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F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) vs. SonicWall TZ

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)

    Score8.8 out of 10
    N/AF5 Networks offers the F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager, a firewall software combining a number of features including DDoS, DNS security, and other protections.N/A

    SonicWall TZ

    Score8.4 out of 10
    N/ASonicWall TZ is an entry to mid-tier NGFW for small to mid-sized companies. It is a Unified Threat Management solution, with additional native decryption and deep-packet inspection capabilities.

    $399

    one-time fee

    Pricing
    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)SonicWall TZ
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    SonicWall TZ270 High Availability
    $329.60
    SonicWall TZ270 (hardware only)
    $414.04
    SonicWall TZ370 High Availability
    $493.04
    SonicWall TZ270 Wireless-AC (hardware only)
    $502.57
    SonicWall TZ370 (hardware only)
    $618.34
    SonicWall TZ270 TotalSecure - Essential Edition (1 Year)
    $689.16
    SonicWall TZ370 Wireless-AC (hardware only)
    $708.23
    SonicWall TZ270 TotalSecure - Advanced Edition (1 Year)
    $769.52
    SonicWall TZ470 High Availability
    $776.33
    SonicWall TZ270 Wireless-AC TotalSecure - Essential Edition (1 Year)
    $796.76
    SonicWall TZ270 Wireless-AC TotalSecure - Advanced Edition (1 Year)
    $930.24
    SonicWall TZ370 TotalSecure - Essential Edition (1 Year)
    $973.82
    SonicWall TZ470 (hardware only)
    $973.82
    SonicWall TZ570 High Availability (HA) Unit
    $988.80
    SonicWall TZ470 Wireless-AC (hardware only)
    $1063.71
    SonicWall TZ370 TotalSecure - Advanced Edition (1 Year)
    $1085.50
    SonicWall TZ370 Wireless-AC TotalSecure - Essential Edition (1 Year)
    $1107.29
    SonicWall TZ370 Wireless-AC TotalSecure - Advanced Edition (1 Year)
    $1232.60
    SonicWall TZ570
    $1240.77
    SonicWall TZ670 High Availability (HA) Unit
    $1273.46
    SonicWall TZ570 Wireless-AC
    $1356.54
    SonicWall TZ570 with 8x5 Support (1 Year)
    $1450.51
    SonicWall TZ570 Wireless-AC with 8x5 Support (1 Year)
    $1588.07
    SonicWall TZ470 TotalSecure - Essential Edition (1 Year)
    $1596.25
    SonicWall TZ670
    $1596.25
    SonicWall TZ470 Wireless-AC TotalSecure - Essential Edition (1 Year)
    $1729.72
    SonicWall TZ470 TotalSecure - Advanced Edition (1 Year)
    $1805.99
    SonicWall TZ670 with 8x5 Support (1 Year)
    $1867.28
    SonicWall TZ470 Wireless-AC TotalSecure - Advanced Edition (1 Year)
    $1876.82
    SonicWall TZ570 TotalSecure - Essential Edition (1 Year)
    $2006.20
    SonicWall TZ570 Wireless-AC TotalSecure - Essential Edition (1 Year)
    $2192.80
    SonicWall TZ570 TotalSecure - Advanced Edition (1 Year)
    $2200.97
    SonicWall TZ570 Wireless-AC TotalSecure - Advanced Edition (1 Year)
    $2442.04
    SonicWall TZ670 TotalSecure - Essential Edition (1 Year)
    $2574.15
    SonicWall TZ670 TotalSecure - Advanced Edition (1 Year)
    $2868.34
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)SonicWall TZ
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—See pricing link for TZ Series (Gen6) editions. All prices have been converted from pounds. Conversion rates may change.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)SonicWall TZ
    Considered Both Products
    F5
    No answer on this topic
    SonicWall
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    93%
    Would buy again
    13 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    93%
    Delivers good value for the price
    13 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    14 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    12 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    14 Answers
    Features
    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)SonicWall TZ
    Firewall
    Comparison of Firewall features of F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) and SonicWall TZ
    Feature
    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)
    5.6
    3 Ratings
    42% below category average
    SonicWall TZ
    8.4
    15 Ratings
    2% below category average
    Identification Technologies2.73 Ratings9.115 Ratings
    Visualization Tools1.83 Ratings8.314 Ratings
    Content Inspection5.53 Ratings8.815 Ratings
    Policy-based Controls6.43 Ratings8.415 Ratings
    Active Directory and LDAP10.01 Ratings7.112 Ratings
    Firewall Management Console2.73 Ratings7.615 Ratings
    Reporting and Logging6.43 Ratings7.814 Ratings
    VPN10.01 Ratings8.915 Ratings
    High Availability3.63 Ratings9.214 Ratings
    Stateful Inspection2.73 Ratings8.414 Ratings
    Proxy Server10.01 Ratings8.410 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)SonicWall TZ
    Small Businesses
    SonicWall NSA Series
    Score8.4 out of 10
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    Score8.4 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
    Score9.6 out of 10
    Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
    Score9.6 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
    Score9 out of 10
    Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
    Score9 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)SonicWall TZ
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.1
    (6 ratings)
    9.2
    (21 ratings)
    Usability
    6.4
