Fortinet FortiProxy vs Zscaler Internet Access comparison

Fortinet and Zscaler are both solutions in the Secure Web Gateways (SWG) category. Fortinet is ranked #11 with an average rating of 7.9, while Zscaler is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.5. Fortinet holds a 3.9% mindshare in WSG, compared to Zscaler’s 13.3% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Fortinet users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 98% of Zscaler users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 4, 2024

Zscaler Internet Access and Fortinet FortiProxy compete in the network security category, focusing on web filtering, threat detection, and application control. Based on available features, Zscaler Internet Access seems to have an upper hand due to its comprehensive cloud-native security solutions.

Features: Zscaler Internet Access offers URL and application filtering, malware protection, advanced threat detection, SSL inspection, and bandwidth control. It stands out with its cloud-native architecture and ease of integration with cloud services. Fortinet FortiProxy provides granular access control, integration with other security products, enhancing DNS protection, and excellent caching capabilities.

Room for Improvement: Zscaler Internet Access may improve its reporting features for better data interpretation and ease its complex deployment process. Enhancing application integration can also be beneficial. Fortinet FortiProxy could address policy testing and management issues, improve web filtering features, and make documentation more user-friendly. Additional language support for the interface, such as French, would increase accessibility.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Zscaler Internet Access supports versatile deployment across public, private, and hybrid clouds, with users experiencing minimal post-deployment issues, though some suggest enhancements in support speed. Fortinet FortiProxy, primarily on-premise, offers effective initial support but struggles to maintain consistency across infrastructures. Prompt response times are noted, but language support improvements could enhance user accessibility.

Pricing and ROI: Zscaler Internet Access is viewed as expensive, particularly for SMEs, yet provides high ROI through security enhancements and reduced management costs. Fortinet FortiProxy offers a more cost-effective solution with reasonable pricing, balancing feature offerings and potential cost savings, accessible across varied organizational needs. Both solutions report measurable ROI, with Zscaler's comprehensive coverage potentially justifying its higher cost for larger enterprises.

To learn more, read our detailed Fortinet FortiProxy vs. Zscaler Internet Access Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiProxy vs. Zscaler Internet Access

December 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

iboss

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Secure Web Gateways (SWG) category, the mindshare of iboss is 2.4%, up from 1.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiProxy is 3.9%, down from 5.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zscaler Internet Access is 13.3%, down from 16.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Secure Web Gateways (SWG) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Zscaler Internet Access	13.3%
iboss	2.4%
Fortinet FortiProxy	3.9%
Other	80.4%

Secure Web Gateways (SWG)

Featured Reviews

reviewer2701851

Managing Director

Enhances web security with a single pane of glass and flexible deployment

I don't see any need for improvement; one of the really good things about iboss as a company is that they listen to customer feedback. I have suggested enhancements, and they are responsive, making changes for the better, and they do a lot of testing. To improve iboss, although we haven't used it, we considered the VPN solution that comes with the highest tier licensing, which includes DLP and various other add-ons. We prefer using another product which automatically logs you back onto your network when turning on your PC. With iboss, the connection is manual, which doesn't meet our needs. Additionally, sizing can be tricky because, although the initial recommendations may seem adequate, actual usage may require more gateways than anticipated.

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Emmanuel Dasho

Cyber Security Engineer | Network/Security at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

Ease of configuration and seamless integration enhance operational efficiency

The App Control feature in the Fortinet FortiProx * Deep Packet Inspection (DPI): FortiProxy analyzes traffic at the application layer to detect applications even if they use non-standard ports or are encrypted. * Application Signatures: Uses FortiGuard’s application signature database (constantly updated) to recognize thousands of applications. * Policy Enforcement: You can create policies to Allow, Block, Monitor, or Shape (QoS) based on application type, category, or specific apps.

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Mohan Janarthanan

Assosiate Vice President at Novac Technology Solutions

User access management and threat prevention are enhanced with user-friendly controls

The best features Zscaler Internet Access offers include application control, tenant segregation, and PoP center regions which have low availability zones. The internet access is very successful and bandwidth speed is excellent. It also has application-based control, URL-based control, and SSL inspection capabilities, which are very useful. Additionally, the in-depth CASB segregation is very beneficial to us. One unique feature I found helpful is the tenant level restrictions, which we use to only access our organization's tenant level mail IDs, drives, and specific tenant level access while restricting public access. Zscaler Internet Access has positively impacted our organization as we have noticed substantial outputs and income. It has improved our security environment control and endpoint protection. It prevents numerous web attacks through its AI/ML incorporated capability which identifies malware, threats, and viruses. It has a toggle button to enable features entirely at the tenant level for all users onboarded into Zscaler Internet Access, resulting in much better outcomes.

