Symantec Cloud Secure Web Gateway vs Zscaler Internet Access comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Broadcom and Zscaler are both solutions in the Secure Web Gateways (SWG) category. Broadcom is ranked #29, while Zscaler is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.7. Broadcom holds a 0.9% mindshare in WSG, compared to Zscaler’s 9.8% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Broadcom users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 98% of Zscaler users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 3, 2026

Zscaler Internet Access and Symantec Cloud Secure Web Gateway are competing products within the realm of cloud security services. Data indicates Symantec has the upper hand due to its robust features, suggesting higher perceived value despite its cost.

Features: Zscaler Internet Access offers deep SSL inspection, bandwidth control, and seamless remote access. Symantec Cloud Secure Web Gateway provides advanced threat protection, comprehensive data loss prevention, and simplified management through a cloud-based approach.

Room for Improvement: Zscaler can enhance its threat protection capabilities and provide better integration with SD-WAN solutions. Users have cited occasional issues with software updates. For Symantec, improvements could include reducing the complexity of configurations, enhancing deployment speed, and improving customer service responsiveness.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Zscaler Internet Access excels with its cloud-native architecture that simplifies deployment and requires minimal maintenance. Its customer service is noted for being responsive. Symantec Cloud Secure Web Gateway provides straightforward deployment but may involve complex configurations. While offering comprehensive support, Symantec's service may be perceived as less agile in responsiveness.

Pricing and ROI: Zscaler presents a competitive pricing model with a low setup cost and fast ROI, appealing to budget-conscious buyers. Symantec has a higher initial cost justified by its extensive feature set, implying longer-term value for those prioritizing comprehensive security features.

To learn more, read our detailed Symantec Cloud Secure Web Gateway vs. Zscaler Internet Access Report (Updated: November 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Symantec Cloud Secure Web Gateway vs. Zscaler Internet Access

November 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

iboss

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Secure Web Gateways (SWG) category, the mindshare of iboss is 3.2%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Cloud Secure Web Gateway is 0.9%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zscaler Internet Access is 9.8%, down from 14.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Secure Web Gateways (SWG) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Zscaler Internet Access	9.8%
iboss	3.2%
Symantec Cloud Secure Web Gateway	0.9%
Other	86.1%

Secure Web Gateways (SWG)

Featured Reviews

Ashok Ananthula

Senior Consultant Proxy Engineering at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

Cloud gateway has strengthened remote web security and now needs better Mac and ISP support

The problem our organization had is that iboss failed for the Mac devices. It is not able to give a successful agent for the Mac agents. That is where in 2025, we had to migrate to the Palo Alto-based platform. If your use case is for just Windows laptops,you can consider this platform as an option One issue is the data center resiliency part. In India especially, they are not tied up with the Tier 1 ISPs like Tata or Airtel; they were having Tier 2 ISPs and encountered many issues reaching few major sites that my organization depends on, and they were having problems that they could not fix quickly. They also lack a mechanism to route that traffic within their data center; rather, they ask customers to make a pac file change to route it to Singapore explicitly. It would be better if they route from their backend , i mean even if I send it to India DC, they should be able to route it internally to make that work; however, they fail to do that and ask the customer to route it in the pac file. Another suggestion is that in China, they do not have the proper setup; they used to have numerous problems with slowness and lack of premium circuits in China as well. That leads to multiple sites working slowly with latency-related issues. So the main issue is the ISP-related problems that need to be solved.

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reviewer2296710

Security Specialist at a transportation company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Efficiently blocks unwanted web content and malicious websites and very stable solution

Symantec Cloud Secure Web Gateway can be improved by giving customers more ability to provide feedback on the categorization of websites and the site review portal. Customers should be able to submit more feedback on the reports from malicious web content and malicious websites. The solution could be more effective at identifying and classifying malicious websites.

