# Cato Networks vs Zscaler Private Access: which do AI models recommend for ZTNA, October 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Zero trust network access. Four of fourteen models named Cato Networks first on the direct prompt; one named Zscaler Private Access. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/network/zero-trust-network-access/cato-networks-vs-zscaler-private-access/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cato Networks | 6% | #3 of 11 | 0% | 14 | 10 of 14 |
| Zscaler Private Access | 3% | #6 of 11 | 45% | 51 | 14 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Claude Haiku 4.5: cato networks first (first choices: Cato Networks, Twingate) (alternatives: Cloudflare One, NordLayer)
- Llama 4 Maverick: cato networks first (first choices: Cato Networks) (alternatives: Check Point Harmony SASE, OpenVPN CloudConnexa)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: cato networks first (first choices: Cato Networks) (alternatives: Check Point Harmony SASE, Cloudflare One, Fortinet FortiZTNA)
- MiniMax M2.5: cato networks first (first choices: Cato Networks, Cloudflare One) (alternatives: Axis Security, Banyan Security, OpenVPN CloudConnexa)
- GPT-5.4 mini: zscaler private access first (first choices: Zscaler Private Access) (alternatives: Cloudflare One, Netskope One SSE, Prisma Access)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Twingate) (alternatives: Cato Networks, Check Point Harmony SASE, Cloudflare One, Microsoft Entra Private Access)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither first, one named (first choices: Cloudflare One, NordLayer) (alternatives: Cato Networks, Cisco Secure Access, Portnox)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither first, one named (first choices: Cloudflare One, Twingate) (alternatives: Cato Networks, Microsoft Entra Private Access, OpenVPN CloudConnexa)
- Mistral Small: neither first, one named (first choices: Check Point Harmony SASE, Netskope Private Access) (alternatives: Cloudflare One, Twingate, Zscaler Private Access)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Cloudflare One, Twingate) (alternatives: Cato Networks, Check Point Harmony SASE, NordLayer)
- Kimi K2: neither first, one named (first choices: Cloudflare One, Twingate) (alternatives: Cato Networks, Netskope Private Access, NordLayer, Zscaler Private Access)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: neither first, one named (first choices: Cloudflare One, Twingate) (alternatives: Cato Networks, Check Point Harmony SASE, Fortinet Universal ZTNA)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: neither named (first choices: Twingate) (alternatives: Cloudflare One, Fortinet Universal ZTNA)
- GPT-6 Luna: neither named (first choices: Cloudflare One) (alternatives: Microsoft Entra Private Access, Twingate)

## What the models said about Zscaler Private Access

- "Avoid Zscaler for mid-market: It's powerful but designed for Fortune 500 scale—complex, expensive, and often overkill" (Kimi K2, paraphrase prompt, hard negative)
- "ZTNA Vendors to Approach with Caution ... Zscaler ... CVE-2025-54982: A SAML authentication bypass" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "CVE-2025-54982: SAML authentication bypass due to failure to validate signed assertions" (Kimi K2, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "Zscaler Private Access is the market-leading ZTNA solution, delivering inside-out connectivity that never exposes applications to the internet" (Claude Haiku 4.5, comparative prompt, first choice)
- "Complex, global enterprise needing high compliance | Zscaler Private Access | Robust, highly certified, and built for massive scale." (Gemini 3.5 Flash, comparative prompt, first choice)
- "Zscaler is often treated as the canonical pure-play ZTNA vendor... Choose Zscaler if you want a widely recognized ZTNA leader" (GPT-5.4 mini, comparative prompt, first choice)

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. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.