Overall Score
Counts only researched checks (YES, PARTIAL, or NO) — pending (TBD) checks are never scored as failures. Research coverage differs by vendor, so the number of answered checks per vendor can differ.
139 of 141 researched checks supported
141 of 142 checks researched · 1 still pending
141 of 142 researched checks supported
All 142 checks researched
Cisco vs Zscaler: Key Differences
Cisco scores 88 YES across 121 checks in 12 security topics, while Zscaler scores 99 YES. Cisco leads in IoT/OT Device Security, SD-WAN & Branch Office. Zscaler leads in 7 topics including BYOD Coverage, Ease of Deployment, GenAI DLP. They are evenly matched in 3 topics. The widest gap is in TLS Inspection on Mobile, where Zscaler scores 6/10 YES compared to Cisco's 1/10.
Score by Topic
| Topic | Cisco | Zscaler | Checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI/ML Traffic Security & Controls | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5 |
| BYOD Coverage | 5/8 | 7/8 | 8 |
| CASB & Shadow IT Discovery | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5 |
| Compliance Frameworks & Certifications | 3/5 | 5/5 | 5 |
| Digital Experience Monitoring | 8/8 | 8/8 | 8 |
| Ease of Deployment | 6/10 | 7/10 | 10 |
| Firewall as a Service (FWaaS) | 4/6 | 6/6 | 6 |
| GenAI DLP | 19/23 | 20/23 | 23 |
| Global PoP Coverage & SLA | 2/8 | 5/8 | 8 |
| IoT/OT Device Security | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5 |
| SD-WAN & Branch Office | 10/10 | 7/10 | 10 |
| Secure Web Gateway & URL Filtering | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5 |
| Threat Prevention | 11/12 | 12/12 | 12 |
| TLS Inspection on Mobile | 1/10 | 6/10 | 10 |
| Unified Management & Reporting | 5/10 | 7/10 | 10 |
| ZTNA for Private Apps | 10/12 | 11/12 | 12 |
Detailed Comparison by Topic
Deciding between Cisco and Zscaler?
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cisco or Zscaler better for SASE?
Where does Cisco beat Zscaler?
Where does Zscaler beat Cisco?
Which is better for TLS Inspection on Mobile: Cisco or Zscaler?
Which is better for Global PoP Coverage & SLA: Cisco or Zscaler?
Which is better for SD-WAN & Branch Office: Cisco or Zscaler?
How is the Cisco vs Zscaler comparison conducted?
Methodology
All answers are sourced from publicly available vendor documentation, knowledge base articles, press releases, and verified user reports. We do not rely on vendor marketing claims.
YES means the feature is confirmed working with documentation. PARTIAL means it works with significant caveats. NO means confirmed not supported. TBD means research is still in progress.