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VikasTiwari

Senior Network Engineer at Anthology

Cloud security has transformed remote access and now supports zero trust for all users

The best features Zscaler Internet Access offers are Secure Web Gateway, URL filtering, SSL inspections, and policy-based access control. I find myself relying on Secure Web Gateway, URL filtering, SSL inspection, and policy-based access control the most because these are the main and top-most features I use regularly. Zscaler Internet Access has all of these types of features for securing all internet access and web inspections, allowing me to control all traffic through these features. Zscaler Internet Access features include a Secure Web Gateway for URL filtering, file type control, and inline SSL inspections. The second feature is a cloud firewall with Layer 3 to Layer 7 filtering control and stateful inspections. No hardware inspection or hardware firewall is required. I can also perform segmentations by users, location, and application. There is a cloud CASB solution available as well. Additionally, there is an advanced threat protection feature with signature-based behavioral detections, inline IPS, and zero-day threat protections. The cloud sandboxing solution scans unknown files and provides machine learning-based verdicts to prevent zero-day malware delivery in my environment. There is also a DNS security feature that provides DNS tunneling detections, malicious domain controls, and faster threat containment at the DNS layer. The data protection feature includes inline DLP and CASB-style cloud app control, data sovereignty enforcement, and browser isolation, which executes risky sites in isolated cloud browsers and prevents endpoint compromises. Zscaler Internet Access has positively impacted my organization by reducing the dependency on on-premises hardware and improving security posture, enabling faster user onboarding, and providing better performance for remote users. It has resulted in a drop in security incidents related to web threats and improved visibility into user activity. An area for improvement includes fine-grained troubleshooting tools, better policy simulations, and optimizations around initial configuration complexity.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The iboss system is highly reliable. The false positive rates are small compared to some other systems we've experienced through other partner agencies who use competing solutions."

"Iboss is a solution that prevents advanced persistent threats, and has a zero tolerance for attacks."

"Our primary use case for this product is DLP,"

"Its initial setup was straightforward."

"I would definitely recommend iboss for web filtering purposes to other organizations or individuals."

"iboss has significantly lowered the number of security incidents. It is crazy how much it blocks and how much it is aware of the outside danger."

"I recommend iboss for organizations looking for strong cloud-based web security and centralized access control."

"The iboss solution gives me the ability to scan the traffic through all the ports, through all the 131,000 PCP and UDP ports, and with this ability, we have the granularity also for consults over social media and applications on mobile, and this is an advantage that the customers are looking for right now."

More iboss pros

"The product is easy to install and deploy on the cloud."

"I would rate my experience with the initial setup an eight out of ten, where one is difficult, and ten is easy to set up. It was pretty straightforward."

"This solution does not require much administration."

"For our needs, the cloud-native proxy architecture is a very good solution. We are moving away from on-prem appliances and moving more toward cloud-based solutions. Zscaler is a good fit for our strategy. This architecture helps with cyber threats because we inspect most of the traffic and we can see that a lot of threats are stopped directly in the secure web gateway."

"The solution is scalable, we have around 70,000 total users across various environments."

"From the top to bottom, Zscaler Internet Access is a great security product that protects my end users and remote users in the cloud."

"We don't have to buy equipment to use it. And when our engineers set it up on our side, we just configured a few settings and we were in."

"We like Zscaler's traffic filtering, web security, DLP, and IPS features. The real-time threat protection is excellent."

"We use ZIA for outbound internet connectivity. The internet traffic of on-prem users will be directed to the ZIA cloud for security checks and web filtering."

"Zscaler Internet Access integrates effectively, especially with the high-level IP services."

"The most valuable features of Zscaler Internet Access are it's on the cloud, high network performance, and the interception of users is very easy."

More Zscaler Internet Access pros

Cons

"If they could implement an extra security layer preventing access to iboss from the open internet, it would be great."

"I am currently doing a PoC of the zero trust aspect of it. Compared to other similar solutions, it is hard to get around each feature. It takes a while to get used to it."

