Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs Hillstone E-Series comparison

Cisco and Hillstone Networks are both solutions in the SSL VPN category. Cisco is ranked #4 with an average rating of 9.1, while Hillstone Networks is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.0. Cisco holds a 10.1% mindshare in SV, compared to Hillstone Networks’s 4.0% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Hillstone Networks users who would recommend it.

Cisco IOS SSL VPN

Read 50 Cisco IOS SSL VPN reviews

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887 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Hillstone E-Series

Read 10 Hillstone E-Series reviews

1,619 Views
227 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cisco IOS SSL VPN

Hillstone E-Series

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

Cisco IOS SSL VPN and Hillstone E-Series compete in the network security space, specifically focusing on VPN technology. Cisco IOS SSL VPN appears to lead due to its comprehensive security and integration capabilities.

Features: Cisco IOS SSL VPN offers robust encryption, versatile remote access, and integration with multifactor authentication, enhancing security and usability. Hillstone E-Series enhances innovation with features like ransomware protection, virtual routing, and a user-friendly interface, marking its strengths in threat intelligence and application filtering.

Room for Improvement: Cisco IOS SSL VPN could improve in network compatibility, user mapping, and pricing models to increase operational flexibility and cost-effectiveness. Hillstone E-Series faces challenges in pricing structure, reporting granularity, and support efficiency, with a need for area-specific support and more frequent updates.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco IOS SSL VPN supports hybrid cloud deployments with strong technical support via local and partner networks, offering broader deployment model flexibility. Hillstone E-Series focuses on on-premises and public cloud setups, receiving positive feedback for its technical support, comparable to Cisco.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco IOS SSL VPN is often viewed as expensive due to its enterprise-grade security, providing solid ROI with potential partner discounts, yet overall licensing costs remain high. Hillstone E-Series is economically positioned, offering competitive pricing while maintaining value, appealing to cost-conscious buyers.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. Hillstone E-Series Report (Updated: January 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. Hillstone E-Series

January 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Cisco IOS SSL VPN

Ranking in SSL VPN

4th

Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

12th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Hillstone E-Series

Ranking in SSL VPN

9th

Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

24th

Average Rating

9.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Firewalls (39th)

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the SSL VPN category, the mindshare of Cisco IOS SSL VPN is 10.1%, up from 8.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Hillstone E-Series is 4.0%, up from 2.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

SSL VPN Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Cisco IOS SSL VPN	10.1%
Hillstone E-Series	4.0%
Other	85.9%

SSL VPN

Featured Reviews

Viktor Masnyy

student at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees

Cost efficiency and ease of setup define network management while potential improvements in complexity handling are noted

Optimizing and configuring for network segmentation is the biggest thing for helping with segmenting traffic management. Configuring QoS on Linksys is pretty easy, especially compared to Cisco QoS, which I am certified in, as it helps ensure that the bandwidth for voice or other applications doesn't bleed over into the data links. In the past, Linksys has been pretty good at network protection, segmenting off that protection for unauthorized access or cyber threats. Cost savings and ease of use are the benefits I've seen from Linksys. It's a little bit less complex to set up and configure compared to Cisco switching. I utilized the VLAN support feature in the Linksys switches. A lot of the networks I have were broken up by VLAN, and I definitely configured them for different VLANs. The best feature of Linksys in my opinion is cost, as they tend to be more cost-effective compared to larger switches or Cisco switches.

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TahirMahmood

IT Manager at Zubair Feeds

Offers good features like URL filtering, IPS, and IDS to users

We received an update for the tool in July. The update was provided for the tool as there was a problem with the firewall, where too much memory was consumed, and the firewall was hanging a lot. When we updated the tool's features, everything became okay. The tool only had some memory-related problems. It took the tool a month to fix the issues.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Cisco IOS SSL VPN provides fast connectivity and the option to connect through multiple servers."

"The product is very stable."

"The customer service and support are the best. When it comes to support, Cisco is the best vendor ever."

"The solution is quite transparent."

"The valuable features of Cisco IOS SSL VPN are the ease of use and the speed; it is pretty fast and easy to use, definitely helps with our efficiency as it is one of our primary VPN solutions, and helps with maintaining security."

"The split panel functionality is much better in the Cisco IOS SSL VPN than in the Aruba VPN."

"It's a stable solution."

"The feature I find most valuable, is the management portal."

More Cisco IOS SSL VPN pros

"The most valuable features of the Hillstone E-Series are its hardware capacity, innovation, and the throughput that the hardware can take."

"The most valuable feature of the Hillstone E-Series is its user-friendliness."

"The installation is easy, we have not had any complaints from our customers."

"Working with the Hillstone E-Series has, from a remote perspective, allowed me to give my clients a secure connectivity."

"I am impressed with the application filtering feature."

"Very reliable solution with good scalability and straightforward implementation."

"Five out of five ROI."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is the ransomware protection that the tool offers."

More Hillstone E-Series pros

Cons

"The solution needs to integrate password-less technology so that you don't have to remember passwords each time that you log in, which is otherwise tedious. We should be able to log in as long as our system is connected to the internet."

"The high price of the product is an area of concern where improvements are required."

"Enhancing the client certificate deployment process could be a valuable improvement, ensuring smoother and more reliable certificate renewal experiences in the future."

