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F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs OpenText Access Manager with Managed Services comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 29, 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

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Man...
Ranking in Access Management
14th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
18
Ranking in other categories
Secure Web Gateways (SWG) (21st), Network Access Control (NAC) (11th), SSL VPN (6th), Remote Access (19th)
OpenText Access Manager wit...
Ranking in Access Management
22nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
Web Access Management (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Access Management category, the mindshare of F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is 2.4%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OpenText Access Manager with Managed Services is 2.3%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Access Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)2.4%
OpenText Access Manager with Managed Services2.3%
Other95.3%
Access Management
 

Featured Reviews

Senior Cyber Security Consultant at KoçSistem
Has provided reliable policy controls and secure web access for large enterprises
I consider Cloudflare when evaluating centralized access control features; Cloudflare utilizes multi-factor authentication and full API support, while F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) needs to enhance its API support. I recommend F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) for large companies such as Tüpraş and Ford. Tüpraş is one of the biggest companies in Turkey, along with other customers such as Tofaş, Euroko, Koç Holding, and more. For on-premises deployment, I would rate it a 10. For cloud deployment, I would rate it a seven. I primarily use it on-premises. I rate F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) eight out of ten.
MS
Senior Specialist: Solution Architecture at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
A mature, powerful product with good integration capabilities
Since we use it to access a number of mission-critical applications, it means that we have multiple sites. We have independent instances of Access Manager deployed. What's very important for us is to ensure that the configurations across the various sites are 100% aligned. If they had a mechanism to ensure that's the case, that would be great. For example, the worst thing to do is if you run into an issue, and then you fail over to your disaster recovery environment, and then you find out that you've got a missing configuration there, it'll be great if one could easily compare configurations across instances of NetIQ Access Manager to ensure consistency. It's just about ensuring consistent configuration across various instances. Having the ability to easily extract and view and compare and version control configurations would be ideal. If you consider our scenario whereby, let's say, we've got an instance for our retail environment, and for that instance, we've got a disaster recovery environment. We need to ensure the amount of service at each of those sites. Now yes, they serve different purposes, however, for us, it's very important that site A and site B are 100% aligned. And so if there was a way to easily extract the configuration and to compare it across sites, to me, that would just make everything from an operational perspective significantly easier.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We have seen a return on investment from F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager. It provided access at a time when we didn't have it."
"The load balancing features are valuable."
"This is a product that is easy to install and integrate, and it is simple to use."
"The tool is reliable and easy to configure."
"The solution is stable and reliable."
"F5 BIG-IP APM is relatively easy to use."
"The product allows us to create customized portals for your users."
"The performance of the solution is valuable."
"The most valuable features of NetIQ Access Manager are SSO and Multi-Factor Authentication."
"The integration is quite easy because there are a lot of options for integrating with different applications, so it is very versatile."
"The features that we have found most valuable with NetIQ Access Manager are its single sign-on and two factor two second factor database."
"I would recommend NetIQ Access Manager; it is a very, very good alternative to Microsoft, Micro Focus is very big and offers good technical services, and the solution is very good, fast, simple to operate, and has very good production time to market."
"There are lots of options to customize the solution to your needs."
"It's very easy to integrate with applications."
"The single sign-on feature is excellent."
"It's a very powerful product."
 

Cons

"I have had a lot of issues in the past few months with the agents, which was disappointing."
"The solution’s GUI looks very old."
"The stability of the F5 BIG-IP APM could be better."
"Cloud services are something that F5 Access Policy Manager could do better"
"The main improvement needed for F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is to integrate into the cloud-delivered services from F5."
"The solution is pretty technical. The initial setup is complex."
"If I could copy and paste objects instead of picking and configuring them from scratch each time, it would be great."
"F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager has room for improvement in integration with other products."
"In terms of what could be improved, I would say the security of the infrastructure and the server and the working networking device."
"In terms of what could be improved, I would say the security of the infrastructure and the server and the working networking device."
"The application portal could be improved with more options and easier customization."
"Occasionally, it's very difficult to get the solution running."
"Classification of junctions and new versions of applications, such as APIs, can be added to enable the use of more devices that utilize biometrics for Multi-Factor Authentication to improve the solution."
"I would love to see the upgrade procedure handled more effectively. I would prefer to have OVS installation possibilities, although the upgrade procedures should include the OS as well. You should be able to use the whole application as an appliance."
"The application portal could be improved with more options and easier customization."
"There is a major release going from version three to four or four to five. There seem to be issues up front, and then once you get to the third or fourth service pack to address those various issues, you're fine again."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I rate the tool's pricing an eight out of ten."
"The product is very expensive."
"The tool is a little bit expensive."
"Recently, they have simplified the licensing"
"The price of the solution is average."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
15%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Government
9%
Educational Organization
7%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Transportation Company
10%
University
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise9
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)?
F5 products are more expensive than other solutions but are valued for their quality and reliability, akin to purchasing a Bentley as opposed to an Audi.
What needs improvement with F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)?
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is not user-friendly and operates slowly. Additional features for architecture such as Anycast would be beneficial. The ability to run the Anycast feature woul...
What is your primary use case for F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)?
I am using F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) along with Bot Management, API Gateway, API Security, and F5 Cloud. I am using F5 Advanced WAF, but I switch between ZTNA solutions such as FortiSAS...
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Also Known As

F5 Access Policy Manager
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

City Bank, Ricacorp Properties, Miele, American Systems, Bangladesh Post Office
Bancomext, Bouwend Nederland, Camera dei Deputati, CGT, Coopservice Group, Court of Appeals of Georgia, Etnic, European Automotive Manufacturer, FDM Document Dynamics, Hainan Province Information Center, Highland Community College, Huntington Bank, Johnsonville Sausage, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Mazars, Mexico's Tax Administration Service, Owens Community College, Pasco Risk, RDC, School District of Hartford, Senckenberg Nature Research Society, Sheetz, Spanish Public Employment Service, SUNY Orange County Community College, Swisscard, The Municipality of Siena, The University of Westminster, UMB Financial Corporation Invests in Identity Management, University of Dayton, University of Groningen, Vodacom, World Wide Technology
Find out what your peers are saying about F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs. OpenText Access Manager with Managed Services and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,311 professionals have used our research since 2012.