F5 BIG-IP APM vs OpenVPN Access Server

F5 BIG-IP APM is now called F5 BIG-IP Zero Trust Access. The product secures and centralizes access to apps, APIs, and data across locations and hosting environments. Its identity-aware proxy applies context-based checks to each application request, while SAML, OAuth, and OIDC support authentication, federation, and single sign-on. Remote access options include per-app VPN, IPSec VPN, and end-to-end encrypted controls. Organizations can connect VMware Horizon ONE (AirWatch), Microsoft Intune, and IBM MaaS360 for mobile device management; REST API connectors can incorporate third-party UEBA and risk engines into access policies. It also integrates with Azure AD Conditional Access policies and F5 BIG-IQ Centralized Management. Deployment options span virtual editions, hardware, and cloud environments. Pricing is on request, and there is no free plan. A 30-day BIG-IP VE trial includes Zero Trust Access with LTM, Advanced WAF, and Network Firewall (AFM). The trial supports several hypervisors and cloud platforms, including VMware ESXi, KVM, AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform.

OpenVPN Access Server is a business VPN hosted in a customer's environment, including Linux systems, virtual appliances, containers and public clouds. Its free plan lasts indefinitely, includes all features, requires no credit card and permits up to two simultaneous connections. Growth costs $7 a month per connection and supports up to 2,000 connections; Enterprise & IoT has custom pricing and unlimited connections. A 14-day trial is available for five or more connections. Administrators have a Web UI, self-service client UI, CLI, REST API and automation templates. Authentication options include PAM, RADIUS, LDAP, SAML, local and custom methods. User- and group-level access controls are available, as are protocol and port restrictions. Identity, device and location context can be used to control application access. OpenVPN Connect supports Windows, macOS, Android, iOS and ChromeOS. Deployment options include Docker, Hyper-V, VMware ESXi, Kubernetes Helm and public cloud marketplaces. The listed security and compliance items include SOC 2 Type 2, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, HIPAA and GDPR.