Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) vs Ivanti Connect Secure 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 Secure Client (includ...
Ranking in SSL VPN
1st
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
77
Ranking in other categories
ZTNA as a Service (9th), Cisco Security Portfolio (5th)
Ivanti Connect Secure
Ranking in SSL VPN
4th
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
14th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
28
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the SSL VPN category, the mindshare of Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) is 15.8%, up from 13.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ivanti Connect Secure is 22.8%, up from 19.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
SSL VPN
 

Featured Reviews

Wouter Beer - PeerSpot reviewer
Generates revenue through service offering while needing additional safety features
The primary use case for Cisco Secure Client, including AnyConnect, is as a VPN for remote access I use AnyConnect because I have Cisco infrastructure. It utilizes certificates, which allows for automatic setup. The security features are beneficial, and the whole idea of the app is that it should…
Johan Derycke - PeerSpot reviewer
Reliable remote access and tunneling enhance work efficiency, but upgrade processes need improvement
Ivanti needs improvement in its seamless upgrade and migration procedures, particularly with the browser components, which are fragile and sometimes cause issues depending on the Windows version, the browser version, and the different modules being used. On the client side, browser-initiated sessions are complex and require a more robust approach for non-admin users.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It's easy to handle. You can have it on Windows, Linux or Mac, that's quite useful."
"You don't have to think about it very much. It just works."
"The most valuable feature of Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client is the consistency, I have not had any issues with the performance."
"The solution is secure and has a lot of benefits."
"The solution is quite stable."
"The solution provides secure and easy access to corporate network resources."
"Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) is very stable."
"The most valuable features of the Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client is the reliability and scalability."
"From an end-user perspective, the setup phase is easy."
"The most valuable feature is being able to securely connect and use virtual desktops."
"This is a very secure and stable tool."
"The best feature of Pulse Connect Secure is the good security it provides. It gives a secure connection to your network."
"The most valuable features of Pulse Connect Secure are multi-factor authentications, and VPNs and SSL VPNs we are using."
"The product is easy to use."
"The solution helps with principal decisions. It also helps with the security and configuration of many technologies."
"It's a very convenient and user-friendly application."
 

Cons

"Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client can be improved by having better speed and reliability. However, the speed and reliability are already really good."
"More frequent updates would be ideal."
"It would be useful to have an automatic install process where if you connect and you don't have the latest version, it should be automatically done."
"We'd like the product to be cheaper."
"There are times the WiFi connectivity has disruptions and you have disconnections. It doesn't work with two connections. I have two switches back and forth sometimes. It doesn't have a failback scenario feature. However, on the gateway side, it does, but on the user device, it doesn't have that kind of option. It would be nice to have this feature."
"Setting up Cisco Secure Client, especially when using certificates, is quite a job and complicated."
"The most valuable feature of the Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client is its ease of use and simple interface. It's always available as long as I have a good network connection."
"The setup is a bit difficult to handle on the server-side."
"Ivanti Connect Secure needs to have faster connections. It also needs to improve the stability."
"We want to switch to another solution because there are some challenges with the support from Pulse. The quality of documentation is also not good. It is sometimes very hard to find documentation that provides a solution and describes how all this works."
"The product could use additional dashboards."
"The support team of the product needs improvement. Sometimes we have issues with multiple authentications, but there is no help from the support team."
"Zero test FDP (Fraud Protection and Prevention) should be improved."
"The solution must be more user-friendly."
"The product's price is an area where improvements are required."
"An area for improvement in Pulse Connect Secure is the concurrent connections, particularly needing a license if you want to use Pulse Connect Secure with your Microsoft or Windows machine."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is a license needed to use this solution. There are different licensing models available, such as a three-year license."
"Sometimes there is a problem with the number of licenses for the end-user. The number of concurrent users is limited due to a valid license."
"The licensing costs are reasonable."
"One thing I've noticed is the price in comparison to other VPNs."
"We pay for an annual subscription. Additionally to the subscription, we thought in order to connect this solution to the Active Directory we had to purchase a Cisco ACS, Access Control System. It turns out we did not actually need it."
"We are in the North African region, and Cisco products are expensive for us. On a scale from one to ten with one being very affordable and ten being expensive, I'd rate the price at eight."
"I am using a paid version of Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client."
"The price is okay."
"Pulse Connect Secure is relatively cost-effective."
"A license is required for you to use Pulse Connect Secure, but I'm not aware of how much it costs."
"The price of Pulse Connect Secure is expensive."
"The cost of the product is high, but worth it because of the utility and great product support."
"I rate the product price a six to seven on a scale of one to ten, where one is a low price, and ten is a high price."
"The pricing for Pulse Connect Secure is not low and not high, so it's good. It's a six out of ten for me, price-wise."
"The pricing is quite nominal. We pay on a yearly basis."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which SSL VPN solutions are best for your needs.
865,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
34%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Government
6%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client?
The tool is user-friendly, robust and easy to use in any environment.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client?
Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) is somewhat expensive compared to others such as Fortinet or Palo Alto, which provide free VPN when the firewall is purchased. Palo Alto and Fortinet prov...
What needs improvement with Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client?
At times there is confusion regarding when to keep the proxy on or off, a problem faced by some users.
What do you like most about Pulse Connect Secure?
From an end-user perspective, the setup phase is easy.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Pulse Connect Secure?
Ivanti has always been known to be pricey, making it a rather high-cost solution.
What needs improvement with Pulse Connect Secure?
Ivanti needs improvement in its seamless upgrade and migration procedures, particularly with the browser components, which are fragile and sometimes cause issues depending on the Windows version, t...
 

Also Known As

Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client
Pulse Connect Secure
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

MST, Molina Healthcare, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, Arup, New South Wales Rural FireService
Axcient, Baloise Group, Cygate, Catholic University of America, Datec Inc, Revlon, Santa Monica Networks, 7-Eleven
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) vs. Ivanti Connect Secure and other solutions. Updated: August 2025.
865,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.