Zscaler alternatives.Start with Aona.

Aona secures employee AI use with prompt and file protection. Compare its controls, coverage and deployment with the other products on your shortlist.

Start free trial →Book a demo

A buyer’s starting point

Secure employee AI use without losing the practical detail.

Compare the control point, evaluation path and practical fit for the employee AI problem in front of you.

Aona protects employee use of third-party AI tools on managed devices, including the prompt and upload path.

Aona AI

For employee AI security

Workforce AI Security through a deployed browser plugin or native endpoint app. Evaluate hard blocking, layout-preserving DOCX, XLSX and PDF redaction, and employee guidance on the supported app, client and input path. Review the native client’s local inspection and certificate prerequisites with IT. A guided 30-day trial and a SOC 2 Type 2 report are available.

Best for: Teams evaluating prompt and upload protection for employee ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude or Gemini use on supported installed-client paths.

The complete list

A closer look at your shortlist.

See who each option is best for. Expand a row for the full product overview.

Aona AIBuilt for employee AI securityTeams evaluating prompt and upload protection for employee ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude or Gemini use on supported installed-client paths.
Workforce AI Security through a deployed browser plugin or native endpoint app. Evaluate hard blocking, layout-preserving DOCX, XLSX and PDF redaction, and employee guidance on the supported app, client and input path. Review the native client’s local inspection and certificate prerequisites with IT. A guided 30-day trial and a SOC 2 Type 2 report are available.
ZscalerOrganisations already steering traffic through Zscaler that want AI app access controlled in the same proxy.
Security service edge with GenAI controls in the proxy: allow, block or coach access by user or group, prompt extraction across 250+ GenAI apps with AI Protect (June 2026), and a browser-extension form factor through Zero Trust Browser. Enforcement requires traffic steering with TLS inspection, and GenAI Security is sold as a Data Security add-on.
Harmonic SecurityOrganisations that want prompt-text redaction and nudges across browsers and desktop AI clients, bought by demo or through AWS Marketplace.
Browser extension plus a desktop client (Claude Desktop, ChatGPT Desktop, Cursor, Codex, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Ollama) with real-time prompt redaction and an MCP gateway. Bought by demo or through its AWS Marketplace listing, as of September 2026.
WitnessAIOrganisations that want AI controls applied in a network path they already route traffic through.
Network-based AI security and governance that observes and controls AI traffic without browser extensions or endpoint clients; desktop AI apps are covered when their traffic is routed through it. An Instant Demo product tour stands in for a self-serve trial, and the product is also listed on AWS Marketplace, as of September 2026.
Microsoft PurviewMicrosoft 365 estates that want Copilot and Microsoft 365 data governed inside the Purview licensing model.
Microsoft's data security and compliance suite. Its AI controls run in the browser (the Purview extension is required for Chrome endpoint DLP on Windows), prompt and response visibility for third-party AI sites requires E5-class licensing, and locally installed AI apps are reached through a network data security path (Entra Global Secure Access or a SASE partner, partly in preview).
Prompt SecurityOrganisations that want employee and application AI security bought together through the SentinelOne Singularity platform.
GenAI security platform from SentinelOne, built into the Singularity platform: employee AI controls with anonymisation and coaching, an LLM firewall for applications, and an AI endpoint agent for local LLMs and MCP servers (February 2026). Sold by demo, with no self-serve trial, as of September 2026.

Deployment context

How Aona fits your security stack.

Aona secures employee AI use alongside your existing security tools. See how its device-level controls fit with the other products in your stack.

Read the full Aona vs Zscaler comparison →

Aona does not enforce at the network edge. It enforces on the device, at the moment of use.
Coverage needs the Aona plugin or endpoint app on the device. There is no agentless or network-only mode, so personal and unmanaged devices are out of scope.
No iOS or Android coverage: AI use on phones is out of scope.
Aona has a SOC 2 Type II examination report. No FedRAMP, IRAP or ISO 27001 today.
AI agent and MCP inspection ships in limited rollout on the native endpoint app, not general availability.

Your questions

Zscaler alternatives, answered.

Answers to help you build your shortlist.

What are the best Zscaler alternatives in 2026?

For employee AI use, start with Aona's supported prompt and file controls: hard blocking, layout-preserving document redaction and employee guidance through deployed clients. Other products listed here address related needs with different architectures and scope. Compare the exact app, account, input path and policy response; a provider name alone is not a coverage guarantee.

Why is Aona AI a strong alternative to Zscaler?

Aona focuses on securing employees' AI use through supported browser and native-client paths. Evaluate the sensitive prompt or upload, the required block or redaction response, and the guidance the employee receives. Zscaler also documents AI content controls and an app-access coach action; its network inspection depends on the configured traffic and TLS-inspection path. Check installation and coexistence with your existing controls.

Where does Aona stop, compared with Zscaler?

Scope, stated plainly: Aona does not enforce at the network edge. It enforces on the device, at the moment of use. Coverage needs the Aona plugin or endpoint app on the device. There is no agentless or network-only mode, so personal and unmanaged devices are out of scope. No iOS or Android coverage: AI use on phones is out of scope. Aona has a SOC 2 Type II examination report. No FedRAMP, IRAP or ISO 27001 today. AI agent and MCP inspection ships in limited rollout on the native endpoint app, not general availability. Confirm the supported app, release and input path for your evaluation.

Is there a free trial to evaluate these alternatives?

Free for 30 days. Start with a scoping conversation; access is arranged after deployment requirements are confirmed. Bring your installed stack and a synthetic prompt or document so the team can scope the evaluation. Confirm other vendors' current evaluation routes and product entitlements directly.

How do I choose between these AI security vendors?

Start with Aona's workforce AI controls and one repeatable employee action. Document what your existing product already protects, then test the additional response you need with the same synthetic input. Compare supported devices, accounts, input paths, employee guidance and retained evidence. Aona has completed a SOC 2 Type II examination covering Security, Confidentiality and Availability. Request the report to review the auditor’s findings and the full system scope.

See it on your environment

Compare Aona against
your shortlist

Scope a guided 30-day trial around your managed devices, supported prompt and file controls, and the outcomes your team needs to review. Or book a demo to work through the shortlist.

Start free trial Book a demo

SOC 2 Type II report · Free 30-day guided trial