NetScaler's rise to notoriety, and subsequent acquisition by Citrix in 2005, had us all captivated. And rightly so. NetScaler is one of the most respected appliances on the market.
So why then are Citrix NetScaler customers now flocking to this lesser-known competitor? Well, to fully answer that question you need to go back to the beginning...
Table of contents
- A brief history of Citrix v Loadbalancer.org
- Citrix NetScaler v Loadbalancer.org: A market shift
- Loadbalancer.org: The Citrix NetScaler alternative
- Citrix NetScaler v Loadbalancer.org: Comparisons
- How to migrate away from Citrix NetScaler
- Is the writing on the wall for Citrix?
Citrix NetScaler v Loadbalancer: A brief history
For more than 20 years NetScaler and their competitor, Loadbalancer.org, have provided high availability solutions to critical enterprise applications worldwide. Both products have very different software development philosophies but fundamentally both offer advanced load balancer capabilities. So what's the difference?
NetScaler: The "should have" approach
Take NetScaler. It's a high-end load balancer that offers an orchestra of additional features, and has everything covered, just in case.
Not only can you use NetScaler for delivering Citrix virtual desktop infrastructure and enterprise applications to your workforce, but you can also use NetScaler for delivering customer-facing monolithic and microservices applications.
Probably one of the only disadvantages of their product is that the software is so comprehensive and complex it is sometimes so unwieldy that only qualified technicians can make changes or deploy updates.
Loadbalancer: The "must have" approach
Now let's take Loadbalancer.org. Their approach is very different.
They believe that being "enough" doesn't necessarily equate to being inferior, unless it fails to solve the problem identified.
While Loadbalancer respects and also aspires to NetScaler's application availability-first approach, their philosophy is to provide a product with features that suit the majority, rather than the minority.
Their task-technology fit approach states that complex and expensive high-end solutions don't serve the needs of all businesses. Instead they believe that the purpose of their software should be to meet the needs of the specific problem they're trying to solve. This means focusing on business goals and use cases to ensure needs are met, and customers have the functionality they actually need — rather than paying for functionality they don't.
Citrix NetScaler v Loadbalancer: A market shift
If there has been space in the market for both solutions for so long, why then are some now wondering if the writing is on the wall for NetScaler?
Here are three reasons:
1. Cost cutting: Pay only for what's needed
As budgets were squeezed by the economic crisis following the pandemic, many started to question whether their application delivery objectives could be met by a more affordable solution.
Not only was the NetScaler appliance itself a significant investment, but the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) over the entire product lifecycle was consistently high too. The associated costs of maintaining a product as complex as the NetScaler soon added up, as did the cost of their licenses, support, renewals, and running costs.
2. NetScaler's decline: Private equity owners get greedy
Citrix acquired NetScaler in 2005 because they needed a proxy they could customize to provide visibility into their VDI solutions. This seemed to be good news for NetScaler and led to a huge cash injection and publicity drive. But shortly after the acquisition, things started to unravel.
From the get-go NetScaler was always an add-on acquisition for Citrix, with NetScaler always having to compete for attention with their main focus (the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure). When Citrix acquired NetScaler it renamed it Citrix ADC to better reflect its expanded role beyond load balancing. The new name emphasized its focus on optimizing application delivery, security, and a broader range of functionalities beyond networking. But then, over time, Citrix seemed to take less of a strategic interest in its Citrix ADC.
In January 2022 Citrix was taken private as part of their merger with TIBCOM Software and the name NetScaler resurfaced, with an apparent distancing of Citrix from its once golden child, leaving some to speculate that Citrix might be reconsidering whether load balancing should remain part of its portfolio.
Then, in March 2023, Citrix NetScaler stopped selling its MPX, SDX, VPX, and BLX hardware and software with perpetual licenses. Citrix also announced the end of sale for all Standard Edition options of NetScaler App Delivery and Security Service Self-Managed and NetScaler Pooled Capacity, causing a whole world of pain.
