Load balancer sizing Download: XLS PDF
Load Balancer / Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) - Mid-range ModelsLoad Balancer / Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) - Mid-High range Models
Vendor Model [Throughput]KEMP LM-4000
8Gbps
KEMP LM-5600
11Gbps
F5 BIG-IP i2600
10Gbps
F5 BIG-IP i2800
10Gbps
Citrix NetScaler MPX 5905
5Gbps
Citrix NetScaler MPX 8910
10Gbps
KEMP LM-8020
30Gbps
KEMP LM-8020M
30Gbps
F5 BIG-IP i5600
35Gbps
F5 BIG-IP i7600
40Gbps
Citrix NetScaler MPX 11520
20Gbps
Citrix NetScaler MPX 11530
30Gbps
Base Unit MSRP$10,000$18,000$17,995$27,995$18,000$38,000$40,000$60,000$50,000$72,000$52,500$70,500
HA (2x Units, Active/Standby) Base MSRP$20,000$36,000$35,990$55,990$36,000$76,000$80,000$120,000$100,000$144,000$105,000$141,000
Current Vendor Promo2-for-1 $10,000
HA - Fully Configured with all features licensed, Premium Support, Typical End-User Spend*$18,000$51,000$41,000$117,000$52,000$74,000$112,000$175,000$188,000$245,000$135,000$152,000
* Inclusions in End-User Spend Guide Price. Guide price based on reseller published discounts or other published sources when available.Enterprise Plus Subscription, 7x24 Support, 2x UnitsEnterprise Plus Subscription, 7x24 Support, 2x UnitsAdvanced features are sold separately. "Better" or "Best" license bundles requires upgrade to i2800"Best" License, 7x24 Support, 2x UnitsIncludes model with "Enterprise Edition" License, 2x Units.Includes model with "Enterprise Edition" License, 2x Units.Enterprise Plus Subscription, 7x24 Support, 2x UnitsEnterprise Plus Subscription, 7x24 Support, 2x Units"Best" License, 7x24 Support, 2x Units"Best" License, 7x24 Support, 2x UnitsIncludes model with "Enterprise Edition" License, 2x Units.Includes model with "Enterprise Edition" License, 2x Units.
Core Specifications
10 Gig SFP+ Ports2x Included2x Included2x Sold Separately2x Sold Separately2x Included4x Included8x Included8x Included8x Sold Separately8x Sold Separately8x Included8x Included
Application Throughput (L7)8 Gbps11 Gbps10 Gbps10 Gbps5 Gbps10 Gbps30 Gbps30 Gbps35 Gbps40 Gbps20 Gbps30 Gbps
SSL TPS (2k Keys)3,00010,0002,5004,3003,0006,00030,00030,00020,00022,00025,00030,000
Max Concurrent Connections15.2 Million26.5 Million14 Million14 MillionNot PublishedNot Published75.8 Million300 Million40 Million80 MillionNot PublishedNot Published
Core Features/Functions Supported
L4-7 Content Switching
Application Access and Security (Froms-based 2-factor Pre-auth, SSO, TMG replacement)Included with Enterprise SubscriptionIncluded with Enterprise SubscriptionAPM Add-on Module (Sold Separately)APM Add-on Module (Included in "Best" license Bundle)Included in Enterprise EditionIncluded in Enterprise EditionIncluded with Enterprise SubscriptionIncluded with Enterprise SubscriptionAPM Add-on Module (Sold Separately)APM Add-on Module (Included in "Best" license Bundle)Included in Enterprise EditionIncluded in Enterprise Edition
Web Application Firewall (WAF)Included with Enterprise Plus SubscriptionIncluded with Enterprise Plus SubscriptionASM Add-on Module (Sold Separately)ASM Add-on Module (Included in "Best" license Bundle)Included in Enterprise EditionIncluded in Enterprise EditionIncluded with Enterprise Plus SubscriptionIncluded with Enterprise Plus SubscriptionASM Add-on Module (Sold Separately)ASM Add-on Module (Included in "Best" license Bundle)Included in Enterprise EditionIncluded in Enterprise Edition
FIPS 140-2 Encryption SupportH/W Only, Separate ModelsH/W Only, Separate ModelsH/W Only, Separate ModelsH/W Only, Separate ModelsH/W Only, Separate ModelsH/W Only, Separate Models
GSLB (DNS-based Global Traffic Mgt, IP Reputation)Included with Enterprise Plus SubscriptionIncluded with Enterprise Plus SubscriptionGTM Add-on Module (Sold Separately)GTM Add-on Module (Included in "Best" license Bundle)Optional with Enterprise EditionOptional with Enterprise EditionIncluded with Enterprise Plus SubscriptionIncluded with Enterprise Plus SubscriptionGTM Add-on Module (Sold Separately)GTM Add-on Module (Included in "Best" license Bundle)Optional with Enterprise EditionOptional with Enterprise Edition
HA, Active/Standby w/Stateful Failover
N+M Clustering (Dynamically add additional Active units for extra total ADC capacity per VS)OptionalOptionalOptionalOptional
Centralized Management and Admin, Full API Enabled for Automation and Orchestration Integration.Included with Enterprise SubscriptionIncluded with Enterprise SubscriptionRequires BIG-IQ Add-on Sftware - Sold SeparatelyRequires BIG-IQ Add-on Sftware - Sold SeparatelyStandard (Advanced mgt functions in Platinum Edition)Standard (Advanced mgt functions in Platinum Edition)Included with Enterprise SubscriptionIncluded with Enterprise SubscriptionRequires BIG-IQ Add-on Sftware - Sold SeparatelyRequires BIG-IQ Add-on Sftware - Sold SeparatelyStandard (Advanced mgt functions in Platinum Edition)Standard (Advanced mgt functions in Platinum Edition)
Support for 3rd Party ADC Platform mgt and VS Motion/Migration across platforms.Included with Enterprise SubscriptionIncluded with Enterprise SubscriptionIncluded with Enterprise SubscriptionIncluded with Enterprise Subscription
Pro-active Monitoring Service with Predictive App Delivery Remediation and AnalyticsIncluded with Enterprise SubscriptionIncluded with Enterprise SubscriptionOptionalOptionalIncluded with Enterprise SubscriptionIncluded with Enterprise SubscriptionOptionalOptional
Virtual ADC Appliance LicenseIncluded with Enterprise Plus Subscription **Sold SeparatelySold SeparatelySold SeparatelySold SeparatelySold SeparatelySold SeparatelySold SeparatelySold SeparatelySold SeparatelySold SeparatelySold Separately

