Is Zscaler a good VPN in 2026?
Zscaler is not a VPN you can buy for your home. It is an enterprise zero trust platform that companies use to replace their corporate VPN. When people say "Zscaler VPN", they usually mean Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) together with the Zscaler Client Connector app that their employer installs on a work laptop or phone.
For businesses it is one of the strongest options available. Zscaler says it runs the world's largest security cloud with more than 160 data centers, handles over 750 billion requests a day, serves about 45% of the Fortune 500 and was named a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for SSE. For personal privacy, streaming or torrenting, it is the wrong tool, and our best VPN list covers consumer services instead.
How Zscaler works compared to a VPN
A traditional VPN puts your device on the company network. Zscaler takes the opposite approach. Client Connector forwards traffic to the Zero Trust Exchange, which checks identity, device posture and policy, then brokers a one to one connection to a single app. Users never join the network, and private apps are never exposed to the internet.
| Topic | Traditional VPN | Zscaler ZPA |
|---|---|---|
| What you connect to | The whole network | Only approved apps |
| Internet exposure | VPN gateway is public | Apps stay hidden behind the cloud |
| Lateral movement | Possible after login | Blocked by user to app segmentation |
| Access decision | Once at login | Per session, using identity and context |
| Traffic inspection | Usually none | Full inline TLS/SSL inspection |
The NIST zero trust architecture guide (SP 800-207) explains the model Zscaler is built on. Zscaler itself cites research that 56% of organizations suffered a VPN related attack in 2023 to 2024, which is the main reason companies switch.
Speed and performance
Because traffic goes to the nearest of 160+ Zscaler data centers instead of back to a head office, remote workers usually get shorter routes than with an old hub and spoke VPN. Zscaler also offers Digital Experience (ZDX) monitoring, so IT teams can spot app, network and device slowdowns.
- Direct to app routing avoids backhauling traffic to the office
- Intelligent traffic routing picks a nearby service edge
- Full TLS inspection can add latency on some sites, depending on policy
- Speed depends heavily on how your IT team configures the tenant
Zscaler does not publish consumer style speed tests. If raw throughput for home use is the goal, our NordVPN review covers a service with independent results.
Security features
Security is where Zscaler stands out. The platform is a cloud native proxy architecture that inspects 100% of TLS/SSL traffic and applies its Single Scan, Multi Action engine to block threats in real time.
- AI powered app segmentation that discovers apps and suggests policies
- Advanced threat protection with ransomware and zero day prevention
- Cloud Sandbox and Browser Isolation for risky files and sites
- Data loss prevention with Exact Data Match and machine learning
- Privileged Remote Access for clientless RDP, SSH and VNC
- Deception decoys placed on endpoints to catch attackers
In August 2025 Zscaler confirmed it was affected by the Salesloft Drift supply chain attack, which exposed business contact details and support case data in its Salesforce instance. Zscaler said its products, services and infrastructure were not compromised, but it is a reminder that even security vendors depend on third party SaaS.
Privacy: who can see your traffic?
This is the key point for anyone using Zscaler at work. Zscaler protects the company, not your personal anonymity. Because it decrypts and inspects traffic, your employer's IT team can apply policy to, and log, the sites and apps you use while Client Connector is active.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Hides your activity from your employer | No, it is designed to give IT visibility |
| TLS/SSL inspection | Yes, on traffic covered by policy |
| No logs policy | No, logging is controlled by the customer |
| Headquarters | San Jose, California, United States |
| Public company | Yes, listed on Nasdaq and in the NASDAQ-100 |
Keep personal browsing off a work device. For private use at home, an audited consumer VPN such as Proton VPN or ExpressVPN is the right choice.
Client Connector apps and platforms
Zscaler Client Connector is a lightweight agent that runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, iOS and Android. IT teams deploy it through Microsoft Intune or any other MDM, and it can silently install the client and its certificates. Users mostly sign in once and forget it is there.
- Six platforms covered by one agent
- Browser Access for contractors and unmanaged devices with no install
- Cloud managed updates with rollback support
- No consumer download, the app only works with a company tenant
If you need a VPN for your own computer, compare full desktop apps in our best VPN for PC guide.
Streaming and torrenting
Zscaler is not built to unblock Netflix, Disney+ or Max, and it has no server location picker. Traffic leaves from a Zscaler data center near you, and company policy often blocks streaming and P2P traffic completely. For streaming, read our Surfshark review or CyberGhost review.
Value for money
Zscaler sells through custom quotes and partners, so there is no public price list or self serve plan. Value comes from consolidation: one platform can replace VPN concentrators, firewalls at branches, VDI for some use cases and separate SWG, CASB and ZTNA tools. Zscaler customer Careem reports cutting legacy firewall and VPN costs by about 55%. Small teams may find it complex and costly next to simpler tools.
Customer support
Business customers get support through the Zscaler Help Portal, a Customer Success Center, release notes, a public Trust Portal showing cloud status and the Zenith Community forum. If Zscaler is installed by your employer, your own IT help desk is the first contact, since Zscaler does not support individual end users directly.
