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Ivanti Connect Secure vs SonicWall SMA comparison

Ivanti and SonicWall are both solutions in the SSL VPN category. Ivanti is ranked #4 with an average rating of 6.7, while SonicWall is ranked #7 with an average rating of 9.7. Ivanti holds a 22.8% mindshare in SV, compared to SonicWall’s 4.5% mindshare. Additionally, 78% of Ivanti users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of SonicWall users who would recommend it.

Ivanti Connect Secure

Read 28 Ivanti Connect Secure reviews

3,726 Views
1,081 Comparison Views

78% willing to recommend

SonicWall SMA

Read 15 SonicWall SMA reviews

966 Views
270 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Ivanti Connect Secure

SonicWall SMA

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

SonicWall SMA and Ivanti Connect Secure compete in secure remote access solutions. While SonicWall SMA stands out for pricing and customer support, Ivanti Connect Secure dominates with feature richness, making it the more robust choice for many users.

Features: SonicWall SMA provides secure access gateways with comprehensive security tools, easy scalability, and reliable performance. It is also user-friendly and includes proprietary security technologies like Capture ATP for enhanced protection. Ivanti Connect Secure offers robust VPN capabilities, seamless enterprise integration, and strong endpoint protection, focusing on advanced security measures and application rewriting for thorough protection.

Room for Improvement: SonicWall SMA could enhance its customization capabilities and expand integration options with more third-party solutions. Additionally, offering broader support for more advanced enterprise environments could benefit users. Ivanti Connect Secure might improve its deployment ease, streamline its extensive features for more straightforward usage, and reduce the complexity of its initial setup for faster implementation.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SonicWall SMA boasts a swift deployment process supported by clear documentation and strong customer service, minimizing downtime. Ivanti Connect Secure requires a more complex deployment model because of its customization options, which can demand more initial effort. However, its dedicated customer service aligns with these sophisticated needs, ensuring effective support.

Pricing and ROI: SonicWall SMA offers cost-effective options with competitive pricing, providing quick ROI through its affordability and speedy setup. Ivanti Connect Secure demands a higher initial investment, reflecting its expansive feature set. Despite the cost, the investment proves worthwhile as businesses leverage its advanced capabilities for greater security and operational efficiency over time.

To learn more, read our detailed Ivanti Connect Secure vs. SonicWall SMA Report (Updated: August 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Ivanti Connect Secure vs. SonicWall SMA

August 2025

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Helped 865,295 peers since 2012

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

Ivanti Connect Secure

Ranking in SSL VPN

4th

Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

14th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SonicWall SMA

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

Universal Access Gateways (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the SSL VPN category, the mindshare of Ivanti Connect Secure is 22.8%, up from 19.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall SMA is 4.5%, up from 3.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

SSL VPN

Featured Reviews

Johan Derycke

Network Security Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Reliable remote access and tunneling enhance work efficiency, but upgrade processes need improvement

Ivanti needs improvement in its seamless upgrade and migration procedures, particularly with the browser components, which are fragile and sometimes cause issues depending on the Windows version, the browser version, and the different modules being used. On the client side, browser-initiated sessions are complex and require a more robust approach for non-admin users.

Read full review

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

"It's quite stable."

"The initial setup is straightforward."

"It is customer-friendly. It is quite easy for our users to connect. There is also the flexibility of the features."

"I like the host checker, which thoroughly checks the security posture of the machine before allowing access. I also like application-based access and its seamless operations."

"This is a very secure and stable tool."

"From an end-user perspective, the setup phase is easy."

"The most valuable feature of Pulse Connect Secure is its ease of use."

"Pulse Connect Secure is a stable solution."

More Ivanti Connect Secure pros

"SonicWall SMA has the most valuable feature of proprietary security technologies like Capture ATP."

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

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

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

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

"I like the load balancing capability."

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

"SonicWall SMA allows us to provide CML-based access to any user."

More SonicWall SMA pros

Cons

"The solution must be more user-friendly."

"At the moment, Pulse Connect Secure is a pretty good solution, and I don't see any issues with it. Currently, I'm not aware of a new or additional feature that's needed in Pulse Connect Secure, but it would be good if the team could look at how the speed of connection could be increased. Though it's quite seamless and I didn't face any problem with the speed, it would be better to improve the speed and keep going forward, especially as the industry's changing and people would love connections to be a lot faster."

"An area for improvement in Pulse Connect Secure is the concurrent connections, particularly needing a license if you want to use Pulse Connect Secure with your Microsoft or Windows machine."

"There is room for improvement. I'm concerned about the frequent vulnerabilities identified. As a security product, the number of vulnerabilities is concerning."

"The stability could be better. There are sometimes bugs in the system."

"Pulse Connect Secure could improve by having better integration with NAC solutions, such as Cisco ClearPass integration with Pulse Connect Secure. Additionally, they need better integration with Microsoft Azure AD and Azure Authenticator."

"The security mechanisms of Ivanti Connect Secure are very slow to update."

"The most valuable features of Pulse Connect Secure are the user-friendly connection and interconnecting."

More Ivanti Connect Secure cons

"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."

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

"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."

"The solution has 2FA, it will generate a token and send it to an email, but multifactor authentication is not available. I would suggest that there should be MFA integration and provided with the appliance."

"User interface could be improved."

"The overall menu is not very user-friendly and it could be easier."

"The product itself is very good, but Dell needs to work on product visibility in their advertising."

"The solution could integrate better with other platforms."

More SonicWall SMA cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"A license is required for you to use Pulse Connect Secure, but I'm not aware of how much it costs."

"I rate the product price a six to seven on a scale of one to ten, where one is a low price, and ten is a high price."

"The pricing is quite nominal. We pay on a yearly basis."

"The price of Pulse Connect Secure is expensive."

"The cost of the product is high, but worth it because of the utility and great product support."

"The pricing for Pulse Connect Secure is not low and not high, so it's good. It's a six out of ten for me, price-wise."

"Pulse Connect Secure is relatively cost-effective."

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

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

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

"The platform has medium pricing."

"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."

"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

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Government

Manufacturing 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 Pulse Connect Secure?

From an end-user perspective, the setup phase is easy.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Pulse Connect Secure?

Ivanti has always been known to be pricey, making it a rather high-cost solution.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Pulse Connect Secure?

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

Comparisons

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Compared 18% of the time

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Compared 17% of the time

OpenVPN Access Server Enterprise vs Ivanti Connect Secure

Compared 12% of the time

Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) vs Ivanti Connect Secure

Compared 10% of the time

Microsoft Intune vs Ivanti Connect Secure

Compared 1% of the time

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Peplink SpeedFusion vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 17% of the time

SonicWall Netextender vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 17% of the time

Citrix Gateway vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 14% of the time

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 10% of the time

Ivanti Secure Access vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 10% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Ivanti Connect Secure

August 2025

Download Ivanti Connect Secure product report

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall SMA

July 2025

Download SonicWall SMA product report

Also Known As

Pulse Connect Secure

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

Overview

Ivanti Connect Secure provides a seamless, cost-effective SSL VPN solution for remote and mobile users from any web-enabled device to corporate resources— anytime, anywhere.

Ivanti

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

Axcient, Baloise Group, Cygate, Catholic University of America, Datec Inc, Revlon, Santa Monica Networks, 7-Eleven

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

Buyer's Guide

Ivanti Connect Secure vs. SonicWall SMA

August 2025

Free Report: Ivanti Connect Secure vs. SonicWall SMA

Find out what your peers are saying about Ivanti Connect Secure vs. SonicWall SMA and other solutions. Updated: August 2025.

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