    (1 ratings)
    8.3
    (6 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (9 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)SonicWall TZ
    Likelihood to Recommend
    F5
    We were able to eliminate a firewall from our network architecture by integrating the module into our existing F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM). This allowed us to save on tech refresh costs, since the F5 was able to handle the module without much additional strain on the device. However, if a firewall had features that the AFM lacked, then using that firewall in tandem with an F5 would be preferable.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SonicWall
    Based on my experience, this is a solid platform for a small to mid sized company, especially when there is someone who has IT experience, or can get outsourced IT help. I would not recommend for someone who is a technology novice. Also, this is a competent device for someone who is looking to add VPN services for remote workers.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    F5
    • Load balancing using pools
    • SSL offloading
    • iRules for threat handling
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SonicWall
    • If you have multiple sites and you want the connect the sites through secure medium this is best firewall for you.
    • There are very advanced features helps you to connect the device easily and securely.
    • Easy to connect the sites through advanced routing protocols.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    F5
    • The GUI icons are very small and Overall UI can use some refreshing
    • The training on the tool is not easily available and mostly involves a high cost
    • The support or third party implementation teams could use some improvement
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SonicWall
    • There are Service Bundles in SonicWall TZ that are Unlicensed and do not know why they have not be Activated - would need help to further understand benefits
    • Do not know why Standard Support is Unlicensed
    • WiFi range of TZ270W is very limited - need to add Access Points or Extended to obtain adequate coverage
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    F5
    While parent policies help simplify the deployment, the UI definitely could be more straight forward and simplified for troubleshooting and tuning
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SonicWall
    Overall the new interface is very logical and easy to navigate. We did struggle at first coming from the older interface and finding our way around the new. But our new users found it very simple to find what they were looking for. One negative we do all struggle with is packet cpature not always being clear how its set/what is being monitored. this could do with more information on teh intial page instead of having to look for it
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    F5
    F5 Advanced Firewall Manager has been a solid, strong solution to both keep our systems safe and being seamless for our end users. Most of the time, the end-user is not impacted and does not even know F5 Advanced Firewall Manager is running which is exactly what we are looking for.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SonicWall
    Once you get to a competent technician the support experience is better. But I have found that the lower tiers of support are very slow to respond (like 1 email per day) and you typically have to re-explain yourself a couple times before they get it. I have not used Phone support, and that may be a better experience.
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    F5
    SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is a bit easier to initially set up than F5 Advanced Firewall Manager but not as robust in its ability to manage different devices with different profiles. Different machines need different access and F5 Advanced Firewall Manager is better at allowing flexibility in identifying different devices and managing what they can access.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SonicWall
    SonicWall and WatchGuard are both fine appliances, but I am accustomed to the Barracuda NG. The Barracuda Control Center is so powerful and useful that it beats out the other two. SonicWall does a great job of dividing up firewall rules and NAT policies, but this is a preference among engineers.
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    F5
    • When we had to decide on whether to buy different hardware our team were all in support of renewal for F5 [BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager]
    • F5 [BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager] requires proper training on tools and clear concepts of packets, headers, and content to create WAF policies
    • Overall, we are satisfied by the ROI provided by our F5 AFM and GTMs
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SonicWall
    • We have three SonicWall TZ devices and they are very helpful in a VPN set up.
    • The subscription costs for the different features has a great return on investment. It is very well worth the money.
    • The antivirus component has been very effective on the computers and servers the SonicWall TZ device protects.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    SonicWall TZ Screenshots

    Screenshot of the SonicWall TZ 570 applianceScreenshot of the SonicWall TZ 370W appliance