Cisco Duo vs Zscaler Private Access comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary
Updated on Jul 31, 2023

We compared Duo Security and Zscaler Private Access across several parameters based on our users' reviews. After reading the collected data, you can find our conclusion below:

  • Ease of Deployment: Users generally find both Zscaler Private Access and Duo Security simple and fast to set up. However, a few users experienced minor difficulties during the deployment of Duo Security, while Zscaler Private Access setup can be intricate, particularly for those deploying it for the first time.
  • Features: Duo Security offers two-factor authentication, single-pane-of-glass management, integration capabilities, and reliable support. On the other hand, Zscaler Private Access provides stability, cloud updates, secure VPN, web filtering, scalability, and integration with multiple IDPs.
  • Room for Improvement: Duo Security has room for improvement in terms of compatibility with other vendors, user-specific permissions, password-free login, technical support, sign-up process, and better device and location recognition. On the other hand, Zscaler Private Access could improve notifications, user interface, security, detailed reports on application crashes, external access and onboarding processes, and application access and latency issues.
  • Pricing: Duo Security's setup cost is flexible and affordable for most customers, although it may be expensive for small businesses. In contrast, Zscaler Private Access is moderately priced and generally acceptable, although some reviewers still consider it expensive.
  • ROI: Duo Security provides a beneficial return on investment through enhanced security measures, safeguarding against cyber threats, ensuring compliance with regulations, and lowering expenses. On the other hand, Zscaler Private Access has a comparatively lower rating in terms of ROI.
  • Service and Support: Duo Security's customer service receives positive feedback for its remote assistance and quick problem-solving. On the other hand, Zscaler Private Access has received mixed reviews, as some customers do not require support while others express concerns about obtaining desired answers due to limitations.

Comparison Results: Duo Security is highly regarded for its user-friendly setup, extensive documentation, and seamless integration. Its standout feature is its two-factor authentication and trust establishment. However, it needs enhancements in terms of compatibility, user-specific permissions, and technical assistance. Conversely, Zscaler Private Access offers a straightforward setup, stability, and regular cloud updates. Its notable attributes include web filtering, effortless connection, and integration capabilities. There is room for improvement in notifications, user interface, and reporting functionalities. Technical support is generally satisfactory, although some users have encountered limitations.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Duo vs. Zscaler Private Access Report (Updated: March 2024).
765,386 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"The ease of deploying Cisco Duo Security and onboarding has greatly benefited our customers.""By deploying Duo, we have virtually eliminated the risk of direct deposit redirection as a result of credentials that have been compromised via phishing.""It's pretty easy for users to figure it out.""Duo Security gives us an additional layer of security that would give us added confidence that our network will be less likely to get hacked, compromised, or otherwise.""The anti-phishing feature is the most valuable.""The push notifications and the integrations they offer are valuable. Their mobile app is very useful. It is very easy to use.""I lead an IT organization that has a significant amount of technical debt, and we're not in a zero-trust architecture yet. I'm pushing in that direction. Duo helps me considerably with my identity in an environment where I don't have zero trust. It's helping me bridge the gap until I can build a zero trust architecture.""Duo offers dual-factor authentication for our logins. I put in my credentials and hit go. Then I get an alert on my Apple watch, and I approve it. That part is just phenomenal."

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"I like the web filtering capabilities.""The ZPA is a unique feature which offers VPN along with all the additional security needed.""It is easy to use.""The most valuable feature of Zscaler Private Access is we do not have to connect to a VPN, it is seamless. It is more convenient for us because we use one agent to cover the internet and VPN access.""The most valuable features of Zscaler Private Access are reliability, scalability, and availability.""The most valuable feature is the manageability of the micro tunnels.""The most valuable feature of Zscaler Private Access is the categorization of the dynamic URLs which keeps the customer's environment protected. The threats and the malware are correctly categorized.""We don't need to connect anymore. It is automatically connected when you log on in Windows."

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Cons
"Most of my colleagues from other companies use the Microsoft MFA solution because it's included in Office 365. Few people are considering Cisco Duo. That's the primary problem in our area. It's a solution mostly adopted by Cisco users.""I would like to see some features simplified, such as securing, configuring, and implementing Microsoft Remote Desktop. Other than that, the solution was rock solid throughout my time administering it.""We first deployed Duo Security for our company with the VPN, and afterward, about a year later, we implemented it for a customer of ours where we offered infrastructure as a service. When I tried to establish a VPN connection through Duo Security, it did not function well on that version, which was the latest one at the time. So, I had to make a copy of the machine and then implement Duo Security with the VPN because it did not function well with the newer version.""Sometimes, it's a little harder for customers to adopt.""The only time I really had some negative feedback for them was about the UI of their mobile app, but they improved it in the last version. It is good on the functionality side, but their pricing model is a little bit weird. Currently, there is no price advantage in signing up for yearly contracts. If you are on a monthly term or a yearly contract, you basically pay the same price, and that is very unusual. Normally, there is a discount when someone signs up for the 12-month system.""We already have Active Directory enabled in our routers and switches. However, if we could do two-factor authentication, then it could go a long way since no one's getting into them unless you want them to.""Integration between Duo Security and FTDs needs improvement. Integrating Next Generation Firewall safety with Duo Security currently requires a proxy agent between Active Directory and the appliance. It's an additional factor that we need to think about. It would be great to have direct integration with FTD so that we don't have to worry about middleware products. For the rest of the Cisco Secure solutions, the APIs need improvement.""There might be a little slowness, but that could be my connection."