* Base Price is the MSRP of an entry level unit

** The features and Year 1 support price reflects a unit fully configured at the top tier of options and with first year support included. For KEMP, this means Enterprise Plus (24x7 Support), for F5 Best Configuration (24 x 7) and for Citrix Platinum (24 x 7 Gold)
Pricing based on publicly available sources during March 2017

Model KEMP Virtual LoadMaster 200 F5 BIG-IP VE-200M Citrix Netscaler VPX-200 KEMP Virtual LoadMaster 2000 F5 BIG-IP VE-1G F5 BIG-IP VE-3G Citrix Netscaler VPX-1000 Citrix Netscaler VPX-3000 KEMP Virtual LoadMaster 5000 F5 BIG-IP VE-5G KEMP Virtual LoadMaster 10G F5 BIG-IP VE-10G
Base price ($) $6,000 $17,995 $18,300 $6,000 $31,995 $41,995 $36,600 $43,920 $10,000 $49,995 $18,000 $63,995
Price incl. Features + Year 1 support $9,600 $21,100 $21,600 $9,600 $37,500 $49,200 $43,200 $51,900 $15,500 $58,500 $26,700 $74,900
Performance
Max Throughput (in Gbps) 0.2 0.2 0.2 2 1 3 1 3 5 5 10 10
SSL TPS (2K) 200 n/a Up to 750 1,000 n/a n/a Up to 750 Up to 750 10,000 n/a 12,000 3,550
Concurrent Connections 3,000,000 n/a n/a 3,000,000 n/a n/a n/a n/a 3,000,000 n/a 3,000,000 10,000,000
Minimum Resources Required (Physical Host)
Processor 64 bit x86 CPU 1,2,4 or 8 CPUs 2-4vCPUs - Intel VTx or AMD-v 64 bit x86 CPU 1,2,4 or 8 CPUs 1,2,4 or 8 CPUs 2-4vCPUs - Intel VTx or AMD-v 2-4vCPUs - Intel VTx or AMD-v 64 bit x86 CPU 1,2,4 or 8 CPUs 64 bit x86 CPU 64 bit
Memory 1 GB min. 2Gb per core 2 GB 1 GB min. 2Gb per core min. 2Gb per core 2 GB 2 GB 1 GB min. 2Gb per core 1 GB 16 GB
Disk Size 32 GB min. 3GB (thin provisioning)
min. 120GB (thick provisioning)
20 GB 32 GB min. 3GB (thin provisioning)
min. 120GB (thick provisioning)
min. 3GB (thin provisioning)
min. 120GB (thick provisioning)
20 GB 20 GB 32 GB min. 3GB (thin provisioning)
min. 120GB (thick provisioning)
32 GB min. 3GB (thin provisioning)
min. 120GB (thick provisioning)
Key Features
Full L4/L7 ADC
Application Acceleration
Content Caching
HTTP Compression
Application Security
WAF Support
DDoS Mitigation
Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
IPSec VPN
TMG Replacement [Pre-auth, SSO, Logging (ESP)]
Intrusion Prevention System (IPS)
External HSM Support
Other Features
Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB)
IPv6 Support  
API Based Administration
SDN Adaptive SDN Adaptive (L2-L7 load balancing)
Hypervisors Supported
VMware
Microsft Hyper-V
KVM
Oracle VM
Oracle Virtual Box
Cloud Platforms Supported
Microsoft Azure
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
VMware vCloud Air
Cisco Intercloud

* Base Price is the MSRP of an entry level unit

** The features and Year 1 support price reflects a unit fully configured at the top tier of options and with first year support included. For KEMP, this means Enterprise Plus (24x7 Support), for F5 Best Configuration (24 x 7) and for Citrix Platinum (24 x 7 Gold)
Pricing based on publicly available sources during March 2017

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F5 Networks, KEMP Technologies, Netscaler (Citrix) Comparison

Detailed feature, performance, specifications and price comparison of the three leading load balancer-adc vendor offerings