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A10 Networks Thunder ADC vs VMWare Avi Load Balancer comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
7.0
A10 Networks Thunder ADC boosts ROI within six months, cutting costs, saving money, and improving operational efficiency for users.
Sentiment score
3.9
Users benefit from VMware Avi Load Balancer's flexibility and low hardware costs, though some face obstacles to quick financial gains.
We do see a return on investment and cost reductions after the implementation of A10 Networks Thunder ADC.
Head Of Technical And Network Security at Connex Information Technologies
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.9
A10 Networks Thunder ADC offers effective support with excellent response times, but some users desire more comprehensive materials and faster urgent responses.
Sentiment score
5.9
VMware Avi Load Balancer's customer support varies, with mixed reviews on responsiveness, expertise, and ticket handling efficiency.
Their tech support is very responsible, and their response time is very low, providing superb support.
PM at Connex Information Technologies
The support we receive from the team is quite excellent.
Head Of Technical And Network Security at Connex Information Technologies
Even when we have difficulty in VDI and other technology, they dig in, troubleshoot, and find the solution, even if it is not their issue.
Pre Sales at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.9
A10 Networks Thunder ADC efficiently scales across regions, supporting enterprises with easy integration, load balancing, and growth management.
Sentiment score
6.9
VMWare Avi Load Balancer offers scalable architecture but opinions vary, highlighting strengths and limitations compared to hardware platforms.
A10 Networks Thunder ADC can handle growth easily, and I have scaled up during higher traffic periods.
Senior Consultant and Creative Director at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
A10 Networks Thunder ADC's scalability is impressive.
IT Architecture Manager at a government with 10,001+ employees
Scalability-wise, VMWare Avi Load Balancer is good.
Trainer/Consultant at Koenig Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.2
A10 Networks Thunder ADC is highly stable, reliable, and handles demanding environments with features like DDoS protection and regular updates.
Sentiment score
7.8
VMWare Avi Load Balancer is stable and reliable, though some question its capacity under heavy traffic for extensive infrastructures.
In some of our deployments of A10 Networks Thunder ADC, we have employed DDoS and other security features, and for the past few years, we haven't experienced any major incidents.
Head Of Technical And Network Security at Connex Information Technologies
Most of the time, it just runs in the background without issues.
Senior Consultant and Creative Director at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
From a stability point of view, VMWare Avi Load Balancer is stable.
Trainer/Consultant at Koenig Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
 

Room For Improvement

A10 Networks Thunder ADC requires UI improvements, better API docs, third-party integration, enhanced logging, scalability, and pricing structure refinement.
VMWare Avi Load Balancer needs pricing, integration, security, and feature enhancements to compete with leaders like F5.
Having more structured, real-world configuration examples would make a big difference, especially for teams that are new to the platform, helping reduce the initial learning curve for them.
Senior Consultant and Creative Director at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
In the vThunder series of A10 Networks Thunder ADC, they have a perpetual license model and a subscription model, but in the Thunder series, the physical appliance does not have a perpetual license model, mainly operating on the subscription model.
PM at Connex Information Technologies
Enhanced integration with third-party tools would be beneficial.
IT Architecture Manager at a government with 10,001+ employees
Multi-cloud capability comes from a configuration called NSX Extended.
Pre Sales at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
The documentation needs to improve, as it was really handy a couple of years back.
Trainer/Consultant at Koenig Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
 

Setup Cost

A10 Networks Thunder ADC is cost-effective compared to F5, with flexible pricing and varying support costs based on requirements.
VMware Avi Load Balancer offers flexible, cost-effective licensing and competitive pricing compared to alternatives like F5, with minimal setup costs.
I estimate that I can save around 20 to 30 percent of my budget with A10 Networks Thunder ADC.
Head Of Technical And Network Security at Connex Information Technologies
 

Valuable Features

A10 Networks Thunder ADC offers load balancing, SSL offloading, security, scalability, and cost efficiency ideal for cloud environments.
VMWare Avi Load Balancer is valued for its integration, stability, intuitive interface, logging, analytics, and flexible deployment options.
In terms of cost, it can lower both CapEx and OpEx.
IT Architecture Manager at a government with 10,001+ employees
Application load balancing in A10 Networks Thunder ADC plays a crucial role in improving application reliability during peak periods.
PM at Connex Information Technologies
The standout features in A10 Networks Thunder ADC are definitely its load balancing capability and SSL offloading because these are very crucial and primary features that I seek from any service.
Senior Consultant and Creative Director at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
The features I find most valuable in VMware Avi Load Balancer are the load balancing part and the WAF part.
Trainer/Consultant at Koenig Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
Native capability for load sharing can be accomplished from Fortinet or Palo Alto without the need to add additional tools.
Pre Sales at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