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"I can't speak to any missing features.""Zscaler Private Access needs to improve its collaboration with applications without compromising security.""There is some issue while accessing the portal. It takes too long.""The stability could be improved.""More on-prem infrastructure is required when Zscaler Private Access is to be implemented as a single point of entry.""There is improvement in enhancing proper manageability, policies, and logs. So, log management could be improved.""Sometimes applications crash on some machines, and we’d like Zscaler to give us some information as to why that may have happened. We’d like more detailed reports.""Users report application access or latency issues with Zscaler Private Access."

More Zscaler Private Access Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "During testing we are allowed a certain number of licenses for free."
  • "Its price is reasonable. It is not highly expensive."
  • "Their pricing model is a little bit weird. Currently, there is no price advantage in signing up for yearly contracts. There are no additional costs to the standard licensing costs."
  • "Our licensing fee is currently on an annual basis."
  • "The licensing is very good because it does not cost a lot of money. It's affordable for all-sized customers, including enterprises. There is an additional cost for premium support."
  • "Duo Security is free."
  • "With regard to pricing, for a small business buying a one off, it's pretty expensive. If it's an enterprise that has thousands of employees, however, it's really nothing to protect your data because if your network goes down or it's breached, you're losing millions of dollars every minute. When it comes to a large enterprise, it's priced where it should be because you're talking business to business. You're not talking business to consumer."
  • "Price wise, it's not cheap, but it's not expensive at all either. It's in the middle."
  • More Cisco Duo Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Pricing for Zscaler Private Access is moderate. It's acceptable, though I can't give you the exact price currently. It's not too expensive, and on a scale of one to five, I would rate it a four out of five in terms of pricing."
  • "The cost is expensive. It depends on the number of users."
  • "My company is a Zscaler Private Access partner, so the customers pay for the license fees."
  • "The price is competitive."
  • "In terms of market positioning, I would describe Zscaler Private Access as offering optimal pricing. Based on our experience, Cato Networks tends to be slightly more expensive."
  • "Zscaler Private Access is extremely expensive."
  • "The solution is expensive."
  • "The technical support is good."
  • More Zscaler Private Access Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:We switched to Duo Security for identity verification. We’d been using a competitor but got the chance to evaluate Duo for 30 days, and we could not be happier Duo Security is easy to configure and… more »
    Top Answer:They are users who, as mentioned before, utilize RDPAP and MDPAP. It includes functionalities related to finance, specifically in single sign-on.
    Top Answer:I am not aware of the pricing. There are two departments, and I don't have any information about them.
    Top Answer: We looked into Prisma Access before choosing Zscaler Private Access (ZPA). Palo Alto’s Prisma Access is a secure access service edge (SASE) designed to deliver network security in a… more »
    Top Answer:The most valuable features of Zscaler Private Access are reliability, scalability, and availability.
    Top Answer:Zscaler Private Access needs to improve its collaboration with applications without compromising security. The solution needs to improve native security, seamless protection, and user experience… more »
    Ranking
    3rd
    out of 34 in ZTNA as a Service
    Views
    1,710
    Comparisons
    1,307
    Reviews
    43
    Average Words per Review
    758
    Rating
    8.9
    2nd
    out of 34 in ZTNA as a Service
    Views
    7,395
    Comparisons
    5,837
    Reviews
    16
    Average Words per Review
    414
    Rating
    8.6
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Duo Security
    Learn More
    Interactive Demo
    Zscaler
    Demo Not Available
    Overview

    Cisco Duo is a cloud-based access management platform that secures access to all applications, for any user and device, from anywhere. It’s designed to be both easy to use and deploy, while providing complete endpoint visibility and control.

    Duo verifies users' identities with strong passwordless authentication and industry-leading multi-factor authentication. Paired with deep insights into your users’ devices, Duo gives you the policies and control you need to limit access based on endpoint or user risk. Users get a consistent login experience with Duo's single sign-on that delivers centralized access to both on-premises and cloud applications.

