Cloudflare Access

Name: Cloudflare Access
Brand: Cloudflare
Rating: 4.5 (328 reviews)

Leader

At Cloudflare, we have our eyes set on an ambitious goal — to help build a better Internet.

Est 2009|Valuation $108.1B|Raised $3B

LinkedIn 1.2M|Website|Web traffic 91.2M|FTEs 5,483|HQ San Francisco, CA

MarketsIdentity Provider (IdP) & SSO Network Access Control (NAC)Security Service Edge (SSE)

01Competitive Landscape

Narrative comparison

#### Cloudflare Access vs Zscaler Private Access - Zscaler emphasizes enterprise segmentation, app connectors, and inspection controls; its pricing and packaging focus on bundles and add-ons rather than a single simple public per-user rate. - Cloudflare provides transparent entry pricing and emphasizes its global edge footprint and Tunnel-based architecture. - Where Zscaler may be preferable: very large enterprises requiring complex segmentation, tenancy patterns, and extensive professional services. - Where Cloudflare may be preferable: teams seeking a lower-friction initial deployment and organizations already using Cloudflare services (CDN/WAF/DNS) seeking vendor consolidation. #### Cloudflare Access vs Microsoft Entra Private Access - Microsoft positions Entra Private Access as part of the Entra Suite and publishes per-user pricing on vendor pages. - For Microsoft-first environments, Entra can reduce tool sprawl and leverage existing identity governance investments. - Cloudflare can be preferable when organizations want an independent edge and are using Cloudflare Tunnel or other Cloudflare One components. #### Cloudflare Access vs Netskope Private Access - Netskope commonly appears on shortlists in SSE/SASE evaluations. Public pricing is limited, and total cost can vary by service package and professional services. Netskope may be preferable where advanced DLP/CASB capabilities are the primary requirement.

Market adoption / analyst recognition

Cloudflare references analyst recognition (e.g., Gartner Magic Quadrant) in marketing materials. Analyst placement is a data point for shortlisting and should be combined with technical evaluation and procurement criteria.

	Cloudflare Access	Zscaler Private Access (ZPA)	Microsoft Entra Private Access
Starting Price	Free tier for small teams; published per-user pricing available from the vendor	Quote-based; bundled or standalone options; public pricing less explicit	Included in Entra Suite with published per-user pricing available from the vendor
Best For	Teams seeking a VPN replacement integrated with Cloudflare edge and Tunnel, with transparent entry pricing	Large enterprises standardizing on Zscaler SSE/SASE ecosystem, with mature enterprise programs	Microsoft-centric organizations leveraging Entra identity and conditional access governance
Key Strength	App-level access controls with integration to Cloudflare Tunnel and a clear entry pricing model	Enterprise segmentation capabilities and an established SSE/SASE program	Integration with Microsoft identity stack and potential licensing synergies for Microsoft-first environments
Key Weakness	Enterprise features may be tiered; operational UX concerns at scale; dependency on Cloudflare availability	Complexity and enterprise pricing; deployment scale can require substantial program support	Licensing complexity and capabilities that may still be evolving relative to specialized SSE vendors

01Competitive Landscape

Narrative comparison

Cloudflare Access vs Zscaler Private Access

Zscaler emphasizes enterprise segmentation, app connectors, and inspection controls; its pricing and packaging focus on bundles and add-ons rather than a single simple public per-user rate.
Cloudflare provides transparent entry pricing and emphasizes its global edge footprint and Tunnel-based architecture.
Where Zscaler may be preferable: very large enterprises requiring complex segmentation, tenancy patterns, and extensive professional services.
Where Cloudflare may be preferable: teams seeking a lower-friction initial deployment and organizations already using Cloudflare services (CDN/WAF/DNS) seeking vendor consolidation.

Cloudflare Access vs Microsoft Entra Private Access

Microsoft positions Entra Private Access as part of the Entra Suite and publishes per-user pricing on vendor pages.
For Microsoft-first environments, Entra can reduce tool sprawl and leverage existing identity governance investments.
Cloudflare can be preferable when organizations want an independent edge and are using Cloudflare Tunnel or other Cloudflare One components.

Cloudflare Access vs Netskope Private Access

Netskope commonly appears on shortlists in SSE/SASE evaluations. Public pricing is limited, and total cost can vary by service package and professional services. Netskope may be preferable where advanced DLP/CASB capabilities are the primary requirement.

Market adoption / analyst recognition

	Cloudflare Access	Zscaler Private Access (ZPA)	Microsoft Entra Private Access
Starting Price	Free tier for small teams; published per-user pricing available from the vendor	Quote-based; bundled or standalone options; public pricing less explicit	Included in Entra Suite with published per-user pricing available from the vendor
Best For	Teams seeking a VPN replacement integrated with Cloudflare edge and Tunnel, with transparent entry pricing	Large enterprises standardizing on Zscaler SSE/SASE ecosystem, with mature enterprise programs	Microsoft-centric organizations leveraging Entra identity and conditional access governance
Key Strength	App-level access controls with integration to Cloudflare Tunnel and a clear entry pricing model	Enterprise segmentation capabilities and an established SSE/SASE program	Integration with Microsoft identity stack and potential licensing synergies for Microsoft-first environments
Key Weakness	Enterprise features may be tiered; operational UX concerns at scale; dependency on Cloudflare availability	Complexity and enterprise pricing; deployment scale can require substantial program support	Licensing complexity and capabilities that may still be evolving relative to specialized SSE vendors