"Their on-premise hardware's network interface is capped at one gigabit, which is sort of a problem. If you stand a filter up where all traffic flows through that, according to them, in order to go above a gigabit, you have to have multiple devices, which in today's IT seems a little bit silly. They could easily put in an SFP port into their device that could accommodate 10 gigs or at least offer a box."

"Our biggest problem with their service was it did not recognize the device and filtering did not always work correctly."

"One thing I would like to see differently with their Zero Trust platform is that some of the AI aspects related to high-risk activities have more false positives."

"I would rate iboss an eight out of ten because it provides strong cloud-based security threat protection, centralized policy management, and visibility into web traffic. I would give it a higher rating if automation, reporting, and troubleshooting capabilities could be improved further."

"Iboss is growing so fast that it is often hard for them to keep up with the challenges."

"It is stable, but due to growth, it can sometimes be less stable than wanted."

More iboss cons

"Symantec Cloud Secure Web Gateway can be improved by giving customers more ability to provide feedback on the categorization of websites and the site review portal."

"WSS runs slowly sometimes, I would like for this to be looked into."

"Symantec support is not very good. It is now outsourcing a significant portion of its support desk functions to distributors, who are taking over some of the help desk responsibilities."

"The product is cost-effective, considering its features, technology, and support services."

"Zscaler is one solution. It's a good solution, but it doesn't do everything."

"It needs better integration with other applications. It takes a fair amount of regular activity to apply the by-passes because it is very strict in its restrictions and frequently you have to go in and open things up to allow the workforce to work."

"It also needs better integration with other applications as well. There are some restrictions."

"Regarding improvements in Zscaler Internet Access, the admin console can sometimes be slow, particularly when navigating through reports or policy configuration."

"In every cloud service in the world, you have multiple upstream internet providers to create diversity so that if one of your providers fails, your network just continues. In South Africa, there is only one upstream provider, and that's not right. That that's a problem."

"The pricing is an issue. It is expensive if you have all of your users in the same location. It is expensive compared to other firewalls on the market."

"When you have appliances, SSL inspection is always a headache due to poor performance and/or lack of ciphers implemented. "

"Initially there were issues in terms of stability and improved a lot now."

More Zscaler Internet Access cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The overall pricing for iboss is very competitive and transparent."

"It is not expensive, and it is also not cheap. iboss is priced right in the sweet spot for the number of features it offers."

"We had the cost of purchasing a new appliance along with the implementation and licensing costs. However, the following year, the cost of just licensing was similar to what was paid the previous year for a new appliance along with the implementation and licensing costs."

"We have not priced the solution recently, but they were competitive with other vendors in the past."

"It is probably in line with other solutions, but I do not deal with the financial side."

"It is expensive compared to one of its competitors."

"The price is fixed and affordable."

"ZIA follows a subscription model pricing and charges you based on the number of users. I would say its price is good."

"If we need any extra features, the price will increase."

"Roughly, we might spend $70,000 a month on the solution. We don't pay for anything beyond the standard licensing fee."

"Licenses are available on a per-host basis. Some features like sandboxing require an additional fee, but most standard features are included in the license."

"We pay around 6,500 INR per user per year, which is very expensive. I would rate Zscaler's pricing one out of five."

"The price is competitive. It's not cheap and it's not expensive."

"The tool is moderately priced."

"The price of Zscaler Internet Access should improve, it is expensive."

More Zscaler Internet Access pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

Construction Company

Financial Services Firm

17%

Construction Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	14
Midsize Enterprise	8
Large Enterprise	15

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	17
Midsize Enterprise	9
Large Enterprise	39

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with iboss?

iboss could be improved by making the dashboard more user-friendly, providing more detailed real-time alerts, and imp...

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What is your primary use case for iboss?

iboss is primarily used for cloud security, helping to protect users when they access websites and cloud applications...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for iboss?

The pricing and licensing for iboss were reasonable for the security features. The setup costs were manageable, thoug...