    With Duo, you can protect against compromised credentials and risky devices, as well as unwanted access to your applications and data. This combination of user and device trust builds a strong foundation for a zero trust security model.

    Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) is a top ZTNA service solution that redefines private application access with advanced connectivity, segmentation, and security capabilities to protect your business from threats while providing a great user experience.

    Zscaler Private Access Features

    ZPA has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:


    • Risk-based policy engine: Continuously validate access policies based on user, device, content, and application risk posture with a powerful native policy engine to ensure only valid, authenticated users can access private applications.


    • Unified client and clientless access: Choose the optimal method of protection for your hybrid environment. Client-based access ensures managed users are protected even when they are off the corporate network through a lightweight agent, the Zscaler Client Connector. Clientless access provides unmanaged users with frictionless app access from any device and web browser, no client needed.


    • Browser access: Allow BYOD and third-party users to freely use their own devices to seamlessly and securely access internal apps leveraging any web browser, no client needed.


    • Disaster recovery: Uninterrupted access to mission-critical applications even during a black swan event with a customer-controlled business continuity solution creating the access path to critical private applications through ZPA Private Service Edge.


    Zscaler Private Access Benefits

    There are many benefits to implementing ZPA. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:


    • Boost hybrid workforce productivity: Fast, seamless access to private apps whether you’re at home, in the office, or anywhere else.
    • Mitigate the risk of a data breach: Minimize the attack surface and lateral movement by making applications invisible to attackers while enforcing least-privileged access.


    • Stop the most advanced adversaries: First-of-its-kind private app protection minimizes the risk of compromised users and active attackers.


    • Extend zero trust across apps, workloads, and devices: Zscaler Private Access is a complete ZTNA platform that brings least-privileged access to private apps, workloads, and OT/IIoT devices.


    • Reduce operational complexity: The solution’s cloud-native platform eliminates legacy VPNs that are difficult to scale, manage, and configure.


    • Exceptional user experience: By providing consistently fast connectivity that doesn’t require logging in and out of VPN clients, remote users gain a faster, more secure access experience.



    Reviews from Real Users

    ZPA is a solution that stands out when compared to many of its competitors. Some of its major advantages are that it is user-friendly, has good connectivity, and has other helpful features such as web filtering.

    Senthilkumar B., Technical Consultant at a tech vendor, shares what he finds most valuable about the solution. “[It is] user-friendly, easy to customize, and simple to implement.”

    “Its connectivity as a VPN is its most valuable feature,” says Harjinder S., Sr. Architect at a tech vendor.

    Another PeerSpot user, Ben A., Cloud Architect Azure at Thales, mentions “The integration with cloud providers, like Azure or GCP, is easy. The Live Logs are a cool feature. We can directly identify issues and divert user traffic.

    Inderjeet S., Administrator at a tech vendor, says, “[The solution has] “good web filtering and good internet security notifications with a nice interface.” He also adds, “There aren’t too many bugs, and it is easy to debug when necessary. There are good Outlook features available. The scalability has been good.”

    Sample Customers
    NOV, Growmark, Paychex, MAN Energy Solutions
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Comms Service Provider13%
    Financial Services Firm10%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Computer Software Company8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company25%
    Government7%
    Financial Services Firm7%
    Manufacturing Company6%
    REVIEWERS
    Manufacturing Company43%
    Financial Services Firm14%
    Comms Service Provider14%
    Outsourcing Company14%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company17%
    Financial Services Firm11%
    Manufacturing Company10%
    Government8%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business32%
    Midsize Enterprise21%
    Large Enterprise47%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business28%
    Midsize Enterprise15%
    Large Enterprise58%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business27%
    Midsize Enterprise9%
    Large Enterprise64%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business21%
    Midsize Enterprise13%
    Large Enterprise66%
    Buyer's Guide
    Cisco Duo vs. Zscaler Private Access
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Duo vs. Zscaler Private Access and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    765,386 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Cisco Duo is ranked 3rd in ZTNA as a Service with 55 reviews while Zscaler Private Access is ranked 2nd in ZTNA as a Service with 21 reviews. Cisco Duo is rated 8.8, while Zscaler Private Access is rated 8.4. The top reviewer of Cisco Duo writes "Helps reduce the risk of a breach and is easy to deploy and onboard". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Zscaler Private Access writes "A VPN alternative that delivers a zero trust model". Cisco Duo is most compared with Microsoft Entra ID, Fortinet FortiToken, Fortinet FortiAuthenticator, Yubico YubiKey and Silverfort, whereas Zscaler Private Access is most compared with Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks, Axis Security, Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client, OpenVPN Access Server and Check Point Remote Access VPN. See our Cisco Duo vs. Zscaler Private Access report.

    See our list of best ZTNA as a Service vendors.

    We monitor all ZTNA as a Service reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.