Zero trust network access · November 2026 Edition
Cato Networks vs Zscaler Private Access
Seven of fourteen models named Cato Networks first on the direct prompt; one named Zscaler Private Access. Cato Networks was named by eleven of the fourteen models and Zscaler Private Access by fourteen and Cato Networks carries 15 labels and Zscaler Private Access 54, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in three categories this edition.
Named in six categories this edition.
First-choice share13%4%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate0%35%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#3#5A position in a field of 11; printed, not drawn.
Labels1554A 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.Cloudflare One was named alongside these two in twelve of the fourteen direct answers. Cloudflare One vs Cato Networks · Cloudflare One vs Zscaler Private Access · Twingate vs Cato Networks
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 zero trust network access 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 Private Access
Direct714 against Zscaler Private Access
Paraphrase013 against Zscaler Private Access
Comparative010
Budget-constrained002 against Zscaler Private Access
Scale-constrained002 against Zscaler Private Access
Negative008 against Zscaler Private Access
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.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Cato Networks and Zscaler Private Access 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 Private Access first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Cato Networks on the left and Zscaler Private Access on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Cato Networks and Zscaler Private Access stood in it.
Cato Networks first, Zscaler Private Access an alternative
7 of 14 modelsZscaler Private Access was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Claude Haiku 4.5Cato Networks, Twingate alternatives: Cloudflare One, Fortinet Universal ZTNA, Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange
Perplexity SonarCato Networks alternatives: Check Point Harmony SASE, Cloudflare One Access, Twingate
Mistral SmallCato Networks alternatives: Zscaler Private Access
Llama 4 MaverickCato Networks alternatives: Check Point Harmony SASE, Cloudflare One, Twingate
Qwen 3.7 FlashCato Networks alternatives: Cloudflare One, Fortinet Universal ZTNA, Twingate
MiniMax M2.5Cato Networks, Check Point Harmony SASE alternatives: Cloudflare One, FortiZTNA, Okta Identity-Driven Security
Muse Glimmer 30BCato Networks alternatives: Cloudflare One, Microsoft Entra Private Access, Okta Identity-Driven Security, Twingate
Zscaler Private Access first, Cato Networks not the choice
1 of 14 modelsCato Networks was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.GPT-5.4 miniZscaler Private Access alternatives: Cato Networks Universal ZTNA, Cloudflare One, Netskope Private Access, Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access
Neither was the first choice, one was named
3 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.DeepSeek V4 FlashCloudflare One, Twingate alternatives: Cato Networks, Microsoft Entra Private Access
Kimi K2Check Point Harmony SASE, Cloudflare One alternatives: Cato Networks, Fortinet FortiZTNA, Twingate
GLM 4.7 FlashXTwingate alternatives: Cato Networks, Cloudflare One, NordLayer
Neither was named
3 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Gemini 3.5 FlashTwingate alternatives: Cloudflare One, Harmony SASE / Perimeter 81, Microsoft Entra Private Access
Grok 4.20Cloudflare One, Twingate alternatives: Cato Networks SASE
GPT-6 LunaMicrosoft Entra Private Access alternatives: Cloudflare One, Twingate
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.
Cato Networks0%#– of 8Zscaler Private Access0%#8 of 8Mid-marketThe figures above
Cato Networks leads by nine points.
Cato Networks13%#3 of 11Zscaler Private Access4%#5 of 11Enterprise
The order flips: Zscaler Private Access leads at enterprise.
Zscaler Private Access63%#1 of 9Cato Networks0%#– 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. One of one in this category shown.
“Want networking and security converged in one mid-market SASE platform: Cato Networks – the mid-market SASE convergence pick.” Muse Glimmer 30B · direct prompt · first choice
What the models said about Zscaler Private 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.
“suggest avoiding Zscaler for mid-market organizations, citing complexity, high cost, and being designed primarily for Fortune 500 scale” Mistral Small · negative prompt · hard negative
“What to Avoid - Zscaler Private Access — Overkill and overpriced for mid-market” Kimi K2 · paraphrase prompt · hard negative
“"The most severe flaw is CVE-2025-54982, which affects Zscaler's SAML authentication mechanism." ... verify the exact build and patch level for SAML/SSO integration” Muse Glimmer 30B · negative prompt · soft negative
“One of the pioneers of cloud-delivered ZTNA and "widely adopted in enterprise"... Enterprise scale VPN replacement: Zscaler Private Access for large enterprises replacing VPN at scale.” Muse Glimmer 30B · comparative prompt · first choice
“| 1 | Zscaler (ZPA + Zscaler One) | SSE / SASE | Mature, large global PoP footprint, strong app segmentation, excellent threat protection” Grok 4.20 · comparative prompt · first choice
“For most mid-sized B2B companies, Zscaler Private Access and Cisco Duo are the most mature and widely adopted solutions.” Mistral Small · paraphrase prompt · first choice
Also compared
Cloudflare One vs Cato NetworksCloudflare One vs Zscaler Private AccessTwingate vs Cato NetworksTwingate vs Zscaler Private AccessCato Networks vs Microsoft Entra Private AccessCato Networks vs Check Point Harmony SASEMicrosoft Entra Private Access vs Zscaler Private AccessZscaler Private Access vs Check Point Harmony SASEAll fifteen head-to-head pages and the full ZTNA 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.