Sophos Firewall vs. Zscaler Internet Access

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Sophos Firewall
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
Sophos XG Firewall provides comprehensive next-generation firewall protection powered by deep learning and Synchronized Security. Sophos Firewall supplies insights and exposes hidden user, application, and threat risks on the network, and say the product is differentiated by its ability to respond automatically to security incidents by isolating compromised systems, with Security Heartbeat™.N/A
Zscaler Internet Access
Score 8.8 out of 10
N/A
Zscaler Internet Access™ (ZIA) is a secure web gateway (SWG), delivering cloud native cyberthreat protection and zero trust access to the internet and SaaS apps.N/A
Pricing
Sophos FirewallZscaler Internet Access
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Sophos FirewallZscaler Internet Access
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Sophos FirewallZscaler Internet Access
Features
Sophos FirewallZscaler Internet Access
Firewall
Comparison of Firewall features of Product A and Product B
Sophos Firewall
9.2
14 Ratings
6% above category average
Zscaler Internet Access
-
Ratings
Identification Technologies9.114 Ratings00 Ratings
Visualization Tools8.914 Ratings00 Ratings
Content Inspection9.114 Ratings00 Ratings
Policy-based Controls9.314 Ratings00 Ratings
Active Directory and LDAP9.213 Ratings00 Ratings
Firewall Management Console9.514 Ratings00 Ratings
Reporting and Logging9.014 Ratings00 Ratings
VPN8.814 Ratings00 Ratings
High Availability9.314 Ratings00 Ratings
Stateful Inspection9.214 Ratings00 Ratings
Proxy Server9.611 Ratings00 Ratings
Identity Management
Comparison of Identity Management features of Product A and Product B
Sophos Firewall
-
Ratings
Zscaler Internet Access
5.0
2 Ratings
56% below category average
Multi-Factor Authentication00 Ratings5.02 Ratings
Endpoint Security
Comparison of Endpoint Security features of Product A and Product B
Sophos Firewall
-
Ratings
Zscaler Internet Access
10.0
2 Ratings
10% above category average
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Threat Intelligence
Comparison of Threat Intelligence features of Product A and Product B
Sophos Firewall
-
Ratings
Zscaler Internet Access
8.4
137 Ratings
8% above category average
Network Analytics00 Ratings8.3137 Ratings
Threat Recognition00 Ratings8.1134 Ratings
Vulnerability Classification00 Ratings8.4120 Ratings
Automated Alerts and Reporting00 Ratings8.3130 Ratings
Threat Analysis00 Ratings8.7128 Ratings
Threat Intelligence Reporting00 Ratings8.5127 Ratings
Automated Threat Identification00 Ratings8.5124 Ratings
Zero Trust Security
Comparison of Zero Trust Security features of Product A and Product B
Sophos Firewall
-
Ratings
Zscaler Internet Access
8.8
160 Ratings
1% above category average
Continuous Verification00 Ratings8.6147 Ratings
Secure Web Gateways00 Ratings8.9142 Ratings
Network Flow Control00 Ratings8.7132 Ratings
Network Traffic Analysis00 Ratings8.6133 Ratings
Segmentation Leveraging00 Ratings8.1119 Ratings
Admin Access Control00 Ratings9.0141 Ratings
Network Data Encryption00 Ratings8.9129 Ratings
Network Topology Mapping00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
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Sophos FirewallZscaler Internet Access
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Quantum Firewalls and Security Gateways
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Score 9.3 out of 10
Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access
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Score 8.3 out of 10
Enterprises
Palo Alto Networks Virtualized Next-Generation Firewalls - VM Series
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User Ratings
Sophos FirewallZscaler Internet Access
Likelihood to Recommend
9.4
(14 ratings)
8.9
(183 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(4 ratings)
Usability
9.7
(5 ratings)
8.4
(167 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
5.5
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
9.1
(2 ratings)
8.2
(8 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(2 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
Sophos FirewallZscaler Internet Access
Likelihood to Recommend
Sophos
It is well-suited for small, medium, and large organizations looking for comprehensive cybersecurity protection. It will not only safeguard their network from cyberattacks but also provide them with many advanced features like deep packet inspection, centralized management, web filtering, application control, etc. in one place. It will help them optimize bandwidth and ensure continued connectivity.
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Zscaler
It's best suited for a distributed remote workforce, securing internet access for users from anywhere. Suitable for highly regulated industries, such as banking and Healthcare. Not a good fit for an organisation where most of its legacy is in an on-premises environment. Bandwidth-intensive industries like media/entertainment firms.
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Pros
Sophos
  • Web filtering. This allows us to monitor web usage and block certain categories from being access at the perimeter.
  • Application Control. With application control we can block certain applications that get categorized from working accessing the Internet.
  • Synchronized Security. When utilizing the Sophos Endpoint product you can use Synchronized Security to minimize Lateral Movement in a network. If a machine is shows a Red status you can auto-isolate it and it is unable to communicate with anything else on the network.
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Zscaler
