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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    F5 BIG-IP

    Score9.2 out of 10
    N/AF5 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.N/A

    Kemp LoadMaster

    Score8.9 out of 10
    N/ALoadMaster from Kemp Technologies in New York is an application delivery controller.

    $1,720

    per year

    Pricing
    F5 BIG-IPKemp LoadMaster
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    VLM-500
    1,720
    per year
    VLM-500
    2,000
    perpetual license
    VLM-3000
    3,050
    per year
    VLM-3000
    4,000
    perpetual license
    VLM-MAX
    7,610
    per year
    VLM-MAX
    10,000
    perpetual license
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    F5 BIG-IPKemp LoadMaster
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    F5 BIG-IPKemp LoadMaster
    Considered Both Products
    F5
    Chose F5 BIG-IP
    As I said previously, the F5 BIG-IP products are far and away the easiest, most robust and powerful application delivery platform I've ever worked on. The user experience was really the most noteworthy difference when using other products. The Kemp Load master platform was …
    Incentivized
    Chose F5 BIG-IP
    Kemp is getting more mature but F5 is still superior. While the Kemp UI is easier F5 allows for more option and customization. I still feel Kemp is strong due to their no-cost lab license.
    Incentivized
    Kemp Technologies
    Chose Kemp LoadMaster
    Kemp LoadMaster is easier to implement and operate, all while being less expensive. Although some competitors offer more functionality, most of our customers don't need it.
    Incentivized
    Chose Kemp LoadMaster
    [Selected for] good business performance and noticeable price advantage.
    Incentivized
    Chose Kemp LoadMaster
    When we looked at other load balancers, we ran into some issues. For some of the free ones, these don't necessarily perform as well - which is probably why they are free. When looking at some of the other brands, some are too complicated to use - they may have a ton of advanced …
    Incentivized
    Chose Kemp LoadMaster
    They all do the same thing, just present the functions in a different way and cost more/less. We have found that the virtual load balancers offer the same performance at the throughput that we need. While a dedicated appliance would be necessary in some applications, we don't …
    Incentivized
    Chose Kemp LoadMaster
    F5 was just way too expensive for our organization.
    Incentivized
    Chose Kemp LoadMaster
    Better performance, cheaper, and more reliable.
    Incentivized
    Chose Kemp LoadMaster
    Kemp support is unlike we have seen from any other tech vendor. It truly is outstanding, and they even helped us resolve issues with our VMware environment that had nothing to do with the Kemp deployment. That combined with the pricing flexibility and the option to deploy into …
    Incentivized
    Chose Kemp LoadMaster
    KEMP Loadmaster was chosen by the VP for reduced price alone. I was thoroughly against it in the beginning (as I was a hugh F5 supporter) until i got used to it.
    For a much reduced price, it performs just as well as a F5; after you get used to the WebUI configuration tool.
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    99%
    Would buy again
    195 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    61 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    97%
    Delivers good value for the price
    158 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    60 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    98%
    Happy with the feature set
    194 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    61 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    96%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    132 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    52 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    95%
    Implementation went as expected
    148 Answers
    98%
    Implementation went as expected
    58 Answers
    Best Alternatives
    F5 BIG-IPKemp LoadMaster
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    No answers on this topic
    F5 BIG-IP
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Enterprises
    No answers on this topic
    F5 BIG-IP
    Score9.2 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    F5 BIG-IPKemp LoadMaster
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.2
    (129 ratings)
    9.0
    (64 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    8.6
    (4 ratings)
    Usability
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    9.0
    (26 ratings)
    Support Rating
    5.2
    (6 ratings)
    9.8
    (28 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    F5 BIG-IPKemp LoadMaster
    Likelihood to Recommend
    F5
    Definitely in larger environments, more mature organizations that obviously have the budget to spend and want best in class. Where it struggles is those organizations that don't have the funding and money to spend on it and need more basic functionality. So I'd say that's smaller customers we've worked with and kind of mid-market. They tend to get scared when they get the quotes. Also we've had some struggles with account team consistency. So for the sales team, just a lot of turnover and a lot of missteps on customer calls.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Kemp Technologies