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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

"Its initial setup was straightforward."

"The security aspect of the solution, particularly the malware behind it, is excellent. That's something that really helped us out. It's not just a simple proxy that just blocks the insights of potential threats that come on behind it. They do malware detection and that helps us a lot."

"Technical support is pretty sharp and very responsive."

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

"Valuable features: Within the filter: Controls (Web categories, applications, and Allow/Block list) and Network (local Subnets). Within the reporter: Logs (Event Log) and Reports."

"We were impressed by the solution's mental health function, which can detect if someone needs help. It scans what users are browsing and flags warning signs so we can check to see if they are okay. We've had to use it a couple of times."

"From a use-case scenario, what I like the most is the plug-in. I like the fact that we can do the filtering of these devices offsite independent of the network they are connected to, and we do not have to have traffic coming back inside our network."

"First of all, the security policies are essential. I do not have to rely solely on Active Directory for our users."

More iboss pros

"We can use Fortinet FortiProxy configuration for your network."

"The solution's stability is good."

"The tool's most valuable feature is its granular access control. For example, users can browse the main site if you allow access to Amazon, but it stops them from visiting secondary Amazon websites without specific permission. This granular control is really helpful."

"The most valuable feature is intrusion prevention (IPS) and antivirus profiles. These features help control user activity, ensuring that they access only permitted websites and protects from downloading viruses."

"It is a really stable solution."

"The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiProxy are its simplicity and performance."

"The App Control feature in the Fortinet FortiProxy Deep Packet Inspection (DPI): FortiProxy analyzes traffic at the application layer to detect applications even if they use non-standard ports or are encrypted."

"It seamlessly integrates with various security products, enhancing threat intelligence and improving indicators of compromise."

More Fortinet FortiProxy pros

"The solution is stable and reliable."

"Zscaler offers a centralized DLP solution for web, endpoint, and email."

"All internet access flows through the Zscaler proxy, regardless of whether people are in office or remote. I have greater control site access and I minimize the number of compromises that we experience to almost none."

"We enjoy all of the proxy capabilities and the capability to integrate into the SIEM/SOC solution."

"The most valuable feature of Zscaler Internet Access is that it is a consolidated solution, it comes with many features, such as DLP."

"In terms of management and visibility, there is a single panel where you can configure the policies for your entire organisation worldwide."

"Zscaler Internet Access's roaming user feature is most valuable and is much better compared to other secure web gateways."

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

More Zscaler Internet Access pros

Cons

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

"SSL decryption: We had issues with learners using apps instead of using web browsers. This type of encryption is tough for any appliance in a BYOD environment."

"I'd like to see them accelerate development on the security side, particularly around data loss prevention."

"For zero trust implementation, we encountered complexity issues, especially with a large infrastructure company ExxonMobil."

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

"The dashboards for local use could be better."

"Fold that in with the risk intelligence they're getting from all of the different subscriptions they are a part of. Now, these security companies subscribe to things like emerging threats, databases, etc. You can fold all this intelligence to decide what's happening on an endpoint. I would love to see them start moving into that space. That would compete directly with Microsoft. Maybe that's why they haven't. Having that ability native within the solution would be great. The other area in which I would love to see improvement is more detailed descriptions of why they block websites."

"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."

More iboss cons

"Fortinet FortiProxy should improve by adding more documentation and guides."

"Its web filtering capabilities could be improved."

"Integration with existing infrastructure was generally easy, especially if you had tools like LDAP. However, I had to go through a lot of documentation as it was my first time working with a proxy server. We did experience some issues with certain web applications not working properly after implementing Fortinet FortiProxy."

"For IT administrators and managers, the reporting features are the main issues that should be addressed in order to improve the performance, security, and effective utilization of the product."

"Fortinet FortiProxy should integrate AI/ML technologies. Its pricing needs to be more flexible."

"I see that the solution's interface is not in French...It would be good for our company if we could have the tool interface in French."

"Its power supply process for some of the proxies needs improvement."

"They could provide more time for the onboarding the training of an IT person."

"I would like to see the ability to choose a pool of IPs for my company, set up rules based on them, and know that those IPs are not used by other companies."

"I don't know whether it's Zscaler or not, however, sometimes I can't access my time management. I need to wait and try again a few hours later. Typically, if I let some time pass, I can access it again."

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

"They block Zscaler IPs when the traffic origin is from Zscaler IPs. They've been blocked by certain government organizations so the end users are not able to visit those websites unless we ask them to unblock those IP. This is a bit problematic."

"Sometimes, support isn't available."

"One thing that they could improve is the ability to import rules from other platforms."