Unsurprisingly, this led to a huge exodus of NetScaler customers to alternative load balancing providers with rivals accusing Citrix of leaving customers stranded:
"“A lot of customers were pretty shocked when they got their renewal quotes, with increases of up to 200% compared to the previous year. It’s a fairly staggering increase.”
3. Loadbalancer's rise: the family-owned NetScaler alternative
Unlike NetScaler, Loadbalancer has remained a profitable, family-owned and run business for more than 20 years. While this has not afforded them the publicity of their rivals, this has allowed them to take a more organic and sustainable approach to growth, and remain true to their core values of Integrity, Empathy, Unity and Innovation. Perhaps a strategy that is paying off for them, with a 30% surge in their EBITA in the first half of 2024.
March 2024 also saw the launch of their new centralized management solution, the ADC Portal, dramatically increasing their share of voice. This strategic pivot has opened them up to a much bigger market, offering customers not just the centralized management of Loadbalancer's own products, but moreover the centralized management of other load balancing vendors products, including NetScaler.
"The ADC Portal represents a turning point on our journey", said Loadbalancer's Co-Founder, Malcolm Turnbull.
"Helping our customers manage all their load balancers from one, simple web-based platform is just one more way we can take away our customer's pain."
Couple this with the company's commitment to provide intuitive, not complex, solutions, and NetScaler customers are seeing the clear advantages of migrating to a load balancer that's easier to manage.
And with strong financial health, and cost savings, many NetScaler customers are now looking at Loadbalancer as a cheaper and easier alternative.
Loadbalancer: The Citrix NetScaler alternative
For NetScaler customers left high and dry, tired of the relentless End of Life and End of Sale decisions being imposed upon them by Citrix, the first thing on their minds might reasonably be how they can prevent themselves being put in the exact same position again by the next vendor...
Investment protection with no EOL
Loadbalancer.org stands out in the market because it doesn't End of Life its software. It offers long-term, continuous support for its appliances for as long as its customers want them, ensuring they won't have to face the disruption and cost of switching to a new solution.
Advocating customer choice, Loadbalancer.org empowers its users by not enforcing product lifecycles. It customers can therefore choose to continue using a familiar and reliable version that best suits their requirements.
CapEx and OpEx pricing
While Citrix NetScaler may have shifted away from CapEx and OpEx, Loadbalancer recognizes that a lot of companies still want to account for technology this way and so will continue to offer these price structures.
Total cost of ownership (TCO) is as important as initial expenditure, with not only Loadbalancer's up front costs, but also their ongoing support costs representing a huge cost saving in comparison to NetScaler.
Transparent costs
Related to the above is Loadbalancer.org's focus on transparent pricing, with prices freely available on their website.
This enables their customers to compare prices and values effectively, making better purchasing choices.
Intuitive interface
Loadbalancer.org's clever, not complex, WebUI is designed for self-service and ease of use/maintenance so there is a low barrier to entry.
The process of setting up, deploying and managing a NetScaler however, can be complex and time-consuming.
Vendor-agnostic
With the advent of the ADC Portal, Loadbalancer.org's focus is to help its customers manage their entire load balancer estate, therefore simplifying ADC management.
Citrix's goal however is to get its customers to buy only NetScaler products.
Citrix NetScaler v Loadbalancer: Comparisons
When it comes to functionality, both Citrix NetScaler and Loadbalancer Enterprise offer a robust feature set to distribute traffic across multiple servers, and ensure website and application uptime.
But let's take a deeper dive into how the two load balancers compare...
Feature comparison
A breakdown of the features of Citrix NetScaler versus Loadbalancer Enterprise:
| Feature | Citrix NetScaler | Loadbalancer Enterprise |
|---|---|---|
| Load Balancing | Layer 4 & Layer 7 | Layer 4 & Layer 7 |
| Health Checks | Extensive health check options | Extensive health check options, custom scripting |
| Application Security | Web Application Firewall (WAF) | Web Application Firewall (WAF) |
| SAML Gateways | NetScaler Gateway | No equivalent* |
| Content Switching | Content switching | ACLs |
| GSLB | GSLB features | GSLB features |
| Application Acceleration | Compression, caching, SSL offloading | Compression, SSL offloading |
| Management | GUI, CLI, API | GUI, CLI, API |
| Scalability & HA | Supports clustering for high availability | Supports clustering for high availability |
| Support | Paid support options | Paid support options |
| Price | Higher cost | Lower cost |
*Loadbalancer.org believes having an authentication gateway on the ADC itself undermines security because it requires a public-facing web application for the SAML authentication portal to be hosted on the appliance.
So the Loadbalancer.org Enterprise also offers a comprehensive set of advanced load balancing features, although not all the functionality of a NetScaler.
NetScaler v Enterprise: Terminology comparison
For transparency, here's a breakdown of the terminology used by Citrix NetScaler versus Loadbalancer.org Enterprise:
| Citrix NetScaler terminology | Loadbalancer Enterprise terminology |
|---|---|
| Virtual Sever | Virtual IPs (VIPs) |
| Service Group | API/CLI Automation |
| Services | Real Server IPs (RIPs) |
| Content Switching | ACL Rules - Use Backend/Use Server |
| Application Firewall | Web Application Firewall (WAF) |
| Responder Policy | ACL Rules - HTTP Response |
| Rewrite Policy | ACL Rules - URL Rewriting |
| AppFlow | Logs and Stats |
| NetScaler Management and Analytics System (MAS) | Loadbalancer ADC Portal - Integrations with SNMP, Prometheus, and Grafana |
| Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB) | Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB) |
| SSL Foward Proxy | SSL Termination |
| Bot Management | No Equivalent* |
| AppCache | No Equivalent* |
*As the load balancer experts, Loadbalancer.org's focus is on load balancing and making their products as simple, powerful, and user-friendly as possible.
It can feel like learning a new language when migrating to an alternative provider, but thankfully that hurdle can be easily removed with solid documentation and information.
NetScaler v Enterprise: License comparison
- Subscription-only: NetScaler used to have 3 different license bundles (Standard, Advanced, and Premium). But now, only subscriptions are available.
- Perpetual and subscription licensing: Loadbalancer.org offers a number of different licensing options, including perpetual and subscription, as well as Global and Site licenses.
NetScaler v Enterprise: Software comparison
- Open Source: Loadbalancer.org is built on a series of cherry-picked open-source components, offering greater flexibility and enhancing security as more eyes on the code mean vulnerabilities can be spotted and resolved much faster.
- Proprietary: NetScaler is a proprietary solution, built from the ground up by its developers, meaning the code can't be customize it to suit the needs of individual customers so there is limited ability to modify or tweak the solution.
NetScaler v Enterprise: User comparison
- Complexity: NetScaler is more feature-rich but that means it can be complex to configure for beginners.
- Simplicity: Loadbalancer.org on the other hand is easier to learn, manage, and self-serve.
How to migrate away from Citrix NetScaler
NetScaler customers wanting to migrate from Citrix to Loadbalancer.org can do so in just three easy steps.
Citrix NetScaler migration strategy
The recommended method used to perform the migration is to build a parallel Loadbalancer.org configuration alongside the existing Citrix NetScaler. This allows the NetScaler service to stay up and running while also allowing the new configuration to be tested in isolation.
Once the new Loadbalancer.org Enterprise environment has been validated and is fully operational, a simple DNS change can then be used to migrate over to the new load balancer.
NetScaler to Enterprise step-by-step migration example
There are just three simple steps for anyone looking to migrate away from Citrix NetScaler to Loadbalancer.org, explained here:
The specifics of each deployment will vary, but the migration process is not complicated, and can be concluded in a very short time frame.
Is the writing on the wall for Citrix?
Well, NetScaler's customers certainly seem to think so. While NetScaler remains a fantastic product, it's a real shame that NetScaler's private equity owners are choosing to price gouge their customers.
And, as we've seen time and time again, if you push customers too far, they will walk. Even if that comes with the inconvenience of having to migrate to an alternative.
Perhaps not surprising then that Citrix NetScaler customers have been jumping ship in their hundreds, if not thousands. Whether this trend will continue remains to be seen, but in the meantime Loadbalancer.org seems to be a viable alternative for many.