SASE platforms · November 2026 Edition
Cato SASE Cloud vs Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
Two of fourteen models named Cato SASE Cloud first on the direct prompt; zero named Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange. Cato SASE Cloud was named by eight of the fourteen models and Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange by fourteen and Cato SASE Cloud carries 14 labels and Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange 59, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in five categories this edition.
Named in two categories this edition.
First-choice share11%2%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate36%37%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#3#7A position in a field of 10; printed, not drawn.
Labels1459A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Cato SASE Cloud 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 Cato SASE Cloud · Cato Networks vs Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange · Cloudflare One vs Cato SASE Cloud
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 SASE CloudFirst choices, of fourteen modelsZscaler Zero Trust Exchange
Direct203 against Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
Paraphrase212 against Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
Comparative16
Budget-constrained102 against Cato SASE Cloud · 7 against Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
Scale-constrained001 against Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
Negative003 against Cato SASE Cloud · 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 SASE Cloud and Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange were named in the same answer twenty-five times, of the 131 answers naming Cato SASE Cloud and the 184 naming Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange. In those answers Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange took the first choice two times and Cato SASE Cloud six.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Cato SASE Cloud 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 SASE Cloud Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Cato SASE Cloud 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 SASE Cloud and Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange stood in it.
Cato SASE Cloud first, Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange not the choice
2 of 14 modelsZscaler Zero Trust Exchange was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.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
Neither was the first choice, one was named
6 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
Mistral SmallCato Networks alternatives: Cloudflare One, Fortinet FortiSASE, Netskope One, Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
Qwen 3.7 FlashCato Networks alternatives: Cloudflare One, Prisma Access, 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
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 named
6 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Gemini 3.5 FlashCato Networks alternatives: Check Point Harmony SASE, Cloudflare One, Fortinet FortiSASE
Grok 4.20Cato Networks' Cato SASE Cloud alternatives: Netskope One, Palo Alto Networks Prisma SASE
DeepSeek V4 FlashCato Networks alternatives: Cisco Secure Access, Fortinet FortiSASE, Netskope One
Llama 4 MaverickCato Networks alternatives: Cloudflare One
Kimi K2Cato Networks alternatives: Fortinet FortiSASE, Netskope One
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 SASE Cloud leads by five points.
Cato SASE Cloud5%#4 of 12Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange0%#12 of 12Mid-marketThe figures above
Cato SASE Cloud leads by nine points.
Cato SASE Cloud11%#3 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 SASE Cloud2%#– of 9What the models said about Cato SASE Cloud
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of six in this category shown.
“Cato SASE has been reported to have slow network speeds and lacks a full CASB suite of features and sandboxing incident response” Claude Haiku 4.5 · negative prompt · soft negative
“Excellent all-in-one with managed services, but it may edge into higher costs for full features.” Grok 4.20 · budget prompt · soft negative
“Cato SASE Cloud also has review complaints about connection issues and expensive licensing” GPT-5.4 mini · negative prompt · soft negative
“Often cited as the best budget option for SASE, offering a comprehensive solution at a lower price point” Mistral Small · budget prompt · first choice
“I'd recommend starting with Cloudflare One or Cato SASE Cloud” Kimi K2 · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“start with Cato, Netskope, Palo Alto Networks, and Zscaler” GPT-6 Luna · comparative 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 Cato SASE CloudCato Networks vs Zscaler Zero Trust ExchangeCloudflare One vs Cato SASE CloudCloudflare One vs Zscaler Zero Trust ExchangeCato SASE Cloud vs Netskope OneCato SASE Cloud vs Fortinet FortiSASECato SASE Cloud vs Cisco Secure AccessNetskope 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.