Cloudflare Access is the best fit for teams of any size wanting fast, cloud-native ZTNA without VPN complexity. Google BeyondCorp suits organizations already deep in Google Cloud who want a proven zero trust framework. Cisco Duo Remote Access works best for teams that need phishing-resistant MFA and device trust layered on top of existing VPN or hybrid access setups.
VPNs are not a zero trust strategy. They hand a user a network key and hope for the best. ZTNA flips that: verify identity, check device posture, grant access to one application, and nothing else. Every tool in this list does that at a high level. The differences are in the details.
The ZTNA market has matured fast. You now have purpose-built cloud services, platform extensions from hyperscalers, and automation layers sitting on top of existing ZTNA stacks. Picking the wrong one means either paying for features you will never use or hitting a ceiling the moment your environment gets more complex.
This roundup covers seven tools across that spectrum. Some are full SASE plays. Some are narrow and surgical. One is an API automation layer, not a ZTNA product itself. Read the descriptions carefully before you start a trial, because the category label does not tell the whole story.
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Best for: Any-size teams replacing VPN with cloud-native ZTNA
Cloudflare Access sits inside Cloudflare's broader connectivity cloud, which means your ZTNA traffic rides the same global network that handles DDoS mitigation, CDN, and DNS for a large chunk of the internet. That is not a small thing. Latency is consistently low because your users connect to the nearest Cloudflare point of presence, not a backhauled VPN concentrator in a data center somewhere. For distributed teams, that difference is felt immediately.
The core mechanic is straightforward: publish an internal application through Cloudflare, attach an identity provider policy, and users authenticate before they ever touch your origin. No network-level access is granted. A contractor who authenticates to your HR portal cannot pivot to your internal wiki unless you explicitly allow it. This is ZTNA done correctly, and Cloudflare's implementation is one of the cleaner ones to configure.
Where Cloudflare Access stands out against peers is breadth of IdP support and the fact that it fits startups and enterprises equally well. The free tier is genuinely usable for small teams. Scaling up to enterprise means adding Cloudflare Gateway, CASB, and DLP to build a full SSE stack, all managed from one dashboard. The NIST coverage spans PR.AA, PR.IR, and DE.CM, which matters if you are mapping controls for a compliance audit.
The trade-off is lock-in. Once you route applications through Cloudflare's network, your architecture depends on their platform. If you are already using Cloudflare for DNS or CDN, this is a natural extension. If you are not, you are making a bigger platform bet than the ZTNA feature alone might justify. Also, the database lists no native integrations beyond the SASE tag, so verify your specific IdP and SIEM connections before committing.
Zscaler Zero Trust Automation
Best for: Enterprise security teams automating Zscaler policy at scale
This one needs a clear-eyed description upfront: Zscaler Zero Trust Automation is not a standalone ZTNA product. It is an API automation platform for organizations that already run Zscaler's zero trust stack. If you do not have Zscaler deployed, this tool is irrelevant to you. If you do, it can be genuinely valuable.
The core offering is OneAPI, a unified endpoint that normalizes API calls across Zscaler's product suite. Anyone who has tried to automate across multiple Zscaler products using their individual APIs knows the pain of inconsistent response formats and versioning drift. OneAPI addresses that directly. OAuth 2.0 with fine-grained RBAC means your automation scripts authenticate with their own identity, which is auditable and revocable independently of human accounts. That matters for change control in regulated environments.
The practical use cases are CI/CD pipeline integration, automated threat response, and dashboard creation from analytics data. If your SOC is running playbooks that need to update Zscaler policies in response to a detected threat, this is the integration layer that makes that possible without brittle custom scripts. ServiceNow and Postman are listed integrations, which covers the ticketing and API testing workflows most enterprise teams already use.
The limitation is obvious: this is a Zscaler-only tool. It fits mid-market and enterprise teams that have already standardized on Zscaler and want to reduce manual toil in policy management. It is not a tool for evaluating ZTNA vendors or for organizations running a multi-vendor access strategy. Treat it as an operational efficiency layer, not a security control in itself.
Google BeyondCorp
Best for: Google Cloud-native orgs wanting proven zero trust architecture
BeyondCorp is the original zero trust implementation. Google built and ran this internally for years before making it available externally. The three principles it operates on, network origin does not determine access, context determines authorization, and all access is authenticated and encrypted, are now the standard definition of zero trust that every other vendor in this list claims to follow. That provenance matters.