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Which is the better security solution - Cisco Umbrella or Zscaler?

Cisco Umbrella and Zscaler Internet Access are two broad-spectrum Internet security solutions that I have tried. Zs...

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Which is better, Zscaler internet access or Netsckope CASB?

We researched Netskope but ultimately chose Zscaler. Netskope is a cloud access security broker that helps identify ...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zscaler Internet Access?

We have not purchased Zscaler Internet Access through the AWS Marketplace; the licensing process was handled separate...

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Comparisons

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs iboss

Compared 10% of the time

Netskope vs iboss

Compared 8% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate vs iboss

Compared 7% of the time

Cisco Umbrella vs iboss

Compared 6% of the time

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform vs iboss

Compared 4% of the time

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Cisco Umbrella vs Symantec Cloud Secure Web Gateway

Compared 21% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Symantec Cloud Secure Web Gateway

Compared 19% of the time

Fortinet FortiProxy vs Symantec Cloud Secure Web Gateway

Compared 10% of the time

Cisco Web Security Appliance vs Symantec Cloud Secure Web Gateway

Compared 9% of the time

Skyhigh Security vs Symantec Cloud Secure Web Gateway

Compared 6% of the time

More Symantec Cloud Secure Web Gateway Competitors

Cisco Umbrella vs Zscaler Internet Access

Compared 31% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Zscaler Internet Access

Compared 5% of the time

Netskope vs Zscaler Internet Access

Compared 4% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate vs Zscaler Internet Access

Compared 4% of the time

Symantec Secure Web Gateway vs Zscaler Internet Access

Compared 2% of the time

More Zscaler Internet Access Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

iboss

October 2026

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Buyer's Guide

Secure Web Gateways (SWG)

October 2026

Symantec Cloud Secure Web Gateway report

Download Symantec Cloud Secure Web Gateway product report

Buyer's Guide

Zscaler Internet Access

October 2026

Download Zscaler Internet Access product report

Also Known As

iBoss Cloud Platform

Symantec Web Security Service

ZIA

Overview

iboss is the Zero Trust SASE platform that gives organizations complete visibility and governance over their AI, data, and applications through one unified platform, one console, one policy engine, and one data lake.

Your endpoints may already stop malware. Your data and application activity can still be invisible. iboss decrypts and understands every connection, then turns that signal into answers security leaders can act on.

The platform leads with three capabilities in this order: AI Security and Visibility, Data Security and Visibility, and App Visibility and Control. Zero Trust Network Access, VPN replacement, and SD-WAN sit underneath as the access fabric that carries those three. Trusted by global enterprises and government agencies.

What are the most important features of Iboss?

- AI Security and Visibility: conversation capture, shadow-AI discovery, AI DLP, and agent governance across Claude, Co-Work, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok, and emerging services.

- Data Security and Visibility: full SSL/TLS decryption, deep content inspection, MIP label compliance, and one-click compliance reporting.

- App Visibility and Control: signatureless CASB, dual risk scoring, in-app controls, and SSPM for major SaaS.

- Containerized Zero Trust SASE: dedicated containers, isolated SSL keys, one console, one policy engine, one data lake.

- Access fabric: ZTNA, VPN replacement, and SD-WAN under the same platform.

What benefits should users consider in reviews?

- Complete visibility over AI, data, and applications from one platform instead of separate point tools.

- Encrypted traffic is inspected by default so data decisions use content and context together.

- Shadow SaaS and new web tools appear as they are used, with enforceable controls in one console.

- Native data sovereignty through dedicated containers, in-region inspection, and per-customer SSL key custody.

- Scale proven in published materials: 10M+ users, 100+ countries, 150B+ transactions, 2.5B+ threats blocked.

