SD-WAN · October 2026 Edition
HPE Aruba EdgeConnect vs VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN
Two of fourteen models named HPE Aruba EdgeConnect first on the direct prompt; two named VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN. HPE Aruba EdgeConnect was named by twelve of the fourteen models and VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN by fourteen and HPE Aruba EdgeConnect carries 30 labels and VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN 53, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in four categories this edition.
Named in one category this edition.
First-choice share4%4%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate13%32%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#5#6A position in a field of 10; printed, not drawn.
Labels3053A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, HPE Aruba EdgeConnect reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Fortinet Secure SD-WAN was named alongside these two in twelve of the fourteen direct answers. Fortinet Secure SD-WAN vs HPE Aruba EdgeConnect · Fortinet Secure SD-WAN vs VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN · Cisco Meraki SD-WAN vs HPE Aruba EdgeConnect
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the SD-WAN page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
HPE Aruba EdgeConnectFirst choices, of fourteen modelsVMware VeloCloud SD-WAN
Direct223 against VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN
Paraphrase001 against HPE Aruba EdgeConnect
Comparative00
Budget-constrained001 against HPE Aruba EdgeConnect · 4 against VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN
Scale-constrained00
Negative102 against HPE Aruba EdgeConnect · 10 against VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.
Across every category in the October 2026 Edition, HPE Aruba EdgeConnect and VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN were named in the same answer fifty-four times, of the 104 answers naming HPE Aruba EdgeConnect and the 128 naming VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN. In those answers VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN took the first choice one time and HPE Aruba EdgeConnect one.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where HPE Aruba EdgeConnect and VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN stood in it.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | ||||||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | |||||
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | | | | |
| Perplexity Sonar | | | ||||
| Grok 4.1 Fast | | | | | ||
| Mistral Small | | | | |||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | | ||||
| Llama 4 Maverick | | | ||||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | | | | ||
| Kimi K2 | | | | |||
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | | | | | ||
| MiniMax M2.5 | | | | | | |
| GPT-6 Luna | | | | |||
| Muse Glimmer 30B | | | |
HPE Aruba EdgeConnect VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, HPE Aruba EdgeConnect on the left and VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where HPE Aruba EdgeConnect and VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN stood in it.
Both were the first choice
2 of 14 modelsThe answer named them together, and the judge labeled each a first choice.Mistral SmallHPE Aruba EdgeConnect, VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN alternatives: Fortinet Secure SD-WAN
MiniMax M2.5HPE Aruba EdgeConnect, VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN alternatives: Cisco Meraki SD-WAN
Neither was the first choice, one was named
4 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Perplexity SonarFortinet Secure SD-WAN alternatives: Cato SASE Cloud, Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, HPE Aruba EdgeConnect, VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN
Grok 4.1 FastCisco Meraki SD-WAN, Fortinet Secure SD-WAN alternatives: HPE Aruba EdgeConnect, Palo Alto Networks Prisma SD-WAN, VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN
GLM 4.7 FlashXCato SASE Cloud alternatives: Barracuda SecureEdge SD-WAN, Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, Fortinet Secure SD-WAN, Palo Alto Networks Prisma SD-WAN, VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN
Muse Glimmer 30BCisco Meraki SD-WAN, Fortinet Secure SD-WAN alternatives: Cato SASE Cloud, Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, FatPipe SD-WAN, HPE Aruba EdgeConnect
Neither was named
8 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Claude Haiku 4.5Cato SASE Cloud alternatives: Aryaka, Comcast Business, Fortinet Secure SD-WAN, MetTel, Windstream
GPT-5.4 miniFortinet Secure SD-WAN alternatives: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN
Gemini 3.5 FlashFortinet Secure SD-WAN alternatives: Cato SASE Cloud, Cisco Meraki SD-WAN, Palo Alto Networks Prisma SD-WAN
DeepSeek V4 FlashCato SASE Cloud, Fortinet Secure SD-WAN alternatives: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, Cisco Meraki SD-WAN
Llama 4 Maverickno first choice
Qwen 3.7 FlashCisco Meraki SD-WAN, Fortinet Secure SD-WAN alternatives: Cato SASE Cloud, Palo Alto Networks Prisma SD-WAN
Kimi K2Fortinet Secure SD-WAN alternatives: Cato SASE Cloud, Cisco Meraki SD-WAN
GPT-6 LunaFortinet Secure SD-WAN alternatives: Cato SASE Cloud, Cisco Meraki SD-WAN
Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
Level: the same share of first choices.
HPE Aruba EdgeConnect0%#6 of 9VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN0%#7 of 9Mid-marketThe figures above
Level: the same share of first choices.
HPE Aruba EdgeConnect4%#5 of 10VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN4%#6 of 10Enterprise
HPE Aruba EdgeConnect leads by four points.
HPE Aruba EdgeConnect4%#4 of 9VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN0%#8 of 9What the models said about HPE Aruba EdgeConnect
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of six in this category shown.
“What to Avoid: Silver Peak (now Aruba/HPE) - Not recommended for mid-market due to high price point and locked hardware” MiniMax M2.5 · paraphrase prompt · hard negative
“HPE's history of discontinuing products or rebranding means that an SD-WAN controller you love today could become unsupported” Qwen 3.7 Flash · negative prompt · soft negative
“Historically, Silver Peak (now part of HPE) and Citrix/VMware SD-WAN solutions had critical vulnerabilities” GLM 4.7 FlashX · negative prompt · soft negative
“Instead, consider platforms like Fortinet Secure SD-WAN or Aruba EdgeConnect” Mistral Small · negative prompt · first choice
“Similar capabilities, also recommended for mid-market” MiniMax M2.5 · direct prompt · first choice
“VMware SD-WAN and Aruba EdgeConnect are top choices” Mistral Small · direct prompt · first choice
What the models said about VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“High Caution: Broadcom/VMware (VeloCloud) ... Existing VeloCloud customers should evaluate migration paths; new buyers should wait” Kimi K2 · negative prompt · hard negative
“Significant quality decline following Broadcom's acquisition of VMware... Consider carefully before new deployments” MiniMax M2.5 · negative prompt · hard negative
“Velocloud has significantly declined in quality since being acquired by Broadcom” Llama 4 Maverick · negative prompt · hard negative
“VMware SD-WAN and Aruba EdgeConnect are top choices due to their strong application performance, scalability, and ease of use” Mistral Small · direct prompt · first choice
“VMware SD-WAN and Aruba EdgeConnect are specifically highlighted as excellent choices for mid-market companies” MiniMax M2.5 · direct prompt · first choice
“commonly recommended together with VMware SD-WAN for mid-market needs where scalability, security and advanced analytics ... are required” Muse Glimmer 30B · paraphrase prompt · alternative
Also compared
Fortinet Secure SD-WAN vs HPE Aruba EdgeConnectFortinet Secure SD-WAN vs VMware VeloCloud SD-WANCisco Meraki SD-WAN vs HPE Aruba EdgeConnectCisco Meraki SD-WAN vs VMware VeloCloud SD-WANCisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs HPE Aruba EdgeConnectCisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs VMware VeloCloud SD-WANCato SASE Cloud vs HPE Aruba EdgeConnectCato SASE Cloud vs VMware VeloCloud SD-WANHPE Aruba EdgeConnect vs Palo Alto Networks Prisma SD-WANVMware VeloCloud SD-WAN vs Palo Alto Networks Prisma SD-WANAll twenty-one head-to-head pages and the full SD-WAN standing
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.