A SonicWall SSL VPN Client license adds concurrent user capacity to the SSL VPN service built into every SonicWall firewall. The license defines how many simultaneous encrypted SSL VPN sessions the firewall will allow. The client software itself is a free download from SonicWall. Users install the client on their device and connect through the firewall using their organization credentials.

The SonicWall SSL VPN client supports Windows, macOS, and Linux as a full Layer 3 tunnel client. Mobile users connect via the SonicWall Mobile Connect app on iOS, Android, and ChromeOS. A clientless HTML5 portal option is also available for users connecting from public or unmanaged devices through a standard web browser.

Yes. SonicWall SSL VPN supports multi-factor authentication configured through the firewall's user authentication settings. RADIUS-based MFA, one-time passwords, and integration with third-party MFA providers are all supported, depending on the firewall model and firmware version. The built-in SSL VPN 2FA is configured at the firewall level and applies to all SSL VPN users or specific user groups.

SonicWall SSL VPN operates at Layer 4 using SSL/TLS over TCP and supports Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and ChromeOS. It is cross-platform and BYOD-friendly. The Global VPN Client (GVC) uses IPSec over UDP and is Windows-only. Because GVC uses UDP, it transfers data faster than SSL VPN under the same network conditions. GVC is better suited to corporate-managed Windows devices where performance matters. SSL VPN is the better choice for mixed-OS environments and BYOD.

SSL VPN licenses are concurrent, meaning the count reflects how many users can be connected simultaneously, not how many total users exist in your directory. To estimate the right count, review your peak concurrent VPN usage from any existing VPN solution and add 20 to 30 percent headroom for growth. Different SonicWall firewall models have a maximum concurrent SSL VPN user cap, so confirm the ceiling on your model before purchasing more licenses than it can support.