Citrix SD-WAN [EOL] vs Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform comparison

Citrix and Versa Networks are both solutions in the Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions category. Additionally, 90% of Citrix users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Versa Networks users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 12, 2025

Citrix SD-WAN and Versa Unified Secure Access SASE both operate within the network optimization and security solutions market. Citrix SD-WAN appears to have the upper hand in connectivity performance and centralized management, whereas Versa SASE excels in security and application management flexibility.

Features: Citrix SD-WAN stands out with features such as HDX WAN Optimization, centralized management for ease of cloud management, and a zero downtime failover mechanism. Versa Unified Secure Access SASE offers impressive security features, multi-tenancy capabilities, and integration with third-party security vendors for expanded functionality.

Room for Improvement: Citrix SD-WAN could enhance its offering by addressing pricing concerns, improving support response times, and refining reporting features. Versa SASE users express interest in enhanced firewall capabilities, better MPLS integration for scalability, and a more user-friendly interface.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Citrix SD-WAN supports majorly on-premises deployment, providing a variety of configurations but has mixed customer service reviews. Versa SASE offers robust flexibility across on-premises, hybrid, public, and private clouds with a focus on simplifying deployment and centralized management, better meeting complex network requirements.

Pricing and ROI: Citrix SD-WAN may be perceived as expensive, with strong ROI through MPLS cost savings offered by deployment scales and licensing models such as perpetual licenses. Versa SASE competes with medium-range pricing, perceived as cost-effective considering its feature set and flexibility with white box support, prompting calls for more aggressive pricing to align with market trends.

To learn more, read our detailed Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions

December 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

Fortinet FortiGate

Featured Reviews

Vasu Gala

Manager, Information Technology Operation/Presales at TechMonarch

A stable solution with an intuitive interface and quick customer service

I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate, WatchGuard, Sophos, and SonicWall. I'm not as comfortable with SonicWall because of their UI and limitations. I prefer Fortinet above all other options. When it comes to configuration, I am confident in my ability to handle various tasks, including creating policies such as firewall rules, web policies, and application policies. Additionally, I can configure VPNs and implement load balancing, among other tasks. Overall, I feel much more comfortable working with Fortinet. Fortinet has made significant improvements by integrating AI with firewalls for threat analysis and prevention. In the past 2-3 years, they have launched FortiSASE and SIEM, and they also provide SOC services. Both Palo Alto and Fortinet FortiGate are excellent. While Fortinet FortiGate comes at higher prices, the functionality and support justify the cost. They promptly resolve firmware issues and inform all support providers about configuration changes.

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Rohit Ghorpade

Cloud network engineer at Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co. Ltd.

A scalable solution for MCN controller but lacks technical supports, upgrades

There are a few things that can be improved, are domain-based routing and the slowness of virtual parts, and it may be due to the wrong configuration, which we have been unable to find out. Previously, we faced some issues with the slowness part. Apart from that, feature like end gateway level antivirus. We are currently using a NetFlow proxy to establish a virtual position for the NetFlow. Our current environment has many use cases, but we are not using them on the Citrix SD-WAN. When I navigate the NCL part, it involves configuration. I want to highlight this disadvantage. Sometimes, when we push the configuration, it tries to push it to all branch locations. This process takes a lot of time, nearly 30 minutes, to push a single change from the NCL. Overall, I don't think Citrix meets our use cases what we have. This is based on my feedback after using it for the past year and working on this Citrix SD-WAN. However, from my experience, it is the worst solution I have seen. There's no domain-based routing, which is horrible. That's why we are moving to other products. We have checked our use case requirements with Fortinet, Palo Alto, and they meet them. I will consider the PoC or another OEM. There are many things in the area you need to be prompt, like the automation part. If any link or device goes down, alerting notification, etc. We need to perform and highlight so many things to your management. This should be improved.

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Aashiesh Sharrma

Senior Client Partner at NTT DATA

Has improved network performance and strengthened data protection with flexible multi-tenancy support

The most valuable feature I find in Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform is multi-tenancy. This is part of the feature list when discussing its Zero Trust Network Access. It has benefited my customer's network performance. The underlay network has become very independent in the sense that we no longer need to position MPLS services. On the internet itself, we are able to give the best features as far as SD-WAN is concerned. Even in MPLS, it was end-to-end encryption itself, but SD-WAN has further enhanced the aspect of security on the open internet link, which has helped my customers in protecting sensitive data. The flexibility and application optimization is one feature which my customers have benefited from the most.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Having IPS helps in ensuring that our network is protected from potential threats, which is crucial as we implement our payment gateway."

"The technical support in our region is excellent."

