Best enterprise VPN tools in 2026

Enterprise VPN is evolving toward zero-trust network access (ZTNA): traditional full-network VPN is being replaced by per-application access policies. Zscaler Private Access, Palo Alto Prisma Access, and Cloudflare One lead the ZTNA transition. For organizations maintaining traditional VPN, Cisco AnyConnect and Palo Alto GlobalProtect remain the established choices.

13 of 15 products in this category match the enterprise filter and are highlighted below.

Enterprise-grade platforms

AWS Client VPN logo

AWS Client VPN

Usage-based pricing · Cloud · Free trial

AWS Client VPN provides managed OpenVPN-based remote access to AWS VPCs, the natural choice for AWS-native architectures, but per-connection hourly pricing makes it expensive at scale.

Best for: AWS-native organizations that need remote developer and employee access to VPC resources without managing VPN infrastructure, especially for temporary or project-based access.

Cato Networks logo

Cato Networks

Custom quote · Cloud

Cato delivers SD-WAN, firewall, CASB and ZTNA from a single cloud fabric, which means the platform displaces several things at once. Buyers are usually retiring MPLS circuits, firewall appliances and VPN infrastructure in the same project. This is not an addition to an existing stack. That shapes the commercial side, because the numbers only work when network and security budgets are reviewed together.

Cisco AnyConnect logo

Cisco AnyConnect

Custom quote · Cloud / On-prem

Remote access here is rarely a standalone purchase. The client tends to come attached to the network estate, in organizations already running Cisco firewalls and ASA appliances. The license conversation happens with the rest of the infrastructure, not separately from it. Buyers shopping specifically for remote access in isolation generally find cloud-delivered alternatives cheaper per seat.

Cisco Meraki logo

Cisco Meraki

Custom quote · Cloud · Free trial

Meraki keeps network devices under one cloud dashboard, with licensing attached to the hardware itself. Network administrators get centralized visibility and policy control and skip running management infrastructure on site. Cost is the trade-off: hardware and subscription bundling pushes total cost of ownership above comparable functionality assembled from separately licensed vendor components.

Cloudflare One logo

Cloudflare One

Usage-based pricing · Cloud · Free trial

Built on Cloudflare's global edge network, Cloudflare One pulls Zero Trust access, CASB, DLP and gateway functions into one usage-based platform. The breadth of capability at accessible price points keeps it competitive with SMB and enterprise buyers alike. A functional free tier changes the entry path. Many teams start there and expand once their requirements get clearer.

Fortinet Secure SD-WAN logo

Fortinet Secure SD-WAN

Custom quote · Cloud / On-prem

Existing Fortinet security infrastructure is the context this makes sense in: the SD-WAN functions run on FortiGate next-gen firewalls, and there is no extra box to deploy or manage. Evaluated as a standalone SD-WAN platform, the full FortiGate licensing model belongs in the total cost analysis from the start, well before the WAN design is settled.

OpenVPN Access Server logo

OpenVPN Access Server

Per-user · Cloud / On-prem · Free trial

Running on hardware or cloud accounts the team already controls, OpenVPN Access Server keeps complete control of VPN endpoint data in house rather than at a hosted provider. Above the free two-user tier, licensing is per user. Client devices connect over the OpenVPN protocol, which most of them support natively with no extra software installed.

OpenVPN CloudConnexa logo

OpenVPN CloudConnexa

Per-user · Cloud · Free trial

OpenVPN CloudConnexa is the managed cloud service built on the OpenVPN protocol, simplifies deployment for teams that want OpenVPN reliability without self-hosting, but pricing per connection can exceed alternatives.

Best for: Organizations that trust the OpenVPN protocol and want managed cloud deployment without the infrastructure overhead of self-hosted OpenVPN Access Server.

Palo Alto Prisma SD-WAN logo

Palo Alto Prisma SD-WAN

Custom quote · Cloud

Part of Palo Alto's SASE portfolio, this SD-WAN platform is bought with its security controls instead of in front of them. The organizations evaluating it are usually retiring MPLS circuits and several security appliances at once, not adding one capability to an otherwise settled network. At that scale procurement is vendor-led and the quote follows the design.

Perimeter 81 logo

Perimeter 81

Per-user · Cloud · Free trial

Now part of Check Point, Perimeter 81 delivers remote access from the cloud at per-user pricing, with automatic Wi-Fi security and split tunneling handled on the user's behalf. Its usual role is transitional: a step for teams leaving appliance-based perimeter security that are not yet ready to commit to a full SASE platform.

Tailscale logo

Tailscale

Per-user · Cloud · Free trial

Authentication comes from existing identity providers and the mesh itself runs on WireGuard, so no network configuration expertise is needed to stand it up. Most teams are operational in under an hour, a genuinely different setup experience from traditional VPN. Engineering teams hitting friction with OpenVPN or Cisco alternatives are the usual arrivals, licensed per user.

View profile$0 per tailnet
WireGuard logo

WireGuard

Open source · Cloud / On-prem · Free trial

WireGuard is a protocol first and a product second. The codebase is deliberately minimal, performance is high, and configuration is far less involved than IPsec or OpenVPN demand. Most teams encounter it indirectly, through a managed service such as Tailscale or an appliance that uses WireGuard as its transport, instead of running the implementation themselves.

Zscaler Private Access logo

Zscaler Private Access

Custom quote · Cloud

Identity and context decide access, application by application, so users never get a route to a full network segment the way legacy VPN hands them one. Delivery runs from Zscaler's global cloud infrastructure under a custom quote. Enterprise organizations retiring older remote access infrastructure typically evaluate it next to Cloudflare One and Palo Alto Prisma Access.

Other VPN tools

The rest of the VPN tools category, listed because the enterprise filter above did not select them. Worth reading when the highlighted options do not fit.

NordLayer logo

NordLayer

Per-user · Cloud · Free trial

Secure remote access with no network infrastructure of its own to sit on is the case NordLayer addresses, pairing a business VPN with Zero Trust network access under the Nord Security name. Per-user pricing and a short path to first deployment make it a practical replacement for basic consumer VPN setups that were never meant to be supported at SMB or mid-market scale.

Proton Business VPN logo

Proton Business VPN

Per-user · Cloud · Free trial

Proton VPN Business is the privacy-first business VPN (Swiss jurisdiction, no-logs policy verified by audit, and open-source clients) strongest for organizations where privacy is a non-negotiable requirement.

Common questions about enterprise VPN tools

Should enterprises move from VPN to ZTNA?

+

Yes, for most use cases. ZTNA (Zscaler, Cloudflare Access, Palo Alto Prisma) provides per-application access instead of full-network access, reducing lateral movement risk. VPN remains necessary for legacy applications and specific network-level access requirements.

What's the difference between VPN and ZTNA?

+

VPN grants access to an entire network segment. ZTNA grants access to specific applications based on identity, device posture, and context. ZTNA is more secure (least-privilege) and better for remote work (no backhauling traffic through data centers).

How does enterprise VPN/ZTNA pricing work?

+

Cisco AnyConnect: per-user perpetual or subscription licensing. Zscaler Private Access: per-user/year subscription, custom-quoted. Palo Alto Prisma Access: bandwidth-based + per-user. At 1,000+ users, expect $50K-$200K/year for the remote access layer.

Continue researching VPN tools