Cato Client vs ZeroTier
Cato Client
catonetworks.com
ZeroTier
zerotier.comSide by side
| Figure | Cato Client | ZeroTier |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | $18/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 5 |
| Spec score · Business VPN Software | 8.6 (#23) | 9.2 (#8) |
| Founded | 2015 | LinkedIn lists 2013 as the founding year, matching the maker’s history of its open-source release in 2013. |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Integrations | Cato’s Integration Hub lists 100 integrations across authentication, EDR, SIEM, SaaS security, storage, ITSM, and other categories. | The maker’s documentation includes API guides and tutorials for Docker, code-server, Terraform, webhooks, and Prometheus/Grafana monitoring. |
| Security certifications | Cato states that it holds SOC 2, SOC 3, PCI-DSS Level 1, ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, ISO 27701, GDPR, and other certifications or attestations. | The maker’s site lists SOC 2 Type II, FIPS 140-3, and GDPR in its trust badges. |
| Support | Cato provides a support portal and directs customers to contact the Cato support team for help. | Personal and Essential include community support, Scale includes ticketed support with SLA, and Enterprise includes priority support with enhanced SLA. |
Plans
ZeroTier
- Essential$18 a month
- Scale$179 a month
- QuantumPriced on request
- PersonalFree
- EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
Cato Client
Cato Client provides secure, zero-trust access to internet, SaaS, cloud, and private-datacenter resources for users on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. It checks user identity and device posture before opening an encrypted connection to the Cato SASE Cloud Platform. Its built-in endpoint protection scans files and running processes for malware, and ongoing checks can cover anti-malware, firewall, disk encryption, patching, endpoint DLP, and device certificates. If a device falls outside policy, access can be limited or the connection ended. Administrators can deploy the client through an MDM or self-service portal, manage upgrade rollouts centrally, and enable an always-on mode that prevents users from disabling it. The client connects to a nearby Cato PoP and uses Cato’s Global Private Backbone. Organizations can request pricing; a free trial is available, but there is no free plan.
ZeroTier
ZeroTier is a software-defined networking platform for connecting people, devices and cloud environments through secure virtual networks. Its overlays can span public clouds, private data centers, on-premises environments, remote devices and edge systems. Security measures include cryptographic device identity, end-to-end traffic encryption, peer-to-peer connections when possible, and centrally defined policies enforced globally. Capabilities include cloud-to-cloud networking, global device fleets, identity-based access control, Layer 2 and Layer 3 networking, and programmable management. The platform supports hybrid deployment and lists coverage for DigitalOcean, Amazon Web Services, Google Compute Engine, Microsoft Azure, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Alibaba Cloud, IBM Cloud, Vultr and Equinix Metal. Documentation includes API guides and tutorials for Docker, code-server, Terraform, webhooks, and Prometheus/Grafana monitoring. The free Personal plan is limited to non-commercial use and includes 10 devices, one network and one admin. Essential costs $18 a month; Scale costs $179 a month. Platforms include Android, API, iOS, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web and Windows.