The external product is delivered through Chrome Enterprise Premium, which bundles BeyondCorp capabilities with endpoint security. The integrations list tells you a lot about the intended environment: Cloud Identity, Identity-Aware Proxy, Chrome Enterprise Premium, and Google Cloud. If your organization runs on Google Workspace and GCP, BeyondCorp slots in naturally. Your IdP is already there. Your devices are likely Chrome-managed. The access proxy integrates with your existing GCP IAM setup.
For organizations outside the Google ecosystem, the picture is more complicated. The tight coupling with Chrome Enterprise Premium means you are buying into Google's endpoint management story, not just a ZTNA service. That is fine if you are already there, but it is a meaningful dependency if you are running a mixed environment with Windows endpoints managed by Intune or Jamf.
The NIST coverage is PR.AA and PR.IR, which is standard for ZTNA. What BeyondCorp does not cover natively is the continuous monitoring (DE.CM) that some peers include. For SMB through enterprise teams already committed to Google Cloud, this is a strong and well-documented choice. For everyone else, the platform dependency is a real consideration before you start the deployment.
Cato Networks ZTNA
Best for: SMB to enterprise teams replacing VPN in hybrid IT environments
Cato Networks ZTNA is part of Cato's broader SASE platform, and that context shapes how you should evaluate it. You are not buying a point ZTNA product. You are buying into a cloud-native network security platform that includes SD-WAN, FWaaS, SWG, and CASB alongside ZTNA. If you want just ZTNA, there are simpler options. If you want to consolidate your network security stack, Cato is worth a serious look.
The dual deployment model is a practical differentiator. Agent-based ZTNA gives you deep endpoint visibility on managed devices. Service-based ZTNA uses connectors in the network for platform-agnostic coverage, which handles unmanaged devices and third-party access through a reverse proxy. Most ZTNA tools force you to choose one model. Cato supports both, which matters in environments where you have a mix of corporate laptops, contractor BYODs, and partner access requirements.
Microsegmentation is built into the access model. Policies enforce software-defined perimeters around network segments, not just applications. This goes a step further than simple per-app access control and is relevant if you are trying to contain lateral movement risk across a hybrid environment with both on-premises data centers and cloud workloads.
The trade-off is that Cato's platform approach means the pricing and complexity scale together. For a small team that just needs to replace a VPN for 50 remote workers, Cato may be more than you need. The database lists no specific third-party integrations, so verify your IdP and SIEM compatibility during the proof of concept. The NIST coverage is PR.AA and PR.IR, which is the baseline for this category.
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Best for: Enterprises needing adaptive access with deep device posture checks
Akamai Enterprise Application Access takes a real-time adaptive access approach that goes beyond static policy enforcement. The access decision at connection time factors in user location, time of day, and device security posture simultaneously. That last element is more granular than most peers: the device posture check evaluates firewall status, OS patch level, and anti-malware installation, not just whether a certificate is present. For regulated industries where device hygiene is a compliance requirement, this specificity matters.
The clientless option for web applications is a genuine operational advantage. Users on unmanaged devices can access web apps through a browser without installing an agent. Non-web applications require the client. This split model is common in ZTNA, but Akamai's delivery via their own global CDN infrastructure means the clientless path performs well even for latency-sensitive applications. High availability and load balancing are built into the service delivery layer, not bolted on.
The integration list is one of the strongest in this roundup. Okta, Microsoft Azure AD, Ping, Cisco Duo, CrowdStrike, Carbon Black, and Google are all listed. That breadth means you can pull device posture signals from your existing EDR and feed them into access decisions without building custom connectors. The SIEM integration for logging and auditing covers the DE.CM gap that some peers leave open.
The consideration here is that Akamai EAA is an enterprise product with enterprise pricing and enterprise deployment complexity. It fits mid-market and enterprise organizations that have existing Akamai relationships or that need the depth of device posture integration that simpler ZTNA tools do not provide. If you are a 50-person company, the operational overhead is probably not worth it.
Amazon Web Services, AWS Verified Access
Best for: AWS-native teams securing cloud-hosted internal applications
AWS Verified Access is the obvious choice if your internal applications already run on AWS and you want ZTNA without introducing a third-party vendor into your architecture. The value proposition is tight integration with the AWS IAM and identity ecosystem. You define access policies using Cedar policy language, evaluate them per request, and log everything to CloudWatch or S3. If your security operations already live in AWS, this fits without friction.