    Loadmaster is very powerful and flexible load balancer. Variety of options allows to create a complex network of rules and routes. During our website rollout Loadmaster allowed us to run multiple generations of the website simultaneously and seamlessly by doing the content switching on the fly. Powerful API allows easy integration into any development lifecycle.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    F5
    • I mean from a basic level, it actually satisfies all the use cases we have, which is basically to have multiple web servers for the front end and then you want that to be equally split across. The traffic comes in from all over the world. We use DRA protection and everything, but then we also internally want to make sure all the servers are being utilized and we provide much more availability across all servers. We just make sure BIG-IP sits in between and handles the traffic accordingly. And it's pretty basic and it comes to drawing traffic. It's pretty easy to configure and set it up and then forget.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Kemp Technologies
    • Where the LoadBalancer excels is the multiple levels at which you can load balance servers. We currently use layer 7 LB, but others are available as well.
    • I particularly like the ability for the LB to know when servers are down, and if all are offline then you can create a redirect to a static HTML page or some other destination that is more informative.
    • The ease in which a service can be created and deployed using already pre-canned templates makes it a very convenient setup process.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    F5
    • Recently we have been deploying F5 web application firewall and we have started the deployment. We have already moved applications out there, but we are not yet to the point wherein I could comment any positive feedback or any negative feedback because we are still going through it, right. But as far as I'm concerned, I don't see any drawbacks or any shortcomings on the F5 product lineup.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Kemp Technologies
    • Ability to 'clone' existing Virtual Services for rapid deployment of similar ones.
    • A better API for ease of automation.
    • Simplification of Certificate management.
    • Better explanations of Kemp implementations of industry standard protocols like VRRP (or CARP)
    • More control over device factory reset configuration and forcibly breaking HA pairs at boot time
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    F5
    So far experience with F5 BIG-IP has been good, but we are only 6 months into the deployment and will depend on how things run over time.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Kemp Technologies
    I'm very pleased with the support I've received as well as the quality of the product.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    F5
    It's not difficult to understand the parts of application configurations and features. Setting up new virtual servers with multiple profiles, certificates, and nodes is easy for new users through the web interface, which also translates to programability in scripts, DevOps, or other configuration management use-cases. Users from different backgrounds such as networking and infrastructure can use F5 BIG-IP, while users who are familiar with API calls can easily configure objects without needing to understand the platform at all.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Kemp Technologies
    Kemp makes it very easy to setup, configure and manage the LoadMaster without needing a lot of help from their engineers. The interface is very easy to understand and intuitive to use. We like how it is not complicated - I can easily have one of my techs login and they can figure out how to setup/configure virtual services for load balancing without needing a manual or tech support.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Kemp Technologies
    Support has been easy to deal with; I have only need[ed] to contact them a few times during setup. Once its been in place and operational, we have not need[ed] to mess with the system [which] is a huge advantage. I like system[s] that do not break and require constant attention in a production environment.
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    F5
    Practical cases and hands on , many hours of training with tipical cases
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Kemp Technologies
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    F5
    implementation is fine
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Kemp Technologies
    The installation was straight forward. Once i installed it, their technical support team helped me with configuration
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    F5
    That's the one thing that really stood out. It was a lot easier to use from an administrator standpoint, so I think that's the one thing that really made our team decide to go with this product versus another competitor. Just ease of use.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Kemp Technologies
    We chose Kemp LoadMaster because it is 1/10 the price of the competition and MUCH easier to deploy and configure and WORKS. We have had ZERO issues with the product since installation. Their engineers and their sales team have both reached out post-install to check in and see if everything is working as expected.
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Kemp Technologies
    • We used Kemp LoadMaster for many projects. For a lot of customers, load balancers were too expensive or too complicated before we introduced Kemp products.
    • It's not a overly complicated product, so we were able to train many engineers on it and have them get a certification.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots