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Top 10 Load Balancing Tools to Ensure Application Reliability (2025)

Originally Published:
May 30, 2025
Last Updated:
May 31, 2025
8 min

In today’s always-on digital economy, ensuring application uptime and performance isn’t optional; it’s critical. From handling massive user traffic spikes to maintaining fault tolerance and geo-redundancy, load-balancing tools are the backbone of high-availability infrastructure. Whether running on multi-cloud, hybrid environments or Kubernetes, these tools ensure traffic is distributed efficiently across servers and services.

This article explores the Best Load Balancing Tools 2025, comparing features, pricing models, licensing options, and third-party integrations to help you make informed IT procurement decisions. We've analyzed insights from Gartner, G2, Forrester, and real-world user reviews to bring you the most trusted solutions for reliability and scalability.

Why Load Balancing Tools Matter?

As enterprise infrastructure scales, load balancing ensures:

  • High application availability
  • Reduced server downtime
  • Global performance optimization
  • Secure and encrypted traffic handling (SSL offloading)
  • Support for microservices, APIs, and containerized workloads

What are Load Balancing Tools?

Load balancing is a network technique that distributes network traffic across multiple servers, enhancing performance and reliability. It ensures no single server is overloaded by directing incoming requests to the cluster's most available and capable servers. It improves application availability, reduces response times, and protects against single points of failure.  

Which tool is used for load balancing?

Load balancing is the process of dividing the traffic on the network across multiple servers through a tool known as the load balancer. This tool acts like a router, directing the inbound traffic on different servers as and when required.

What is load balancing used for?

Load balancing directs and controls internet traffic between the application servers and their visitors or clients. As a result, it improves an application's availability, scalability, security, and performance.

Where are load balancers used?

Some cloud load balancing products can balance Internet traffic loads across servers spread out worldwide, a process known as global server load balancing (GSLB). Load balancing is also commonly used within large localized networks, like a data center or a large office complex.

Which load balancer is best?

There isn't a single "best" load balancer, as the ideal choice depends on specific needs and circumstances. Factors like the type of application, traffic volume, performance requirements, and budget all play a role.

How to do load balancing?

Load balancing distributes incoming network traffic across multiple servers to prevent any single server from being overwhelmed. It is achieved through a load balancer, which acts as a proxy, routing requests to different servers in a pool based on various algorithms and factors like server health, connection counts, and response times.

Top 10 Load Balancing Tools in 2025  

1. F5 BIG-IP

Overview: The industry leader in application delivery networking, F5 BIG-IP supports complex Layer 4–7 traffic control with integrated security and acceleration.

  • F5 BIG-IP Pricing: Starts at ~$2,000 for virtual edition
  • F5 BIG-IP Licensing Options: Subscription, perpetual, BYOL
  • Best For: Enterprise and data center environments with custom routing needs
  • Pros: Deep configurability, security integrations, strong performance
  • Cons: Complex to configure, expensive for SMBs
  • G2 Score: 4.3★
  • Gartner Peer Insights: 4.4★

Screenshot:

Picture 1260556486, Picture

2. NGINX Plus

Overview: A commercial offering of the popular open-source NGINX, optimized for high-performance load balancing and API gateway functionality.

  • NGINX Plus Pricing: ~$2,500/year per instance
  • NGINX Plus Licensing Options: Annual subscription
  • Best For: Microservices, cloud-native applications, Kubernetes ingress
  • Pros: Lightweight, scalable, DevOps-friendly
  • Cons: Requires advanced setup for high customization
  • G2 Score: 4.6★
  • Gartner Peer Insights: 4.5★

Screenshot:

Picture 438043911, Picture

3. AWS Elastic Load Balancing (ELB)

Overview: Native AWS service offering ALB, NLB, and GLB for seamless cloud traffic routing.

  • AWS ELB Pricing: Pay-as-you-go (~$0.025/hr + data fees)
  • AWS ELB Licensing Options: Usage-based
  • Best For: Scalable cloud apps hosted on AWS
  • Pros: Integrated with AWS ecosystem, easy to scale
  • Cons: Limited control outside of AWS
  • G2 Score: 4.4★
  • Gartner Peer Insights: 4.5★

Screenshot:

Picture 1460064196, Picture

4. Azure Load Balancer

Overview: Microsoft’s native load balancing distributes traffic across virtual machines in Azure.

  • Azure Load Balancer Pricing: ~$0.025/hr for standard tier
  • Azure Load Balancer Licensing Options: Usage-based via Azure billing
  • Best For: Enterprises on the Microsoft tech stack
  • Pros: Deep Azure integration, cost-effective
  • Cons: Basic layer 4 functionality unless using Application Gateway
  • G2 Score: 4.2★
  • Gartner Peer Insights: 4.3★

Screenshot:

Picture 2079449975, Picture

5. Cloudflare Load Balancing

Overview: DNS-level global load balancing with built-in failover and health checks across distributed applications.

  • Cloudflare Load Balancing Pricing: From $5/month + usage
  • Cloudflare Licensing Options: Tiered plans with usage-based billing
  • Best For: Global web apps and edge workloads
  • Pros: Simple setup, geo-routing, built-in DDoS protection
  • Cons: May lack full app-layer customization
  • G2 Score: 4.5★
  • Gartner Peer Insights: 4.6★

Screenshot:

Picture 1016185919, Picture

6. HAProxy Enterprise

Overview: High-performance reverse proxy and load balancer trusted by performance-driven enterprises.

  • HAProxy Pricing: Starts at ~$3,000/year
  • HAProxy Licensing Options: Subscription
  • Best For: On-prem, hybrid, and performance-critical apps
  • Pros: Robust telemetry, security controls, open-source roots
  • Cons: Complex configuration
  • G2 Score: 4.6★
  • Gartner Peer Insights: 4.5★

Screenshot:

Picture 1516109793, Picture

7. Kemp LoadMaster

Overview: An easy-to-deploy load balancer is ideal for small to midsize enterprises needing reliable traffic distribution.

  • Kemp Pricing: Starts at ~$2,000/year
  • Kemp Licensing Options: Subscription, perpetual
  • Best For: SMBs and mid-market orgs
  • Pros: Intuitive UI, good support, value-for-money
  • Cons: Not as feature-rich as enterprise competitors
  • G2 Score: 4.5★
  • Gartner Peer Insights: 4.3★

Screenshot:

Picture 1433671765, Picture

8. Citrix ADC (formerly NetScaler)

Overview: Enterprise-grade application delivery controller with powerful traffic shaping, security, and monitoring tools.

  • Citrix ADC Pricing: ~$2,000/year starting
  • Citrix ADC Licensing Options: Perpetual Subscription
  • Best For: Enterprises using VDI and Citrix ecosystems
  • Pros: High performance, advanced SSL, secure access
  • Cons: Premium pricing, complex for new users
  • G2 Score: 4.3★
  • Gartner Peer Insights: 4.2★

Screenshot:

Picture 1481173114, Picture

9. Traefik Enterprise

Overview: Modern cloud-native edge router built for Kubernetes, with real-time service discovery and integrated observability.

  • Traefik Pricing: From $100/month
  • Traefik Licensing Options: SaaS and self-hosted subscription
  • Best For: DevOps teams, API-driven apps, Kubernetes
  • Pros: Lightweight, dynamic routing, built-in dashboards
  • Cons: Smaller community compared to NGINX or HAProxy
  • G2 Score: 4.4★
  • Gartner Peer Insights: 4.3★

Screenshot:

Picture 60823405, Picture

10. Avi Networks (VMware NSX Advanced Load Balancer)

Overview: Software-defined load balancer under VMware NSX, with advanced analytics and automation.

  • Avi Networks Pricing: Custom enterprise pricing
  • Avi Licensing Options: Enterprise license through VMware
  • Best For: VMware shops, large-scale deployments
  • Pros: Scalable, policy-driven automation, deep visibility
  • Cons: Tied to VMware stack
  • G2 Score: 4.2★
  • Gartner Peer Insights: 4.4★

Screenshot:

Picture 1266875781, Picture

Feature Comparison Table

Tool Deployment L4–L7 Support Licensing Options G2 Score
F5 BIG-IP Hybrid/On-prem Subscription/Perpetual 4.3★
NGINX Plus Cloud-native Annual Subscription 4.6★
AWS ELB Cloud (AWS) Usage-Based 4.4★
Azure LB Cloud (Azure) L4 Usage-Based 4.2★
Cloudflare LB DNS/Edge DNS + L7 Tiered + Usage 4.5★
HAProxy Enterprise On-prem/Hybrid Subscription 4.6★
Kemp LoadMaster On-prem/Cloud Subscription/Perpetual 4.5★
Citrix ADC Hybrid/VDI Subscription/Perpetual 4.3★
Traefik Enterprise Cloud-native SaaS or Self-Hosted 4.4★
Avi Networks (VMware) VMware Environments Enterprise VMware License 4.2★

FAQ:

Which tool is used for load balancing?

Load balancing is the process of dividing the traffic on the network across multiple servers through a tool known as the load balancer. This tool acts like a router, directing the inbound traffic on different servers as and when required.

Is the AVI load balancer part of VCF?

Avi Load Balancer is a key component of the VCF ecosystem, enabling the benefits businesses want to achieve from cloud architectures.

What is the most commonly used load balancer?

Round Robin is undoubtedly the most widely used algorithm. It's easy to implement and easy to understand. Here's how it works. Let's say you have 2 servers waiting for requests behind your load balancer.

Which load balancer is best?

There isn't a single "best" load balancer, as the ideal choice depends on specific needs and circumstances. Factors like the type of application, traffic volume, performance requirements, and budget all play a role.

What is the difference between AVI and F5?

Avi Networks and F5 are leading Application Delivery Controllers (ADCs) but have different strengths and approaches. Avi is a software-defined ADC focused on VMware environments and offers a more streamlined, cloud-native approach. F5 offers a broader range of products, including hardware and software ADCs, with a more established market presence and a wider range of features.

Is load balancing high availability?

Load Balancing spreads the application's load across multiple application servers or multiple web servers to help smooth out the peaks if there is a lot of traffic. Load Balancing is one piece of the puzzle when implementing high availability.

Which is better, load balancing or failover?

Failover addresses the single point of failure problem. You can even apply it to a load balancer. While a load balancer helps minimize the risk of failure of each system behind it, that load balancer is a single point of failure. It doesn't matter if all the other systems behind it are in good condition.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right load-balancing solution in 2025 depends on your deployment style, traffic volume, and ecosystem preferences. Tools like F5 and NGINX Plus offer enterprise-grade control, while Cloudflare and AWS ELB simplify cloud scaling. Whether you're optimizing for edge performance, Kubernetes-native routing, or hybrid workloads, this guide provides the key insights needed for informed procurement.

Simplify Licensing & Cost Oversight with CloudNuro.ai

Managing multiple load balancer licenses across AWS, NGINX, and F5 can be chaotic. CloudNuro.ai, a leading SaaS management platform recognized by Gartner and InfoTech, empowers IT teams to:

  • Monitor real-time license usage
  • Track spending across load-balancing tools
  • Optimize procurement and renewal strategies

Book a Demo to streamline your IT budget planning and governance today.

Table of Content

Start saving with CloudNuro

Request a no cost, no obligation free assessment —just 15 minutes to savings!

Get Started

Table of Content

In today’s always-on digital economy, ensuring application uptime and performance isn’t optional; it’s critical. From handling massive user traffic spikes to maintaining fault tolerance and geo-redundancy, load-balancing tools are the backbone of high-availability infrastructure. Whether running on multi-cloud, hybrid environments or Kubernetes, these tools ensure traffic is distributed efficiently across servers and services.

This article explores the Best Load Balancing Tools 2025, comparing features, pricing models, licensing options, and third-party integrations to help you make informed IT procurement decisions. We've analyzed insights from Gartner, G2, Forrester, and real-world user reviews to bring you the most trusted solutions for reliability and scalability.

Why Load Balancing Tools Matter?

As enterprise infrastructure scales, load balancing ensures:

  • High application availability
  • Reduced server downtime
  • Global performance optimization
  • Secure and encrypted traffic handling (SSL offloading)
  • Support for microservices, APIs, and containerized workloads

What are Load Balancing Tools?

Load balancing is a network technique that distributes network traffic across multiple servers, enhancing performance and reliability. It ensures no single server is overloaded by directing incoming requests to the cluster's most available and capable servers. It improves application availability, reduces response times, and protects against single points of failure.  

Which tool is used for load balancing?

Load balancing is the process of dividing the traffic on the network across multiple servers through a tool known as the load balancer. This tool acts like a router, directing the inbound traffic on different servers as and when required.

What is load balancing used for?

Load balancing directs and controls internet traffic between the application servers and their visitors or clients. As a result, it improves an application's availability, scalability, security, and performance.

Where are load balancers used?

Some cloud load balancing products can balance Internet traffic loads across servers spread out worldwide, a process known as global server load balancing (GSLB). Load balancing is also commonly used within large localized networks, like a data center or a large office complex.

Which load balancer is best?

There isn't a single "best" load balancer, as the ideal choice depends on specific needs and circumstances. Factors like the type of application, traffic volume, performance requirements, and budget all play a role.

How to do load balancing?

Load balancing distributes incoming network traffic across multiple servers to prevent any single server from being overwhelmed. It is achieved through a load balancer, which acts as a proxy, routing requests to different servers in a pool based on various algorithms and factors like server health, connection counts, and response times.

Top 10 Load Balancing Tools in 2025  

1. F5 BIG-IP

Overview: The industry leader in application delivery networking, F5 BIG-IP supports complex Layer 4–7 traffic control with integrated security and acceleration.

  • F5 BIG-IP Pricing: Starts at ~$2,000 for virtual edition
  • F5 BIG-IP Licensing Options: Subscription, perpetual, BYOL
  • Best For: Enterprise and data center environments with custom routing needs
  • Pros: Deep configurability, security integrations, strong performance
  • Cons: Complex to configure, expensive for SMBs
  • G2 Score: 4.3★
  • Gartner Peer Insights: 4.4★

Screenshot:

Picture 1260556486, Picture

2. NGINX Plus

Overview: A commercial offering of the popular open-source NGINX, optimized for high-performance load balancing and API gateway functionality.

  • NGINX Plus Pricing: ~$2,500/year per instance
  • NGINX Plus Licensing Options: Annual subscription
  • Best For: Microservices, cloud-native applications, Kubernetes ingress
  • Pros: Lightweight, scalable, DevOps-friendly
  • Cons: Requires advanced setup for high customization
  • G2 Score: 4.6★
  • Gartner Peer Insights: 4.5★

Screenshot:

Picture 438043911, Picture

3. AWS Elastic Load Balancing (ELB)

Overview: Native AWS service offering ALB, NLB, and GLB for seamless cloud traffic routing.

  • AWS ELB Pricing: Pay-as-you-go (~$0.025/hr + data fees)
  • AWS ELB Licensing Options: Usage-based
  • Best For: Scalable cloud apps hosted on AWS
  • Pros: Integrated with AWS ecosystem, easy to scale
  • Cons: Limited control outside of AWS
  • G2 Score: 4.4★
  • Gartner Peer Insights: 4.5★

Screenshot:

Picture 1460064196, Picture

4. Azure Load Balancer

Overview: Microsoft’s native load balancing distributes traffic across virtual machines in Azure.

  • Azure Load Balancer Pricing: ~$0.025/hr for standard tier
  • Azure Load Balancer Licensing Options: Usage-based via Azure billing
  • Best For: Enterprises on the Microsoft tech stack
  • Pros: Deep Azure integration, cost-effective
  • Cons: Basic layer 4 functionality unless using Application Gateway
  • G2 Score: 4.2★
  • Gartner Peer Insights: 4.3★

Screenshot:

Picture 2079449975, Picture

5. Cloudflare Load Balancing

Overview: DNS-level global load balancing with built-in failover and health checks across distributed applications.

  • Cloudflare Load Balancing Pricing: From $5/month + usage
  • Cloudflare Licensing Options: Tiered plans with usage-based billing
  • Best For: Global web apps and edge workloads
  • Pros: Simple setup, geo-routing, built-in DDoS protection
  • Cons: May lack full app-layer customization
  • G2 Score: 4.5★
  • Gartner Peer Insights: 4.6★

Screenshot:

Picture 1016185919, Picture

6. HAProxy Enterprise

Overview: High-performance reverse proxy and load balancer trusted by performance-driven enterprises.

  • HAProxy Pricing: Starts at ~$3,000/year
  • HAProxy Licensing Options: Subscription
  • Best For: On-prem, hybrid, and performance-critical apps
  • Pros: Robust telemetry, security controls, open-source roots
  • Cons: Complex configuration
  • G2 Score: 4.6★
  • Gartner Peer Insights: 4.5★

Screenshot:

Picture 1516109793, Picture

7. Kemp LoadMaster

Overview: An easy-to-deploy load balancer is ideal for small to midsize enterprises needing reliable traffic distribution.

  • Kemp Pricing: Starts at ~$2,000/year
  • Kemp Licensing Options: Subscription, perpetual
  • Best For: SMBs and mid-market orgs
  • Pros: Intuitive UI, good support, value-for-money
  • Cons: Not as feature-rich as enterprise competitors
  • G2 Score: 4.5★
  • Gartner Peer Insights: 4.3★

Screenshot:

Picture 1433671765, Picture

8. Citrix ADC (formerly NetScaler)

Overview: Enterprise-grade application delivery controller with powerful traffic shaping, security, and monitoring tools.

  • Citrix ADC Pricing: ~$2,000/year starting
  • Citrix ADC Licensing Options: Perpetual Subscription
  • Best For: Enterprises using VDI and Citrix ecosystems
  • Pros: High performance, advanced SSL, secure access
  • Cons: Premium pricing, complex for new users
  • G2 Score: 4.3★
  • Gartner Peer Insights: 4.2★

Screenshot:

Picture 1481173114, Picture

9. Traefik Enterprise

Overview: Modern cloud-native edge router built for Kubernetes, with real-time service discovery and integrated observability.

  • Traefik Pricing: From $100/month
  • Traefik Licensing Options: SaaS and self-hosted subscription
  • Best For: DevOps teams, API-driven apps, Kubernetes
  • Pros: Lightweight, dynamic routing, built-in dashboards
  • Cons: Smaller community compared to NGINX or HAProxy
  • G2 Score: 4.4★
  • Gartner Peer Insights: 4.3★

Screenshot:

Picture 60823405, Picture

10. Avi Networks (VMware NSX Advanced Load Balancer)

Overview: Software-defined load balancer under VMware NSX, with advanced analytics and automation.

  • Avi Networks Pricing: Custom enterprise pricing
  • Avi Licensing Options: Enterprise license through VMware
  • Best For: VMware shops, large-scale deployments
  • Pros: Scalable, policy-driven automation, deep visibility
  • Cons: Tied to VMware stack
  • G2 Score: 4.2★
  • Gartner Peer Insights: 4.4★

Screenshot:

Picture 1266875781, Picture

Feature Comparison Table

Tool Deployment L4–L7 Support Licensing Options G2 Score
F5 BIG-IP Hybrid/On-prem Subscription/Perpetual 4.3★
NGINX Plus Cloud-native Annual Subscription 4.6★
AWS ELB Cloud (AWS) Usage-Based 4.4★
Azure LB Cloud (Azure) L4 Usage-Based 4.2★
Cloudflare LB DNS/Edge DNS + L7 Tiered + Usage 4.5★
HAProxy Enterprise On-prem/Hybrid Subscription 4.6★
Kemp LoadMaster On-prem/Cloud Subscription/Perpetual 4.5★
Citrix ADC Hybrid/VDI Subscription/Perpetual 4.3★
Traefik Enterprise Cloud-native SaaS or Self-Hosted 4.4★
Avi Networks (VMware) VMware Environments Enterprise VMware License 4.2★

FAQ:

Which tool is used for load balancing?

Load balancing is the process of dividing the traffic on the network across multiple servers through a tool known as the load balancer. This tool acts like a router, directing the inbound traffic on different servers as and when required.

Is the AVI load balancer part of VCF?

Avi Load Balancer is a key component of the VCF ecosystem, enabling the benefits businesses want to achieve from cloud architectures.

What is the most commonly used load balancer?

Round Robin is undoubtedly the most widely used algorithm. It's easy to implement and easy to understand. Here's how it works. Let's say you have 2 servers waiting for requests behind your load balancer.

Which load balancer is best?

There isn't a single "best" load balancer, as the ideal choice depends on specific needs and circumstances. Factors like the type of application, traffic volume, performance requirements, and budget all play a role.

What is the difference between AVI and F5?

Avi Networks and F5 are leading Application Delivery Controllers (ADCs) but have different strengths and approaches. Avi is a software-defined ADC focused on VMware environments and offers a more streamlined, cloud-native approach. F5 offers a broader range of products, including hardware and software ADCs, with a more established market presence and a wider range of features.

Is load balancing high availability?

Load Balancing spreads the application's load across multiple application servers or multiple web servers to help smooth out the peaks if there is a lot of traffic. Load Balancing is one piece of the puzzle when implementing high availability.

Which is better, load balancing or failover?

Failover addresses the single point of failure problem. You can even apply it to a load balancer. While a load balancer helps minimize the risk of failure of each system behind it, that load balancer is a single point of failure. It doesn't matter if all the other systems behind it are in good condition.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right load-balancing solution in 2025 depends on your deployment style, traffic volume, and ecosystem preferences. Tools like F5 and NGINX Plus offer enterprise-grade control, while Cloudflare and AWS ELB simplify cloud scaling. Whether you're optimizing for edge performance, Kubernetes-native routing, or hybrid workloads, this guide provides the key insights needed for informed procurement.

Simplify Licensing & Cost Oversight with CloudNuro.ai

Managing multiple load balancer licenses across AWS, NGINX, and F5 can be chaotic. CloudNuro.ai, a leading SaaS management platform recognized by Gartner and InfoTech, empowers IT teams to:

  • Monitor real-time license usage
  • Track spending across load-balancing tools
  • Optimize procurement and renewal strategies

Book a Demo to streamline your IT budget planning and governance today.

Start saving with CloudNuro

Request a no cost, no obligation free assessment —just 15 minutes to savings!

Get Started

Save 20% of your SaaS spends with CloudNuro.ai

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