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

F5 BIG-IP DNS vs Palo Alto Networks DNS Security comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 12, 2024

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 DNS
Ranking in Domain Name System (DNS) Security
4th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
8.0
Number of Reviews
20
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Palo Alto Networks DNS Secu...
Ranking in Domain Name System (DNS) Security
3rd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Domain Name System (DNS) Security category, the mindshare of F5 BIG-IP DNS is 6.7%, down from 7.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is 12.4%, down from 15.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Domain Name System (DNS) Security
 

Featured Reviews

Richard Polyak - PeerSpot reviewer
A robust solution designed to inspect network and form an internal topology network with clients
While we haven't explored AI-driven features yet, it's part of our roadmap for future versions. I would recommend F5 BIG-IP DNS to others in the industry. Overall, I would rate it an eight out of 10 as it meets our current needs but it will always have room for improvement.
Partha Dash - PeerSpot reviewer
Protects against threats by quickly identifying insider risks and compromised devices
Palo Alto should explore agentless approaches to integrate DNS Security more easily and efficiently. The existing system sometimes presents challenges with backbone routing, impacting productivity. An agentless approach could be more lightweight and user-friendly. Additionally, there is a need for improvement in the pricing model for support and license renewals.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"BIG-IP DNS's best feature is the Global Traffic Manager (GTM)."
"The management is very easy."
"The GTM feature is very good, It's very useful, especially if we have multiple data centers. If we want to load balance traffic from multiple data centers, the GTM feature is very useful."
"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten...Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is security."
"The security features, DDoS mitigation facilities, and SQL configuration are the most valuable aspects of this solution."
"F5 BIG-IP DNS has been rock solid in terms of stability for years."
"BIG-IP DNS effectively handled a traffic surge. For example, we have application forms replicated across our DCs. If our primary application becomes unavailable, BIG-IP automatically fails over to a client-unaware secondary application."
"The most valuable features of the solution are DNSSEC and the domain generation algorithm."
"The solution's most valuable features are data exfiltration and DNS tunneling."
"So, in general, it's very stable because the process to deliver new features and new releases in not so long...I rate the scalability a nine out of ten."
"The most valuable feature is DNS filtering."
"I would rate the scalability a nine out of ten."
"DNS security is required to filter out the DNS traffic, any DNS-based attacks, DNS DDoS attacks, and DNS amplification attacks."
"DNS sinkhole is a valuable feature."
"The support team has good knowledge about the solution."
 

Cons

"The tool needs to improve its UI."
"Scalability is a concern, it could be improved."
"The monitoring capabilities of F5 BIG-IP DNS could be improved."
"The solution can improve by adding cloud integration through plugins or additional configurations so we can use F5 BIG-IP DNS to communicate with the cloud."
"The analysis services needs improvement."
"F5's technical support responds a little slowly."
"It would be great to see a F5 BIG-IP DNS cloud version. What we within the Australian government are looking at doing is utilizing a secured DNS service much the same as the English GCHQ version of their protected DNS service."
"I would like to see more marketing documentation, rather than technical documentation."
"With Palo Alto Networks DNS Security, sometimes the DNS clients don't work well, and they get disconnected, making it an area where improvements are required."
"I'm not really sure what needs improvement. The only hiccup I've really seen is a couple of the DNS requests get flagged as the Sophos traffic instead of DNS traffic, but that's more of their app detection in the DNS Security. I haven't really seen any issues with the DNS security."
"The solution can capture more market if made more cost-competitive than Infoblox or Cisco Umbrella."
"The installation is more complex because the solution has another approach to security."
"Sometimes, it blocks legitimate traffic for custom applications, requiring manual intervention."
"If the tool offers improved data security, I think it would be good."
"The product should provide email protection."
"Palo Alto should explore agentless approaches to integrate DNS Security more easily and efficiently."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Cost is a factor. It is really costly."
"The on-prem version is only available on a yearly license, but the cloud version can be paid for on a day-by-day basis."
"BIG-IP DNS is more expensive than its competitors like Citrix, but it gives good value for money."
"I would rate the pricing a three out of ten, with ten being a low price."
"In some cases, it is expensive."
"They are competitively priced."
"You cannot do much around DDoS protection without an additional license from F5."
"This product is quite pricey but if you compare the feature set and its compatibility with similar products on the market, you would understand why it's that price."
"Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is an expensive product. I rate the product's pricing an eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten points are expensive."
"There is an annual license for the solution and I am satisfied with the pricing."
"The product is expensive compared to Fortinet."
"The product is expensive. My company makes payments on a quarterly basis towards the solution's costs."
"If one is very cheap and ten is very expensive, I rate the tool's price as two."
"It is not an expensive solution."
"There aren't many vendors offering DNS security solutions, but generally, Palo Alto subscriptions tend to be more expensive than other security vendors."
"The solution's pricing is equal to Cisco AMP or Cisco Umbrella."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Domain Name System (DNS) Security solutions are best for your needs.
851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
19%
Computer Software Company
13%
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about F5 BIG-IP DNS?
For one of our clients, F5 improved global server load balancing with an active-active site configuration for Disaster Recovery.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for F5 BIG-IP DNS?
In terms of pricing, F5 BIG-IP is not cheaper compared to other solutions like Fortinet or Citrix. The cost can be high due to its comprehensive modules.
What needs improvement with F5 BIG-IP DNS?
The support response time could use improvement. In critical cases, such as in the big environment projects, faster support is needed to address critical issues promptly.
What needs improvement with Palo Alto Networks DNS Security?
Palo Alto should explore agentless approaches to integrate DNS Security more easily and efficiently. The existing system sometimes presents challenges with backbone routing, impacting productivity....
What is your primary use case for Palo Alto Networks DNS Security?
I primarily use DNS Security for protecting against command and control traffic, newly registered domains, and dynamic DNS. It provides added protection for users, allowing me to quickly identify a...
 

Also Known As

F5 BIG-IP DNS, F5 DNS Delivery
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Ricacorp Properties, Bangladesh Post Office, Shawbrook Bank, Shinsegae Internet Duty Free
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about F5 BIG-IP DNS vs. Palo Alto Networks DNS Security and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.