The use case for F5 includes ADC, WAF (Web Application Firewall), network firewall, and CGNAT in one platform.
Presales at Efficient IT Systems Ltd
Valuable combination of ADC and WAN available
Pros and Cons
- "The combination of ADC and WAN is the most valuable feature."
- "There is room for improvement in the user interface."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The combination of ADC and WAN is the most valuable feature.
What needs improvement?
F5 is a bit expensive in comparison. Moreover, there is room for improvement in the user interface. It can be more user-friendly.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for three years.
Buyer's Guide
F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)
May 2026
Learn what your peers think about F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2026.
893,311 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution. I would rate it a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is good. I would rate it a ten out of ten. There are over 50 users in our organization using the solution. Mostly the manager and the person in charge use this solution, but we usually work with the security and network teams as well.
How are customer service and support?
The customer service and support team is quite good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is quite complex. It took us around one to two months to deploy the solution.
What about the implementation team?
For the deployment process, we have to perform an assessment because it's quite complex. There are a lot of parameters that need to be counted before redeployment. So, an assessment is recommended before the deployment process.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We use the yearly-based license. I have personally not seen any additional costs.
What other advice do I have?
I would definitely recommend it. I would advise them to check their requirements thoroughly in order to load balancing and also to protect their data.
Overall, I would rate the F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
Presales at Efficient IT Systems Ltd
With good technical support in place, the tool also ensures stability and allows for scalability
Pros and Cons
- "Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
- "The solution's initial setup process was quite complex. I"
What is our primary use case?
F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) has EC, WAF, firewall, network firewall, and CGNAT in one platform.
What is most valuable?
I like the combination of ADC and WAN in the solution. F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) could be a bit better in regards to the pricing.
What needs improvement?
Kemp Loadmaster is cheaper compared to F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM). Also, the solution's UI needs improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution's scalability is good. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten. Around 50-100 of our customers use the solution.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is very good.
How was the initial setup?
The solution's initial setup process was quite complex. It took around a month to two for the deployment process.
Regarding the deployment process, we have to do an assessment first because it's very complex. There are so many parameters that we have to count the deployments. So, an assessment could be better before the deployment process. We have a manager and a person in charge of technical maintenance, but we usually talk to security and work with the network team.
What was our ROI?
Though I have not seen a return on investment, I can say that it is a good solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Our company pays for the licensing cost on a yearly basis. Also, there are no extra costs in addition to the standard licensing fees.
What other advice do I have?
Before choosing the solution, I suggest others check their requirements to ensure work and protect your data. I rate the overall solution a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)
May 2026
Learn what your peers think about F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2026.
893,311 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Founder at Fencesense
Well designed, high availability, and suitable for large enterprises
Pros and Cons
- "The solution could improve the ease of use, the management could be simplified. Other solutions are easier to use."
- "The solution could improve the ease of use, the management could be simplified. Other solutions are easier to use."
What is our primary use case?
The solution is used for deploying applications.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of F5 BIG-IP LTM is the operating system. It is nicely designed and orchestrated. The solution has all the features that are necessary for medium to large-sized enterprises would need to ensure their application are available throughout the globe. The LTM and DTM features combined provide a great service to organizations for presenting around the world which includes load balancing.
If there are any problems with the applications during integration they can be managed well with the solutions' ability to provide visibility.
What needs improvement?
The solution could improve the ease of use, the management could be simplified. Other solutions are easier to use.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) for approximately 15 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of F5 BIG-IP LTM is great.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
50 percent of my customers are using this solution.
F5 BIG-IP LTM is a scalable solution.
How are customer service and support?
I have not needed technical support from F5 BIG-IP LTM.
How was the initial setup?
If you are an expert in F5 BIG-IP LTM then the solution is simple to implement. If someone is new to implementing the solution it is difficult.
The length of time it takes to do the deployment depends on the size of the network it is being deployed in.
What about the implementation team?
We do the implementation of the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This solution comes with a standard license, and there are also extra licenses that can be obtained. The licenses are purchasable for durations of one, two, three, and five years. The hardware is something to consider when purchasing
What other advice do I have?
I recommend this solution to my customers.
I rate F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
Lead Infrastructure Engineer at a educational organization with 1,001-5,000 employees
Reliable with good support and useful load-balancing features
Pros and Cons
- "The setup is pretty easy."
- "The GUI needs improvement."
What is our primary use case?
We usually use the product for load balancing, as a web server, and for web traffic.
How has it helped my organization?
We're hosting a website for our company, and the solution has helped a lot with load balancing.
What is most valuable?
The load-balancing features are great. You can do several different types, depending on the application.
The solution offers good automation.
It's stable and reliable.
The solution can scale.
The setup is pretty easy.
They offer good technical support.
What needs improvement?
The GUI needs improvement. They need some sort of help section in the GUI, like descriptions of certain features. There are a lot of features, and it is hard to remember what does what. Having some sort of prompt or pop-up in the GUI would help a lot.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for around six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability and reliability are great. I'd rate stability nine out of ten. There are no bugs or glitches, and it doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is good. I'd rate it nine out of ten. It's easy to expand.
We have two or three users directly dealing with the solution.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support has been helpful and responsive so far.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
While I was involved in the on-premises deployment. For the cloud, I didn't have to do much. It's a pretty straightforward setup. The only complex part is building the HA since it's linked to following a certain procedure. In that case, the ease of implementation depends on the experience of the one who's going to deploy it.
Two people should be able to handle deployment.
What was our ROI?
We have witnessed a return on investment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I'd rate the pricing three out of ten. It is quite expensive to scale up.
What other advice do I have?
The product can be deployed on-premises and on the cloud.
If a customer really wants a robust and stable load-balancing appliance, they should go for LTM.
