F5 DNS

Name: F5 DNS
Brand: F5
Rating: 4.3 (44 reviews)

Leader

We deliver and secure every app.

Est 1996|Valuation $25.9B|Raised $10K

LinkedIn 404K|Website|Web traffic 875K|FTEs 6,167|HQ Seattle, WA

MarketsWeb Application & API Protection (WAAP)Security Service Edge (SSE)Enterprise Networking

Platform CoversFirewalls Infrastructure Monitoring

01Competitive Landscape

Narrative analysis

- F5 vs Akamai: - F5 differentiates with on-premises/hybrid control and integration with application delivery/security tooling. - Akamai differentiates with edge-focused authoritative DNS and SLA messaging aimed at organizations that prefer to offload DNS infrastructure. - F5 vs Cloudflare: - Cloudflare can be selected for simplicity and price transparency for DNS load balancing and health checks. - F5 is often selected when customers need advanced GSLB controls, complex topology routing, and integration with BIG-IP health and monitoring logic in multi-data-center or legacy environments. - F5 + Infoblox: - Many enterprises implement a split architecture where core DNS/IPAM is managed separately (for example, with Infoblox) and traffic steering/GSLB is implemented with a different vendor; this reflects differing strengths in core DNS management versus global traffic steering.

	F5 BIG-IP DNS / F5 DNS portfolio	Akamai Edge DNS	Cloudflare DNS + Load Balancing
Starting Price	Often quote-driven; vendor and reseller quotes show virtual-edition/subscription options at varying monthly rates depending on tier and support	Public pricing examples indicate entry-level pricing for single-zone offerings; additional options such as DNSSEC may increase costs	Load Balancing is an add-on product; entry-level pricing and limited free query allowances exist, with usage-based tiers for higher volumes
Best For	Enterprises needing on-premises or hybrid control, deep GSLB, and integration with BIG-IP management and monitoring	Organizations seeking authoritative DNS with broad edge presence and associated SLAs	Organizations seeking straightforward DNS steering with transparent, low-entry pricing and easy onboarding, especially if already using the Cloudflare platform
Key Strength	Enterprise traffic steering features (GSLB), flexible deployment models (hardware/virtual/cloud-native/SaaS), and DNS security features; intended for large-scale environments	Edge-scale authoritative DNS with SLA-focused positioning and integrated services at the edge	Ease of onboarding, transparent pricing for many entry-level use cases, and integrated platform workflows for web and edge services
Key Weakness	Operational complexity and learning curve; procurement and cost can be more complex than fully managed alternatives	Pricing and packaging can be enterprise/channel-centric outside specific partner programs; integration costs may apply	DNS steering has inherent limitations (TTL, caching), and advanced features may require enterprise-tier plans

01Competitive Landscape

Narrative analysis

F5 vs Akamai:
- F5 differentiates with on-premises/hybrid control and integration with application delivery/security tooling.
- Akamai differentiates with edge-focused authoritative DNS and SLA messaging aimed at organizations that prefer to offload DNS infrastructure.
F5 vs Cloudflare:
- Cloudflare can be selected for simplicity and price transparency for DNS load balancing and health checks.
- F5 is often selected when customers need advanced GSLB controls, complex topology routing, and integration with BIG-IP health and monitoring logic in multi-data-center or legacy environments.
F5 + Infoblox:
- Many enterprises implement a split architecture where core DNS/IPAM is managed separately (for example, with Infoblox) and traffic steering/GSLB is implemented with a different vendor; this reflects differing strengths in core DNS management versus global traffic steering.

	F5 BIG-IP DNS / F5 DNS portfolio	Akamai Edge DNS	Cloudflare DNS + Load Balancing
Starting Price	Often quote-driven; vendor and reseller quotes show virtual-edition/subscription options at varying monthly rates depending on tier and support	Public pricing examples indicate entry-level pricing for single-zone offerings; additional options such as DNSSEC may increase costs	Load Balancing is an add-on product; entry-level pricing and limited free query allowances exist, with usage-based tiers for higher volumes
Best For	Enterprises needing on-premises or hybrid control, deep GSLB, and integration with BIG-IP management and monitoring	Organizations seeking authoritative DNS with broad edge presence and associated SLAs	Organizations seeking straightforward DNS steering with transparent, low-entry pricing and easy onboarding, especially if already using the Cloudflare platform
Key Strength	Enterprise traffic steering features (GSLB), flexible deployment models (hardware/virtual/cloud-native/SaaS), and DNS security features; intended for large-scale environments	Edge-scale authoritative DNS with SLA-focused positioning and integrated services at the edge	Ease of onboarding, transparent pricing for many entry-level use cases, and integrated platform workflows for web and edge services
Key Weakness	Operational complexity and learning curve; procurement and cost can be more complex than fully managed alternatives	Pricing and packaging can be enterprise/channel-centric outside specific partner programs; integration costs may apply	DNS steering has inherent limitations (TTL, caching), and advanced features may require enterprise-tier plans