A10 Networks Thunder ADC
Ranking in Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)
11th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
VMWare Avi Load Balancer
Ranking in Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)
12th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) category, the mindshare of A10 Networks Thunder ADC is 5.6%, up from 5.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMWare Avi Load Balancer is 4.9%, down from 5.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
A10 Networks Thunder ADC5.6%
VMWare Avi Load Balancer4.9%
Other89.5%
Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2817921 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Architecture Manager at a government with 10,001+ employees
Application delivery has improved and security now ensures reliable high‑traffic e‑commerce
A10 Networks Thunder ADC offers several strong features that make it a very competitive solution. First, they provide advanced Layer 4 or Layer 7 load balancing. Another key feature is SSL offloading and encryption handling. A10 Networks Thunder ADC is also highly scalable and flexible. Scalability for A10 Networks Thunder ADC shows up in my day-to-day operations during high-traffic events such as Black Friday. One feature I find really powerful and something underrated about A10 Networks Thunder ADC is A-Flex. Beyond the standard ADC feature, what really stands out to me about A10 Networks Thunder ADC is how customizable, performant, and automated the platform is. A10 Networks Thunder ADC has a significant impact on my organization in several ways. First, it improves application availability and performance. From a security perspective, it helps protect applications against threats such as DDoS attacks. It also has a strong operational impact. In terms of cost, it can lower both CapEx and OpEx.
reviewer2273484 - PeerSpot reviewer
Pre Sales at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
Struggled with rising costs and limited value while managing internal traffic
The issue with load balancers is that they are all the same. I would rate it seven. I do not recall VMWare Avi Load Balancer having WAF protection. We use WAF and for this specific case, we use F5. It is not about VMWare Avi Load Balancer itself. For multi-cloud capability, you need to do NSX Extended and HCX in VMware. This is what will give you the flavor of multi-cloud. Others will be resources because once you reach NSX Extended, all resources will be under one cloud management. So it does not matter. It is not a feature in VMWare Avi Load Balancer that would be responsible for multi-cloud capability. Multi-cloud capability comes from a configuration called NSX Extended. It is very expensive. The pricing is expensive in that it is only an add-on. From my opinion, they should lower the price.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Government
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Financial Services Firm
18%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Computer Software Company
10%
Government
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business13
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise13
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise4
 

Questions from the Community

Which is the best DDoS protection solution for a big ISP for monitoring and mitigating?
I would recommend A10 Networks due that it delivers high performance in a small form factor to reduce OPEX with significantly lower power usage, rack space, and cooling requirements compared to oth...
Do you recommend A10 Networks Thunder ADC?
I do recommend A10 Networks Thunder ADC. It's very user-friendly, easy to configure, and flexible. It is a very useful solution - especially now, when a lot of employees are working remotely. I hav...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for A10 Networks Thunder ADC?
I estimate that I can save around 20 to 30 percent of my budget with A10 Networks Thunder ADC, though it's not an exact figure.
What needs improvement with Avi Networks Software Load Balancer?
The issue with load balancers is that they are all the same. I would rate it seven. I do not recall VMWare Avi Load Balancer having WAF protection. We use WAF and for this specific case, we use F5....
What advice do you have for others considering Avi Networks Software Load Balancer?
We tested some scripts, but they did not fulfill everything. My recommendation is to reduce the price and make it two separate products, not only as an add-on for VMware. It should not be necessary...
What is your primary use case for Avi Networks Software Load Balancer?
We are using native cloud capability. The issue is not from us. VMware changed their module. They are selling perpetual licenses with multi-year support. The reason for this change is to make their...
 

Also Known As

Thunder ADC, AX Series
Avi Software Load Balancer
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

123inkt.nl, Bentley University, Box, Brainshark, Buienradar, Capgemini, CGN/LSN & NAT64, Chengdu Telecom, Club One, Code Ready, CRC Health Group, Cyso, Deutsche Telekom, Earth Class Mail, Excite, FFF Enterprises, Florence County, Framingham State University, From30
Palo Alto Networks, DGDean, Swisslos
Find out what your peers are saying about A10 Networks Thunder ADC vs. VMWare Avi Load Balancer and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,244 professionals have used our research since 2012.