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Secure Web Gateway & URL Filtering

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Does the platform provide enterprise-grade web filtering with real-time threat prevention?

SWG is a core SASE pillar and a mandatory line item in every SASE RFP. Differentiation comes from SSL inspection performance, URL categorization breadth, and zero-day detection. We tested 5 critical SWG capabilities.

5checks
9vendors
Information sourced from publicly available documentation. Vendor capabilities change frequently. Always verify with the vendor before making purchasing decisions. Not affiliated with any vendor. See our terms & disclaimer. Vendors: to report inaccuracies, email [email protected].
Vendors (9/9)Click a card to toggle a vendor
YESSupported
PARTIALLimited
NONot supported
TBDResearch pending

Every answer is backed by public evidence. Click any result to read the finding and open its source links.

01

Full SSL/TLS decryption and inspection?

02

Cloud sandboxing for zero-day malware?

03

Granular URL filtering per user/group/device?

04

Browser isolation for risky sites?

05

Real-time phishing detection?

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which SASE vendor is best for secure web gateway & url filtering?
Based on 5 checks across 9 vendors, Cato Networks and Netskope and Palo Alto Networks and Zscaler lead with 5 of 5 researched capabilities fully supported (YES). Versa Networks scored lowest with 4 YES answers. Results are based on publicly available documentation. Always verify with the vendor before purchasing.
Does the platform support browser isolation for risky or uncategorized websites as part of the SWG?
Cato Networks, Cisco, Cloudflare, Fortinet, Netskope, Palo Alto Networks, Versa Networks, Zscaler fully support this. Check Point offers partial support. Uncategorized sites are high risk. Browser isolation renders them safely without blocking - security without user complaints
Can it detect and block phishing sites using real-time page analysis, not just URL reputation databases?
Cato Networks, Check Point, Netskope, Palo Alto Networks, Zscaler fully support this. Cisco, Cloudflare, Fortinet, Versa Networks offer partial support. Phishing sites live for minutes before appearing in reputation databases. Real-time page analysis catches them on first visit
Does the SWG perform full SSL/TLS decryption and inspection with minimal latency impact?
Cato Networks, Check Point, Cisco, Cloudflare, Fortinet, Netskope, Palo Alto Networks, Versa Networks, Zscaler fully support this. 90%+ of web traffic is encrypted. If your SWG can't decrypt and inspect, it's blind to most threats
Does it include cloud sandboxing for zero-day malware detection in web downloads and file transfers?
Cato Networks, Check Point, Cisco, Cloudflare, Fortinet, Netskope, Palo Alto Networks, Versa Networks, Zscaler fully support this. Signature-based detection misses zero-days. Sandboxing detonates suspicious files in isolation before delivery to the user
Can URL filtering policies be applied per user, group, and device with granular categories (80+ categories)?
Cato Networks, Check Point, Cisco, Cloudflare, Fortinet, Netskope, Palo Alto Networks, Versa Networks, Zscaler fully support this. Marketing needs social media access. Engineering doesn't. Per-user URL policies prevent blanket blocks that hurt productivity
How is the Secure Web Gateway & URL Filtering comparison tested?
We test 5 specific scenarios across Cato Networks, Check Point, Cisco, Cloudflare, Fortinet, Netskope, Palo Alto Networks, Versa Networks, Zscaler. All answers are sourced from publicly available vendor documentation, knowledge base articles, and verified user reports. YES means confirmed working with documentation, PARTIAL means it works with significant limitations, NO means confirmed not supported.

Methodology

All answers are sourced from publicly available vendor documentation, knowledge base articles, press releases, and verified user reports. We do not rely on vendor marketing claims.

YES means the feature is confirmed working with documentation. PARTIAL means it works with significant caveats or limitations. NO means it is confirmed not supported. TBD means research is still in progress.

Click any cell in the matrix to see the detailed evidence and source link.

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