Zscaler vs Cloudflare Zero Trust when the VPN replacement has a published price on one side only

Fifty users can run Cloudflare Zero Trust at USD 0, and 30,000 users usually start the Zscaler conversation with an RFP. Both sell secure web gateway, ZTNA, CASB, and DLP from a global edge. They split on packaging depth and on how much of the policy model a mid-size team can stand up alone.

Zscaler runs ZIA for internet and SaaS and ZPA for private apps on the Zero Trust Exchange, with ZDX for experience monitoring. Cloudflare Zero Trust is the Cloudflare One workspace-security path: Access policies, Tunnel through cloudflared, Gateway, and the Cloudflare One Client, with CASB, DLP, and Browser Isolation deeper on Contract plans.

Buy Zscaler when large-enterprise TLS inspection, DLP, and private app segmentation need a mature proxy program. Buy Cloudflare Zero Trust when a team needs Access, Tunnel, and Gateway live from a public per-user plan.

Overview

	Zscaler	Cloudflare Zero Trust
Primary use case	ZIA secure web gateway, cloud firewall, DLP, and inline CASB, plus ZPA private app access on the Zero Trust Exchange	Cloudflare Access for private apps, Tunnel for origin connectivity, and Gateway for DNS, network, and HTTP filtering under Cloudflare One
Day-to-day workflow	Push the Zscaler root, stage TLS inspection, run DLP incidents, connect SaaS tenants to the API, and define ZPA app segments behind App Connectors	Define Access applications and policies, run cloudflared Tunnel connectors, enroll the Cloudflare One Client, and layer Gateway, CASB, or DLP by plan
Main buying consideration	Quote by user for ZIA and ZPA platform bundles. No public USD on zscaler.com when checked 10 Oct 2026	Free USD 0 for up to 50 users, Pay-as-you-go USD 7 per user per month, Contract annual custom per user on the Cloudflare Zero Trust plans page, checked 10 Oct 2026

We reviewed the Zscaler SSL/TLS inspection guide, ZIA DLP and SaaS Security API deployment guides, and ZPA documentation, and the Cloudflare Zero Trust plans page, Access, Tunnel, and Gateway developer documentation, plus the DeNA customer story, on 10 Oct 2026. We did not run either service in a paid tenant.

Zscaler

Cloudflare Zero Trust

Editions and pricing

Cloudflare prints three plans with a per-user unit. Zscaler prints none, so its packaging is described by bundle and add-on.

	Zscaler	Cloudflare Zero Trust
How it is sold	Zscaler platform bundles per user combining ZIA, ZPA, and ZDX, plus add-ons such as Advanced DLP and Browser Isolation	Free, Pay-as-you-go, and Contract plans per user. ZTNA and SWG on all three. CASB, DLP, Browser Isolation, and network services deepen on Contract or add-ons
Figure on the public page	No USD on zscaler.com when checked 10 Oct 2026	USD 0 forever up to 50 users. USD 7 per user per month pay-as-you-go. Contract is an annual custom price per user
Log retention and support	Retention and support tiers set on the quote	Log retention, support level, and add-on access step up from Free to Pay-as-you-go to Contract on the plans page

Inspection and data protection

Both decrypt and filter web traffic and both offer DLP. The documented split is a proxy program built for staged enterprise rollout versus Gateway policies that start on the free plan.

	Zscaler	Cloudflare Zero Trust
TLS inspection	ZIA SSL/TLS inspection staged by location and URL category, with certificate-pinned and mutually authenticated TLS on the do-not-decrypt list	Gateway HTTP policies with TLS decryption using a Cloudflare or custom root certificate deployed to devices running the Cloudflare One Client
DLP	ZIA DLP engines for data in motion, or forwarding to third-party DLP, started in monitor then block	Cloudflare DLP profiles applied in Gateway HTTP policies, with predefined and custom detection entries on supported plans
SaaS at rest	SaaS Security API scans data at rest in connected tenants	Cloudflare CASB API integrations scan SaaS tenants for misconfiguration and exposed data

Private access and connectivity

Both replace VPN by connecting users to apps rather than networks. The split is App Connectors with app segments versus Tunnel with Access applications.

	Zscaler	Cloudflare Zero Trust
Private app object	ZPA app segment reached through outbound App Connectors deployed near the app	Access application in front of a Tunnel route or hostname published through cloudflared, with no inbound firewall rules
User policy	ZPA access policies by user, group, and device posture from Client Connector	Access policies by identity provider group, device posture, location, and authentication method, evaluated per request
Agentless path	Browser Access for web apps through ZPA	Browserless Access for self-hosted web apps, plus browser-rendered SSH and VNC

Favor Zscaler when the documented requirement is staged ZIA TLS inspection, ZIA DLP with third-party forwarding, SaaS Security API, and ZPA app segments behind App Connectors on an enterprise quote. Favor Cloudflare Zero Trust when the documented requirement is Access applications over cloudflared Tunnel, Gateway filtering, and a public Free, USD 7 pay-as-you-go, or Contract plan.