One of fourteen models named NordLayer first on the direct prompt; zero named OpenVPN CloudConnexa. NordLayer was named by nine of the fourteen models and OpenVPN CloudConnexa by eight and NordLayer carries 18 labels and OpenVPN CloudConnexa 11, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in four categories this edition.
Named in two categories this edition.
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 zero trust network access page.
Across every category in the October 2026 Edition, NordLayer and OpenVPN CloudConnexa were named in the same answer eleven times, of the 74 answers naming NordLayer and the 35 naming OpenVPN CloudConnexa. In those answers OpenVPN CloudConnexa took the first choice zero times and NordLayer zero.
| 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 |
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.
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Five of six in this category shown.
“More of a "business VPN with ZTNA features" than a pure zero trust architecture” DeepSeek V4 Flash · paraphrase prompt · soft negative
“Affordable but no robust free tier.” Grok 4.1 Fast · budget prompt · soft negative
“NordLayer is the safest pick if you want the simplest mid-market VPN replacement with fast onboarding” Perplexity Sonar · direct prompt · first choice
“I'd lean toward Twingate or NordLayer” Kimi K2 · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“A strong option for mid-sized organizations wanting zero trust access controls without extensive infrastructure changes” Claude Haiku 4.5 · direct prompt · alternative
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Three of four in this category shown.
“Best Overall for Small Budgets ... Recommendation: Start with CloudConnexa.” Qwen 3.7 Flash · budget prompt · first choice
“The best ZTNA solution for a company with a limited budget is OpenVPN CloudConnexa” Llama 4 Maverick · budget prompt · first choice
“Specifically designed for small and mid-sized businesses without enterprise budgets” Kimi K2 · budget prompt · alternative
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.