Economic buyers are CISOs, CIOs, and VPs of Security. Champions include security architects, network and infrastructure leaders, SecOps, and GRC. Primary segments: enterprise and business, financial services, government (including FedRAMP Gov Cloud), healthcare, manufacturing, legal and professional services, retail and hospitality, and MSP/MSSP partners. Education, including K-12, is one vertical among these.

iboss

Symantec Cloud Secure Web Gateway provides effective web security solutions designed to protect against internet threats while ensuring secure access to web applications.

Designed for companies seeking reliable web security, Symantec Cloud Secure Web Gateway offers a resilient platform to defend against threats and control web access. It leverages advanced technologies to filter undesirable content and protect sensitive data. It enables secure browsing and delivers robust policy enforcement to keep enterprise networks safe, helping businesses stay compliant and safeguard their data against modern cyber threats.

What are the key features of Symantec Cloud Secure Web Gateway?

Advanced Threat Protection: Safeguards against sophisticated malware and cyber threats.
Content Filtering: Blocks unwanted web content and enforces safe browsing policies.
Data Loss Prevention: Protects sensitive data from being exposed or stolen.
HTTPS Inspection: Monitors encrypted traffic to prevent threats and ensure compliance.
Access Control: Enables granular control over user and device web access.

What are the benefits when evaluating Symantec Cloud Secure Web Gateway?

Enhanced Security: Provides comprehensive protection against web-based threats.
Cost Efficiency: Reduces risks and potential data breach costs with advanced protection.
Compliance Assurance: Helps maintain compliance with industry regulations.
Scalability: Easily adapts to growing organizational demands without compromising performance.
User Productivity: Encourages secure access to necessary resources improving productivity.

In industries like finance and healthcare, Symantec Cloud Secure Web Gateway is crucial for protecting confidential data and ensuring secure communications. Its ability to implement strict compliance measures makes it a preferred choice for sectors with high regulatory standards. By preventing data breaches and unauthorized access, it supports enterprises in maintaining their business integrity and reputation.

Broadcom

Zscaler Internet Access provides internet security through cloud-native architecture, ensuring threat protection and traffic management without relying on traditional VPNs and firewalls.

It enhances security by offering features such as CASB and DLP. With its cloud-native proxy architecture, it facilitates seamless security with reduced latency and high availability. Organizations value the scalability and centralized policy management, integrating seamlessly with existing systems for remote work. It ensures secure traffic management by delivering advanced threat protection and support for applications through SSL inspection and sandboxing. Enhanced measures for DLP, better integration with tools like MFA, and optimized reporting are areas for growth.

What are the key features?

Website Filtering: Controls access to harmful sites to protect users.
SSL Inspection: Shields against threats bypassing traditional defenses.
Cloud Sandbox: Provides advanced threat protection through testing.
CASB: Offers cloud application visibility and security enforcement.

What benefits should users seek?

Scalability: Easily adjusts to growing requirements without manual intervention.
Centralized Management: Simplifies policy implementation across locations.
Seamless Integration: Reduces need for traditional VPNs by integrating with remote infrastructure.

Many industries leverage Zscaler Internet Access for securing internet traffic and safeguarding against threats like malware and DDoS attacks. It is integral as a secure web gateway to fulfill data loss prevention, bandwidth control, and filtering needs, allowing remote users robust access and protection globally. Companies employ it alongside existing tools for proper security and policy enforcement.

Zscaler

Sample Customers

Trusted by global enterprises and government agencies.

Information Not Available

Ulster-Greene ARC, BanRegio, HDFC, Ralcorp Holdings Inc., British American Tobacco, Med America Billing Services Inc., Lanco Group, Aquafil, Telefonica, Swisscom, Brigade Group

Buyer's Guide

Symantec Cloud Secure Web Gateway vs. Zscaler Internet Access

November 2026

Free Report: Symantec Cloud Secure Web Gateway vs. Zscaler Internet Access

Find out what your peers are saying about Symantec Cloud Secure Web Gateway vs. Zscaler Internet Access and other solutions. Updated: November 2026.

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