SASE platforms · November 2026 Edition
Cisco Secure Access vs Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
One of fourteen models named Cisco Secure Access first on the direct prompt; zero named Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange. Both were named by all fourteen models and Cisco Secure Access carries 35 labels and Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange 59, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in four categories this edition.
Named in two categories this edition.
First-choice share2%2%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate26%37%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#6#7A position in a field of 10; printed, not drawn.
Labels3559A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Cisco Secure Access 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 Cisco Secure Access · Cato Networks vs Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange · Cloudflare One vs Cisco Secure Access
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.
Cisco Secure AccessFirst choices, of fourteen modelsZscaler Zero Trust Exchange
Direct103 against Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
Paraphrase012 against Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
Comparative06
Budget-constrained002 against Cisco Secure Access · 7 against Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
Scale-constrained001 against Cisco Secure Access · 1 against Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
Negative006 against Cisco Secure Access · 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, Cisco Secure Access and Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange were named in the same answer ninety-eight times, of the 143 answers naming Cisco Secure Access and the 184 naming Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange. In those answers Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange took the first choice fifteen times and Cisco Secure Access three.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Cisco Secure Access 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 | | | | | |
Cisco Secure Access Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Cisco Secure Access on the left and Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Cisco Secure Access and Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange stood in it.
Cisco Secure Access first, Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange an alternative
1 of 14 modelsZscaler Zero Trust Exchange was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.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 the first choice, one was named
7 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
DeepSeek V4 FlashCato Networks alternatives: Cisco Secure Access, Fortinet FortiSASE, Netskope One
Qwen 3.7 FlashCato Networks alternatives: Cloudflare One, Prisma Access, 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
Muse Glimmer 30BCato Networks Cato SASE Cloud alternatives: Check Point Harmony SASE, Cisco Secure Access, Cisco Umbrella, Cloudflare One, Fortinet FortiSASE
Neither was named
6 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
Gemini 3.5 FlashCato Networks alternatives: Check Point Harmony SASE, Cloudflare One, 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
Llama 4 MaverickCato Networks alternatives: Cloudflare One
Kimi K2Cato Networks alternatives: Fortinet FortiSASE, Netskope One
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.
Cisco Secure Access0%#9 of 12Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange0%#12 of 12Mid-marketThe figures above
Level: the same share of first choices.
Cisco Secure Access2%#6 of 10Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange2%#7 of 10Enterprise
Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange leads by nine points.
Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange15%#2 of 9Cisco Secure Access6%#7 of 9What the models said about Cisco Secure Access
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“the combination of low independent test effectiveness scores and the elevated ransomware entry-vector risk is a common reason for caution” Muse Glimmer 30B · negative prompt · soft negative
“Rebadging concerns: Questions about whether it's truly integrated or just "re-badged Umbrella with extra steps"” Kimi K2 · negative prompt · soft negative
“Some practitioners consider Cisco Umbrella a "legacy option" rather than a true SASE platform” DeepSeek V4 Flash · negative prompt · soft negative
“1. Cisco Secure Access + Catalyst SD-WAN — Best Overall” GLM 4.7 FlashX · direct prompt · first choice
“if you have an existing Cisco environment or need strong enterprise integration, Cisco Secure Access would be more suitable” MiniMax M2.5 · direct prompt · alternative
“Small business needing the lowest per-seat cost: Cisco Umbrella from $2-4/user/month is the cheapest listed SASE/SSE” Muse Glimmer 30B · budget prompt · alternative
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 Cisco Secure AccessCato Networks vs Zscaler Zero Trust ExchangeCloudflare One vs Cisco Secure AccessCloudflare One vs Zscaler Zero Trust ExchangeCato SASE Cloud vs Cisco Secure AccessCato SASE Cloud vs Zscaler Zero Trust ExchangeNetskope One vs Cisco Secure AccessNetskope One vs Zscaler Zero Trust ExchangeFortinet 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.