"We'd like for them to include some sort of antivirus tool."

More Zscaler Internet Access cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

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

"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."

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

"The solution is neither too expensive nor very cheap."

"It is a cost-effective solution."

"It can be considered expensive, with a limited lifespan and support that eventually requires updating to newer solutions."

"Price-wise, Fortinet FortiProxy is moderate - not the highest among competitors, but not cheap either."

"It offers a more cost-effective solution than alternatives like FortiMail, FortiGate, and various Barracuda devices."

"The tool's pricing is in the middle."

"Zscaler is transparent about its pricing model."

"It is costlier than other solutions."

"Our monthly fee is around R3000."

"The tool is moderately priced."

"It is a few pounds per user per month."

"Zscaler is an expensive solution, but it's worth the price. Their services are unmatched by competitors. Some may come with half the features that Zscaler can offer and be much cheaper. However, they do not have the global coverage that Zscaler has, and they will not provide the same low latencies and the same speeds that Zscaler can."

"Because it's a cloud solution, we pay on a yearly basis. It is affordable and includes tech support and all features."

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

More Zscaler Internet Access pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

11%

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	5

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	3

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	17
Midsize Enterprise	9
Large Enterprise	38

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with iboss?

For zero trust implementation, we encountered complexity issues, especially with a large infrastructure company Exxon...

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What is your primary use case for iboss?

Previously when I used iboss, we did the POC for iboss for ExxonMobil. Four or five people wanted to move from our ol...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for iboss?

Regarding pricing, setup costs, and licensing, iboss is not cheap, and that's my only concern. There are cheaper alte...

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What do you like most about Fortinet FortiProxy?

The tool's most valuable feature is traffic inspections.

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What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiProxy?

For me it may be the wildcards for urls whitelist or blacklist, somehow the page loads. Aside from that there no other..

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What advice do you have for others considering Fortinet FortiProxy?

My advice to others who are considering Fortinet FortiProxy is that it is seamless, easy to use, and quite straightfo...

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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?

It is only for big companies currently and they only focus on that. That is one of the problems to get into the marke...

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Comparisons

Netskope vs iboss

Compared 14% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs iboss

Compared 11% of the time

Cisco Umbrella vs iboss

Compared 10% of the time

FortiSASE vs iboss

Compared 7% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate vs iboss

Compared 6% of the time

More iboss Competitors

Fortinet FortiGate vs Fortinet FortiProxy

Compared 37% of the time

Forcepoint Secure Web Gateway vs Fortinet FortiProxy

Compared 9% of the time

Blue Coat Secure Web Gateway Virtual Appliance vs Fortinet FortiProxy

Compared 6% of the time

Cisco Web Security Appliance vs Fortinet FortiProxy

Compared 6% of the time

Cisco Umbrella vs Fortinet FortiProxy

Compared 6% of the time

More Fortinet FortiProxy Competitors

Cisco Umbrella vs Zscaler Internet Access

Compared 22% of the time

Netskope vs Zscaler Internet Access

Compared 13% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Zscaler Internet Access

Compared 12% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps vs Zscaler Internet Access

Compared 5% of the time

Skyhigh Security vs Zscaler Internet Access

Compared 1% of the time

More Zscaler Internet Access Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

iboss

January 2026

Download iboss product report

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiProxy

January 2026

Download Fortinet FortiProxy product report

Buyer's Guide

Zscaler Internet Access

December 2025

Download Zscaler Internet Access product report

Also Known As

iBoss Cloud Platform

FortiProxy

ZIA

Overview

Iboss offers a comprehensive cloud-based security platform valued for its scalability and autonomous features, ensuring robust security with easy deployment and management capabilities.

Renowned for its robust security architecture, Iboss integrates seamlessly within diverse networks, delivering efficient granular filtering and advanced content categorization. Its single pane of glass console provides ease of management, allowing rapid scalability suitable for rapidly deploying environments. Operates in BYOD setups due to inline filtering without device installation. Integration with cloud-based applications enhances user control, and features like SASE, SSL inspection, and ChatGPT risk protection stand as highlights. Despite its strengths, users have pointed out areas for enhancement like direct navigation in reports, SSL decryption, and better cloud integration while having room to improve data loss prevention.

What are the most important features of Iboss?

Scalability: Supports rapid deployment across diverse networks.
SASE: A consolidated approach to secure access.
SSL Inspection: Ensures safe data transmission.
Granular Filtering: Detailed control over accessible content.
Single Pane Management: Unifies control through a centralized console.

What benefits should users consider in reviews?

Cost-effectiveness: Offers competitive pricing with robust features.
Autonomous Operation: Reduces management overhead.
Responsive Support: Provides assistance when needed.
Flexible Deployment: Available for both cloud and on-premises environments.

