F5 BIG-IP vs. VMware NSX

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
BIG-IP
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
F5 BIG-IP software from Seattle-based F5 Networks is a load balancing and application protection solution suite available on cloud or via virtual editions, on a subscription or perpetual licensing basis. The BIG-IP suite of products supports a wide range of security and application performance needs. The suite includes BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) traffic management and optimization, BIG-IP DNS, BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) identity and password protection, BIG-IP Application…N/A
VMware NSX
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
VMware NSX is network virtualization technology. VMware NSX is no longer sold as a standalone product and is now available as a part of VMware Cloud Foundation.N/A
Pricing
F5 BIG-IPVMware NSX
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
BIG-IPVMware NSX
Free Trial
NoNo
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-IPVMware NSX
Considered Both Products
BIG-IP

No answer on this topic

VMware NSX
Chose VMware NSX
We use both ACI & NSX. They both provide a programmable network and in future releases of ACI they will allow you to stretch fabrics into the cloud like you can do with NSX. ACI, when compared to NSX, turned out to be significantly cheaper, but it also was lacking certain …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
F5 BIG-IPVMware NSX
Virtual Private Network
Comparison of Virtual Private Network features of Product A and Product B
F5 BIG-IP
7.8
20 Ratings
9% below category average
VMware NSX
-
Ratings
AES 256-bit Encryption8.415 Ratings00 Ratings
Kill Switch7.09 Ratings00 Ratings
Multi-Platform Support7.210 Ratings00 Ratings
Split Tunneling7.411 Ratings00 Ratings
IP Address Masking8.514 Ratings00 Ratings
No-Logs Policy8.012 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple Server Locations8.215 Ratings00 Ratings
Automatic Wi-Fi Protection6.77 Ratings00 Ratings
Simultaneous Connections8.417 Ratings00 Ratings
Customer Support Services8.716 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
F5 BIG-IPVMware NSX
Small Businesses
Avast Small Business Solutions
Avast Small Business Solutions
Score 8.4 out of 10

No answers on this topic

Medium-sized Companies
Check Point Quantum Security Gateway Next Generation Firewall
Check Point Quantum Security Gateway Next Generation Firewall
Score 9.2 out of 10

No answers on this topic

Enterprises
Check Point Quantum Security Gateway Next Generation Firewall
Check Point Quantum Security Gateway Next Generation Firewall
Score 9.2 out of 10

No answers on this topic

All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
F5 BIG-IPVMware NSX
Likelihood to Recommend
9.1
(127 ratings)
7.0
(3 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
6.9
(6 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
F5 BIG-IPVMware NSX
Likelihood to Recommend
F5
The scale, performance, and configuration for various scenarios have already been mentioned. The versatility, reliability, etc., are dependable and well-known. Being the industry leader, it is almost a standard, and no one can get fired for recommending F5 compared to some of the new offerings, which are not battle-tested.
Read full review
VMware by Broadcom
With proper design, VMware NSX can and should be deployed to virtually any VMware virtualization environment, but the deployment should be tailored to the needs of that environment. There isn't really a one size fits all deployment design for all environments. That versatility is what provides its greatest strength to a business.
Read full review
Pros
F5
  • Easy connection: you can connect to your corporate network with two clicks.
  • IP restriction: F5 has a list of possible insecure IP numbers, if someone tries to connect using one of these numbers, F5 BIG-IP won't connect.
  • Always on feature: Very handy feature, if you install always on, you won't need to click connect.
Read full review
VMware by Broadcom
  • End to end encryption on the wire.
  • Micro-segmentation.
  • Integrates well with existing VMWare environment.
  • Integrates well with our existing network.
Read full review
Cons
F5
  • I think the policy configuration that had some improvements on the ASM word things, improvements may be on the signatures that would be good because it's a little bit confusing on the ASL, how they are updated and deployed, and this staging. So that's something that could be.
Read full review
VMware by Broadcom
  • Interoperability in multi-vendor environments
  • Advanced networking and packet acceleration options can be improved
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
F5
Only way to to this type of tasks
Read full review
VMware by Broadcom
No answers on this topic
Usability
F5
Great customization and easy to use help reference menus
Read full review
VMware by Broadcom
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
F5
On the occasions when we've had to engage f5 support, they have been great. They have always resolved our issues quickly and been easy to work with and professional. The reason I give them a 10 out of 10, however, is because when we've had issues that have crossed over between the f5 BIG-IP, our Cisco switches, and our Microsoft IIS server the f5 support representatives have been extremely knowledgeable about every product and device involved and have been able to troubleshoot end-to-end without having to engage other vendors.
Read full review
VMware by Broadcom
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
F5
implementation is fine
Read full review
VMware by Broadcom
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
F5
So the cloud versions, and admittedly we did not do the Imperva on-prem solution. We only went with cloud. There's a lot of idiosyncrasies, like you can't use real IP addresses, you must snap. And that caused us problems with DNS and DNS routing. So we had to turn on some features with F5 that did remediate the issue, like using the one connect profiles, but that did cause some other problems identifying traffic and we had to make some eye roll changes to use the exported four headers.
Read full review
VMware by Broadcom
We use both Cisco ACI and VMware NSX, and while they have different strengths and capabilities, I would recommend VMware NSX, as it can be used in all VMware environments, without costly physical infrastructure changes. Cisco ACI provides some of the same capabilities, but not all. It's focus relies on physical networking changes.
Read full review
Return on Investment
F5
  • F5 BIG-IP has a highly positive impact on the customers. The main impact is on the security of the web applications.
  • F5 BIG-IP provides an easy and safe way to connect employees to assets and applications that reside in an on-premises environment.
Read full review
VMware by Broadcom
  • Ability to move workloads more easily with the ability to stretch/move networks across multiple physical locations.
  • The added flexibility allows you to expedite tech refreshes since you're no longer constrained by the hardware.
Read full review
ScreenShots