Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention vs Zscaler Cloud IPS comparison

Palo Alto Networks and Zscaler are both solutions in the Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) category. Palo Alto Networks is ranked #7 with an average rating of 6.3, while Zscaler is ranked #20. Palo Alto Networks holds a 5.1% mindshare in ID, compared to Zscaler’s 1.7% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Palo Alto Networks users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Zscaler users who would recommend it.

Palo Alto Networks Advanced...

Read 29 Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention reviews

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2,537 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Zscaler Cloud IPS

Read 5 Zscaler Cloud IPS reviews

760 Views
623 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Palo Alto Networks Advanced...

Zscaler Cloud IPS

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention and Zscaler Cloud IPS are competitors in the cybersecurity space. Zscaler Cloud IPS appears to have the upper hand due to its comprehensive coverage and seamless integration with cloud services.

Features: Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention is distinguished by its robust threat identification capabilities, high-level protection against evasive threats, and integration with its security platform. Zscaler Cloud IPS provides complete threat protection, a cloud-native approach to ensure secure access across multiple environments, and focuses on a cloud-first strategy.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention offers flexible deployment modes and strong customer service with a personalized approach. Zscaler Cloud IPS facilitates rapid deployment with its cloud-native design but requires users to adapt to its environment, offering efficient customer service with a more standardized methodology.

Pricing and ROI: Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention presents competitive initial setup costs with significant ROI due to its integration capabilities within existing infrastructures. Zscaler Cloud IPS involves higher upfront costs but yields a strong ROI driven by enhanced security and operational efficiency.

To learn more, read our detailed Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention vs. Zscaler Cloud IPS Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention vs. Zscaler Cloud IPS

March 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Palo Alto Networks Advanced...

Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)

7th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Zscaler Cloud IPS

Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)

20th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) category, the mindshare of Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention is 5.1%, down from 5.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zscaler Cloud IPS is 1.7%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention	5.1%
Zscaler Cloud IPS	1.7%
Other	93.2%

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)

Featured Reviews

Partha Dash

Global Network Tech Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Advanced protection enables us to confidently secure against evolving threats

Palo Alto Networks can improve Advanced Threat Prevention by catering to the growing adoption of AI and agentic tooling. The Threat Protection modules should have the necessary intelligence to protect against those types of threats, as AI will be there to do a human job; this is an evolving area. From an Advanced Threat Protection perspective, the technology associated with Palo Alto Networks, such as their sandboxing environment, is quite good. However, Palo Alto needs to focus on how to bring that technology to end users and how easy it is to use, especially in a hybrid environment where users work from various locations. While Palo Alto excels in certain setups, they need to improve the user experience in distributed working conditions.

Read full review

Utpal Sinha

Sr Network Engineer at Momentive

Stable product with valuable SSL inspection features

We use Zscaler Cloud IPS for threat protection, full SSL inspection, and data center scalability. It integrates with multiple products, including cloud firewalls, cloud sandboxing, Cloud Security Broker (CSB), and Data Loss Prevention (DLP). It helps us allow or block specific TCP or UDP ports…

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Most of the features of Palo Alto Threat Prevention are alright. I recommend features like content filtering, IP address, & intelligent firewalls. The reporting feature is very good."

"My advice to others would be to use Palo Alto Networks Threat Prevention for the perimeter of the network."

"What is nice about Palo Alto is that even if you don't understand how to use it, you can just click on upload and upload everything that needs to be blocked."

"So far, there have been no security issues and we are absolutely happy with Palo Alto Networks."

"Palo Alto Networks Threat Prevention is the market leader as far as security gateways and endpoint protection. Additionally, the threat database that is used is one of the best."

"With the IP address flag, I was able to see that I was being hacked. The moment there was an interaction between somebody on my network and that IP, the solution was able to flag it, and we were able to protect ourselves."

"After three years, we haven't had any issues or concerns with our environment."

"I like the solution's interface."

More Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention pros

"Cloud IPS integration is seamless, and it uses a Zero Trust model, and it also simplifies overall user access management."

"The best feature is that Zscaler allows for a separation between cloud applications and URL filtering. For example, under the cloud application segment, I can bypass Microsoft Office 365 without the need to add URLs manually. It's one click, so that's handy."

"The initial setup is straightforward and easy in comparison with other solutions."

"Cloud IPS integration is seamless, and it uses a Zero Trust model. It also simplifies overall user access management."

"The best feature is that Zscaler allows for a separation between cloud applications and URL filtering."

"The initial setup is straightforward and easy in comparison with other solutions."

"The initial setup process is easy."

"The product's most valuable feature is complete SSL inspection."

Cons

"Palo Alto's maintenance needs to be improved."

