Pomerium vs Smallstep ZTNA
Pomerium
pomerium.comSmallstep ZTNA
smallstep.comSide by side
| Figure | Pomerium | Smallstep ZTNA |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $7/mo | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 9 | 1 |
| Spec score · Business VPN Software | 9.0 (#11) | 7.8 (#58) |
| Access model | It provides clientless access to internal applications, servers, services, and workloads without requiring VPN client software. | ztna |
| Deployment | Pomerium Core provides official binaries for Linux and macOS, Linux deb/rpm packages, Docker images, and source builds. | Smallstep says its device identity based ZTNA can be deployed in the cloud or on-premises. |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Integrations | Listed integrations include Grafana, Kubernetes, Okta, Cloud Run, Docker, Google Kubernetes Engine, FleetDM, BambooHR, Auth0, Azure Active Directory, GitHub, GitLab, Google Workspace, OneLogin, OpenID Connect, and Ping Identity. | Smallstep’s featured integrations include AWS, Stripe, Google Cloud Platform, Slack, Intune, Salesforce, GitHub, Okta, Jamf, and ServiceNow. |
| What it does | Pomerium is an identity-aware reverse proxy that provides application and service access without a traditional VPN or client software. | Smallstep Enterprise Relay is a transparent VPN that uses standards-based private MASQUE relays, mutual TLS, and hardware-bound device certificates to control access to SaaS apps, internal networks, and AI initiated workflows. |
Plans
Pomerium
- Personal FreeFree
- Business$7 a month
- Zero PersonalFree
- Zero PersonalFree
- Zero Business$7 a month
- Zero Business (annual)$7 a month
- Zero Business (monthly)$9 a month
- EnterprisePriced on request
- EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
Pomerium
Pomerium is an open-source identity-aware proxy for controlling access to internal applications, servers, services, and workloads without requiring VPN client software. It checks identity, device state, and request context before granting access, and authenticates through identity providers that support OpenID Connect. Listed access scenarios include HTTP, MCP, SSH, gRPC, TCP, and UDP; supported app protocols also include HTTPS, HTTP/2, HTTP/3, and WebSocket. Pomerium removes its authentication cookies before forwarding requests upstream, and sensitive databroker data is encrypted at rest. Downstream TLS has a minimum of TLS 1.2. Deployment options include Linux and macOS binaries, packages, Docker images, source builds, and desktop clients for Windows, macOS, and Linux. The free Personal plan lists 10 users, 10 routes, five policies, and two service accounts. Business costs $7.00 per month, billed annually, and lists limits of 1,000 users, 100 routes, 100 policies, and 20 service accounts. A free trial is also listed.
Smallstep ZTNA
Smallstep ZTNA has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.