Citrix Gateway vs SonicWall SMA comparison

Citrix and SonicWall are both solutions in the Universal Access Gateways category. Citrix is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.1, while SonicWall is ranked #2 with an average rating of 9.7. Citrix holds a 50.0% mindshare in UAG, compared to SonicWall’s 50.0% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of Citrix users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of SonicWall users who would recommend it.

Citrix Gateway

Read 38 Citrix Gateway reviews

1,991 Views
60 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

SonicWall SMA

Read 15 SonicWall SMA reviews

966 Views
68 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Citrix Gateway

SonicWall SMA

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

SonicWall SMA and Citrix Gateway are secure remote access solutions. Citrix Gateway appears to have the upper hand due to its extensive features and application compatibility.

Features: SonicWall SMA is known for its robust threat detection, easy configuration, and comprehensive security technologies. Citrix Gateway offers extensive application integration capabilities, streamlined user experience, and high performance even under large user loads.

Room for Improvement: SonicWall SMA could enhance integration with additional platforms, improve scalability, and refine its user interface. Citrix Gateway may benefit from simplifying its deployment process, reducing its complexity, and potentially lowering its initial costs.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SonicWall SMA is simple to deploy and supported by responsive customer service, making it user-friendly. Citrix Gateway, while more complex to deploy, offers reliable support that helps navigate its detailed setup process, balancing complexity with effective assistance.

Pricing and ROI: SonicWall SMA provides competitive pricing with a good return on investment, particularly attractive for small to medium-sized enterprises. Citrix Gateway has higher initial costs but promises greater ROI through its comprehensive feature set and scalability, appealing more to organizations seeking long-term value.

To learn more, read our detailed Citrix Gateway vs. SonicWall SMA Report (Updated: August 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Citrix Gateway vs. SonicWall SMA

August 2025

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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

Citrix Gateway

Ranking in Universal Access Gateways

1st

Ranking in SSL VPN

2nd

Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

10th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SonicWall SMA

Ranking in Universal Access Gateways

2nd

Ranking in SSL VPN

7th

Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

18th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

5.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Universal Access Gateways category, the mindshare of Citrix Gateway is 50.0%, up from 44.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall SMA is 50.0%, up from 41.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Universal Access Gateways

Featured Reviews

VivekKumar10

Co-Founder at Virajo

Enables secure remote access and load balancing with enhanced protection features

I find Citrix Gateway valuable for its capabilities as a reverse proxy, providing security to applications exposed to the Internet. Key features include load balancing, dual-factor authentication, clientless VPN, and Web Application Firewall (WAF). The product effectively helps me protect the organization's network from potential threats, thereby securing our environment from hackers and ransomware attacks.

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Maheshbabu T

Project Manager at CGG

It allows us to provide CML-based access to any user, but the reporting could be better

I rate SonicWall SMA seven out of 10. If you're planning to implement this solution, I suggest checking the version to ensure it's compatible with your other technology. I say go for it if it's suitable for your use case. Multifactor authentication technologies are built into the product, whereas some products lack multifactor authentication. We need only one or two. They provide authentication, gateway integration, OTP integration, etc.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We haven't received any complaints or performance issues so far."

"Citrix primarily provides secure connectivity. If you need secure remote desktop functionality, it is a viable option."

"It's easy to use. Also, the deployment part is perfect."

"The solution is stable."

"The initial setup is simple. Normally with all setups, it's not very complicated. It really depends on the customer."

"It's a stable solution while it's running. We don't have to work on it a lot. There are not many bugs, so it's easy to use if you deploy successfully. You can be sure of an uninterrupted solution for quite a long time. Citrix is a good product."

"I didn't have any hiccups or issues with it."

"I find Citrix Gateway valuable for its capabilities as a reverse proxy, providing security to applications exposed to the Internet."

More Citrix Gateway pros

"I think they ask for a fair price."

"The solution is reliable and has good overall performance."

"It is faster than other security options when using remote connections."

"This solution has many options for remote desktop and access."

"The management and the dashboard are the solution's most valuable features."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is they have IT consultants that know SonicWall."

"I like the load balancing capability."

"What I like best about SonicWall SMA is the relationship between its features and its price, because the solution is both affordable and functional."

More SonicWall SMA pros

Cons

"The initial setup could be made easier."

"The first level support is very poor."

"I would like to see better configuration of repairs and downloading certification."

"It would be nice if they offered easier setups and implementation wizards."

"I would like to see improved logging because it doesn't keep much information for the session monitoring or historical sessions."

"The initial setup is very complex."

"Citrix Gateway could improve the speed of the VPN. I sometimes have to wait for 10 to 15 minutes to get connected and other times when I am connected I have to abort, and reconnect."

"When it comes to the VDA environment, making it additionally stable is important."

More Citrix Gateway cons

"The problem is that when combined with what the client already has, there are two different logins and two different management systems, and these should be consolidated into a single interface."