  • Single Pane of Glass Management - Everything is very easy to access and monitor the entire environment from an internet security perspective.
  • Install Flexibility - We can and do install Zscaler Internet Access on both our client devices as well as our SD-WAN appliances and servers. This allows us to control internet security even on devices without an agent in our networks.
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Cons
Sophos
  • If using Endpoint security and the Firewall it would be nice to have an easier back and forth between the portals rather than have two separate tabs open. Especially if using more than one in multiple locations.
  • If dealing with different revisions options are moved around and sometimes in places that doesn't normally seem like they should be there.
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Zscaler
  • The logs feel kind of lack luster
  • When issues are arising with SSL Inspection, logs show everything working despite end user experience
  • Could use some kind of global find functionality or something that would allow you to search the entire configuration for matching URLs and the like
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Likelihood to Renew
Sophos
No answers on this topic
Zscaler
While Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) delivers critical value in cloud security and RBI compliance, I rate renewal likelihood 7/10 due to evolving needs versus platform limitations. Below is my rationale:
Key Gaps:
1. Advanced Threat Costs:
ZIA’s add-ons (e.g., Advanced DLP, Sandboxing) incur 35%+ cost premiums – straining budgets as transaction volumes (UPI/iMobile) grow 50% YoY.
2. API Banking Scalability:
ZIA’s API rate limits throttle real-time policy sync during UPI peaks (10K+ TPS), forcing workarounds for finacle integrations.
3. RBI Future-Proofing:
Limited native support for upcoming digital rupee (CBDC) security rules requires custom development, increasing compliance overhead.
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Usability
Sophos
Because this is a user-friendly interface, and anyone can use it there are multiple articles and guidelines available, it has advanced-level security features. they provide VPN solutions all the features are very practical, SSID MAC-based authentications web control, Firewall rules segregation of the rules and policies, On-premises Active directory single sign-on feature is also available.
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Zscaler
The application is easy to install and configure on all Windows devices. To troubleshoot any internet issue, we can easily collect all the relevant logs from Zscaler and check the exact issue. The only problem is with the uninstall, as a dedicated crew needs to provide the password.
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Performance
Sophos
No answers on this topic
Zscaler
There are often performance issues reported
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Support Rating
Sophos
As we are all addicted to graphics-oriented interfaces for all our life products. Easy to manage and access as a good way of using anything
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Zscaler
Zscaler's ZIA support is quick and knowledgable. They respond within 1-2 hours of you submitting your ticket. They are very thorough and are typically ready to jump on a live troubleshooting session. Our ZIA platform and how we use is it unique so at times tickets can be open for weeks but we alway get quality support compared to other unrelated product support in our enterprise
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Alternatives Considered
Sophos
I was a big fan of Cisco ASA products, but when I saw all of the security feature differences between both firewalls, I moved to Sophos devices. Its sandbox, IPS, and many more features are really advanced. Cisco does not provide features like this.
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Zscaler
Zscaler Intenet Access outperformed the competition due to its lightning-fast policy delivery and cross-compatibility. It is easy to track employee usage and block unnecessary websites, reducing company internet usage. Zscalar installed on every system increases cloud-based software bandwidth, decreasing user turnaround time and increasing efficiency.
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Return on Investment
Sophos
  • True UTM device.
  • Very Active customer help for any help.
  • Easy license and cost effective.
  • Should [do] more work on logging and reporting.
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Zscaler
  • Has allowed us to remove other products that were suboptimal
  • Saved us money overall by stacking it with other Zscaler products
  • Created a more secure work environment for our users through intelligent internet policies that are not needlessly restrictive while still maintaining security best practices
Read full review
ScreenShots

Sophos Firewall Screenshots

Screenshot of Sophos Firewall v17.5 Control Center

Zscaler Internet Access Screenshots

Screenshot of an overview of Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA), a cloud native security service edge (SSE) solution that builds on a decade of secure web gateway leadership. Offered as a scalable SaaS platform through Zscaler's security cloud, it replaces legacy network security solutions, preventing advanced attacks and data loss with a comprehensive zero trust approach. ZIA is integrated into the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange™ to provide superior defense-in-depth, secure connectivity, end user experience, and administrative visibility and control.