"When many people are using the internet at home, which is usually right after dinner, this type of service is a little bit hard to use. The internet becomes quite slow, and sometimes, I have to stop using this application. I am not sure if this issue is because of the application or my internet provider."

"Compatibility can sometimes be a challenge. There have been issues with operating systems where newer updates cause problems with backward compatibility."

"The solution takes some time to log in because of some unavoidable security barriers, but it would be better if that could happen faster."

"The servers should be more user-friendly."

"The pricing needs to be better."

More Cisco IOS SSL VPN cons

"I am not sure if this solution offers active directory integration. Adding that feature will definitely be an advantage."

"Having frequent live webinars on a monthly basis would really help."

"SSL VPN license cost is not cheap."

"The tool only had some memory-related problems."

"The solution doesn't have a web proxy built into the system like Sophos. This is something they should work to change."

"The current usage reporting is very basic."

"Support from Hillstone E-Series has a shortcoming that needs improvement."

"The tool needs to improve its price."

More Hillstone E-Series cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing fee is expensive."

"The product costs less."

"The tool is expensive."

"Price flexibility could be improved in comparison to other vendors."

"I would say it is a bit expensive, but I think it is worth the price."

"The solution is reasonably priced, and we have around 50% to 60% discounts from Cisco."

"The pricing of the solution is reasonable"

"My company makes payments on a quarterly basis to the vendor to cover the licensing costs attached to the product. Cisco IOS SSL VPN is an expensive product. There are no additional costs apart from the licensing costs attached to the product."

More Cisco IOS SSL VPN pricing and cost advice

"Hillstone's pricing is economical and neither very high nor very low."

"The licensing model is very complex with many subcategories of licenses you can purchase. They could make it more simplified for customers to understand."

"The tool's pricing is reasonable. It depends on the model. The product's pricing is around 600 USD. You need to buy a software license to activate the features. You need to pay around 150 USD for that."

"The cost per year for licensing, and hardware, is approximately $850 for the basic plan."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

11%

Marketing Services Firm

10%

Healthcare Company

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

16%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	24
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	24

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	1

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco IOS SSL VPN?

The solution is pretty fast.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco IOS SSL VPN?

I am not sure about the pricing of Cisco IOS SSL VPN.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco IOS SSL VPN?

I have not found any areas that could be improved so far. I am not sure how Cisco IOS SSL VPN can continue their improvements for the future, but I think it is a great product. To stay on top, they...

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What needs improvement with Hillstone E-Series?

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What is your primary use case for Hillstone E-Series?

I use the solution in my company for site-to-site VPN, SSL VPNs, URL filtering, IPS, IDS and all the other features which are available in the firewall.

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Hillstone E-Series?

Our company did not use the tool's micro-segmentation features. There were no issues while integrating the tool. I have not used any AI in the tool. I recommend the tool to others. I rate the tool ...

See all answers

Comparisons

OpenVPN Access Server vs Cisco IOS SSL VPN

Compared 24% of the time

Ivanti Connect Secure vs Cisco IOS SSL VPN

Compared 10% of the time

Citrix Gateway vs Cisco IOS SSL VPN

Compared 10% of the time

Sangfor SSL VPN vs Cisco IOS SSL VPN

Compared 9% of the time

Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) vs Cisco IOS SSL VPN

Compared 4% of the time

More Cisco IOS SSL VPN Competitors

OpenVPN Access Server vs Hillstone E-Series

Compared 18% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate vs Hillstone E-Series

Compared 16% of the time

Hillstone A-Series vs Hillstone E-Series

Compared 9% of the time

Sangfor SSL VPN vs Hillstone E-Series

Compared 9% of the time

A10 Networks Thunder CFW vs Hillstone E-Series

Compared 4% of the time

More Hillstone E-Series Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco IOS SSL VPN

February 2026

Download Cisco IOS SSL VPN product report

Buyer's Guide

Firewalls

January 2026

Download Hillstone E-Series product report

Also Known As

Cisco SSL VPN

No data available

Overview

Cisco SSL VPN solutions help you easily and securely extend the network to users who have access to the Internet and a web browser. You can customize access and extend the reach of your corporate network to individuals based on their roles, including teleworker contractors and business partners.

Cisco

Hillstone E-Series is a comprehensive network security solution designed to protect organizations from advanced threats. It offers a range of features including a firewall, intrusion prevention system (IPS), virtual private network (VPN), and application control.

With its advanced threat intelligence capabilities, E-Series can detect and prevent sophisticated attacks, ensuring the security of critical data and systems. It also provides granular control over applications, allowing organizations to enforce policies and optimize network performance.

E-Series is easy to deploy and manage, with a user-friendly interface and centralized management console. It offers high-performance throughput and scalability, making it suitable for small businesses to large enterprises. With its robust security features and ease of use, Hillstone E-Series is an ideal choice for organizations looking to enhance their network security posture.

Hillstone Networks

Sample Customers

MST Systems

Bank of China Macao, Instituto Tecnológico Bolivariano, Ministry of Labor in San Salvador, FEDCO

Buyer's Guide

Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. Hillstone E-Series

January 2026

Free Report: Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. Hillstone E-Series

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. Hillstone E-Series and other solutions. Updated: January 2026.

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