SASE platforms · November 2026 Edition
Cato Networks vs Fortinet FortiSASE
Eight of fourteen models named Cato Networks first on the direct prompt; one named Fortinet FortiSASE. Both were named by all fourteen models and Cato Networks carries 36 labels and Fortinet FortiSASE 61, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in three categories this edition.
Named in one category this edition.
First-choice share30%2%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate11%11%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#1#5A position in a field of 10; printed, not drawn.
Labels3661A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Cato Networks reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Netskope One was named alongside these two in eight of the fourteen direct answers. Cato Networks vs Cloudflare One · Cato Networks vs Cato SASE Cloud · Cato Networks vs Netskope One
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 SASE platforms page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
Cato NetworksFirst choices, of fourteen modelsFortinet FortiSASE
Direct81
Paraphrase40
Comparative60
Budget-constrained00
Scale-constrained20
Negative004 against Cato Networks · 7 against Fortinet FortiSASE
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 November 2026 Edition, Cato Networks and Fortinet FortiSASE were named in the same answer ninety-four times, of the 143 answers naming Cato Networks and the 165 naming Fortinet FortiSASE. In those answers Fortinet FortiSASE took the first choice four times and Cato Networks thirty-six.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Cato Networks and Fortinet FortiSASE 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 4.20 | | | | | | |
| 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 | | | | |
Cato Networks Fortinet FortiSASE first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Cato Networks on the left and Fortinet FortiSASE on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Cato Networks and Fortinet FortiSASE stood in it.
Cato Networks first, Fortinet FortiSASE an alternative
8 of 14 modelsFortinet FortiSASE was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Gemini 3.5 FlashCato Networks alternatives: Check Point Harmony SASE, Cloudflare One, Fortinet FortiSASE
Mistral SmallCato Networks alternatives: Cloudflare One, Fortinet FortiSASE, Netskope One, Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
DeepSeek V4 FlashCato Networks alternatives: Cisco Secure Access, Fortinet FortiSASE, Netskope One
Llama 4 MaverickCato Networks alternatives: Cloudflare One
Qwen 3.7 FlashCato Networks alternatives: Cloudflare One, Prisma Access, Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
Kimi K2Cato Networks alternatives: Fortinet FortiSASE, Netskope One
MiniMax M2.5Cato Networks alternatives: Cisco Secure Access, Netskope One, Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access, Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
GPT-6 LunaCato Networks alternatives: Fortinet FortiSASE, Netskope One, Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
Fortinet FortiSASE first, Cato Networks an alternative
1 of 14 modelsCato Networks was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.GPT-5.4 miniFortinet FortiSASE alternatives: Cato Networks, Cisco Secure Access, Netskope One, Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
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.Claude Haiku 4.5Cato SASE Cloud alternatives: Check Point Harmony SASE, Cisco Umbrella, Fortinet FortiSASE
Perplexity SonarCato SASE Cloud alternatives: Check Point Harmony SASE, Cloudflare One, Fortinet FortiSASE, Netskope One, Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access
GLM 4.7 FlashXCisco Catalyst SD-WAN, Cisco Secure Access alternatives: Cato Networks, Fortinet FortiSASE, Palo Alto Networks Prisma SASE, Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
Muse Glimmer 30BCato Networks Cato SASE Cloud alternatives: Check Point Harmony SASE, Cisco Secure Access, Cisco Umbrella, Cloudflare One, Fortinet FortiSASE
Neither was named
1 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Grok 4.20Cato Networks' Cato SASE Cloud alternatives: Netskope One, Palo Alto Networks Prisma SASE
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
Cato Networks leads by seven points.
Cato Networks11%#2 of 12Fortinet FortiSASE5%#3 of 12Mid-marketThe figures above
Cato Networks leads by twenty-eight points.
Cato Networks30%#1 of 10Fortinet FortiSASE2%#5 of 10Enterprise
Cato Networks leads by six points.
Cato Networks13%#3 of 9Fortinet FortiSASE7%#5 of 9What the models said about Cato Networks
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of seven in this category shown.
“Higher and less transparent pricing (bandwidth-based, complex for smaller orgs—often called prohibitively expensive)” Grok 4.20 · negative prompt · soft negative
“Avoid choosing it automatically if you require a highly bespoke network design or want to minimize vendor lock-in.” Perplexity Sonar · negative prompt · soft negative
“Avoid Cato if you require flexible contract terms or strict, granular audit logging of policy changes.” Qwen 3.7 Flash · negative prompt · soft negative
“For most mid-market teams that want one vendor, one console, and predictable per-site pricing, Cato Networks SASE Cloud is the strongest overall pick.” Claude Haiku 4.5 · comparative prompt · first choice
“For most mid-market B2B companies, Cato Networks offers the best balance of features, ease of deployment, and total cost of ownership.” MiniMax M2.5 · direct prompt · first choice
“My primary recommendation would be Cato Networks due to its reputation for simplicity, rapid deployment, and strong mid-market focus” Claude Haiku 4.5 · paraphrase prompt · first choice
What the models said about Fortinet FortiSASE
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“Users and analysts advise avoiding it due to significant architectural and usability concerns.” Mistral Small · negative prompt · hard negative
“mentioned as being "poorly thought out" and to "avoid at all costs" in a Reddit comment” Llama 4 Maverick · negative prompt · hard negative
“Gartner moved it from Leader to Challenger in 2026; coverage of the report cited delayed feature enhancements and below-average customer experience.” GPT-6 Luna · negative prompt · soft negative
“I'd pick FortiSASE for the most common mid-market B2B scenario” GPT-5.4 mini · direct prompt · first choice
“Known for being considerably cheaper than top-tier competitors, making it a strong value proposition for mid-market organizations.” Mistral Small · budget prompt · alternative
“if you're already invested in the Fortinet ecosystem, FortiSASE is arguably the most pragmatic and cost-efficient choice” DeepSeek V4 Flash · paraphrase prompt · alternative
Also compared
Cato Networks vs Cloudflare OneCato Networks vs Cato SASE CloudCato Networks vs Netskope OneCato Networks vs Cisco Secure AccessCato Networks vs Zscaler Zero Trust ExchangeCloudflare One vs Fortinet FortiSASECato SASE Cloud vs Fortinet FortiSASENetskope One vs Fortinet FortiSASEFortinet FortiSASE vs Cisco Secure AccessFortinet FortiSASE vs Zscaler Zero Trust ExchangeAll twenty-one head-to-head pages and the full SASE 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.