SD-WAN · October 2026 Edition
Cato SASE Cloud vs VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN
Three of fourteen models named Cato SASE Cloud first on the direct prompt; two named VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN. Cato SASE Cloud was named by twelve of the fourteen models and VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN by fourteen and Cato SASE Cloud carries 27 labels and VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN 53, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in two categories this edition.
Named in one category this edition.
First-choice share6%4%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate0%32%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#4#6A position in a field of 10; printed, not drawn.
Labels2753A 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 VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN · 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 modelsVMware VeloCloud SD-WAN
Direct323 against VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN
Paraphrase00
Comparative00
Budget-constrained004 against VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN
Scale-constrained00
Negative1010 against VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN
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 VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN were named in the same answer thirty-nine times, of the 126 answers naming Cato SASE Cloud and the 128 naming VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN. In those answers VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN took the first choice one time and Cato SASE Cloud eight.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Cato SASE Cloud and VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN 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 VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Cato SASE Cloud on the left and VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Cato SASE Cloud and VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN stood in it.
Cato SASE Cloud first, VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN an alternative
3 of 14 modelsVMware VeloCloud SD-WAN 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
VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN 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 9VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN0%#7 of 9Mid-marketThe figures above
Cato SASE Cloud leads by two points.
Cato SASE Cloud6%#4 of 10VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN4%#6 of 10Enterprise
Cato SASE Cloud leads by nine points.
Cato SASE Cloud9%#3 of 9VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN0%#8 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 VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“High Caution: Broadcom/VMware (VeloCloud) ... Existing VeloCloud customers should evaluate migration paths; new buyers should wait” Kimi K2 · negative prompt · hard negative
“Significant quality decline following Broadcom's acquisition of VMware... Consider carefully before new deployments” MiniMax M2.5 · negative prompt · hard negative
“Velocloud has significantly declined in quality since being acquired by Broadcom” Llama 4 Maverick · negative prompt · hard negative
“VMware SD-WAN and Aruba EdgeConnect are top choices due to their strong application performance, scalability, and ease of use” Mistral Small · direct prompt · first choice
“VMware SD-WAN and Aruba EdgeConnect are specifically highlighted as excellent choices for mid-market companies” MiniMax M2.5 · direct prompt · first choice
“commonly recommended together with VMware SD-WAN for mid-market needs where scalability, security and advanced analytics ... are required” Muse Glimmer 30B · paraphrase prompt · alternative
Also compared
Fortinet Secure SD-WAN vs Cato SASE CloudFortinet Secure SD-WAN vs VMware VeloCloud SD-WANCisco Meraki SD-WAN vs Cato SASE CloudCisco Meraki SD-WAN vs VMware VeloCloud SD-WANCisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Cato SASE CloudCisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs VMware VeloCloud SD-WANCato SASE Cloud vs HPE Aruba EdgeConnectCato SASE Cloud vs Palo Alto Networks Prisma SD-WANHPE Aruba EdgeConnect vs VMware VeloCloud SD-WANVMware VeloCloud SD-WAN 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.