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Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs Sangfor SSL VPN comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

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
2nd
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
8th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
50
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Sangfor SSL VPN
Ranking in SSL VPN
8th
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
18th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the SSL VPN category, the mindshare of Cisco IOS SSL VPN is 9.6%, up from 8.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sangfor SSL VPN is 5.1%, up from 2.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
SSL VPN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco IOS SSL VPN9.6%
Sangfor SSL VPN5.1%
Other85.3%
SSL VPN
 

Featured Reviews

VM
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.
MW
IT & Statistical Officer at THQ Hospital Choubara
Easy-to-use platform with an efficient user authentication process
There is an area of improvement related to the configuration of specific numbers required for compatibility with banks in our country. The platform initially had limited numbers available for configuration, which posed a challenge as banks operate on different numbers. To address this, we had to request Sangfor Management to add the required numbers, which they later accommodated.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It is a product that is very robust and durable."
"It's a stable solution."
"The most valuable features are that it's reliable, convenient, and easy. It always works if configured well."
"The user interface is user-friendly."
"The solution is pretty fast."
"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 customer service and support are the best. When it comes to support, Cisco is the best vendor ever."
"The product is great because it is easy and simple."
"The platform is easy to use."
"It is a stable solution...The initial setup of the product is very easy."
"Sangfor SSL VPN is a secure and user-friendly solution."
"Sangfor SSL VPN has a user-friendly user interface."
"The most valuable feature is our ability to limit access by user, IP address, or MAC address."
"Sangfor SSL VPN provides secure encryption for communication."
 

Cons

"The only issue with Cisco IOS SSL VPN is on the price point. Price is an area of the solution where improvements are required."
"The solution does not give us options if the connectivity to one server is not available."
"The solution's configuration could be made easier."
"Enhancing the client certificate deployment process could be a valuable improvement, ensuring smoother and more reliable certificate renewal experiences in the future."
"They could provide the cloud-based as-a-service model with monthly rental payments."
"The high price of the product is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"Sometimes the connection drops, and we don't like that. I'm not sure the reason, but sometimes it will take time to connect or it will disconnect fast."
"I think the administration can be improved to include web interfaces."
"The solution's integration with other firewall vendors could be improved."
"I think Sangfor can provide a web-based SSL VPN version."
"In redundancy mode, when the firewall goes off, the VPN should be able to connect to the secondary firewall automatically."
"Sangfor SSL VPN should provide advanced protection against ransomware and better data analysis."
"No solution is perfect, so there is room for improvement."
"The technical support team takes around two months to respond to queries. It is very time-consuming."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is reasonably priced, and we have around 50% to 60% discounts from Cisco."
"There are no pricing programs for non-profit organizations and the product is otherwise expensive by comparison."
"FortiGate does not charge the client a licensing fee, although Cisco charges clients a couple of dollars per year for each license."
"I would say it is a bit expensive, but I think it is worth the price."
"The platform is expensive."
"It is an expensive product."
"With Cisco, there is a free solution or a licensed version of the solution with a set of endpoint services."
"Price flexibility could be improved in comparison to other vendors."
"Sangfor SSL VPN is a cheap solution."
"My company has a three-year license for Sangfor SSL VPN."
"The pricing is good and the standard license allows for 30 users."
"The first 30 licenses are free, and you have to purchase the rest if required."
"The product is inexpensive."
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881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Healthcare Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Healthcare Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business24
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise24
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

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...
What needs improvement with Sangfor SSL VPN?
The solution's integration with other firewall vendors could be improved. Its interoperability matrices and different configurations with other vendor products also need improvements. Our client ha...
 

Also Known As

Cisco SSL VPN
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

MST Systems
Investcorp, Central Bancorp, Griffiths & Armour
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. Sangfor SSL VPN and other solutions. Updated: January 2026.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.