The usage of Iboss spans educational institutions, specifically K-12, to enforce internet policies, protect data, and support remote work environments. It provides web filtering and security frameworks to ensure safe browsing. Its platform-as-a-service model offers flexibility for both cloud-based and on-premises requirements, integrating seamlessly to deliver enhanced security features suitable for various deployment needs including zero trust, CASB, and network security for work-from-home setups.

iboss

Fortinet FortiProxy is a secure web gateway that provides advanced web filtering, malware protection, and SSL inspection capabilities. It is designed to protect organizations from web-based threats and prevent data loss by enforcing granular policies for web access. FortiProxy is available as a physical or virtual appliance and can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud. FortiProxy uses a combination of signature-based and behavior-based detection techniques to identify and block known and unknown threats. It also includes advanced features such as sandboxing and machine learning to detect and prevent zero-day attacks. FortiProxy can inspect SSL traffic to detect and block threats hidden in encrypted traffic. FortiProxy provides granular control over web access by allowing administrators to create policies based on user identity, device type, time of day, and other factors. It also includes pre-defined categories for web filtering, such as social media, gambling, and adult content. FortiProxy can also enforce compliance with regulatory requirements such as GDPR and HIPAA. FortiProxy integrates with Fortinet's Security Fabric, allowing it to share threat intelligence with other Fortinet products and provide a coordinated response to threats. It also includes a web-based management console that provides real-time visibility into web traffic and allows administrators to quickly respond to security incidents.

Fortinet FortiProxy is a comprehensive web security solution that provides advanced protection against web-based threats and allows organizations to enforce granular policies for web access.

Fortinet

Zscaler Internet Access is a cloud-native security service edge (SSE) platform. Its main purpose is to provide AI-powered protection for all users, all applications, and all locations. The solution replaces other legacy network security solutions to stop advanced attacks and prevent data loss by using a comprehensive zero trust approach.

Zscaler Internet Access Features

Zscaler Internet Access has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

Proxy (native SSL)
IPS and advanced protection
Cloud sandbox
DNS security
Cloud firewall
URL filtering
Bandwidth control
DNS filtering
Cloud DLP w/EDM and IDM
Cloud access security broker (CASB)
Cloud security posture management (CSPM)
CloudBrowser isolation
Cloud secure web gateway (SWG)
Zero trust network access (ZTNA)
Digital experience monitoring

Zscaler Internet Access Benefits

There are several benefits to implementing Zscaler Internet Access. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

Fast access with zero infrastructure: Zscaler Internet Access creates a fast, seamless user experience because of its direct-to-cloud architecture. With no infrastructure, Zscaler Internet Access helps you eliminate backhauling, which improves performance and simplifies network administration.

Threat intelligence: By using threat intelligence, Zscaler Internet Access can stop ransomware, zero-day malware, and advanced attacks via Inline inspection of all internet traffic, including SSL decryption, and a suite of AI-powered cloud security services.

Consistent security: With Zscaler Internet Access, your security policy goes everywhere your users go. When you move security to the cloud, all users, applications, devices, and locations remain protected and secure based on identity and context.

Hybrid workforce: Zscaler Internet Access enables secure access to all external and internal apps from anywhere, so remote work is not an issue. You can also enforce business policies that follow the user, making security identical regardless of location.

Reviews from Real Users

Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by Zscaler Internet Access users.

A Service Manager at a construction company says, "There are a bunch of different capabilities that are valuable within the platform. We use quite a lot of them, but not everything. The ones that are most important to us are the URL Filtering and the application control. For our needs, the cloud-native proxy architecture is a very good solution. 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."

Owen N., Security Architect at Claro Enterprise Solutions, explains that the solution’s most valuable features include “The integration of the gateway that inspects all ports and protocols. So, there is threat prevention; The cloud sandbox; VNS security; Access control that will protect URL filtering and the cloud firewall; Data protection that will protect your gateway, like your CASB or your cloud DLP; The capabilities of this will point your traffic to Zscaler Cloud.”

An Architecture Senior Manager at an insurance company mentions, "The data loss prevention feature is the most valuable. It stops our users from inadvertently leaking our customers' data to the Internet or anywhere else it shouldn't go." He also adds, “The solution provides quick access to cloud services, securing our data and allowing us to inspect all our traffic.”

Zscaler

Sample Customers

More than 4,000 global enterprises trust the iboss Cloud Platform to support their modern workforces, including a large number of Fortune 50 companies.

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

Fortinet FortiProxy vs. Zscaler Internet Access

December 2025

Free Report: Fortinet FortiProxy vs. Zscaler Internet Access

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