"I like Fortinet's cloud management. It allows me to manage all my devices in different branches for three cloud accounts. Even though I use on-prem devices, I can manage everything on the cloud."

"User-friendly and affordable security solution that's recommended for SMB customers. This solution has good technical support."

"Fortinet FortiGate is easy to use. Anyone can easily maintain it."

"Whenever I need something, Fortinet improves and updates the software for me."

"The solution is very stable."

"The product is scalable."

More Fortinet FortiGate pros

"Downtime for branch offices is now almost zero. We have 100% real-time visibility into all of our lines. MPLS links have been replaced with lower-cost links, saving a larger percentage of line costs. Overall, I see SD-WAN as a must. And the Citrix SD-WAN product has delivered on expectations and exceeded them. (With later firmware updates we now have good firewall capabilities in the product too)."

"The most valuable feature is its reliability."

"The VPN and the load balancing are the most valuable features."

"It allows you to combine two asymmetrical connections."

"It allows us to use additional VPNs, offering more options compared to other VPN solutions."

"The reliability of connectivity is most valuable."

"It lowered our Internet costs and gave me the flexibility to choose providers based on each location's connectivity."

"The scalability and stability are quite good in general."

More Citrix SD-WAN [EOL] pros

"Versa FlexVNF is a scalable product because it does not have any hardware dependencies. This makes it a versatile solution that can be easily integrated with any firewall."

"There are great security and ops features without the need for having a different box for security."

"The most valuable feature I find in Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform is multi-tenancy, which has benefited my customer's network performance by removing the need for MPLS and enhancing security on the open internet link."

"The initial setup is simple."

"The most valuable aspects of the solution are the next-generation firewall features and geo-blocking capabilities."

"This integration between SASE and SD-WAN is beneficial, as we have tested it with various customers."

"Our organization finds the application routing features extremely useful."

"Versa is a good centralized solution, where you're setting up your infrastructure in a data center type thing."

More Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform pros

Cons

"Though the tool's GUI is user-friendly, it can be considered as an area with certain shortcomings where improvements are required."

"There is room for improvement in pricing."

"They could simplify their deployment process, especially when customers have existing devices."

"I would like to see improvements in the IPS/IDS feature to enhance protection against attacks from attackers, including ransomware protection."

"The feedback that I have received is that the performance could be better, and the user experience is not as good compared to a previous solution we used. It could be more user-friendly. Of course, it still works fine for our operations."

"We have experienced a number of failures when trying to upgrade firmware and the process takes a long time. We only experienced this when doing major upgrades between versions."

"The solution is expensive."

"FortiGate Next Generation Firewall's performance and threat intelligence could be improved."

More Fortinet FortiGate cons

"Given that Citrix SD-WAN solved all our problems by providing us with everything we needed to unify communications with our branches and data centers, I cannot suggest anything further in terms of improvements."

"I would like to see more customization to adjust for the WAN lock-out due to our unexpected power outages."

"Even though the monitoring is pretty good, there is some room for improvement there."

"The firewall reporting could be easier to use and filter. (It works well enough, but if I need to give an area for improvement, I think this would be it.). The built-in reporting on the product in this regard is not great."

"The reports need to be improved. We need to have them customized but they don't have that right now. I would like for them to have better system predictions. We don't have that right now. My system may be working fine right now but after making some changes, that can change."

"The solution's licensing model could be improved."

"Citrix SD-WAN does not have the SD-WAN with one optimization in a single license. Other competitors have this option and it should be added to this solution."

"The communication around the life cycle would have been really helpful. The main issue we have had is related to the life cycle because some of the things that we are using were discontinued. They were discontinued within a year after we had purchased it, which is a bit painful. If we had known that, we would've made some other decisions."

More Citrix SD-WAN [EOL] cons

"The UTM features can be improved. It should offer better functionality."

"The stability of FlexVNF's controller and devices could be improved."

"We are thinking about how to make customers consolidate the loads to an SD-WAN network so that the customers can have bigger chunk from the SD-WAN side so that customers can have critical data be transferred with NPS VPN and non-critical data or some labeled traffic can be transferred by the SD-WAN network. I think it's a very important direction for digital transformation."

"SASE is the next big thing that is coming up, and it needs to be developed in Versa. This is the only thing that needs to be adapted very quickly by Versa. With the pandemic going on, I would like to see more features for working from home. They have launched Versa Secure Access (VSA), but it is currently immature. They need to tighten it up for work from home and SD-WAN concept."

"Another thing that should be improved in Versa are their firewall features."

