TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) vs. Zscaler Internet Access

Save this comparison

Save this comparison

Add Product

Recommended Comparisons

    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)

    Score8.4 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

    Zscaler Internet Access

    Score8.8 out of 10
    N/AZscaler Internet Access™ (ZIA) is a secure web gateway (SWG), delivering cloud native cyberthreat protection and zero trust access to the internet and SaaS apps.N/A
    Pricing
    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)Zscaler Internet Access
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)Zscaler Internet 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 Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)Zscaler Internet Access
    Considered Both Products
    F5
    No answer on this topic
    Zscaler
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    99%
    Would buy again
    171 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    99%
    Delivers good value for the price
    147 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    99%
    Happy with the feature set
    170 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    95%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    126 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    89%
    Implementation went as expected
    136 Answers
    Features
    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)Zscaler Internet Access
    Firewall
    Comparison of Firewall features of F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) and Zscaler Internet Access
    Feature
    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)
    8.6
    2 Ratings
    0% below category average
    Zscaler Internet Access
    -
    Ratings
    Identification Technologies8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Visualization Tools7.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Content Inspection9.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Policy-based Controls8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Active Directory and LDAP10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Firewall Management Console7.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Reporting and Logging8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    VPN10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    High Availability9.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Stateful Inspection9.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Proxy Server10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Identity Management
    Comparison of Identity Management features of F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) and Zscaler Internet Access
    Feature
    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)
    -
    Ratings
    Zscaler Internet Access
    5.0
    2 Ratings
    56% below category average
    Multi-Factor Authentication00 Ratings5.02 Ratings
    Endpoint Security
    Comparison of Endpoint Security features of F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) and Zscaler Internet Access
    Feature
    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)
    -
    Ratings
    Zscaler Internet Access
    10.0
    2 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Threat Intelligence
    Comparison of Threat Intelligence features of F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) and Zscaler Internet Access
    Feature
    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)
    -
    Ratings
    Zscaler Internet Access
    9.5
    5 Ratings
    7% above category average
    Network Analytics00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
    Threat Recognition00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
    Vulnerability Classification00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
    Automated Alerts and Reporting00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
    Threat Analysis00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
    Threat Intelligence Reporting00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
    Automated Threat Identification00 Ratings9.15 Ratings
    Zero Trust Security
    Comparison of Zero Trust Security features of F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) and Zscaler Internet Access
    Feature
    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)
    -
    Ratings
    Zscaler Internet Access
    9.7
    5 Ratings
    4% above category average
    Continuous Verification00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
    Secure Web Gateways00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
    Network Flow Control00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
    Network Traffic Analysis00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
    Segmentation Leveraging00 Ratings10.04 Ratings
    Admin Access Control00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
    Network Data Encryption00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
    Network Topology Mapping00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)Zscaler Internet Access
    Small Businesses
    SonicWall NSA Series
    Score8.5 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
    Score9.4 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Enterprises
    Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
    Score9 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)Zscaler Internet Access
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.3
    (5 ratings)
    8.7
    (22 ratings)
    Usability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.5
    (6 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.1
    (5 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM)Zscaler Internet Access
    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
    Zscaler
    It's best suited for a distributed remote workforce, securing internet access for users from anywhere. Suitable for highly regulated industries, such as banking and Healthcare. Not a good fit for an organisation where most of its legacy is in an on-premises environment. Bandwidth-intensive industries like media/entertainment firms.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    F5
    • Load balancing using pools
    • SSL offloading
    • iRules for threat handling
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    • Single Pane of Glass Management - Everything is very easy to access and monitor the entire environment from an internet security perspective.
    • Install Flexibility - We can and do install Zscaler Internet Access on both our client devices as well as our SD-WAN appliances and servers. This allows us to control internet security even on devices without an agent in our networks.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    F5
    • If unsure, can be overly cautious.
    • There are few changes the end user can make.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    • The logs feel kind of lack luster
    • When issues are arising with SSL Inspection, logs show everything working despite end user experience
    • Could use some kind of global find functionality or something that would allow you to search the entire configuration for matching URLs and the like
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    F5
    No answers on this topic
    Zscaler
    While Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) delivers critical value in cloud security and RBI compliance, I rate renewal likelihood 7/10 due to evolving needs versus platform limitations. Below is my rationale:
    Key Gaps:
    1. Advanced Threat Costs:
    ZIA’s add-ons (e.g., Advanced DLP, Sandboxing) incur 35%+ cost premiums – straining budgets as transaction volumes (UPI/iMobile) grow 50% YoY.
    2. API Banking Scalability:
    ZIA’s API rate limits throttle real-time policy sync during UPI peaks (10K+ TPS), forcing workarounds for finacle integrations.
    3. RBI Future-Proofing:
    Limited native support for upcoming digital rupee (CBDC) security rules requires custom development, increasing compliance overhead.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    F5
    No answers on this topic
    Zscaler
    The application is easy to install and configure on all Windows devices. To troubleshoot any internet issue, we can easily collect all the relevant logs from Zscaler and check the exact issue. The only problem is with the uninstall, as a dedicated crew needs to provide the password.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    F5
    No answers on this topic
    Zscaler
    There are often performance issues reported
    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
    Zscaler
    Zscaler's ZIA support is quick and knowledgable. They respond within 1-2 hours of you submitting your ticket. They are very thorough and are typically ready to jump on a live troubleshooting session. Our ZIA platform and how we use is it unique so at times tickets can be open for weeks but we alway get quality support compared to other unrelated product support in our enterprise
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    Zscaler Intenet Access outperformed the competition due to its lightning-fast policy delivery and cross-compatibility. It is easy to track employee usage and block unnecessary websites, reducing company internet usage. Zscalar installed on every system increases cloud-based software bandwidth, decreasing user turnaround time and increasing efficiency.
    Incentivized
    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
    Zscaler
    • Has allowed us to remove other products that were suboptimal
    • Saved us money overall by stacking it with other Zscaler products
    • Created a more secure work environment for our users through intelligent internet policies that are not needlessly restrictive while still maintaining security best practices
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Zscaler Internet Access Screenshots

    Screenshot of an overview of Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA), a cloud native security service edge (SSE) solution that builds on a decade of secure web gateway leadership. Offered as a scalable SaaS platform through Zscaler's security cloud, it replaces legacy network security solutions, preventing advanced attacks and data loss with a comprehensive zero trust approach. ZIA is integrated into the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange™ to provide superior defense-in-depth, secure connectivity, end user experience, and administrative visibility and control.