The service evaluates each access request against defined policies before granting access, which is standard ZTNA behavior. What makes it distinct is the native AWS integration: you can attach Verified Access to your existing Application Load Balancers and use AWS IAM Identity Center or third-party IdPs for authentication. Device posture can be assessed through integration with AWS partner solutions. The NIST coverage includes DE.CM alongside PR.AA and PR.IR, which reflects the continuous evaluation model.
The limitation is scope. AWS Verified Access is designed for applications hosted on AWS. If you have on-premises applications or workloads in other clouds, you will need additional tooling to cover those access paths. It is not a full SASE replacement. It is a surgical ZTNA control for your AWS application layer.
For teams that are AWS-first and want to avoid adding another vendor to their security stack, this is a clean fit. The database lists no specific third-party integrations beyond the AWS ecosystem tags, so if you need deep IdP or EDR integration for device posture, verify the current partner ecosystem before committing. The pricing model is per-application-hour plus data transfer, which can surprise teams used to flat-rate ZTNA licensing.
Duo Security Cisco Duo Remote Access
Best for: Teams needing phishing-resistant MFA layered on VPN or ZTNA
Cisco Duo Remote Access occupies an interesting position in this list. It is not a pure ZTNA product in the same way Cloudflare Access or Cato Networks ZTNA are. It is a remote access security solution that can operate in VPN-less mode but also enhances existing VPN deployments. If your organization is mid-migration from VPN to ZTNA, Duo fits that transitional state better than most tools here.
The phishing-resistant MFA is the headline feature, and it is genuinely differentiated. Standard TOTP and push-based MFA are vulnerable to real-time phishing and MFA fatigue attacks. Duo's phishing-resistant options, which include FIDO2 and hardware token support, address the attack patterns that have compromised organizations running conventional MFA. The device trust layer adds another check: risky devices get blocked or get adaptive policies applied before they touch an application.
The per-application access policy enforcement covers web apps, SMB shares, RDP, and SSH. That last two matter for organizations with legacy infrastructure that is not web-accessible. Most ZTNA tools focus on HTTP/HTTPS applications. Duo's ability to gate RDP and SSH access with MFA and device trust is a meaningful capability for teams managing on-premises servers or hybrid environments.
The integration with Cisco XDR for VPN capacity scaling is relevant only if you are already in the Cisco ecosystem. The database lists no specific third-party integrations, which is a gap to verify during evaluation. Duo fits SMB through enterprise teams that want strong MFA and device trust as the foundation of their access security, whether or not they have completed a full VPN-to-ZTNA migration. It is also a natural fit for organizations that have already deployed Duo for MFA and want to extend it into a broader access control posture.
How to Choose the Right Tool
ZTNA tools look similar on paper. They all say 'never trust, always verify.' The real differences show up in deployment model, IdP flexibility, device posture depth, and how well the tool fits your existing stack. Here are the criteria that actually matter when you are making this decision.
Deployment model fit: Agent-based ZTNA gives you deep device visibility but requires endpoint management. Agentless or clientless options cover unmanaged devices and contractors without MDM enrollment. If you have both managed and unmanaged devices, look for tools like Cato Networks ZTNA that support both models natively.
IdP compatibility: Every tool here claims IdP integration, but the depth varies. Akamai EAA lists Okta, Azure AD, Ping, and Cisco Duo explicitly. Cloudflare Access supports a wide range. AWS Verified Access leans on IAM Identity Center. If you run a specific IdP, verify the integration is native and not a SAML workaround before you sign a contract.
Device posture assessment: Basic ZTNA checks whether a certificate is present. Better tools check OS patch level, firewall status, and EDR agent health. Akamai EAA and Cisco Duo both do this with meaningful depth. If device hygiene is a compliance requirement, this criterion should be near the top of your list.
Application coverage: Most ZTNA tools handle HTTP/HTTPS applications well. Fewer handle RDP, SSH, and SMB shares. If you have on-premises servers that your team accesses via RDP or SSH, Cisco Duo Remote Access is one of the few in this list that explicitly covers those protocols.
Platform lock-in risk: Cloudflare Access ties you to Cloudflare's network. AWS Verified Access is designed for AWS-hosted apps. BeyondCorp is tightly coupled to Google Cloud and Chrome Enterprise. If you run a multi-cloud or hybrid environment, a platform-agnostic option like Cato Networks ZTNA or Akamai EAA gives you more flexibility.
