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

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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
7th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
8.0
Number of Reviews
22
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
6.1
Number of Reviews
16
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Domain Name System (DNS) Security category, the mindshare of F5 BIG-IP DNS is 3.4%, down from 4.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is 10.2%, up from 8.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Domain Name System (DNS) Security Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Palo Alto Networks DNS Security10.2%
F5 BIG-IP DNS3.4%
Other86.4%
Domain Name System (DNS) Security
 

Featured Reviews

RR
Associate Consultant at HCLSoftware
Global load balancing has ensured continuous availability and optimized user response times
While F5 BIG-IP DNS is a very powerful solution, some improvements could enhance the overall experience. For example, the user interface could be more modern and simplified. The reporting and analytics features can be improved. Simplified deployment for cloud-native environments could be improved. Overall, F5 BIG-IP DNS is a robust and reliable solution for global traffic management and application availability. With its advanced traffic steering capability, we are definitely getting great benefits from that. However, the user interface is the major thing I think can be improved. The cost also can be reduced. Those are the two or three points that need to be improved. There is some scope for improvement, including the user interface and pricing. That is why I gave it a nine.
reviewer2695164 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Security Specialist at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Provides comprehensive protection for outgoing traffic and has improved management through AI features
I am currently working in IT security, focusing mainly on firewalls and IDS solutions. My primary focus is on Palo Alto Networks DNS Security. I only work with physical firewalls, specifically the 400 series and 1400 series, not with K2-Series firewall, Prisma Access, or CN-Series. We are using the URL Filtering license, Advanced Threat Prevention license, and DNS Security license. I think the price of Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is quite realistic; it's not too expensive, but of course, it's not cheap. Our clients are mainly using on-premises solutions. On a scale of 1-10, I rate Palo Alto Networks DNS Security an 8.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The main features valued in F5 BIG-IP include high availability, scalability, and protection of applications from attacks."
"The solution is easy to configure and deploy. It is scalable and works without any downtime. F5 BIG-IP DNS is a flexible solution."
"F5 BIG-IP DNS is a stable solution."
"It is easy to administer."
"BIG-IP DNS is more expensive than its competitors like Citrix, but it gives good value for money."
"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten...Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"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."
"BIG-IP DNS's best feature is the Global Traffic Manager (GTM)."
"The solution's most valuable features are data exfiltration and DNS tunneling."
"The most valuable features of the solution are DNSSEC and the domain generation algorithm."
"The most valuable features of DNS Security include its ability to protect against command and control traffic, anonymizers, newly registered domains, and DNS tunneling."
"We now have insight into our DNS requests and we can actively see how many thousands of malicious requests have gotten knocked down in the last day or week that we didn't have before. There's more insight for both security and more insight."
"The product is easy to install."
"The support team has good knowledge about the solution."
"DNS sinkhole is a valuable feature."
"I would rate the scalability a nine out of ten."
 

Cons

"The support response time could use improvement."
"When it comes to denial of service or DNS security, F5 is not the best vendor as dedicated vendors such as Arbor for denial of service and Infoblox for DNS security offer more comprehensive solutions."
"I sometimes encounter issues with the porting of F5 BIG-IP DNS."
"It would be great to see a F5 BIG-IP DNS cloud version."
"The initial setup was complex."
"I would like to see the login facilities improved, as well as more troubleshooting."
"Scalability is a concern, it could be improved."
"CNC (control and command) communication would be beneficial. We would like to have control and command blocking to prevent visiting malicious websites."
"The solution’s scalability could be improved."
"The pricing of the Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is very high."
"Pricing is one of the areas of concern in Palo Alto Networks DNS Security since it is an expensive product. I feel that the product's pricing is an area that could be improved."
"The number of hotfixes indicates that there are many bugs in the new releases. Comparing a few years earlier, a release contained much fewer hotfixes."
"The installation is more complex because the solution has another approach to security."
"We would like to have cloud-based management."
"There should be an on-premise version of this solution."
"If the tool offers improved data security, I think it would be good."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I would rate the pricing a three out of ten, with ten being a low price."
"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."
"In some cases, it is expensive."
"BIG-IP DNS is more expensive than its competitors like Citrix, but it gives good value for money."
"They are competitively priced."
"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."
"You cannot do much around DDoS protection without an additional license from F5."
"The solution's pricing is equal to Cisco AMP or Cisco Umbrella."
"The product is expensive. My company makes payments on a quarterly basis towards the solution's costs."
"There aren't many vendors offering DNS security solutions, but generally, Palo Alto subscriptions tend to be more expensive than other security vendors."
"There is an annual license for the solution and I am satisfied with the pricing."
"It is not an expensive solution."
"If one is very cheap and ten is very expensive, I rate the tool's price as two."
"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."
"The product is expensive compared to Fortinet."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
10%
Construction Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
9%
Performing Arts
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise10
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Large Enterprise10
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for F5 BIG-IP DNS?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing was good. We got great support from the F5 sales team. They helped us to deploy it in our organization.
What needs improvement with F5 BIG-IP DNS?
While F5 BIG-IP DNS is a very powerful solution, some improvements could enhance the overall experience. For example, the user interface could be more modern and simplified. The reporting and analy...
What is your primary use case for F5 BIG-IP DNS?
My main use case for F5 BIG-IP DNS is creating an active-active setup. With two data centers, if I want to make them active-standby or active-active, my major use case is to redirect traffic from o...
What needs improvement with Palo Alto Networks DNS Security?
DNS Security protects us against threats, malware, and malicious domains or malicious navigation to the internet, which is where it can be improved the best. Palo Alto helps us with support, so I d...
What is your primary use case for Palo Alto Networks DNS Security?
I can describe my use cases for Palo Alto Networks DNS Security, which is used for protecting our network. I use this product, Palo Alto Networks DNS Security, with Palo Alto firewalls.
What advice do you have for others considering Palo Alto Networks DNS Security?
I don't have experience with Palo Alto Networks AutoFocus. Regarding the DNS Security, I have firewalls with the DNS Security module in the firewall. DNS Security is something we configure in our f...
 

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: September 2026.
914,262 professionals have used our research since 2012.