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. ZTNA platforms used to secure private application access, replace legacy VPNs, enforce contextual policies, and reduce attack surface for modern workforces. Composite score: 70% visibility (% of AI answers naming the brand) + 30% citation rate (% citing the brand's domain). Full methodology →
Download this ranking as a PDF
We'll email it to you. One-off send — no list, no follow-up, no surprise marketing.
When buyers inquire about Zero trust network access software, AI engines often point to Zscaler as the top brand in the category. Zscaler's visibility stands at 25 percent, with Cloudflare One and Twingate also frequently appearing in recommendations. These brands dominate conversations in this space, offering robust solutions tailored to security needs.
The rankings are influenced by citations from websites like twingate.com, nordlayer.com, and pomerium.com, as well as platforms such as YouTube and Reddit. These top sources are largely aggregator and review sites, which means the rankings reflect a diverse cross-section of user experiences and expert opinions, all compiled into accessible formats for easy evaluation.
For buyers, considering recent reviews and third-party validations from these rankings could be crucial. AI engines value detailed, topical authority, emphasizing brands with strong reputations in the zero trust network access realm. Evaluating the credibility and relevance of the cited sources can guide you to make well-informed decisions based on current and reliable insights.
At a glance
What we observed in this category
Zscaler holds the top composite score at 28.8, ahead of Cloudflare One at 25.0, with both brands sharing an identical 25.0 percent visibility score. The gap that matters is in citation: Zscaler is cited in 37.5 percent of queries versus Cloudflare One's 25.0 percent, suggesting AI Mode treats Zscaler as a more authoritative reference even when both brands appear equally often in responses. The category average visibility sits at just 5.6 percent, meaning these two brands are operating at roughly 4.5 times the category norm.
Twingate presents the sharpest divergence between visibility and citation in the dataset. Its visibility score is 12.5 percent, below the top two, yet its citation rate reaches 50.0 percent, the highest of any brand audited. Perimeter 81 shows the inverse pattern, matching Zscaler and Cloudflare One on visibility at 25.0 percent but recording a 0.0 percent citation rate, meaning AI Mode names it without linking to it. This named-versus-trusted split is a defining feature of this category's AI landscape.
Every brand in the top 10 records Google AI Mode as its top engine, confirming this audit is anchored entirely on that single surface. Among the top cited sources, twingate.com and nordlayer.com appear as vendor domains alongside non-vendor sources including youtube.com, reddit.com, linkedin.com, and vendr.com. The presence of community and procurement platforms in the citation list suggests AI Mode is drawing on third-party evaluative content rather than vendor documentation alone when constructing answers in this category.
Movers & shakers since last refresh
Biggest visibility risers
-
Cloudflare One 0% → 25% · rank #6 → #2+25pp
-
Perimeter 81 12% → 25% · rank #8 → #4+12pp
-
Netskope 0% → 12% · rank #11 → #6+12pp
Biggest visibility fallers
-
Fortinet Universal ZTNA 12% → 0% · rank #4 → #8-12pp
The ranking
| # | Brand | Visibility | Citation | Top engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
zscaler.com
|
25% | 38% | Google AI Mode |
Zscaler leads with a composite score of 28.8, driven by a 37.5 percent citation rate that is 24.4 points above the category average of 13.1 percent. |
||||
| 2 |
cloudflare.com
|
25% | 25% | Google AI Mode |
Cloudflare One matches Zscaler on visibility at 25.0 percent but trails on citation at 25.0 percent, having risen four places from rank 6 with a visibility delta of plus 25.0 points. |
||||
| 3 |
twingate.com
|
12% | 50% | Google AI Mode |
Twingate's 50.0 percent citation rate is the highest in the category despite a visibility score of only 12.5 percent, and its own domain appears in the top cited sources list. |
||||
| 4 |
perimeter81.com
|
25% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Perimeter 81 holds 25.0 percent visibility, equal to the top two brands, yet records a 0.0 percent citation rate, the only top-five brand with no citations at all. |
||||
| 5 |
nordlayer.com
|
12% | 25% | Google AI Mode |
NordLayer sits at 12.5 percent visibility and 25.0 percent citation, and its domain nordlayer.com is independently listed among the top cited sources in the category. |
||||
| 6 |
netskope.com
|
12% | 12% | Google AI Mode |
| 7 |
paloaltonetworks.com
|
0% | 38% | Google AI Mode |
| 8 |
fortinet.com
|
0% | 38% | Google AI Mode |
| 9 |
checkpoint.com
|
0% | 25% | Google AI Mode |
| 10 |
akamai.com
|
0% | 12% | Google AI Mode |
| 11 |
catonetworks.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 12 |
scalefusion.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 13 |
iboss.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 14 |
cisco.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 15 |
citrix.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 16 |
forcepoint.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 17 |
appgate.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 18 |
openvpn.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 19 |
cloud.google.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 20 |
skyhighsecurity.com
|
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. More on visibility →
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. More on citation rate →
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. How AI engines pick sources →
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. How AI search ranking works →
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 a composite score of 28.8 and a citation rate of 37.5 percent, placing it above Cloudflare One at 25.0 composite and Twingate at 23.8.
Which brand has the highest citation rate in this category?
Twingate records the highest citation rate at 50.0 percent, well above Zscaler at 37.5 percent, despite having a lower visibility score of just 12.5 percent.
What sources does AI Mode cite most when answering zero trust network access queries?
The top cited sources include twingate.com, youtube.com, nordlayer.com, reddit.com, pomerium.com, linkedin.com, paloaltonetworks.com, and vendr.com, indicating a mix of vendor and third-party evaluative content.
Are there brands that appear in AI responses but are never cited as sources?
Yes, Perimeter 81 achieves 25.0 percent visibility but a 0.0 percent citation rate, meaning AI Mode names it in responses without linking to its domain.
Which brands have seen the biggest recent changes in AI visibility?
Cloudflare One rose four ranks from position 6 to 2 with a visibility delta of plus 25.0 points, while Fortinet Universal ZTNA fell four ranks and dropped to 0.0 percent visibility.
How concentrated is AI visibility across this category?
The category average visibility is only 5.6 percent, and the top three brands hold composite scores of 23.8 or above, indicating visibility is heavily concentrated among a small group.