"I heard about them for the first time just before I started working on Versa. They do have blogs for information, but they could publicize more about the documentation and architecture. It doesn't seem to have that much exposure, and they should work on their customer base more."

"The solution's current customer support is not that good. So, they need to improve that. Also, the solution's UI is quite complex, so they need to simplify it."

"The cost of Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) is higher than other solutions available in the market."

More Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Fortinet FortiGate is expensive."

"It's an expensive solution"

"The price of FortiGate is average and I would say that based on the top five products available on the market, it is in the affordable range."

"It's one of the more expensive brands. The 100 series costs around $4,000. They are similar in pricing to what you might get from Cisco solutions and probably other similar ones. They're not more expensive than other similar solutions, but they're certainly not cheaper either."

"Licensing is usually on a three-year period."

"It cost us around $73,000 for three years."

"This is not a cheap solution but it isn't expensive, either. It's a good solution for the right price."

"As far as I'm aware, in our case, it's just a yearly pricing arrangement with no additional licensing costs."

More Fortinet FortiGate pricing and cost advice

"It depends on the scale. In our case, it would have been better if we had known about the life cycling steps, but otherwise, it is worth the money."

"It's a little bit on the high side compared to the other products."

"As NetScaler is now, I find it quite pricey."

"I believe that Citrix SD-WAN is a good investment, but I do not have the information to be more specific."

"It is a bit expensive. A cheaper product would be good, but everybody likes things to be cheaper. We bought the devices up front, and then we pay for the annual support."

"The price of the subscription should be cheaper."

"I'm not quite sure of the price ranges. Roughly, the hidden devices can scale up to $20K for one appliance. However, the branch CPs are USD $1,000 to $2,500."

"The price is relatively expensive."

More Citrix SD-WAN [EOL] pricing and cost advice

"Price wise, it's more expensive than is the competition. I would give pricing a rating of three out of five."

"While I cannot provide too much commentary on the price, I feel it to be fair for the moment."

"The price is expensive but it makes sense for the market."

"It is not very expensive because of the white box support. Its hardware is much cheaper than other products. With the support for x86 and white box, it is one of the most cost-effective platforms that are currently available."

"We provide subscriptions for our customers on a yearly, not monthly, basis."

"I find Versa a little more expensive than VMware in terms of remote access and secure web gateway elements."

"It is neither cheap nor expensive. I rate the pricing a five out of ten on a scale where one is cheap and ten is expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

12%

Government

Educational Organization

Manufacturing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Computer Software Company

10%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	357
Midsize Enterprise	133
Large Enterprise	188

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	10

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	10

Questions from the Community

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What are the biggest technical differences between Sophos UTM and Fortinet FortiGate?

As a solution, Sophos UTM offers a lot of functionality, it scales well, and the stability and performance are quite ...

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What needs improvement with Citrix SD-WAN?

The solution's licensing model could be improved. Citrix SD-WAN is a good product from a technical point of view. How...

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What advice do you have for others considering Citrix SD-WAN?

If a customer already has Citrix NetScaler and is not looking to change anything in their existing environment, we pr...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Versa Titan?

As a reseller, I see their pricing as competitive.

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What needs improvement with Versa Titan?

So far, none of my customers have delved into much detail about Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platf...

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What is your primary use case for Versa Titan?

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Comparisons

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Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

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OPNsense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

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Aruba EdgeConnect SD-WAN Platform vs Citrix SD-WAN [EOL]

Compared 22% of the time

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Citrix SD-WAN [EOL]

Compared 13% of the time

Prisma SD-WAN vs Citrix SD-WAN [EOL]

Compared 12% of the time

VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN vs Citrix SD-WAN [EOL]

Compared 11% of the time

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Aruba EdgeConnect SD-WAN Platform vs Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform

Compared 20% of the time

VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN vs Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform

Compared 8% of the time

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform

Compared 6% of the time

Barracuda SecureEdge vs Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform

Compared 6% of the time

Juniper Secure Edge (SASE) vs Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform

Compared 5% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

January 2026

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Buyer's Guide

Citrix SD-WAN [EOL]

January 2026

Download Citrix SD-WAN [EOL] product report

Buyer's Guide

Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform

January 2026

Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform report

Download Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform product report

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

Citrix CloudBridge, WOC, NetScaler SD-WAN

Versa FlexVNF, FlexVNF, Versa Titan

Overview

Fortinet FortiGate is a versatile network security tool offering features like VPN, firewall, web filtering, intrusion prevention, and scalability. It is known for its performance and integration with other Fortinet products, making it a preferred choice for robust cybersecurity.

