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F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) Logo

F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) pros and cons

Vendor: F5
4.2 out of 5

Pros & Cons summary

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Prominent pros & cons

PROS

F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager excels in providing superior network security by blocking various attacks and mitigating potential disasters.
It offers valuable features such as load balancing and web application firewall, enhancing application performance and preventing downtime.
Signature base and IP intelligence are effective for monitoring traffic and providing crucial security validation.
F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager's DDoS safety feature and CGNAT enhance the protection and stability of networks.
Customer service is exceptional, highlighting the solution's reliability and effectiveness in managing multiple security aspects.

CONS

The pricing of F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) is considered high, making it less accessible for some users.
The feature for geolocation relies on manual updates, which can lead to incorrect permissions if IPs and countries move and the database is not updated automatically.
The initial deployment and configuration can be time-consuming due to complex requirements and the need for heavy customization.
F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) came with challenges in the deployment phase, as the full implementation in complex environments can take extensive time.
There is a need for enhanced capabilities to prevent zero-day attacks, with comparisons made to other vendors who offer advanced technology in this area.
 

F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) Pros review quotes

Nawapol Boonlerd - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Security Engineer at BigFish Enterprise Ltd.
Feb 8, 2026
The product is stable, scalable, and easy to use.
Pawel Augustyn - PeerSpot reviewer
System Advisor at a tech services company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Apr 8, 2025
The most valuable features for me are stability, availability, and security, along with the ability to manage multiple features to secure my applications.
AbdulSami - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Security Engineer at IIPL
Dec 20, 2024
The solution provides behavioral analysis via AI to detect malicious traffic.
Learn what your peers think about F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2026.
893,244 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Bonieber  Orofeo - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Manager at Chong Hua Hospital
Jun 7, 2024
The web application firewall has been very helpful. We purchased F5 when we were migrating our applications to the cloud.
Moges Bekru - PeerSpot reviewer
Network and Security Engineer at Malam Engineering PLC
Dec 3, 2024
The features of F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager that have proven most effective in securing the network are significant.
Michael GEgziabher - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Administrator at Bank of Abyssinia
Sep 7, 2023
The solution is easily deployable and has great functionality.
Richard Polyak - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Architect at NBC Universal
Dec 21, 2022
The setup and functionality are fairly straightforward.
Nazmul Huda - PeerSpot reviewer
Chief Technology Officer, Senior Executive Vice President at Midland Bank Plc
Dec 18, 2023
The product helps us provide security validation by protecting various applications from getting hacked.
William Gonzalez - PeerSpot reviewer
Director Comercial at Ngeek Consulting "Suigeneris Tech"
Dec 12, 2023
It excels in preventing downtime and maintaining application performance, which is crucial for our clients' security and operational continuity.
Oleksii Pavlyk - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of security of digital systems, electronic databases and networks at Ukreximbank
Oct 23, 2023
We use the solution for load balancing and WAF (web application firewall).
 

F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM) Cons review quotes

Nawapol Boonlerd - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Security Engineer at BigFish Enterprise Ltd.
Feb 8, 2026
It is a little bit expensive, and I think about additional features they could have in the future to make it even better.
Pawel Augustyn - PeerSpot reviewer
System Advisor at a tech services company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Apr 8, 2025
The appliance and features could be enhanced further, especially in terms of security. Some features like the WAF firewall may seem expensive compared to the standard license, so there could be room for adjusting the pricing.
AbdulSami - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Security Engineer at IIPL
Dec 20, 2024
F5 should increase its capability to prevent zero-day attacks.
Learn what your peers think about F5 BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager (AFM). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2026.
893,244 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Bonieber  Orofeo - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Manager at Chong Hua Hospital
Jun 7, 2024
NGINX, which F5 purchased, has room for improvement in its features, particularly its load balancing or application load balancing features.
Moges Bekru - PeerSpot reviewer
Network and Security Engineer at Malam Engineering PLC
Dec 3, 2024
Apart from the price, I feel no other areas need improvement.
Michael GEgziabher - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Administrator at Bank of Abyssinia
Sep 7, 2023
The solution's UI could be improved.
Richard Polyak - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Architect at NBC Universal
Dec 21, 2022
The solution doesn't really meet our requirements for an edge firewall.
Nazmul Huda - PeerSpot reviewer
Chief Technology Officer, Senior Executive Vice President at Midland Bank Plc
Dec 18, 2023
F5 could provide a distributed cloud version.
William Gonzalez - PeerSpot reviewer
Director Comercial at Ngeek Consulting "Suigeneris Tech"
Dec 12, 2023
There is room for improvement in Advanced Firewall Manager's dashboard statistics, especially during attacks.
Oleksii Pavlyk - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of security of digital systems, electronic databases and networks at Ukreximbank
Oct 23, 2023
The solution’s initial setup is not easy.