"This is an expensive solution and I think that the price could be improved."

"The product's technical support services could be improved."

"Enhancing live tracking capabilities could improve the product, particularly in monitoring user activity and request statuses in real-time on the web interface."

"The timed synchronization between the network appliance needs improvement."

"SonicWall SMA is difficult to use and it does not provide easy access to different parts of the network."

"The only thing that they could try to improve is the support for enterprise customers. Normally enterprises and SMBs can create a ticket, but for enterprises, SonicWall SMA needs to provide a global view, and this is what's currently missing. It's not even a question of timing. It's a question of the global vision because currently, it's lacking. They concentrate on the topic, but not on the means and not on the global picture. In most cases, there's something wrong with the integration of SonicWall SMA with other products, so that could also be improved."

"SonicWall's reporting isn't good. Reports should be part of a data plan. The login mechanism should be improved. It would be helpful if the client could use an agent to log in. An agent-server model would improve the performance of the RDB, which consumes a lot of bandwidth."

More SonicWall SMA cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Usually with Citrix the issue is the pricing, especially for the African region. We believe it's really expensive."

"There are two or three different models, but you can actually have a CapEx where you purchase the unit outright and then there's a yearly maintenance cost on top for years two and three, and four, or you can actually do a subscription purchase through Citrix cloud and you pay on a monthly basis, or you can have a three-year subscription contract as well. I give the solution a six out of ten for its cost."

"I believe the pricing is comparable to SaaS"

"Citrix is quite expensive."

"The solution has a yearly licensing fee."

"There is a license to use Citrix Gateway and it is less expensive to use when compared to other solutions."

"There is a need to make yearly payments for licensing purposes. Also, it is not an expensive one."

"I consider Citrix Gateway to be an expensive solution, generally ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 yearly, depending on the model."

More Citrix Gateway pricing and cost advice

"The cost of the licensing is based on the maximum number of concurrent users, and it costs a lot to add them."

"I don't know about the pricing of the SSL-VPN box. I know the SSL-VPN software is free. Global VPN client, by comparison, is licensed for around $150 or something like that. But the SSL-VPN software is free. It is already built-in with the box."

"All the costs are included in a bundled license."

"The platform has medium pricing."

"This solution is priced well and we currently have the maximum number of licenses allowed."

"Our licenses are stackable and can be anywhere from five users to a million users."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

13%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Computer Software Company

16%

Construction Company

Comms Service Provider

Retailer

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Citrix Gateway?

We can maintain our systems using the solution.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Citrix Gateway?

I consider Citrix Gateway to be an expensive solution, generally ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 yearly, depending on the model. It is seen as a premium product compared to competitors like F5, and ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Citrix Gateway?

In the past, I submitted some support tickets, and while the support did resolve the problems, the time taken was sometimes long. They can perhaps improve the time for solutions in the support tick...

See all answers

What do you like most about SonicWall SMA?

Blocklisting and allowlisting are the most beneficial features for network security.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SonicWall SMA?

The pricing for the solution could be a lot less.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SonicWall SMA?

I haven't utilized the high availability and scalability features of SonicWall SMA yet because I've never had a need to. I don't know where they can focus their energy on continuous improvements, a...

See all answers

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Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) vs Citrix Gateway

Compared 11% of the time

SecureLink vs Citrix Gateway

Compared 3% of the time

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Compared 15% of the time

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 10% of the time

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Compared 10% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Citrix Gateway

August 2025

Download Citrix Gateway product report

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall SMA

July 2025

Download SonicWall SMA product report

Also Known As

Citrix NetScaler Unified Gateway

SonicWall Aventail, SonicWall SMA SSL-VPN, SonicWall Secure Mobile Access

Overview

Citrix Gateway is a customer-managed solution that can be deployed on premises or on any public cloud, such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform. Citrix Gateway provides users with secure access and single sign-on to all the virtual, SaaS and web applications they need to be productive.

Citrix

SonicWall SMA is a unified secure access gateway that enables organizations to provide anytime, anywhere and any device access to mission critical corporate resources. SMA's granular access control policy engine, context aware device authorization, application level VPN and advanced authentication with single sign-on empowers organizations to embrace BYOD and mobility in a hybrid IT environment.

SonicWall

Sample Customers

Aeronamic, Avianca, Bechtel Corporation, Betfair UK, Catholic University Leuven (K.U. Leuven), Centene Corporation, Cerner, Charityshare, City of High Point, Clark Builders

UnitedStack, Newport City Homes, Faith Lutheran College Redlands, PRIME aerostructures GmbH, Celtic Manor Resort

Buyer's Guide

Citrix Gateway vs. SonicWall SMA

August 2025

Free Report: Citrix Gateway vs. SonicWall SMA

Find out what your peers are saying about Citrix Gateway vs. SonicWall SMA and other solutions. Updated: August 2025.

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