SASE platforms · November 2026 Edition
Cato Networks vs Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
Eight of fourteen models named Cato Networks first on the direct prompt; zero named Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange. Both were named by all fourteen models and Cato Networks carries 36 labels and Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange 59, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in three categories this edition.
Named in two categories this edition.
First-choice share30%2%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate11%37%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#1#7A position in a field of 10; printed, not drawn.
Labels3659A 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.Fortinet FortiSASE was named alongside these two in ten 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 modelsZscaler Zero Trust Exchange
Direct803 against Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
Paraphrase412 against Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
Comparative66
Budget-constrained007 against Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
Scale-constrained201 against Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
Negative004 against Cato Networks · 9 against Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
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 Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange were named in the same answer ninety-seven times, of the 143 answers naming Cato Networks and the 184 naming Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange. In those answers Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange took the first choice seven times and Cato Networks thirty-two.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Cato Networks and Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange 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 Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Cato Networks on the left and Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Cato Networks and Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange stood in it.
Cato Networks first, Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange an alternative
8 of 14 modelsZscaler Zero Trust Exchange 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
Neither was the first choice, one was named
2 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.GPT-5.4 miniFortinet FortiSASE alternatives: Cato Networks, Cisco Secure Access, Netskope One, Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
GLM 4.7 FlashXCisco Catalyst SD-WAN, Cisco Secure Access alternatives: Cato Networks, Fortinet FortiSASE, Palo Alto Networks Prisma SASE, Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
Neither was named
4 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.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
Grok 4.20Cato Networks' Cato SASE Cloud alternatives: Netskope One, Palo Alto Networks Prisma SASE
Muse Glimmer 30BCato Networks Cato SASE Cloud alternatives: Check Point Harmony SASE, Cisco Secure Access, Cisco Umbrella, Cloudflare One, Fortinet FortiSASE
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 eleven points.
Cato Networks11%#2 of 12Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange0%#12 of 12Mid-marketThe figures above
Cato Networks leads by twenty-eight points.
Cato Networks30%#1 of 10Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange2%#7 of 10Enterprise
The order flips: Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange leads at enterprise.
Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange15%#2 of 9Cato Networks13%#3 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 Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of seven in this category shown.
“has a high negative share on the IT AI Recommendation Index, with 62% of labels being negative, and has been known to have outages and latency issues” Llama 4 Maverick · negative prompt · hard negative
“Avoid Zscaler unless you're scaling toward enterprise (it's often overkill and pricier for mid-market).” Grok 4.20 · direct prompt · hard negative
“What to Avoid on a Budget ... Zscaler | Typically $6–$10+/user at minimum; enterprise-focused” Kimi K2 · budget prompt · hard negative
“Choose Zscaler if your priority is zero-trust security and eliminating direct internet access completely.” Qwen 3.7 Flash · comparative prompt · first choice
“Zscaler leads with a 21% market share... Zscaler, Palo Alto, and Cato are the clear leaders” Mistral Small · comparative prompt · first choice
“Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange and Cisco Secure Connect are the top choices” Mistral Small · paraphrase prompt · first choice
Also compared
Cato Networks vs Cloudflare OneCato Networks vs Cato SASE CloudCato Networks vs Netskope OneCato Networks vs Fortinet FortiSASECato Networks vs Cisco Secure AccessCloudflare One vs Zscaler Zero Trust ExchangeCato SASE Cloud vs Zscaler Zero Trust ExchangeNetskope One vs Zscaler Zero Trust ExchangeFortinet FortiSASE vs Zscaler Zero Trust ExchangeCisco Secure Access 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.