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Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs Sangfor SSL VPN comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 3, 2026

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
14th
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
17th
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 June 2026, in the SSL VPN category, the mindshare of Cisco IOS SSL VPN is 10.3%, up from 9.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sangfor SSL VPN is 7.3%, up from 3.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
SSL VPN Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco IOS SSL VPN10.3%
Sangfor SSL VPN7.3%
Other82.4%
SSL VPN
 

Featured Reviews

VM
student at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
Ease and speed of connectivity impress and recommend
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 probably need updates to this product. I do not know what kind of improvements these updates are offering. It is a great product so far.
Wajeeh Ul Hasan . - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Administrator at Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology
A secure and user-friendly solution that is simple to implement and configure
We used Sangfor SSL VPN to access our servers from home during COVID-19 in case of emergency Sangfor SSL VPN has secured our organization, and we haven't faced any attacks. Sangfor SSL VPN is a secure and user-friendly solution. The other valuable features of the solution include web access…

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 is integrated with domain controller, SSO and MFA."
"A reliable and stable solution for remote network access."
"We primarily use this solution as browser and I like that you don't need a username or password to browse."
"Usability is the most important feature for me."
"I like to work with the CMD command line because it's easy and it doesn't take very long to configure."
"The solution is quite transparent."
"It's been stable for as long as I've been using it."
"The customer service and support are the best. When it comes to support, Cisco is the best vendor ever."
"The platform is easy to use."
"Sangfor SSL VPN provides secure encryption for communication."
"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."
"It is a stable solution...The initial setup of the product is very easy."
"Sangfor SSL VPN is a secure and user-friendly solution."
"Altogether, this is a very good product."
 

Cons

"The configuration must be improved."
"The solution's graphical user interface is not very user-friendly."
"Compatibility can sometimes be a challenge. There have been issues with operating systems where newer updates cause problems with backward compatibility."
"The performance could be improved."
"I have no notes in terms of areas of improvement."
"The product's RPA tools need enhancement for simplified business process automation."
"The servers should be more user-friendly."
"The company sets the policies for the default location, and destination, which the VPN connects. If there is a problem with one of those locations, which happens sometimes when I travel I need to have an option to select a different available location. Currently, I am unable to see that from a user's point of view."
"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."
"No solution is perfect, so there is room for improvement."
"Sangfor SSL VPN should provide advanced protection against ransomware and better data analysis."
"The solution's integration with other firewall vendors could be improved."
"The technical support team takes around two months to respond to queries. It is very time-consuming."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Users have to pay a yearly licensing fee for Cisco IOS SSL VPN."
"FortiGate does not charge the client a licensing fee, although Cisco charges clients a couple of dollars per year for each license."
"The platform is expensive."
"There are no pricing programs for non-profit organizations and the product is otherwise expensive by comparison."
"Cisco IOS SSL VPN is more expensive than the Aruba VPN, but it is worth the money."
"Cisco IOS SSL VPN comes with a cost-effective subscription."
"The product costs less."
"I would say it is a bit expensive, but I think it is worth the price."
"The first 30 licenses are free, and you have to purchase the rest if required."
"The product is inexpensive."
"My company has a three-year license for Sangfor SSL VPN."
"Sangfor SSL VPN is a cheap solution."
"The pricing is good and the standard license allows for 30 users."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
22%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Marketing Services Firm
8%
Healthcare Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Construction Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business23
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise26
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 is your primary use case for Cisco IOS SSL VPN?
Currently, I use Cisco IOS SSL VPN to VPN in, but not with high frequency. We use Cisco IOS SSL VPN as our VPN client to connect to our network. This is for health.
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...
What is your primary use case for Sangfor SSL VPN?
We're currently exploring Sangfor SSL VPN more on the cybersecurity side.
 

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: June 2026.
900,747 professionals have used our research since 2012.