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F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs. Zscaler Private Access

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)

    Score8.9 out of 10
    N/AF5 Networks provides BIG-IP Access Policy Manager as an identity and access solution which can be deployed as a standalone solution or as an add-on to F5 Networks' flagship BIG-IP TLM or F5 Advanced WAF applications.N/A

    Zscaler Private Access

    Score7.9 out of 10
    N/AZscaler Private Access™ (ZPA) gives users secure access to private apps and OT devices while enabling zero trust connectivity for workloads.N/A
    Pricing
    F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)Zscaler Private Access
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)Zscaler Private Access
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)Zscaler Private Access
    Considered Both Products
    F5
    Chose F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)
    F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager integrates extremely well with the rest of our F5 infrastructure which is a big plus and provides us with a familiar user interface, but it isn't as scalable in its current iteration as something like Zscaler Private Access.
    Incentivized
    Zscaler
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    95%
    Would buy again
    19 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    95%
    Delivers good value for the price
    19 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    20 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    94%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    16 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    89%
    Implementation went as expected
    17 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Features
    F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)Zscaler Private Access
    Virtual Private Network
    Comparison of Virtual Private Network features of F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) and Zscaler Private Access
    Feature
    F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)
    9.2
    2 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Zscaler Private Access
    -
    Ratings
    AES 256-bit Encryption10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Kill Switch10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multi-Platform Support10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Simultaneous Connections8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customer Support Services8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Threat Intelligence
    Comparison of Threat Intelligence features of F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) and Zscaler Private Access
    Feature
    F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)
    -
    Ratings
    Zscaler Private Access
    10.0
    1 Ratings
    13% above category average
    Network Analytics00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Automated Alerts and Reporting00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Zero Trust Security
    Comparison of Zero Trust Security features of F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) and Zscaler Private Access
    Feature
    F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)
    -
    Ratings
    Zscaler Private Access
    10.0
    1 Ratings
    7% above category average
    Continuous Verification00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Secure Web Gateways00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Network Flow Control00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Network Data Encryption00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Network Topology Mapping00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)Zscaler Private Access
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Enterprises
    No answers on this topic
    Zscaler Internet Access
    Score8.8 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)Zscaler Private Access
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.6
    (12 ratings)
    8.0
    (5 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)Zscaler Private Access
    Likelihood to Recommend
    F5
    I think that the platform is well suited to many Remote Access VPN solutions, but I also think there is a lot of room for improvement on the backend. If you are hoping to deploy your APM solution across many different datacenters or colos, it may not be the best choice for the final solution.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    Zscaler Private Access works really well in environments setup for FQDNs and where you know what users should/shouldn't be accessing on what ports. You can use Zscaler Private Access to figure out these kinds of features but that doesn't always mean you'll be correct. It also provides a consistent experience for users as they can access their materials anywhere. It also makes the user the last line of defense. If a user's account is compromised then the attacker has access to everything they already did. It doesn't work great in OT environments or Server based environments. Flows have to be initiated from the client and not the server for stuff to behave properly.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    F5
    • SAML 2.0 identity federation support.
    • Integrates with third-party SSO solutions.
    • Bridging modern authentication and authorization (SAML, OAuth/OIDC) and classic authentication and authorization methods.
    • Policy routing
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    • Allows strong cyber security corporate policies
    • Very reliable VPN application that operates at 100% efficiency
    • Very easy to be configured with friendly user interface
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    F5
    • There's some more advanced configurations within OAuth that I think could be fleshed out and easier to approach.
    • There's a lot of things in F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager policies that I find myself recreating every policy. An easier way to copy objects from one to policy to another.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    • Granularity and Complexity of Policy Enforcement
    • Application Segmentation and Listener Configuration - The way applications are defined and listened for is fundamental to ZPA, but can be a source of frustration, especially when dealing with legacy or non-HTTP protocols
    • The ZCC is the user's primary gateway, but its control over local system network behavior can sometimes clash with enterprise requirements.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    F5
    Integration with F5 BIG-IP systems that we plan to keep using for a while.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    F5
    If F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager usability is fine it's not hard to use if you read the documentation but it does feel dated and could use a responsive design update to modernize user interface to current standards.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    The environment feels more secure, and we are seeing that users are adapting to it fast. The fact that we have tools to assist the users with their day-to-day access helps, as we can hand it off to the helpdesk without any escalations to the Network team. It is a work in progress for our agency, but we are seeing the benefits from the solution.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    F5
    It is open platform so support is not good and than F5 and features visibility as not good as F5. F5 Set up and easy to use to admin console. Also have more feature visibility for load balancing, web server accelerator, application server ddos protection and WAF. F5 more efficient to handle concurrent request.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    Well ZPA is a good solution, however everyone has their own advantage and disadvantages, with ZPA you can deploy ZTNA model, which will help you better control on access, however Palo Alto, Fortinet they are also market leading firewall solution, and you can not deny if they are not providing the same features.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    F5
    • Simplified our approach to company-wide VPN solutions greatly by allowing us to use a single product instead of multiple products like we had before
    • Can handle 15000-20000 users at once with no issues
    • Was able to configure to support users travelling with 4G connections on their laptops and accommodate constant changing IP addresses
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    • Positive: We have now charged users internally for the service
    • Negative: Dealing with users who also have the Zscaler Client Connector for their company, can cause confusions
    • Negative: Enabling the Zscaler Internet Access entitlement has been a major headache for us because Zscaler Private Access users can't autheniticate through ZIA on a non corporate device.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Zscaler Private Access Screenshots

    Screenshot of how ZPA provides access for all users while minimizing the attack surface, eliminating lateral movement, and stopping zero day threats. A cloud native service, ZPA can be deployed in just hours to replace legacy remote access tools like VPNs and VDIs.