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 #6 with an average rating of 7.5, while Zscaler is ranked #22. Palo Alto Networks holds a 5.6% mindshare in ID, compared to Zscaler’s 1.3% 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

2,995 Views
2,276 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Zscaler Cloud IPS

Read 5 Zscaler Cloud IPS reviews

521 Views
391 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: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention vs. Zscaler Cloud IPS

September 2025

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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)

6th

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)

22nd

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) category, the mindshare of Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention is 5.6%, up from 5.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zscaler Cloud IPS is 1.3%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention	5.6%
Zscaler Cloud IPS	1.3%
Other	93.1%

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)

Featured Reviews

Partha Dash

Global Network Tech Lead at Thoughtworks

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

Atdhe Zyhranaj

Network Security Consultant at NSCON Network Services & Consulting GmbH

It allows for a separation between cloud applications and URL filtering

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.

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

"You can scale the product."

"The most valuable feature is its use of machine learning to detect potentially unknown threats."

"The initial setup was straightforward. It's quite easy. Deployment took one to two weeks."

"The stability of Palo Alto Networks Threat Prevention is good."

"It's very easy to use and configure. 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."

"I find the malware protection very handy."

"One of the most valuable features is the anti-malware protection."

"I rate Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention as nine out of ten."

More Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention pros

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

"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 process is easy."

Cons

"The solution could benefit from improved AI analytics to predict potential attacks before they occur, similar to NDR systems."

"While Palo Alto excels in certain setups, they need to improve the user experience in distributed working conditions."

"The application’s pricing and dashboard need improvement. It could be user-friendly."

"Sometimes when you want to group a set of ports, and communicate with Palo Alto, you cannot group TCP and UDP ports together. This needs to be adjusted."

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

"The installation was complicated."

"Palo Alto Networks Threat Prevention could improve the commercial offing. Other solutions, such as Fortinet provide better commercial features."

"The pricing has improved with the newer generation of their Firewalls, but the price could always be lower. In comparison with other solutions, I believe they're quite competitive."

More Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention cons

"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."

"There is always room for improvement."

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

"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."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention is quite competitive, offering extensive threat detection and prevention capabilities, though it is priced higher than some alternatives."

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

"It's not too expensive."

"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."

"It is an expensive solution and I would like to see a drop in price."

"The pricing and the licensing are pretty competitive at this stage. As a reseller, I would like to see the price come down a little bit so I can compete better against other firewalls because we do that all the time."

"The pricing could be lower."

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

More Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention pricing and cost advice

"The software has become more expensive at present."

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

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Government

Manufacturing Company

15%

Healthcare Company

11%

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	15

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 do you like most about Palo Alto Networks Threat Prevention?

It is a stable product.

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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 do you like most about Zscaler Cloud IPS?

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

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zscaler Cloud IPS?

The product is not affordable for small and medium enterprises.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Zscaler Cloud IPS?

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.

See all answers

Comparisons

Fortinet FortiGate vs Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention

Compared 13% of the time

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Compared 12% of the time

Darktrace vs Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention

Compared 11% of the time

Check Point IPS vs Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention

Compared 10% of the time

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

Compared 9% of the time

More Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention Competitors

Claroty Platform vs Zscaler Cloud IPS

Compared 32% of the time

Cisco Sourcefire SNORT vs Zscaler Cloud IPS

Compared 28% of the time

Darktrace vs Zscaler Cloud IPS

Compared 22% of the time

Trend Micro Deep Discovery vs Zscaler Cloud IPS

Compared 18% of the time

More Zscaler Cloud IPS Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention

September 2025

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)

August 2025

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

September 2025

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

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