Fortinet FortiGate stands out as a comprehensive cybersecurity solution with strong performance and ease of configuration. It delivers unified threat management, integrating features such as dynamic routing, SD-WAN support, and centralized management. Despite its strengths, improvements in the web interface's stability, pricing structures, and reporting capabilities are needed. Users seek better integration with third-party tools and automation advancements to enhance the experience further. These enhancements, alongside improvements in bandwidth management and the reduction of licensing costs, are points of interest for users looking to capitalize on FortiGate's extensive capabilities.

What are Fortinet FortiGate's key features?

VPN: Ensures secure remote connections.
Firewall: Protects against unauthorized access.
Web Filtering: Blocks malicious sites and content.
Application Control: Manages and controls applications.
Intrusion Prevention: Detects and prevents vulnerabilities.
SSL Inspection: Enhances security by inspecting encrypted traffic.

What benefits should be considered when evaluating Fortinet FortiGate?

Affordability: Offers cost-effective security solutions.
Reliability: Known for consistent and stable performance.
Integration: Seamlessly integrates with other Fortinet products.
Comprehensive Protection: Provides broad threat protection capabilities.

Fortinet FortiGate is widely implemented across industries as a primary firewall system for securing internet gateways and safeguarding data centers. It supports businesses in achieving SD-WAN integration and enhances cybersecurity by providing essential features like antivirus, web filtering, and application control. Enterprises utilize FortiGate for securing remote connections and ensuring compliance with security standards, making it adaptable for different network sizes and industries.

Fortinet

Citrix SD-WAN [EOL] enhances connectivity and performance by optimizing bandwidth utilization, ensuring reliable communication across branch offices and headquarter data centers. It offers centralized management, efficient deployment options, and improved network reliability.

Citrix SD-WAN [EOL] is designed for businesses seeking enhanced connectivity solutions that boost application performance while reducing costs. With HDX WAN Optimization and reliable Active-Active connectivity, it assures improved bandwidth management. Tailored for both cloud and on-premise deployments, it supports fast communication and seamless integration, making it user-friendly even for those with limited technical expertise. Security features and zero-touch deployments further enhance its appeal. However, users highlight areas needing improvement, such as configuration intuitiveness, pricing alignment for specific markets, and stability. Enhanced reporting, networking features, and technical support are desired. Integration with Windows, security elements like firewalls, and licensing clarity require attention to meet user expectations.

What are the key features of Citrix SD-WAN [EOL]?

HDX WAN Optimization: Enhances application performance and traffic.
Load Balancing: Ensures efficient traffic distribution across networks.
Reliable Connectivity: Provides seamless failover and reduced costs through MPLS replacement.
Cloud Management: Simplifies deployment and management via the cloud.
Zero-Touch Deployment: Facilitates easy setup and provisioning.
Active-Active Lines: Optimizes bandwidth utilization and performance.
Backup Capabilities: Centralizes data management for security.

What benefits should users look for in Citrix SD-WAN [EOL]?

Enhanced Connectivity: Improves stability and reduces downtime.
Cost Reduction: Efficiently decreases expenses by replacing MPLS.
Network Optimization: Offers better bandwidth for diverse communication types.
Secure Interconnectivity: Ensures secure and reliable network connections.
Management Flexibility: Supports cloud or on-premise deployment options.

Industries benefit from Citrix SD-WAN [EOL] by leveraging its features to ensure stable, redundant connectivity between branches and data centers. Organizations experiencing frequent line failures or high reliance on bandwidth-heavy applications find it particularly useful. It caters to sectors needing reliable data management and enhanced networking.

Citrix

The Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform is a comprehensive solution that provides secure access to cloud applications and services. It combines networking and security functions into a single platform, making it easier for organizations to manage their network infrastructure. The platform includes features such as SD-WAN, VPN, firewall, web filtering, and more. It also offers advanced security capabilities such as intrusion prevention, malware protection, and threat intelligence. With the Versa SASE Platform, organizations can ensure secure access to their cloud applications and services from any location, while also reducing costs and simplifying network management.

Versa Networks

Sample Customers

Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, Dell, HP, Oracle, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Vodafone, Orange, BT Group, Telstra, Deutsche Telekom, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, CenturyLink, NTT Communications, Tata Communications, SoftBank, China Mobile, Singtel, Telus, Rogers Communications, Bell Canada, Telkom Indonesia, Telkom South Africa, Telmex, Telia Company, Telkom Kenya

AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Cornerstone Home Lending Inc., Dallara, ecVision, Essar, Eurofred, Groupe Promutuel, HMSHost Corporation, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines Ltd, Royal Caribbean International

CenturyLink, RCN Business, Colt Technology Services

Buyer's Guide

Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions

December 2025

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