"The documentation needs to be improved. I need better information about how to configure it and what the best practices are."

"The technology firewall anomaly network could stand improvement."

"The cost involves the price of the hardware, which is expensive."

"The solution needs to improve its local technical support services. There is no premium support offered in our market."

"In terms of what needs improvement, the only thing I don't like is the support."

"Mission learning techniques should continue to expand and detect unknown threats on the fly."

"Right now we are focusing on email. If Palo Alto can increase the features related to email filtering and the new malware, it would help us protect our systems."

More Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention cons

"When it comes to scalability, the IPsec could be improved."

"There is always room for improvement."

"We recently had a significant issue with Zscaler. I think they have too many customers and some of their connection edge nodes went down because there were too many requests."

"They have given limited free access for a year. Instead, they should increase the file size and give limited free access for around two months. It will allow engineers to evaluate the product."

"There is always room for improvement."

"When it comes to scalability, the IPsec could be improved."

"We recently had a significant issue with Zscaler. I think they have too many customers and some of their connection edge nodes went down because there were too many requests. I think they aren't scaling enough to keep up with the demand in some areas. That's one thing they should improve."

"We encounter issues sharing IP addresses with other companies using the software."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of the solution is higher than others on the market. A price reduction would be beneficial if it does not impact their database quality."

"If you want to have all of the good features then you have to pay extra for licensing."

"The product’s pricing is expensive for small companies."

"From one to ten, with one being the most expensive, I would rate the pricing of Palo Alto Networks Threat Prevention a one out of ten. It is my understanding that Palo Alto Networks Threat Prevention is the most expensive one."

"It's not too expensive."

"The pricing could be lower."

"Palo Alto Networks Threat Prevention could improve by having consistent pricing at system levels."

"The pricing has improved with the newer generation of their Firewalls, but the price could always be lower."

More Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention pricing and cost advice

"Zscaler has so far been solely responsible for all the sales we have done with it, so it would be more suited than us to address any issues concerning the pricing."

"The software has become more expensive at present."

"The product is not affordable for small and medium enterprises."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

10%

Computer Software Company

Performing Arts

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

University

Real Estate/Law Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	14

No data available

Questions from the Community

Which is the best DDoS protection solution for a big ISP for monitoring and mitigating?

Arbor would be the best bid, apart from Arbor, Palo Alto and Fortinet have good solutions. As this is an ISP, I would prefer Arbor.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Palo Alto Networks Threat Prevention?

Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention requires an add-on license and is considered expensive compared to competitors like Cisco AMP and FortiGate ( /products/fortinet-fortigate-reviews ) fi...

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What needs improvement with Palo Alto Networks Threat Prevention?

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Comparisons

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Vectra AI vs Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention

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Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB vs Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention

Compared 6% of the time

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Compared 16% of the time

Claroty Platform vs Zscaler Cloud IPS

Compared 15% of the time

Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB vs Zscaler Cloud IPS

Compared 14% of the time

Darktrace vs Zscaler Cloud IPS

Compared 13% of the time

Check Point IPS vs Zscaler Cloud IPS

Compared 6% of the time

More Zscaler Cloud IPS Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention

March 2026

Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention report

Download Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention product report

Buyer's Guide

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)

February 2026

Download Zscaler Cloud IPS product report

Overview

Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention is a cloud-based security service that combines cutting-edge technologies, including machine learning, artificial intelligence, and expert human monitoring, to effectively thwart advanced threats like malware, zero-day attacks, and command-and-control threats. It offers inline protection, scrutinizing all network traffic irrespective of port, protocol, or encryption. An integral component of Palo Alto Networks' security platform, it enjoys widespread adoption across diverse organizations. With its robust security capabilities, it's an ideal choice for entities of all sizes, particularly those in high-risk sectors such as finance, healthcare, and government agencies, seeking to safeguard their networks from a broad spectrum of advanced threats.

Palo Alto Networks

Zscaler Cloud IPS enables you to have all threat and alert data in one place. Full user, file and app context is available. Streaming to a SIEM allows further integration into the SOC ecosystem.

The Zscaler Threat Library allows administrators and SOC personnel to drill down on IPS alerts to perform in-depth analysis of threat data within their installation. Search by vulnerability, category or keyword

For more details: https://www.zscaler.com/produc...

Zscaler

Sample Customers

University of Arkansas, JBG SMITH, SkiStar AB, TRI-AD, Temple University, Telkom Indonesia

Zenith Live, Azure, Carlsberg Group

Buyer's Guide

Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention vs. Zscaler Cloud IPS

March 2026

Free Report: Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention vs. Zscaler Cloud IPS

Find out what your peers are saying about Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention vs. Zscaler Cloud IPS and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.

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