Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs Exinda comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Cato Networks and GFI are both solutions in the WAN Optimization category. Cato Networks is ranked #4 with an average rating of 9.3, while GFI is ranked #5. Cato Networks holds a 11.7% mindshare in WO, compared to GFI’s 7.1% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Cato Networks users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 87% of GFI users who would recommend it.

Cato SASE Cloud Platform

Read 31 Cato SASE Cloud Platform reviews

17,023 Views
1,532 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Exinda

Read 9 Exinda reviews

1,646 Views
1,547 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

Cato SASE Cloud Platform

Exinda

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 10, 2024

Exinda and Cato SASE Cloud Platform provide network optimization solutions. Users lean towards Cato SASE Cloud Platform for its advanced capabilities, despite its higher cost.

Features:Exinda offers bandwidth management, application acceleration, and traffic prioritization. Cato SASE Cloud Platform includes comprehensive security, network integration, and cloud performance optimization.

Room for Improvement:Exinda needs better reporting, enhanced analytics, and improved user interface. Cato SASE Cloud Platform should improve third-party tool integration, scaling capabilities, and documentation.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service:Exinda is easy to deploy with quick response times for customer service. Cato SASE Cloud Platform also has a smooth deployment process, with remote support being more effective and comprehensive.

Pricing and ROI:Exinda is cost-effective with a quick ROI. Cato SASE Cloud Platform, though more expensive, offers high ROI due to its extensive features, making it suitable for users seeking robust network and security solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs. Exinda Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs. Exinda

September 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Cato SASE Cloud Platform

Ranking in WAN Optimization

4th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) (15th), Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB) (11th), Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (7th), WAN Edge (7th), ZTNA as a Service (9th), Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) (5th), Remote Browser Isolation (RBI) (3rd)

Exinda

Ranking in WAN Optimization

5th

Average Rating

8.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the WAN Optimization category, the mindshare of Cato SASE Cloud Platform is 11.7%, down from 20.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Exinda is 7.1%, up from 6.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

WAN Optimization Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Cato SASE Cloud Platform	11.7%
Exinda	7.1%
Other	81.2%

WAN Optimization

Featured Reviews

reviewer2697738

Product & Services Integrator at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees

Cloud security has unified global network design and has simplified threat visibility

I think all of the functionalities, such as the secure web gateway feature, are quite good. I also believe Cato SASE Cloud Platform is one of the only solutions that has not only a software firewall solution but also a physical software solution where you can change the company's firewalls and put in sockets from Cato SASE Cloud Platform, which I see as an advantage for them. The single-pass architecture has improved user experience with Cato SASE Cloud Platform as it provides security teams in companies a platform where they can easily obtain information if there are breaches or security issues. I assess the benefit of integrating WAN optimization as good. There is ease in making rules between WAN optimization, especially when it comes to global connections because of all their points of presence that are spread over the world. I think the real-time threat protection of Cato SASE Cloud Platform is also good. Their points of presence are quite efficient, and I do not see any delays in that area.

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Marek Jaworski

Senior Engineer, Team Lead, Network Operations at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees

Allows us to have better control over our network by shaping traffic more gently

There might be room for improvement in the speed and throughput of some of their devices. They're getting a bit slow on some of the bigger devices. It would be helpful if there were some sort of an ISP model. Also, while I don't think it would be possible for them to do, it would be better if they had the Citrix support and the visualization to visualize your network. Besides that, it fits its purpose as a shaper and accelerator. Some people would say things like, "Add a firewall to it," but I disagree. I think a firewall's a firewall, and Exinda's a shaper and accelerator.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Additionally, Cato has a global point of presence, which means instead of using other technologies to connect branches and provide access for a retail organization or any organization with branches, we can utilize Cato's backbone. Furthermore, by consolidating different technologies into one solution, there are additional cost savings from that perspective."

"The Cato SASE Cloud Platform is a remarkable solution for managing and controlling all aspects of Zero Trust network access functions through its SASE capabilities. It's designed with an exquisite and practical architecture, making it a worthwhile investment for organizations looking to optimize IT spending and streamline management processes."

"The product's most valuable features include advanced firewall capabilities for robust security, a secure gateway for safe data transmission, and next-generation anti-malware for threat prevention."

"One of the advantages of Cato is that they provide a static IP from their cloud and assign it to us, and this is a service that comes with an additional cost but is cheap compared to getting it from my service provider."

"When we went to Cato Networks it was an always-on automatic VPN, it reduced our help desk calls by about 10 percent."

"When I first encountered Cato, I didn't know how to use it, but after a week of training, I could onboard our systems to it, so the solution was easy to learn and navigate."

"We appreciate the optimization and acceleration of the performance of SDP users."

"We never really had any outages."

More Cato SASE Cloud Platform pros

"One of the great things for us is that the solution works, and it works whether you're looking at it or not."

"The most valuable feature is the ability to create policies where we can tailor them to the customer. It enables us to prioritize apps and users for bandwidth."

"Compared to some of the stuff that I've used a decade ago, the Exinda solution is night and day."

"The most valuable feature is the ability to provide very granular classes of service. That's important because it allows us to prioritize certain traffic types over others, to a very granular level."

"You can use Exinda as a network orchestrator so you can be sure that the throughput is managed well and everything gets what it needs."

"The most valuable features are the shaper, accelerator, and the reporting... it will shape the traffic better than, for example, a Cisco, because it's more gentle on the shaping side of things. Suppose you were selling a 20-meg link. Because you can shape to the nth degree of traffic, the 20-meg link feels like about a 30 to 40-meg link."

"Exinda can show you which product uses how much throughput and can help you manage it."

