Cloudflare Access vs Zscaler Private Access

Cloudflare Access controls access to self-hosted apps, SaaS applications, and infrastructure by checking identity, device posture, and other context on each request. Policies can grant access at the individual resource level, and applications deny access unless a user matches an Allow policy. It supports SAML- and OIDC-compliant identity providers, including enterprise and social providers, as well as Cloudflare as an identity provider. Contractors, partners, and people using unmanaged devices can connect through a browser with social sign-in or a one-time PIN. Access can replace or supplement a legacy VPN by limiting access to specific applications, and its controls also cover infrastructure such as SSH and RDP. Administrators can manage policies centrally and scale them through APIs and Terraform. Publishing a self-hosted public application requires an active Cloudflare domain with full or partial CNAME setup. The free plan is for fewer than 50 users; paid service starts at $7/user/mo (annual).

Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) controls access to private applications, workloads, and operational technology for users connecting from different devices and locations. It brokers a one-to-one connection between an authorized user and a specific app, without granting access to the corporate network or exposing the app publicly. ZPA can discover applications and recommend app segments and policies. Workload-to-workload segmentation covers communications across hybrid and multicloud environments, including AWS and Azure. Privileged Remote Access offers clientless access to RDP, SSH, and VNC production systems for remote workers and third parties. Other described capabilities include inline threat inspection, Web Data Loss Prevention for data in motion, and policy-enforced access to mission-critical apps during connectivity outages. The cloud deployment is listed for Windows, macOS, Android, Android on ChromeOS, and iOS, alongside Linux and web platforms. Pricing is on request, and there is no free plan.