F5 BIG-IP vs Citrix NetScaler

The debate about the superior application delivery controller (ADC) has been ongoing for years: F5 BIG-IP or Citrix NetScaler?

As F5 Gold Partners, we may be a bit biased, but we believe F5 BIG-IP comes out on top. And now with Citrix’s recent announcement that NetScaler will go end-of-sale and end-of-support by the end of 2024, now is an excellent time to switch to a better alternative.

Perpetual Licensing Flexibility

First, let’s discuss convenience. F5 currently has no plans to remove perpetual licensing options. They offer you the ability to choose perpetual licenses, subscriptions, and flexible consumption plans supporting hardware, software, and cloud features. F5 also has a clear roadmap for BIG-IP’s future and its cloud offerings.

Feature Set Depth and Breadth

F5 BIG-IP boasts a rich set of features and customisation options. A variety of modules are available to help organisations manage applications, infrastructure, security, traffic management, and optimisation. While NetScaler offers a more streamlined approach focusing on load balancing and application delivery, F5 fits a much broader set of deployments. It packs a powerful toolkit including iRules, iControl, and virtual edition deployments.

Customisation and Programmability

One key advantage of BIG-IP is its customisation and programmability via iRules, an event-driven scripting language. With iRules, you can customise how BIG-IP manages application traffic and implement custom security or traffic management policies. Citrix has policies akin to iRules, but many consider F5’s solution more robust.

Cloud Integration

In the modern cloud era, ADCs need seamless cloud integration. F5 BIG-IP has cloud-friendly offerings like BIG-IP Cloud Edition, as well as tight integrations with all major public cloud platforms. While Citrix offers cloud solutions as well, F5 is generally seen as having stronger and more mature cloud capabilities.

Our Technical Consultant Stephen Mellon advises:

“F5 BIG-IP and Citrix NetScaler are both capable and powerful ADC solutions.  If you need to cope with demanding traffic requirements that require advanced security features, and a highly customisable application delivery and content interface then F5 BIG-IP is the better choice.   F5 BIG-IP offers a comprehensive set of features including advanced traffic management, SSL offloading, application security (WAF), DDoS protection, remote access and DNS services.  These features can be integrated into a multi-cloud platform via a single interface to simplify traffic management and improve application security and efficiency. The decision ultimately depends on your specific requirements. But, with NetScaler’s looming end-of-life and F5’s perpetual licensing, deep feature set, customisation abilities, and cloud integration, BIG-IP presents a compelling option to consider for application delivery and control.”

Thinking of making the switch from Citrix NetScaler to F5 BIG-IP? Or have some questions about how to make the move?

Get in touch for a chat with us today about your network requirements.

Written by

Chris Templeton

Chief Technology Officer

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