F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) vs. Sophos XG Firewall

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
F5 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
Sophos XG Firewall
Score 8.3 out of 10
N/A
Sophos XG Firewall provides comprehensive next-generation firewall protection powered by deep learning and Synchronized Security. The vendor states XG Firewall supplies unmatched insights and exposes hidden user, application, and threat risks on the network, and say the product is differentiated by its ability to respond automatically to security incidents by isolating compromised systems, with Security Heartbeat™.N/A
Pricing
F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)Sophos XG Firewall
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)Sophos XG Firewall
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)Sophos XG Firewall
Features
F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)Sophos XG Firewall
Firewall
Comparison of Firewall features of Product A and Product B
F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)
8.6
2 Ratings
0% below category average
Sophos XG Firewall
8.5
12 Ratings
1% below category average
Identification Technologies8.02 Ratings8.012 Ratings
Visualization Tools7.02 Ratings8.212 Ratings
Content Inspection9.02 Ratings8.012 Ratings
Policy-based Controls8.02 Ratings8.912 Ratings
Active Directory and LDAP10.01 Ratings8.511 Ratings
Firewall Management Console7.02 Ratings8.912 Ratings
Reporting and Logging8.02 Ratings8.412 Ratings
VPN10.01 Ratings8.912 Ratings
High Availability9.02 Ratings8.912 Ratings
Stateful Inspection9.02 Ratings8.212 Ratings
Proxy Server10.01 Ratings9.09 Ratings
Best Alternatives
F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)Sophos XG Firewall
Small Businesses
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Score 9.4 out of 10
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Score 9.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
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Score 9.4 out of 10
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Score 9.4 out of 10
Enterprises
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Score 9.5 out of 10
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Score 9.5 out of 10
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User Ratings
F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)Sophos XG Firewall
Likelihood to Recommend
8.3
(5 ratings)
8.2
(12 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(3 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(1 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)Sophos XG Firewall
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.
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Sophos
It is well-suited for small, medium, and large organizations looking for comprehensive cybersecurity protection. It will not only safeguard their network from cyberattacks but also provide them with many advanced features like deep packet inspection, centralized management, web filtering, application control, etc. in one place. It will help them optimize bandwidth and ensure continued connectivity.
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Pros
F5
  • Load balancing using pools
  • SSL offloading
  • iRules for threat handling
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Sophos
  • It provides you with advanced threat protection against cyberattacks.
  • It gives you deep visibility on risky users, applications, threats, etc.
  • It gives you an automatic response whenever threat is detected.
  • It offers many features like web filtering and application control and helps optimize bandwidth.
  • It ensures continued connectivity by providing features like load balancing, failover, etc.
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Cons
F5
  • If unsure, can be overly cautious.
  • There are few changes the end user can make.
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Sophos
  • If using Endpoint security and the Firewall it would be nice to have an easier back and forth between the portals rather than have two separate tabs open. Especially if using more than one in multiple locations.
  • If dealing with different revisions options are moved around and sometimes in places that doesn't normally seem like they should be there.
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Usability
F5
No answers on this topic
Sophos
Because this is a user-friendly interface, and anyone can use it there are multiple articles and guidelines available, it has advanced-level security features. they provide VPN solutions all the features are very practical, SSID MAC-based authentications web control, Firewall rules segregation of the rules and policies, On-premises Active directory single sign-on feature is also available.
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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.
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Sophos
As we are all addicted to graphics-oriented interfaces for all our life products. Easy to manage and access as a good way of using anything
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Alternatives Considered
F5
Both F5 [BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager] and Radware require training as they are not easy to use. But Radware uses some configuration that needs deep learning and proper labs. From an admin's perspective, Configuration and management for F5 [BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager are] less. Also, the cost of implementing F5 [BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager] is lesser than that of Radware Alteon.
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Sophos
I was a big fan of Cisco ASA products, but when I saw all of the security feature differences between both firewalls, I moved to Sophos devices. Its sandbox, IPS, and many more features are really advanced. Cisco does not provide features like this.
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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
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Sophos
  • True UTM device.
  • Very Active customer help for any help.
  • Easy license and cost effective.
  • Should [do] more work on logging and reporting.
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ScreenShots

Sophos XG Firewall Screenshots

Screenshot of Sophos XG Firewall v17.5 Control Center