Ivanti Connect Secure vs SonicWall SMA comparison

Ivanti and SonicWall are both solutions in the SSL VPN category. Ivanti is ranked #1 with an average rating of 6.8, while SonicWall is ranked #6 with an average rating of 9.5. Ivanti holds a 16.6% mindshare in SV, compared to SonicWall’s 7.2% mindshare. Additionally, 79% of Ivanti users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of SonicWall users who would recommend it.

Ivanti Connect Secure

Read 29 Ivanti Connect Secure reviews

3,875 Views
1,356 Comparison Views

79% willing to recommend

SonicWall SMA

Read 15 SonicWall SMA reviews

1,373 Views
535 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: January 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Ivanti Connect Secure vs. SonicWall SMA

January 2026

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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

Ivanti Connect Secure

Ranking in SSL VPN

1st

Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

8th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SonicWall SMA

Ranking in SSL VPN

6th

Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

16th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

5.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Universal Access Gateways (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the SSL VPN category, the mindshare of Ivanti Connect Secure is 16.6%, down from 24.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall SMA is 7.2%, up from 4.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

SSL VPN Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Ivanti Connect Secure	16.6%
SonicWall SMA	7.2%
Other	76.2%

SSL VPN

Featured Reviews

Kaushlendra Singh

Manager - IT Infrastructure and Network at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Provides secure and simple remote access but needs improved reporting capabilities

Ivanti Connect Secure is simple and secure, making it valuable for our organization. Ivanti Connect Secure's access control feature provides global protect, which allows country-wise blocking. There are many access controls available, and policies can be created on a host basis and on the MAC address of assets that will connect. Firewall versions and OS versions can be defined, and only devices meeting these criteria can connect to the VPN. These features are effective, along with MFA. Ivanti Connect Secure is a client-based, agent-based solution, so if the agent is installed, users are able to connect to the network. Ivanti Connect Secure utilizes identity-based LDAP authentication. Ivanti Connect Secure is very effective for remote access for remote workers.

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Barry Arendt

Owner at ThinkEzIT

Security enhances through autonomous protection and strong support while multi-factor authentication secures access

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, as I haven't been looking at what they're releasing. We're a small shop, so we drop stuff in and manage it and do what we need to do to maintain it. If we run into an issue, we contact support. There's a learning curve, but it comes down to getting support to train you on the product, and then once you have the training you need, you're able to make the changes and updates that you need to.

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

"The most valuable features of Pulse Connect Secure are multi-factor authentications, and VPNs and SSL VPNs we are using."

"This is a very secure and stable tool."

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

"Ivanti secures access to the corporate network from various devices and locations."

"I can safely say this is one of the best solutions I have seen for VPN access. It can achieve what other vendors may not be able to. This product will train you about exactly what an SSL should be. You can leverage it to do whatever you wish, the way you wish to do it. This is the solution if you want a perfectly scalable product for your enterprise that can help your mobile users and integrate with the latest technologies."

"This solution enables secure connections for our engineers to work from home or other locations."

"The tool's most valuable feature is remote access."

"What I like the most about Pulse Connect Secure is that it's user-friendly. It's easy to use. You just need to connect, and that's it."

More Ivanti Connect Secure pros

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

"The advanced threat protection and the endpoint control features of SonicWall SMA have helped improve security measures tremendously."

"I am very satisfied with the technical support."

"I think they ask for a fair price."

"Secure Mobile Access (SMA) is easy to configure and the deployment is straightforward. However, this is mostly because of the AWS setup."

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

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

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

More SonicWall SMA pros

Cons

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

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

"The solution can be improved by addressing the failure to connect on public 2-step networks."

"This solution normally works but at times, we have had trouble with connectivity."

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

"The reporting capabilities of Ivanti Connect Secure are not strong; the format is simple, and obtaining a detailed report is difficult and requires manual work."

"The product's price is an area where improvements are required."

"We want to switch to another solution because there are some challenges with the support from Pulse. The quality of documentation is also not good. It is sometimes very hard to find documentation that provides a solution and describes how all this works."

More Ivanti Connect Secure cons

"SonicWall's reporting isn't good. Reports should be part of a data plan. The login mechanism should be improved. It would be helpful if the client could use an agent to log in. An agent-server model would improve the performance of the RDB, which consumes a lot of bandwidth."

"I'd like to see the product maybe polish keyboards in Bookmark."

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

"SonicWall SMA is difficult to use and it does not provide easy access to different parts of the network."

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

"This is an expensive solution and I think that the price could be improved."

"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 product's technical support services could be improved."

More SonicWall SMA cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"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."

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

"Pulse Connect Secure is relatively cost-effective."

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

"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."

"The price of Pulse Connect Secure is expensive."

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

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

"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."

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

"The platform has medium pricing."

"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

11%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

12%

Computer Software Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Retailer

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	19

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	2

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?

The reporting capabilities of Ivanti Connect Secure are not strong; the format is simple, and obtaining a detailed report is difficult and requires manual work. Regarding points for improvement, th...

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?

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 14% of the time

Fortinet FortiClient vs Ivanti Connect Secure

Compared 10% of the time

Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) vs Ivanti Connect Secure

Compared 8% of the time

Ivanti Secure Access vs Ivanti Connect Secure

Compared 8% of the time

Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs Ivanti Connect Secure

Compared 4% of the time

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Citrix Gateway vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 13% of the time

SonicWall Netextender vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 11% of the time

Sangfor SSL VPN vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 11% of the time

OpenVPN Access Server vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 11% of the time

Check Point Remote Access VPN vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 6% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Ivanti Connect Secure

January 2026

Download Ivanti Connect Secure product report

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall SMA

January 2026

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

January 2026

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: January 2026.

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