Why Teams Are Switching From Zscaler in 2025 (and How to Switch Without the Drama)

Zscaler is a market leader, and plenty of teams are happy on it. So why do so many security and IT leaders start 2027 planning with "should we switch from Zscaler?" on the list? In our experience it's rarely one big failure. It's a pile-up: latency complaints, a renewal quote that's hard to explain, a steering setup only one person understands, and an AI governance gap that keeps getting a new SKU.

This post covers the real reasons teams leave, what to check before you decide, and what a low-risk switch looks like. If you've already decided and want a shortlist, go to our best Zscaler alternatives for 2027. For a market map, see Zscaler competitors.

First, the fair part: what Zscaler does well

Zscaler was named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Security Service Edge for the fifth year in a row, and a Leader in the 2026 Magic Quadrant for SASE Platforms for the first time. Its Zero Trust Exchange is huge, ZIA is a deep secure web gateway, and ZPA is one of the most widely deployed ZTNA products. Teams that switch aren't usually saying Zscaler is bad. They're saying the model doesn't fit how they work anymore.

Reason 1: the detour users can feel

Zscaler Internet Access is a cloud proxy. Traffic leaves the laptop, goes to a Zscaler service edge, gets decrypted and inspected, and then continues to the app. Near a well-placed data center, that detour is small. Far from one, or on a busy hotel network, it isn't. Cloud-proxy latency typically runs 40 to 80 ms near a point of presence and 150 to 400 ms when users are far from one, and modern SaaS pages chain dozens of requests.

That shows up as "the internet is slow" tickets, split-tunnel exceptions, and bypass lists that quietly grow. More PoPs can shorten the trip. They can't remove it. Our latency math for cloud proxy SWGs shows how it adds up.

Reason 2: pricing that grows on two axes

Zscaler sells ZIA in editions, commonly Essentials, Business, and Transformation, and sells ZPA, digital experience monitoring, data protection, and AI security capabilities alongside. A UK G-Cloud list from 2024 showed ZIA at $72, $90, and $160 per user per year for those three editions. That's dated and your quote will differ, but it shows the pattern: moving up an edition can roughly double the per-user cost.

The bill grows with headcount and with every capability you add. That's hard to forecast and harder to explain to finance. Our Zscaler pricing guide walks through what a full-stack quote really includes.

Reason 3: operating weight

A Zscaler deployment is a steering project: Client Connector, forwarding profiles, PAC files, app profiles, and exception lists. Large teams with a network function can own that. Lean teams often end up with one person who understands the config, and a backlog of tuning that never gets done. We compare the agents directly in Zscaler Client Connector vs. a lightweight agent.

Reason 4: AI governance keeps becoming another line item

Zscaler has shipped a lot of AI security, including AI Guard for inspecting prompts and responses. The question buyers ask isn't "can Zscaler do AI?" It's "what does our edition include, and what do we have to add?" If blocking personal ChatGPT and Claude accounts while allowing the enterprise tenant is your urgent problem, confirm exactly which licenses that takes before your renewal.

Reason 5: a shared control plane

Any cloud-delivered SSE depends on the vendor's control plane. Third-party status tracker IsDown recorded, for example, an August 17, 2026 incident in which ZIA audit logs were unavailable across all clouds for about four hours. That's not unusual for any large cloud service. It is a reminder that when the cloud has a bad day, your visibility and sometimes your enforcement go with it. See why a shared control plane matters.

Reason 6: where your data gets decrypted

A cloud proxy decrypts your traffic in its data center. That's a well-documented, audited model, but it adds a third party and a jurisdiction to every security questionnaire. On-device inspection decrypts and re-inspects on the endpoint, so the answer to "where is our traffic decrypted?" gets simpler.

Should you stay on Zscaler?

Sometimes, yes. Staying makes sense if:

• ZPA is central to your private-app access and you have no replacement planned.
• Your users mostly sit near Zscaler data centers and don't complain about speed.
• You have a team that actively tunes the platform and values its depth.
• You're mid-contract and the renewal economics still work.

If most of those aren't true, the switch is worth scoping.

What to check before you switch

• Map your footprint. List what you actually use: ZIA (web gateway), ZPA (private access), ZDX (experience monitoring), DLP, CASB, browser isolation. Each needs a plan.
• Know your dates. Note your renewal date and notice period. Pilot at least 60 to 90 days before them.
• Export your policy. URL categories, custom lists, SSL bypasses, and DLP rules. Most teams find a lot of stale entries.
• List your exceptions. Every bypass and split-tunnel rule is traffic nobody inspects today. Decide which ones should survive.
• Define success. Page-load time for your top SaaS apps, ticket volume, admin hours per week, and what the new tool can see that Zscaler couldn't.

What a low-risk switch looks like

With an agent-based gateway, you don't need a rip-and-replace weekend:

• Week 1: push the dope.security agent through Intune or Jamf to one pilot group, usually your most mobile team. Leave Zscaler running for everyone else.
• Weeks 2 to 3: compare a normal workday against the Zscaler path: speed, visibility, and admin effort. Test the AI case: corporate ChatGPT allowed, personal blocked.
• Week 4 onward: expand group by group. Policy changes land on every endpoint in under a minute, so tuning is quick.
• Private access: if you rely on ZPA, keep it or plan its replacement separately. dope.security doesn't replace ZPA today.

Deployment speed is where the agent model shines. A Fortune 100 company scaled dope.security from 900 to over 18,000 devices in a matter of weeks, averaging about 3,000 devices a week, deployed silently through Intune. Read the Fortune 100 deployment story and our healthcare Zscaler displacement case study.

Common mistakes when leaving Zscaler

• Copying every old rule. Years of exceptions and custom lists come along by default. Start from a clean baseline and add back only what the pilot proves you need.
• Forgetting private access. Teams scope the web gateway and then discover ZPA carries critical internal apps. Decide its future up front.
• Testing features instead of a workday. A checklist won't tell you how Salesforce, Google Docs, and Zoom feel on a home network. A real user will.
• Waiting for the renewal notice. Start the pilot early enough that the result, not the deadline, drives the decision.
• Leaving data at rest out of scope. A web gateway covers data in motion. Pair it with cloud scanning, such as CASB Neural for externally shared Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 files.

Cloud proxy vs. on-device: the decision in one table

Swapping one cloud proxy for another changes the logo. Moving inspection onto the device changes the thing most teams are unhappy with.

Frequently asked questions

Why are companies leaving Zscaler?

The most common reasons are latency from routing traffic through a cloud proxy, pricing that grows with editions and add-ons, the operational effort of steering and tuning, and AI governance features that may require extra licenses.

How long does it take to switch from Zscaler?

With an agent-based gateway, a pilot group can be protected in the first week and a full rollout can follow over a few weeks, depending on fleet size and change control. Plan private access (ZPA) separately.

Can I run dope.security alongside Zscaler during a pilot?

Yes, that's the recommended approach. Keep Zscaler for most users, pilot dope.security with one group through your MDM, and compare a real workday before expanding.

Does dope.security replace ZPA?

Not today. dope.security replaces the web gateway (ZIA) and adds endpoint DLP and CASB. If you depend on ZPA for private-app access, keep it or plan a separate replacement.

What is the best Zscaler alternative?

It depends on why you're leaving. If latency, cost, and AI governance are the drivers, an on-device SWG like dope.security addresses all three. Our best Zscaler alternatives shortlist matches options to reasons.

Test the switch on real laptops

Pick your most mobile team, push the agent through your MDM, and compare a workday side by side. Start free or book a 20-minute demo. For the full plan, read the complete guide to replacing Zscaler.