SD-WAN · October 2026 Edition
Cato SASE Cloud vs HPE Aruba EdgeConnect
Three of fourteen models named Cato SASE Cloud first on the direct prompt; two named HPE Aruba EdgeConnect. Cato SASE Cloud was named by twelve of the fourteen models and HPE Aruba EdgeConnect by twelve and Cato SASE Cloud carries 27 labels and HPE Aruba EdgeConnect 30, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in two categories this edition.
Named in four categories this edition.
First-choice share6%4%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate0%13%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#4#5A position in a field of 10; printed, not drawn.
Labels2730A 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 Secure SD-WAN was named alongside these two in twelve of the fourteen direct answers. Fortinet Secure SD-WAN vs Cato SASE Cloud · Fortinet Secure SD-WAN vs HPE Aruba EdgeConnect · Cisco Meraki SD-WAN 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 SD-WAN 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 modelsHPE Aruba EdgeConnect
Direct32
Paraphrase001 against HPE Aruba EdgeConnect
Comparative00
Budget-constrained001 against HPE Aruba EdgeConnect
Scale-constrained00
Negative112 against HPE Aruba EdgeConnect
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 October 2026 Edition, Cato SASE Cloud and HPE Aruba EdgeConnect were named in the same answer twenty-eight times, of the 126 answers naming Cato SASE Cloud and the 104 naming HPE Aruba EdgeConnect. In those answers HPE Aruba EdgeConnect took the first choice zero times and Cato SASE Cloud three.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Cato SASE Cloud and HPE Aruba EdgeConnect 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 4.1 Fast | | | | |||
| 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 HPE Aruba EdgeConnect first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Cato SASE Cloud on the left and HPE Aruba EdgeConnect on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Cato SASE Cloud and HPE Aruba EdgeConnect stood in it.
Cato SASE Cloud first, HPE Aruba EdgeConnect not the choice
3 of 14 modelsHPE Aruba EdgeConnect was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Claude Haiku 4.5Cato SASE Cloud alternatives: Aryaka, Comcast Business, Fortinet Secure SD-WAN, MetTel, Windstream
DeepSeek V4 FlashCato SASE Cloud, Fortinet Secure SD-WAN alternatives: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, Cisco Meraki SD-WAN
GLM 4.7 FlashXCato SASE Cloud alternatives: Barracuda SecureEdge SD-WAN, Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, Fortinet Secure SD-WAN, Palo Alto Networks Prisma SD-WAN, VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN
HPE Aruba EdgeConnect first, Cato SASE Cloud not the choice
2 of 14 modelsCato SASE Cloud was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Mistral SmallHPE Aruba EdgeConnect, VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN alternatives: Fortinet Secure SD-WAN
MiniMax M2.5HPE Aruba EdgeConnect, VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN alternatives: Cisco Meraki SD-WAN
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.Gemini 3.5 FlashFortinet Secure SD-WAN alternatives: Cato SASE Cloud, Cisco Meraki SD-WAN, Palo Alto Networks Prisma SD-WAN
Perplexity SonarFortinet Secure SD-WAN alternatives: Cato SASE Cloud, Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, HPE Aruba EdgeConnect, VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN
Grok 4.1 FastCisco Meraki SD-WAN, Fortinet Secure SD-WAN alternatives: HPE Aruba EdgeConnect, Palo Alto Networks Prisma SD-WAN, VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN
Qwen 3.7 FlashCisco Meraki SD-WAN, Fortinet Secure SD-WAN alternatives: Cato SASE Cloud, Palo Alto Networks Prisma SD-WAN
Kimi K2Fortinet Secure SD-WAN alternatives: Cato SASE Cloud, Cisco Meraki SD-WAN
GPT-6 LunaFortinet Secure SD-WAN alternatives: Cato SASE Cloud, Cisco Meraki SD-WAN
Muse Glimmer 30BCisco Meraki SD-WAN, Fortinet Secure SD-WAN alternatives: Cato SASE Cloud, Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, FatPipe SD-WAN, HPE Aruba EdgeConnect
Neither was named
2 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.GPT-5.4 miniFortinet Secure SD-WAN alternatives: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN
Llama 4 Maverickno first choice
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 two points.
Cato SASE Cloud2%#5 of 9HPE Aruba EdgeConnect0%#6 of 9Mid-marketThe figures above
Cato SASE Cloud leads by two points.
Cato SASE Cloud6%#4 of 10HPE Aruba EdgeConnect4%#5 of 10Enterprise
Cato SASE Cloud leads by four points.
Cato SASE Cloud9%#3 of 9HPE Aruba EdgeConnect4%#4 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. Three of three in this category shown.
“For most mid-market B2B companies, Cato Networks and Fortinet are the two names that come up most consistently as the strongest fits” DeepSeek V4 Flash · direct prompt · first choice
“Cato Networks offers a cloud-native SASE platform that's been scored as the easiest-to-use platform by Netify for the third year running” Claude Haiku 4.5 · direct prompt · first choice
“1) Cato Networks - Why it fits mid-market: A single converged SD-WAN + SASE platform with a cloud-native private backbone.” GLM 4.7 FlashX · direct prompt · first choice
What the models said about HPE Aruba EdgeConnect
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of six in this category shown.
“What to Avoid: Silver Peak (now Aruba/HPE) - Not recommended for mid-market due to high price point and locked hardware” MiniMax M2.5 · paraphrase prompt · hard negative
“HPE's history of discontinuing products or rebranding means that an SD-WAN controller you love today could become unsupported” Qwen 3.7 Flash · negative prompt · soft negative
“Historically, Silver Peak (now part of HPE) and Citrix/VMware SD-WAN solutions had critical vulnerabilities” GLM 4.7 FlashX · negative prompt · soft negative
“Instead, consider platforms like Fortinet Secure SD-WAN or Aruba EdgeConnect” Mistral Small · negative prompt · first choice
“Similar capabilities, also recommended for mid-market” MiniMax M2.5 · direct prompt · first choice
“VMware SD-WAN and Aruba EdgeConnect are top choices” Mistral Small · direct prompt · first choice
Also compared
Fortinet Secure SD-WAN vs Cato SASE CloudFortinet Secure SD-WAN vs HPE Aruba EdgeConnectCisco Meraki SD-WAN vs Cato SASE CloudCisco Meraki SD-WAN vs HPE Aruba EdgeConnectCisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Cato SASE CloudCisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs HPE Aruba EdgeConnectCato SASE Cloud vs VMware VeloCloud SD-WANCato SASE Cloud vs Palo Alto Networks Prisma SD-WANHPE Aruba EdgeConnect vs VMware VeloCloud SD-WANHPE Aruba EdgeConnect vs Palo Alto Networks Prisma SD-WANAll twenty-one head-to-head pages and the full SD-WAN 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.