Operational complexity vs. team size: Akamai EAA and Cato Networks ZTNA are enterprise-grade products with corresponding deployment complexity. Cloudflare Access and Cisco Duo are faster to get running. If you are a three-person security team, the time-to-value difference between these options is significant.
Automation and API maturity: If you are running a mature security operations program with CI/CD pipelines and automated policy enforcement, the API quality of your ZTNA tool matters. Zscaler Zero Trust Automation exists specifically to address this for Zscaler customers. For other platforms, check whether the API supports the automation workflows you actually need before you are locked in.
Compliance and logging requirements: All tools here cover PR.AA and PR.IR from the NIST CSF. Cloudflare Access, AWS Verified Access, and Cisco Duo also cover DE.CM for continuous monitoring. If your compliance framework requires continuous access monitoring and audit logging, filter your shortlist to tools that cover DE.CM natively.
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The ZTNA category is mature enough that any tool in this list will get you past the VPN-era perimeter model. The decision comes down to fit: your cloud environment, your device management posture, your team's operational capacity, and how far along you are in the migration from legacy access infrastructure. Start with the tools that match your existing stack, run a proof of concept against your actual application mix including any RDP or SSH dependencies, and pay close attention to the device posture and logging capabilities before you sign. You can browse and compare all of these tools side by side at CybersecTools to narrow your shortlist before you start vendor conversations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ZTNA a complete replacement for VPN?
For most application access use cases, yes. ZTNA provides per-application access without granting network-level entry, which is strictly better from a security posture standpoint. However, some legacy protocols like thick-client applications or network-level services may still require VPN until they are modernized.
What is the difference between ZTNA and SASE?
ZTNA is one component of SASE. SASE combines ZTNA with SWG, CASB, FWaaS, and SD-WAN into a single cloud-delivered platform. Cloudflare Access and Cato Networks ZTNA are both part of broader SASE offerings, while tools like AWS Verified Access are narrower ZTNA-only services.
Do I need an agent installed on every device to use ZTNA?
Not always. Several tools in this list, including Akamai Enterprise Application Access and Cato Networks ZTNA, support agentless or clientless access for web applications. Agent-based access gives you deeper device posture visibility, but clientless options work for unmanaged devices and contractor access.
How does device posture assessment work in ZTNA?
The ZTNA service queries the endpoint for security signals before granting access. These signals can include OS patch level, firewall status, disk encryption state, and EDR agent presence. Tools like Akamai EAA integrate with CrowdStrike and Carbon Black to pull posture data from your existing EDR rather than running a separate check.
Can ZTNA tools handle non-web applications like RDP and SSH?
Some can. Cisco Duo Remote Access explicitly supports RDP, SSH, and SMB access with MFA and device trust enforcement. Most other tools in this list focus primarily on HTTP/HTTPS applications. If you need to gate legacy protocol access, verify this capability specifically during your proof of concept.
What should I look for in ZTNA audit logging for compliance?
At minimum, you need per-request access logs that capture user identity, device, application accessed, policy evaluated, and decision outcome. Tools that cover NIST DE.CM, including Cloudflare Access, AWS Verified Access, and Cisco Duo, provide continuous monitoring capabilities that satisfy most audit requirements. Verify that logs can be exported to your SIEM in a format you can actually query.
How this list was made
Commercial products only, one product per company, companies that were acquired are excluded. Ranked by market signals and an editorial review. Paid placements are labeled. Read the full methodology at /methodology.
Cloudflare Access is a zero trust network access solution that secures applications and resources by implementing identity-based authentication and authorization without traditional VPN infrastructure.
Vendor: Cloudflare, Inc. · Deployment: Cloud · Pricing model: Commercial, price not published · Certifications: SOC 2 Type II, SOC 3, ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, ISO 27701 +4 more
Remote access security solution with phishing-resistant MFA and device trust
Vendor: Duo Security · Deployment: Cloud · Pricing model: Commercial, price not published · Certifications: SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, FedRAMP (Duo Federal), HIPAA, PCI DSS
AWS Verified Access is a zero trust security service that provides secure application access based on user identity and device security posture without requiring a VPN.
Vendor: Amazon Web Services, Inc. · Deployment: Cloud · Pricing model: Commercial, price not published · Certifications: SOC 1, 2, 3, ISO 27001, 27017, 27018, FedRAMP, PCI DSS Level 1, HIPAA
