Cato Networks SASE vs Palo Alto Networks Prisma SASE: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)

Cato Networks SASE

Mid-market and enterprise teams consolidating network and security infrastructure will value Cato Networks SASE for its private backbone eliminating internet-bound traffic, which cuts both latency and exposure in ways pure cloud gateways don't. The platform covers PR.AA, PR.DS, and PR.IR across NIST CSF 2.0, meaning identity-driven access, data controls, and network resilience all get native support rather than bolted-on. Skip this if your organization needs deep endpoint detection or incident response; Cato is a network perimeter play that assumes your EDR and SIEM are working elsewhere.

Palo Alto Networks Prisma SASE

Enterprise and mid-market security teams managing dispersed workforces across multiple cloud regions should pick Prisma SASE for its AI-driven adaptive access controls that actually enforce Zero Trust at scale without requiring homogeneous device fleets. The platform scores strongly on NIST PR.AA and PR.DS, meaning it handles identity-based access and data policies in ways most SASE competitors still struggle with, particularly across managed and unmanaged devices. Skip this if your primary need is branch routing optimization or if you're running a small, tightly controlled network; Prisma SASE's pricing and operational overhead assume distributed complexity that smaller organizations simply don't have.