you can restrict access to your network from outsiders or lack necessary security measures such as antivirus programs. Additionally, there's the Delivery Controller, which allows for comprehensive monitoring and management tasks such as remote restarts, maintenance, and registration. Another essential component is the Director, which provides detailed insights into sessions, including identifying session failures, connection issues, user lockouts, etc. It presents a list of problems to address, enabling you to click on them and resolve them efficiently.

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

"iRules are very valuable. In addition to that, the way profiles are depicted by the LTM is also very good."

"What we like best about this solution is its stability. It is extremely stable."

"The setup is pretty easy."

"It is a fast and available solution."

"The most valuable features are DNS, APM, and ASM. Additionally, it is easy to use and you have a lot of flexibility to use the solution within a network."

"The most valuable feature is the proxy."

"The most valuable feature is being able to manipulate the iRules, so you can send traffic to different avenues."

"F5 has many capabilities for load balancing and web application firewall features."

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

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

"Content filtering, security layer, and application customization features are the most valuable."

"It allows students to access required software for their studies."

"We like the periodic upgrades and backups, also made via ADMs, and it makes our environment much more robust and reliable."

"Manageability and visibility are good."

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

"We appreciate that this solution facilitates our access to Citrix internet."

"Content Redirection and SSO integration with Citrix XenApp/XenDesktop. The GUI was wonderful."

More NetScaler pros

Cons

"I would like there to be more device security. I would like the tool to support SSL links, along with SSL and TLS."

"We would like to see load balancing between the cloud and the on-premise, a straightforward deployment feature."

"My only point of contention would be that it is a little pricey."

"The initial setup can take a long time."

"To improve the product, they could add more load balancing solutions in Kubernetes."

"The solution's initial setup process was quite complex. I"

"In the LTM solution, it would be beneficial to have more algorithms for traffic segmentation or the ability to create user-defined algorithms rather than being restricted to predefined ones."

"This is a very expensive solution."

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

"Improvements are needed to address the issue of machines becoming unregistered, ensuring stability for end users. Troubleshooting with Citrix support can be challenging, so clearer diagnostics would be beneficial. As for global server load balancing, it works well on-premises, depending on user volume and service stability. Overall, it's satisfactory for us."

"The security is okay, but the monitoring and reporting need improvement."

"The interface could be improved, some customers struggle with that."

"Overall the price of Citrix ADC could be more competitive."

"Deployment is complicated."

"Too many bugs in the software and it's always difficult when you need to update."

"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."

"We would like to see some fairly large scale improvement in the configuration process for this solution."

More NetScaler cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I am a fan of using AWS natively. It is much cheaper."

"It is cheaper than the average on the market."

"It is a little pricey. I wish the pricing was cheaper, but I wish the pricing was cheaper for everything."

"In my view, the cost is somewhat on the higher side. There are discounts available, but I wouldn't say it's overpriced. It's not cheap either, and the value for money is a bit higher from that perspective."

"I am not aware of the exact cost of the product. However, it is expensive."

"The solution is more expensive than one of its competitors."

"We purchased through the AWS Marketplace because it was a popular way to go, and we were intrigued. The price of this product is not an issue. They have good pricing and licensing."

"There are a few licensing options available for F5 BIG-IP LTM. You can have a perpetual license which is a lifetime license. You then only need to renew the support, if you choose to open a ticket with the support."

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

"The pricing could be lower."

"Citrix NetScaler VPX is not the cheapest solution out there, but you get what you pay for."

"The tool is cheap."

"We have all the features and functions of Citrix because we have a premium license."

"We are quite happy with price. It's not too high."

"NetScaler does the same thing as an F5 and it's cheaper."

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

"I give the price of the solution a seven out of ten."

More NetScaler pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

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

See recommendations

838,640 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Computer Software Company

14%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

17%

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Government

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.

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.

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

The solution is robust and reliable.

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 ...

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

Comparisons

Compared 19% of the time

Microsoft Azure Application Gateway 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 7% 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

Microsoft Azure Application Gateway vs NetScaler

Compared 12% of the time

HAProxy vs NetScaler

Compared 11% of the time

Fortinet FortiADC vs NetScaler

Compared 10% of the time

VMWare Avi Load Balancer vs NetScaler

Compared 7% of the time

NGINX Plus vs NetScaler

Compared 6% of the time

More NetScaler Competitors

Product Reports

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)

February 2025

F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) report

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

Download NetScaler product report

February 2025

Also Known As

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

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

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.

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

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

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