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Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs Surfshark One 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
4th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
50
Ranking in other categories
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN (14th)
Surfshark One
Ranking in SSL VPN
12th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the SSL VPN category, the mindshare of Cisco IOS SSL VPN is 10.1%, up from 9.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Surfshark One is 3.3%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
SSL VPN Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco IOS SSL VPN10.1%
Surfshark One3.3%
Other86.6%
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.
WK
Head of Information Security at K2 Baseline Sdn Bhd
Offers ease of use and has an initial setup phase that is straightforward
The tool's performance is quite good till now, so I have no complaints about it. The tool still blocks IP addresses for certain websites, making it an area of concern that requires improvements. This may be because some websites don't accept VPN connections from non-VPN servers, so sometimes, users are blocked from accessing certain sites.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Stability-wise, it is a very good solution."
"Cisco VPN is easy to connect."
"Cisco IOS SSL VPN is very stable. We never experience issues with it."
"The product's setup phase was easy."
"The solution is quite transparent."
"I like to work with the CMD command line because it's easy and it doesn't take very long to configure."
"Usability is the most important feature for me."
"We primarily use this solution as browser and I like that you don't need a username or password to browse."
"The solution's most valuable feature is its ease of use."
"It did what I needed it to do. It was easy to use."
 

Cons

"The high price of the product is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"Unfortunately, the pricing is making us get out from incorporating Cisco products."
"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 flexibility of configurations could be improved."
"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."
"Cisco device management is quite difficult. They should work to simplify this."
"I think the administration can be improved to include web interfaces."
"The only issue with Cisco IOS SSL VPN is on the price point. Price is an area of the solution where improvements are required."
"There is room for improvement in stability."
"The tool still blocks IP addresses for certain websites, making it an area of concern that requires improvements."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The tool is expensive."
"There are no pricing programs for non-profit organizations and the product is otherwise expensive by comparison."
"The licensing fee is expensive."
"It stands as the priciest solution available in the market."
"The licensing cost of the solution is on a yearly basis, and it is expensive compared to other solutions in the market."
"The product costs less."
"The pricing of the solution is reasonable"
"The platform is expensive."
"There is a need to pay towards the licensing charges attached to the product. The product is reasonably priced."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which SSL VPN solutions are best for your needs.
893,221 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
16%
Marketing Services Firm
9%
Healthcare Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business23
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise25
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 do you like most about Surfshark One?
The solution's most valuable feature is its ease of use.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Surfshark One?
There is a need to pay towards the licensing charges attached to the product. The product is reasonably priced.
What needs improvement with Surfshark One?
The tool's performance is quite good till now, so I have no complaints about it. The tool still blocks IP addresses for certain websites, making it an area of concern that requires improvements. Th...
 

Also Known As

Cisco SSL VPN
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

MST Systems
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. Surfshark One and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,221 professionals have used our research since 2012.