Four New Vendor Reviews: Zscaler, Netskope, Cato Networks, Cloudflare
sase.cloud now covers 8 SASE/SSE vendors with independent scoring. Here is what we found reviewing Zscaler, Netskope, Cato Networks, and Cloudflare.
When we launched sase.cloud, we covered four vendors: Cisco, Fortinet, Palo Alto, and Check Point. That was a reasonable starting point but an incomplete picture. Enterprise buyers evaluating SASE in 2026 are comparing eight or more platforms, and we were missing the four vendors that generate the most comparison search traffic. Today we are fixing that.
We have published full independent reviews for Zscaler, Netskope, Cato Networks, and Cloudflare. Each review follows the same format as our original four: scored across five dimensions (cloud-native architecture, SSE depth, SD-WAN, MSP readiness, PoP coverage), with practitioner-voice analysis, specific deployment gotchas, and honest trade-offs. No vendor paid for their review. No affiliate links. No pulled punches.
What we found
Adding four vendors did not just fill gaps in our coverage. It reshaped the entire competitive picture. The original four vendors scored between 33/50 (Check Point) and 42/50 (Cisco). The new four range from 34/50 (Cloudflare) to 41/50 (Cato Networks). Cato now holds the second-highest total score behind Cisco, which surprised us given their mid-market reputation.
Zscaler: 39/50 (7.8 avg)
Zscaler is the SSE market leader for a reason. Perfect 10s on cloud-native architecture and SSE depth, backed by a 100% CyberRatings security efficacy score that no other vendor has achieved. The Zero Trust ExchangeZero Trust Exchange processes 250B+ daily transactions across 150+ PoPs, and ZPA pioneered the zero-attack-surface approach to ZTNA that every competitor now imitates. The catch: SD-WAN launched in 2024 and scores a 4, separate ZIA/ZPA admin consoles create daily friction, and pricing starts at $72/user/year and climbs steeply. If SSE is your entire mandate, Zscaler is the answer. If you need converged SASE, look elsewhere.
Netskope: 38/50 (7.6 avg)
Netskope is the vendor you pick when data protection is the primary mandate. Best-in-class CASB with a 49,000-app Cloud Confidence Index and best-in-class DLP with 3,000+ data classifiers make it the leader for regulated industries and GenAI governance. The NewEdge backbone runs full compute at every PoP with a 50ms RTT SLA for TLS inspection. The weakness: SD-WAN (Infiot acquisition, 2022) is not competitive for branch-heavy deployments, the admin UI has a steep learning curve, and FWaaS with IPS requires add-on licensing.
Cato Networks: 41/50 (8.2 avg)
Cato is the only vendor that actually delivers what Gartner envisioned when they coined SASE in 2019: a single, converged, cloud-native platform built from scratch with zero acquisitions. One codebase, one console, one policy engine. The SPACE single-pass architecture adds under 10ms of latency, and the private backbone with 85+ PoPs provides MPLS-equivalent reliability. The MSP platform (MSASE) is the most partner-native in the market. Trade-offs: DLP has a 20MB file limit, CASB depth trails Netskope significantly, and the majority of their 3,500+ customers are mid-market. Very large enterprises should stress-test the scale ceiling.
Cloudflare: 34/50 (6.8 avg)
Cloudflare One is the most architecturally distinctive platform in the SASE market. Built on the same anycast edge network that handles 20%+ of the internet, every one of their 330+ city PoPs runs every security service on every server. The result: a perfect 10 on PoP coverage and latency that no purpose-built SASE vendor can match. The free tier (50 users) and $7/user/month pricing make it the most accessible entry point. Quantum-safe ZTNA has been shipping since March 2025. But SSE depth scores only 6 — CASB is enterprise-only, DLP lacks EDM/IDM, and Magic WAN is L3/L4 only. Cloudflare is the right choice for developer-first teams and globally distributed workforces where latency matters more than deep SaaS governance.
What this means for the site
With eight vendors, sase.cloud now covers every vendor in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Single-Vendor SASE and Security Service Edge. We have published 28 head-to-head comparison guides covering every possible vendor pair — including the highest-traffic matchups like Zscaler vs Netskope, Zscaler vs Cisco, Netskope vs Palo Alto, and Cato Networks vs Cisco. We also updated the Vendor Rankings 2026 page to include all eight platforms, and added the new vendors to our component cross-reference pages so you can see how each vendor performs on ZTNA, SWG, CASB, FWaaS, DLP, and DEM specifically.
- 8 independent vendor reviews with five-dimension scoring
- 28 head-to-head comparison guides (all vendor pairs)
- Updated vendor rankings with methodology explanation
- Component-level vendor ratings across all six SSE capabilities
What is next
We are working on pricing deep-dives for each vendor, RFP scoring templates that incorporate all eight platforms, and deployment migration guides for organizations switching between vendors. If there is a comparison or guide you need that does not exist yet, tell us.
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