I'd rate it eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Head of Presales at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Flexible solution that allows seamless addition of servers
Pros and Cons
- "BIG-IP LTM's most valuable feature is that it allows you to seamlessly add more servers without impacting your application's configuration."
- "BIG-IP LTM's most valuable feature is that it allows you to seamlessly add more servers without impacting your application's configuration."
- "The initial setup can be complex - it's quite flexible in terms of configuration, but the person configuring it needs to understand the application side, the network side, and the server."
- "The initial setup can be complex - it's quite flexible in terms of configuration, but the person configuring it needs to understand the application side, the network side, and the server."
What is our primary use case?
BIG-IP LTM is mainly used to load balance applications.
What is most valuable?
BIG-IP LTM's most valuable feature is that it allows you to seamlessly add more servers without impacting your application's configuration. It's also very flexible because you can use iRules to manipulate the traffic.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using BIG-IP LTM for over ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
BIG-IP LTM is quite stable - sometimes there are security vulnerabilities, but they inform us when a patch is needed.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
BIG-IP LTM is scalable - once F5 is installed, you can keep adding servers behind it.
How are customer service and support?
BIG-IP LTM's technical support is good - once you log a case with them, the support is quite prompt and responsive.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup can be complex - it's quite flexible in terms of configuration, but the person configuring it needs to understand the application side, the network side, and the server. The speed of deployment depends on the application requirement and the application deployment cycle.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
BIG-IP LTM is considered a premium product, so it's quite expensive and isn't affordable for all customers. F5's licensing is based on modules, so there are separate charges depending on which features you want.
What other advice do I have?
Before implementing BIG-IP LTM, you should understand your expectations and requirements, especially from the application team. Putting BIG-IP LTM into a not-so-critical environment would be very expensive, so you may want to consider more medium-range solutions that can do the same job. I would give BIG-IP LTM a rating of ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. partners
Network Security Presales Engineer at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
Completely stable solution with a perfect multi-data center
Pros and Cons
- "BIG-IP LTM is completely stable, and its performance is good."
- "BIG-IP LTM is completely stable, and its performance is good."
- "BIG-IP LTM's sandboxing integration could be improved."
- "BIG-IP LTM's sandboxing integration could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
I use BIG-IP LTM for load balancing and WAF.
What is most valuable?
The multi-data center is perfect.
What needs improvement?
BIG-IP LTM's sandboxing integration could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using BIG-IP LTM for two to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
BIG-IP LTM is completely stable, and its performance is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I believe BIG-IP LTM is scalable, but you have to pay for extra expansions.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward, and I would rate the ease of the setup process as 4.5 out of five. The ACC deployment took one day, but the WAF tuning took around two weeks because it was a new application and needed tuning.
What about the implementation team?
We used an in-house team.
What was our ROI?
I would rate our ROI as 4.5 out of five.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
BIG-IP LTM isn't a cheap solution - I'd rate its pricing as three out of five.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I evaluated Citrix 40 Web.
What other advice do I have?
You need an expert to set up the policies, as it's not a straightforward process. I would give BIG-IP LTM a rating of nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Deputy manager at Oculin Tech
Helpful support, reliable, but implementation could be easier
Pros and Cons
- "I have found F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) to be stable."
- "We have only opened up two support tickets with the support and on both occasions, they provided a good service."
- "There are not very many areas for improvement, but the price is high."
- "The price of F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) is too high."
What is our primary use case?
We use F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) for the web application firewall and a load balancing system. We are using it in a government project.
What needs improvement?
There are not very many areas for improvement, but the price is high.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) for approximately four months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have found F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) to be stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) is a scalable solution.
We have approximately nine people using this solution in my organization.
How are customer service and support?
We have only opened up two support tickets with the support and on both occasions, they provided a good service.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of the F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) was complex and could be made easier. The full process took approximately three weeks.
What about the implementation team?
We used consultants for the implementation of the solution.
We have 10 to 12 managers supporting this solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) is too high.
What other advice do I have?
I rate F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Integrator
COO at International Household Retail Company Ltd
Reliable and good support, but ease of use could improve
Pros and Cons
- "F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager is a stable and reliable solution."
- "F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager is a stable and reliable solution."
- "F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager could improve by having an FNI feature for a single source to multi-domain load balancing."
- "F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager could improve by having an FNI feature for a single source to multi-domain load balancing."
What is our primary use case?
I am using F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager for load balancing. For example, I create the virtual server, and in there we have a pool and member server. This is used for simple load balancing.
We are using the on-premise and cloud versions of the solution.
What needs improvement?
F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager could improve by having an FNI feature for a single source to multi-domain load balancing.
When I was using the solution I was using the basic functions and I found it difficult to handle some of the more advanced features. I needed assistance from my IT department or the vendors themself. There should be more workshops are places to gain knowledge on how to use the solution. You need specific skill sets to use it.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager(LTM) within the past 12 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager is a stable and reliable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Our whole IT department is using the solution with some application teams. We have approximately 50 people using the solution in the IT department.
How are customer service and support?
When there is an issue it is first looked at by our internal team rather a ticket being opened directly with the vendor. I open the tickets to our internal team and if they cannot solve the issue, they will escalate to the vendor. The technical support from F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager is good.
What about the implementation team?
We did not do the implementation ourselves.
What other advice do I have?
It is important to know how the solution works. For example, how to set up the interface, routing, pools, and the implementation steps. After the basic configurations, you will understand you may need or want to try to learn more of the features, such as the layers of the SNI. It is ideal to start with the very basic implementation first. We have been doing the day-to-day operation.
When it comes to troubleshooting, it is important to know how to isolate the problem, analyze it, and be fast to solve them when it appears.
I rate F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager a six out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Download our free F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
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Updated: May 2026
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