Zscaler Internet Access vs Cisco Secure Web Gateway

Zscaler Internet Access9.4Visit Cisco Secure Web Gateway8.9Visit

Higher score Zscaler Internet Access #1 in Secure Web Gateway Software 9.4/10 Pricing on request ✓ 1 of 4 features Contact Zscaler

vs

Cisco Secure Web Gateway #6 in Secure Web Gateway Software 8.9/10 Pricing on request ✓ 1 of 4 features Visit Cisco

• Zscaler Internet Access fits best

  Mid-market and enterprise security teams

• Cisco Secure Web Gateway fits best

  Organizations needing conventional proxy-based SWG

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Side by side

Feature	Zscaler Internet Access 9.4/10 Visit ↗	Cisco Secure Web Gateway 8.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	8.9
Ranking	#1 in Secure Web Gateway Software	#6 in Secure Web Gateway Software
Best for	Mid-market and enterprise security teams	Organizations needing conventional proxy-based SWG
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	Not published	Not published
Free plan	—	Not published
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Support	Phone, Tickets, Docs	Phone, Docs · 24/7
Compliance	SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS	SSO/SAML
Integrations	7 integrations	3 integrations
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Zscaler Internet Access 1/4 · Cisco Secure Web Gateway 1/4
TLS inspection	✓	✓
Malware scanning	Not published	Not published
Data loss controls	Not published	Not published
Managed service	Not published	Not published
Specs
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud
Policy controls	Not published	Not published
Our review
Pros	Combines URL filtering, TLS inspection, DNS security, sandboxing, and IPS Adds inline DLP, CASB functionality, and browser isolation Supports SIEM, SOAR, XDR, SD-WAN, and named security integrations	Inspects HTTP/HTTPS traffic with TLS decryption and URL filtering Scans downloaded files and sandboxes unknown files Supports SAML authentication, IPsec tunnels, PAC files and proxy chaining
Cons	Pricing requires a sales conversation The Essentials Platform limits Data Security to alert-only Standard support is 8x5; round-the-clock support is limited to some paid tiers	Umbrella SIG capabilities are transitioning to Cisco Secure Access Proxy-based traffic forwarding may not suit every network architecture Pricing requires contacting sales
Our verdict	Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) is a cloud-delivered secure web gateway and security service edge platform for organizations protecting internet and SaaS access. It routes user and device traffic through Zscaler’s cloud, making it suited to… Read the review →	Cisco Secure Web Gateway is a cloud-delivered secure web gateway built around a full proxy for inspecting and controlling internet traffic. It is aimed at mid-market and enterprise organizations that need conventional proxy-based… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Zscaler Internet Access — where it wins

  • Combines URL filtering, TLS inspection, DNS security, sandboxing, and IPS
  • Adds inline DLP, CASB functionality, and browser isolation
  • Supports SIEM, SOAR, XDR, SD-WAN, and named security integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing requires a sales conversation
  • The Essentials Platform limits Data Security to alert-only
  • Standard support is 8x5; round-the-clock support is limited to some paid tiers

• Cisco Secure Web Gateway — where it wins

  • Inspects HTTP/HTTPS traffic with TLS decryption and URL filtering
  • Scans downloaded files and sandboxes unknown files
  • Supports SAML authentication, IPsec tunnels, PAC files and proxy chaining

  Where it doesn't

  • Umbrella SIG capabilities are transitioning to Cisco Secure Access
  • Proxy-based traffic forwarding may not suit every network architecture
  • Pricing requires contacting sales

• Zscaler Internet Access9.4/10 · Pricing on request

  A broad cloud SWG with layered controls for distributed organizations.

  Contact ZscalerFull verdict →
• Cisco Secure Web Gateway8.9/10 · Pricing on request

  A proxy-based SWG with HTTP/HTTPS inspection, filtering, malware scanning and sandboxing.

  Visit CiscoFull verdict →