Zero trust network access software: AI search visibility ranking (2026)
How AI search engines rank zero trust network access software by visibility and citations. 20 brands measured monthly across Google AI Mode: which brands the AI names in answers, which domains it cites as sources, and how the leaders compare. Security platforms used to replace traditional VPNs with identity-aware, least-privilege access to applications and internal resources. Composite score: 70% visibility (% of AI answers naming the brand) + 30% citation rate (% citing the brand's domain). Full methodology →
Refreshed Jun 20, 2026Download this ranking as a PDF
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At a glance
What we observed in this categoryauto-generated
Zscaler leads the zero trust network access software category with a visibility score of 25.0%, more than double the 12.5% shared by four brands at ranks 2 through 6. That gap is meaningful because the category average sits at just 4.4%, meaning Zscaler captures roughly 5.7 times the average visibility. Brands ranked 7 through 10, including Prisma Access, Netskope, Cisco Duo, and Akamai Enterprise Application Access, all register 0.0% visibility, confirming a sharp two-tier structure.
The most notable divergence between visibility and citation sits at rank 1: Zscaler holds 25.0% visibility but 0.0% citation, meaning Google AI Mode names it frequently but never links back to its domain. Tailscale at rank 2 is the only brand where visibility and citation align, both at 12.5%, making it the sole brand the AI both names and actively references. The category average citation rate is just 0.6%, confirming that being named in AI responses rarely translates into a direct source link here.
Google AI Mode is the top engine for every brand in this dataset, suggesting the audit is concentrated on that single surface. The cited sources list is dominated by third-party and community platforms: youtube.com, reddit.com, peerspot.com, and gartner.com all appear alongside smaller specialist sites like veza.com, terrazone.io, and petronellatech.com. Vendor domains themselves are largely absent from the cited sources, which helps explain why high-visibility brands like Zscaler and Cloudflare One carry 0.0% citation rates.
Movers & shakers since last refresh
Biggest visibility risers
-
Zscaler 0% → 25% · rank #0 → #1+25pp
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Tailscale 0% → 12% · rank #0 → #2+12pp
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Cloudflare One 0% → 12% · rank #0 → #3+12pp
The ranking
| # | Brand | Visibility | Citation | Top engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
zscaler.com
|
25% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Zscaler leads with 25.0% visibility, nearly 5.7 times the 4.4% category average, but holds a 0.0% citation rate, the largest named-but-not-cited gap in the dataset. |
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| 2 |
tailscale.com
|
12% | 12% | Google AI Mode |
Tailscale is the only top-5 brand where visibility and citation are equal at 12.5%, making it the most trusted as well as named brand in the category. |
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| 3 |
cloudflare.com
|
12% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Cloudflare One matches Tailscale at 12.5% visibility but carries 0.0% citation, leaving it named in AI responses without any domain-level sourcing to support that presence. |
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| 4 |
perimeter81.com
|
12% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Perimeter 81 sits at 12.5% visibility with 0.0% citation, identical in composite score to Cloudflare One and NordLayer, indicating no differentiation between ranks 3 through 6 on current metrics. |
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| 5 |
nordlayer.com
|
12% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
NordLayer shares the 12.5% visibility and 8.8 composite score of three other mid-tier brands, showing no measurable AI Mode advantage over direct peers Perimeter 81 and Twingate. |
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| 6 |
twingate.com
|
12% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 7 |
paloaltonetworks.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 8 |
netskope.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 9 |
cisco.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 10 |
akamai.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 11 |
cloud.google.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 12 |
appgate.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 13 |
openvpn.net
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 14 |
ivanti.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 15 |
strongdm.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 16 |
goteleport.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 17 |
catonetworks.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 18 |
checkpoint.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 19 |
keepersecurity.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 20 |
axis.security
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Sources AI engines trust in this category
Across the 8 buyer-intent queries we ran on zero trust network access software, these are the domains Google AI Mode cited most often. If you're not on this list — or if your competitors are — that's a concrete PR / linkbuilding target.
How to read this ranking
Four things worth knowing before you act on the numbers above. These are the same definitions across every industry page — for category-specific observations, see the What we observed section above (where available) and the per-brand insights inline in the ranking.
Visibility = being named
A brand's visibility % is the share of AI answers that mention it by name in the response prose. This is who AI engines actively recommend to the buyer.
Citation rate = being trusted
Citation rate is the share of AI answers that include the brand's domain as a clickable source link. This is what the AI treats as authoritative evidence — different from being named.
Top engine differs by brand
The "top engine" column shows which AI surface each brand performs best on. Big gaps between a brand's score across engines usually points to specific content or schema gaps.
Rankings move month to month
AI engines re-crawl and re-rank on shorter cycles than classical search. We re-audit every brand on this list at least every 30 days and refresh this page automatically.
Get your own zero trust network access software brand audited
The brands above were curated from public market-leader lists. Want the same measurement against your own brand — including the queries you appear on, which competitors get named instead, and a prioritised fix list? Run a free preview.
Frequently asked about zero trust network access software AI visibility
Who leads AI visibility in zero trust network access software?
Zscaler leads with 25.0% visibility, more than double any other brand in the category. The nearest competitors, Tailscale, Cloudflare One, Perimeter 81, NordLayer, and Twingate, all sit at 12.5%.
Which brand is most cited as a source in AI responses for this category?
Tailscale is the only top brand with a non-zero citation rate at 12.5%, while every other ranked brand including Zscaler carries a 0.0% citation rate.
What sources does Google AI Mode anchor on for zero trust network access research?
The top cited sources are youtube.com, veza.com, reddit.com, peerspot.com, and gartner.com, with vendor domains largely absent from the cited list.
How many brands in this category have zero AI visibility?
At least four tracked brands, including Prisma Access, Netskope, Cisco Duo, and Akamai Enterprise Application Access, all register 0.0% visibility in the current audit data.
Is there a gap between being named and being cited in AI responses for this category?
Yes, the gap is stark. The category average citation rate is just 0.6%, and Zscaler, despite holding the top visibility score of 25.0%, receives 0.0% citations.
Which AI engine dominates visibility for zero trust network access software brands?
Google AI Mode is listed as the top engine for every brand in the audit, indicating the current visibility landscape is shaped almost entirely by that single surface.