Ivanti Secure Access vs SonicWall SMA comparison

Ivanti and SonicWall are both solutions in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category. Ivanti is ranked #21 with an average rating of 8.0, while SonicWall is ranked #16 with an average rating of 9.5. Ivanti holds a 2.1% mindshare in EIV, compared to SonicWall’s 2.4% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Ivanti users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of SonicWall users who would recommend it.

Ivanti Secure Access

Read 3 Ivanti Secure Access reviews

1,189 Views
1,177 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

SonicWall SMA

Read 15 SonicWall SMA reviews

1,373 Views
1,153 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Ivanti Secure Access

SonicWall SMA

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 6, 2024

SonicWall SMA and Ivanti Secure Access are key competitors in secure access solutions. Ivanti Secure Access appears more robust in features, making it worth the higher cost for many users.

Features: SonicWall SMA offers core security capabilities, ease of integration, and user-friendly management. Ivanti Secure Access provides advanced security options, comprehensive feature sets, and seamless multi-platform support.

Room for Improvement: SonicWall SMA users suggest enhancing performance stability, strengthening VPN connections, and refining user interface consistency. Ivanti Secure Access can improve documentation, streamline updates, and optimize resource usage.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SonicWall SMA is straightforward to deploy and offers satisfactory customer service. Ivanti Secure Access, though more complex to deploy, provides robust customer support, often praised for its responsiveness and expertise.

Pricing and ROI: SonicWall SMA is recognized for reasonable setup costs and good ROI. Ivanti Secure Access, despite being pricier, justifies its cost with high perceived value and impressive ROI potential.

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

Buyer's Guide

Ivanti Secure Access vs. SonicWall SMA

December 2025

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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 Secure Access

Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

21st

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

8.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SonicWall SMA

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), SSL VPN (6th)

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category, the mindshare of Ivanti Secure Access is 2.1%, up from 1.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SonicWall SMA is 2.4%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Enterprise Infrastructure VPN Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
SonicWall SMA	2.4%
Ivanti Secure Access	2.1%
Other	95.5%

Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

Featured Reviews

BabarShahbaz

Saleas Lead at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees

A cloud solution to access the corporate network with BYOD policy

Ivanti Secure Access and Zscaler provide secure access to corporate networks, their methods and features may differ. Ivanti Secure Access offers granular control over network access, allowing for on-demand VPN connections when accessing corporate resources. This means users may not need to initiate a VPN connection manually but can access resources seamlessly when accessing corporate websites or applications. This granular feature helps enhance security and user experience by providing secure access only when needed.

Read full review

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

"It also provides an auto-connect feature. When you turn on your laptop and put it on auto-connect, it automatically connects."

"The most valuable feature of Pulse Client is integration with Google authenticator for two-factor authentication."

"The scalability of Pulse Client is good."

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

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

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

"I think they ask for a fair price."

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

"The management and the dashboard are the solution's most valuable features."

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

"I like the load balancing capability."

More SonicWall SMA pros

Cons

"Pulse Client could improve the system tokens for authentication."

"Ivanti Secure Access and Zscaler provide secure access to corporate networks, their methods and features may differ."

"Pulse Client could improve the reports. The reports are not in PDF and we can't check the details in the reports of users who are using the VPNs."

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

"The timed synchronization between the network appliance needs improvement."

"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 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."

"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 could integrate better with other platforms."

"User interface could be improved."

More SonicWall SMA cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Pulse Client has two types of licenses. One is subsistence-based and the second is perpetual-based. The license cost is good, it is not very costly."

"The platform has medium pricing."

"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."

"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."

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

"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

Performing Arts

15%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Computer Software Company

Energy/Utilities Company

Manufacturing Company

12%

Computer Software Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Retailer

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

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

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Pulse Client?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Pulse Client?

We use the solution to access the corporate network.

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Pulse Client?

The tool is a preferred option for making the tunnel from these cloud VPNs. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

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

Ivanti Connect Secure vs Ivanti Secure Access

Compared 35% of the time

Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway vs Ivanti Secure Access

Compared 11% of the time

Tailscale vs Ivanti Secure Access

Compared 11% of the time

Citrix Gateway vs Ivanti Secure Access

Compared 8% of the time

Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) vs Ivanti Secure Access

Compared 8% of the time

More Ivanti Secure Access Competitors

Citrix Gateway vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 13% of the time

SonicWall Netextender vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 11% of the time

Ivanti Connect Secure vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 11% of the time

Sangfor SSL VPN vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 11% of the time

Peplink SpeedFusion vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 5% of the time

More SonicWall SMA Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

January 2026

Download Ivanti Secure Access product report

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall SMA

January 2026

Download SonicWall SMA product report

Also Known As

Pulse Client

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

Overview

Easily secure your hybrid workforce Elevate your VPN experience with Ivanti Neurons for Secure Access—a unified platform that seamlessly integrates Ivanti Connect Secure and Ivanti Neurons for Zero Trust Access. Harness the power of cloud-based centralization to gain real-time insights, optimize access management and enhance security across your network. Take control and thrive in today's borderless digital landscape.

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

Information Not Available

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

Buyer's Guide

Ivanti Secure Access vs. SonicWall SMA

December 2025

Free Report: Ivanti Secure Access vs. SonicWall SMA

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