Sophos Firewall vs. Zscaler Internet Access

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Sophos Firewall
Score 9.6 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
NoNo
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
9.5
Ratings
10% above category average
Zscaler Internet Access
-
Ratings
Identification Technologies9.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Visualization Tools9.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Content Inspection9.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Policy-based Controls9.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Active Directory and LDAP9.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Firewall Management Console9.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Reporting and Logging9.60 Ratings00 Ratings
VPN9.70 Ratings00 Ratings
High Availability9.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Stateful Inspection9.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Proxy Server8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Identity Management
Comparison of Identity Management features of Product A and Product B
Sophos Firewall
-
Ratings
Zscaler Internet Access
5.0
Ratings
56% below category average
Multi-Factor Authentication00 Ratings5.00 Ratings
Endpoint Security
Comparison of Endpoint Security features of Product A and Product B
Sophos Firewall
-
Ratings
Zscaler Internet Access
10.0
Ratings
6% above category average
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Threat Intelligence
Comparison of Threat Intelligence features of Product A and Product B
Sophos Firewall
-
Ratings
Zscaler Internet Access
9.5
Ratings
7% above category average
Network Analytics00 Ratings9.70 Ratings
Threat Recognition00 Ratings9.40 Ratings
Vulnerability Classification00 Ratings9.40 Ratings
Automated Alerts and Reporting00 Ratings9.40 Ratings
Threat Analysis00 Ratings9.70 Ratings
Threat Intelligence Reporting00 Ratings9.70 Ratings
Automated Threat Identification00 Ratings9.10 Ratings
Zero Trust Security
Comparison of Zero Trust Security features of Product A and Product B
Sophos Firewall
-
Ratings
Zscaler Internet Access
9.7
Ratings
4% above category average
Continuous Verification00 Ratings9.70 Ratings
Secure Web Gateways00 Ratings9.70 Ratings
Network Flow Control00 Ratings9.70 Ratings
Network Traffic Analysis00 Ratings9.40 Ratings
Segmentation Leveraging00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Admin Access Control00 Ratings9.40 Ratings
Network Data Encryption00 Ratings9.40 Ratings
Network Topology Mapping00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Sophos FirewallZscaler Internet Access
Small Businesses
pfSense
pfSense
Score 9.9 out of 10
ThreatLocker
ThreatLocker
Score 9.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Quantum Firewalls and Security Gateways
Quantum Firewalls and Security Gateways
Score 9.6 out of 10
Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access
Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access
Score 8.9 out of 10
Enterprises
Palo Alto Networks Virtualized Next-Generation Firewalls - VM Series
Palo Alto Networks Virtualized Next-Generation Firewalls - VM Series
Score 10.0 out of 10
Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access
Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access
Score 8.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Sophos FirewallZscaler Internet Access
Likelihood to Recommend
9.4
(0 ratings)
8.7
(0 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(0 ratings)
8.5
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.1
(0 ratings)
8.1
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Sophos FirewallZscaler Internet Access
Likelihood to Recommend
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 Internet Access has extremely powerful category selection and it is very easy to create your own destinations for inspection and policy exceptions (SSL exception specifically). It is also very affordable and just as powerful (if not more) than some of the other solutions I have used in the past to achieve internet security.
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Pros
  • 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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  • The depth that Cloud App control policies can go into. Being able to control individual actions within an application, more than just all or nothing access.
  • The UX/UI design makes it really easy to navigate the portal.
  • Understanding how cloud app/url control policy gets evaluated and creating/editing existing policy is extremely straightforward.
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Cons
  • 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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  • Easier interface on the menus so they don't disappear.
  • Help, I'm contacting support only through the ZIA portal, but I'm unable to use the link easily.
  • Mobile interface changes.
  • The searching function for the logs is tricky and challenging to use, and the menu always pops down when trying to find the proper function.
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Likelihood to Renew
No answers on this topic
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
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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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
No answers on this topic
There are often performance issues reported
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Support Rating
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'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
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 Internet Access is most akin to ZPA - we bought both at the same time to handle all traffic internally and externally. In terms of quality - I would make the statement that Zscaler Internet Access is a simpler product but that's also cause there are no App Connectors involved in that process.
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Return on Investment
  • 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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  • 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
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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.