Enterprise SASE Platforms -- Zscaler Alternatives
Enterprise SASE platforms from major networking and security vendors offer Zscaler alternatives for organizations with existing vendor relationships and complex infrastructure requirements. Palo Alto Prisma Access extends NGFW policies to the cloud for Palo Alto shops, Fortinet FortiSASE provides the most cost-effective enterprise SASE with best-in-class SD-WAN, and Cisco Secure Access converges Umbrella, Duo, and Meraki for Cisco-centric enterprises. These platforms trade Zscaler's cloud-native architectural purity for deeper integration with existing on-premises infrastructure and broader networking capabilities.
Custom enterprise pricing / Per-user or per-Mbps models
The most feature-complete enterprise SASE with ZTNA 2.0, integrated SD-WAN, and seamless policy management for Palo Alto NGFW customers. Best for organizations heavily invested in the Palo Alto ecosystem who want to extend on-prem firewall policies to cloud-delivered security without starting over.
Custom pricing / Per-user tiers starting lower than Zscaler
The most cost-effective enterprise SASE platform with industry-leading integrated SD-WAN and consistent FortiOS management. Best for mid-market and large enterprises with Fortinet infrastructure that want SASE capabilities without Zscaler's premium pricing.
Custom enterprise pricing / Per-user bundled subscription
The natural SASE choice for Cisco-centric enterprises, converging Umbrella DNS security, Duo zero trust access, Meraki SD-WAN, and Talos threat intelligence into a unified platform. Best for organizations with deep Cisco networking investment wanting to consolidate security vendors.
Enterprise SASE platform extending Palo Alto's next-gen firewall to cloud-delivered security
Custom enterprise pricing / Per-user or per-Mbps models
Enterprises already invested in Palo Alto Networks firewalls that want to extend their security policies to a cloud-delivered SASE architecture
Converged SASE platform powered by FortiOS with competitive pricing and integrated SD-WAN
Custom pricing / Per-user tiers starting lower than Zscaler
Mid-market and large enterprises with existing Fortinet infrastructure that want SASE with integrated SD-WAN at competitive pricing
Cisco's unified SASE platform converging Umbrella, Duo, and Meraki into cloud-delivered security
Custom enterprise pricing / Per-user bundled subscription
Large enterprises with existing Cisco networking infrastructure wanting to consolidate security into a unified SASE platform
Compare all 3 Zscaler alternatives side-by-side across pricing, deployment, and key capabilities.
| Feature | Palo Alto Prisma Access 4.3/5 | Fortinet FortiSASE 4.2/5 | Cisco Secure Access 4.1/5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | Per-user or bandwidth-based annual subscription | Per-user annual subscription with tiered bundles | Per-user annual subscription with bundled tiers |
| Open Source | -- | -- | -- |
| Cloud-Hosted | + | + | + |
| Self-Hosted | -- | -- | -- |
| Best For | Enterprises already invested in Palo Alto Networks firewalls that want to extend their security policies to a cloud-delivered SASE architecture | Mid-market and large enterprises with existing Fortinet infrastructure that want SASE with integrated SD-WAN at competitive pricing | Large enterprises with existing Cisco networking infrastructure wanting to consolidate security into a unified SASE platform |
| Key Features |
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| Website | Visit | Visit | Visit |
Choosing your existing firewall vendor's SASE offering has clear advantages: unified policy management, familiar interfaces, and leveraging existing investments. Palo Alto, Fortinet, and Cisco all offer compelling SASE that integrates with their on-prem gear. However, these platforms evolved from appliance architectures and may lack the cloud-native scalability and inspection depth of purpose-built platforms like Zscaler. If you plan to fully eliminate on-prem appliances, a cloud-native SASE may be the better long-term choice. If you need hybrid on-prem and cloud security with unified management, your existing vendor's SASE is a pragmatic path.
Fortinet FortiSASE is typically the most competitively priced, often 30-50% less than Zscaler for comparable capabilities, especially when factoring in SD-WAN. Cisco Secure Access pricing varies significantly based on existing agreements and bundle discounts. Palo Alto Prisma Access is often the most expensive option when including all required modules. Zscaler sits in the premium tier alongside Palo Alto. For budget-constrained enterprises, Fortinet offers the most SASE capability per dollar.
Fortinet FortiSASE has the most mature and deeply integrated SD-WAN, leveraging years of FortiGate SD-WAN leadership. Palo Alto Prisma SD-WAN (acquired from CloudGenix) is well-integrated but still maturing. Cisco Secure Access integrates with Meraki SD-WAN for branch connectivity. Cato Networks (in the cloud-native category) also has excellent native SD-WAN. Zscaler notably lacks native SD-WAN and relies on partner integrations, which is a significant gap for branch-heavy enterprises.
Palo Alto Prisma Access comes closest, with full NGFW-grade inspection in the cloud including advanced threat prevention, WildFire sandboxing, and continuous trust verification with ZTNA 2.0. Fortinet FortiSASE provides solid FortiOS-based inspection but may lack the throughput of cloud-native architectures. Cisco's Umbrella SWG historically focused on DNS-layer security and is still building out full inline inspection. For the deepest inline inspection, Zscaler and Palo Alto Prisma Access lead, though their architectures differ fundamentally.
Enterprise SASE platform extending Palo Alto's next-gen firewall to cloud-delivered security
ComparisonConverged SASE platform powered by FortiOS with competitive pricing and integrated SD-WAN
ComparisonCisco's unified SASE platform converging Umbrella, Duo, and Meraki into cloud-delivered security
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