"Getting Exinda was a life saver for our voice traffic"

More Exinda pros

Cons

"There should be a Web Application Firewall feature in the product nodes."

"The product must evolve into the endpoint domain."

"The tool needs to be more granular. Its reports are not very in-depth."

"The solution could be made more user friendly for the administrator to use the portal. It is difficult to use it for people who are not experienced with Cato Networks."

"The price could be better. Because of the price, we are considering moving to Cisco Meraki."

"It could expand its reach into other sectors like professional services and finance, requiringmore specialized tools beyond Cato's current offerings. This includes better integration with third-party providers for more sophisticated tools such as intrusion prevention systems, anti-malware, and data loss prevention. Additionally, enhancing network speed and optimizing last-mile connectivity for managed service providers like us would be beneficial."

"Web application firewalling (WAF) is a feature we would like to have in this solution and does not exist yet."

"The platform lacks strong security features on the edge. All security features are on the cloud."

More Cato SASE Cloud Platform cons

"One of the concerns that we've had with Exinda is the fact that ever since GFI took over Exinda, they haven't really put in much time into actually developing the product."

"There might be room for improvement in the speed and throughput of some of their devices. They're getting a bit slow on some of the bigger devices. It would be helpful if there were some sort of an ISP model."

"In terms of improvement, one thing that has always frustrated me about it is that when you look at real-time monitoring, you can only filter it by IP address. You can't filter it by anything else. It would be good if we could filter by VLAN."

"More free training on the website for those just getting started."

"GFI's technical support for this solution could be better. It's hard to find information about Exinda, directly."

"Fundamentally sound with WAN acceleration, but needs to expand the range of accelerated applications."

"The stability was terrible in version 7.0 but it's been good since version 7.2."

"A lot of working with this solution is really intuitive. I have picked it up mostly on my own. I'm sure that there are some things that maybe I hadn't thought of or really hadn't considered, and I think it would be good just to promote some day courses. I don't really see a whole lot that comes out for Exinda as far as training or informational sessions through our normal resellers. It would be cool to know more about the solution by utilizing educational resources or even have Exinda promoted a bit better."

More Exinda cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price is not an issue for us, as it is priced more competitively than some other vendors."

"I rate the price of Cato Networks a four out of five."

"I'd rate Cato SASE Cloud Platform's pricing as about five or six out of ten. It's not the cheapest solution, but it is cheaper than Palo Alto and even VeloCloud. We've been working with them for a while and have significant discounts. Our licensing costs vary because we keep adding sites, but it's about 280 per month per site. This includes additional features beyond the base product, starting at around 200."

"The pricing of the solution depends upon the bandwidth required for different branches"

"The solution has reasonable pricing. It has a yearly subscription. The pricing depends on the permit to code. Sometimes, we need to increase the permit, and the cost will automatically change. There's no fixed cost. Unless we request additional modules such as DNS security, ELP, and decent features, there will be no additional cost."

"The pricing is on the higher side, almost an eight out of ten."

"Cato Networks seems more expensive than Cisco Meraki."

"Cato Networks is an expensive product, but it works out of the box, so that's the usual trade-off, make versus buy. If you decide to buy a product that doesn't require much programming, then you'd want to go for Cato Networks, which will work naturally, and immediately without any complex setup. However, the product is a little bit more expensive than the competitors. On a scale of one to five, I'd rate the pricing for Cato Networks as four."

More Cato SASE Cloud Platform pricing and cost advice

"It is priced well for the market, for what it needs to do."

"The pricing and licensing are pretty fair and really competitive. There are other SD-WAN solutions that are pretty costly because they build in a service where they'll manage it for you, which is really great. I don't know if Exinda has that option as well. However, we are a small shop and cost-conscious. For things like this, we are accustomed to self-managing and this solution suits us just fine. For a tool that gives you, like the graphs and reporting, it has a fair price point."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

13%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Outsourcing Company

15%

Computer Software Company

14%

Construction Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	16
Midsize Enterprise	7
Large Enterprise	11

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	1
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	4

Questions from the Community

What is your primary use case for Cato Networks?

I can see that I am a consultant at a reseller and I am the architect of Cato SASE Cloud Platform designs. In the baseline, I usually recommend Cato SASE Cloud Platform for international companies ...

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What advice do you have for others considering Cato Networks?

It is difficult to find types of companies I would not recommend Cato SASE Cloud Platform to, and I believe you can use Cato SASE Cloud Platform in most environments, although there could be some c...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cato Networks?

I do not find it particularly expensive, but for some companies, they may not have the budget to be at that level of security for their networks.

See all answers

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Comparisons

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Compared 5% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate vs Cato SASE Cloud Platform

Compared 5% of the time

Cloudflare One vs Cato SASE Cloud Platform

Compared 5% of the time

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Compared 26% of the time

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Compared 23% of the time

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Compared 16% of the time

Sangfor WANO vs Exinda

Compared 16% of the time

Fortinet FortiWLC vs Exinda

Compared 4% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cato SASE Cloud Platform

October 2026

Download Cato SASE Cloud Platform product report

Buyer's Guide

Exinda

October 2026

Download Exinda product report

Also Known As

Cato Networks

No data available

Overview

Cato SASE Cloud Platform delivers a comprehensive approach to network security and connectivity, integrating SASE, CASB, and zero-trust network access for improved performance and scalability in diverse locations.

Cato SASE Cloud Platform offers robust security solutions, including a next-gen firewall and VPN support. It provides a unified management system that is easy to use and integrates seamlessly with existing infrastructures. The platform's self-healing model ensures real-time threat mitigation, enhancing connectivity and performance even in challenging locations. Users appreciate the platform's scalability, integration capabilities, and significant cost savings. However, there is room for improvement in security, network integration, feature enhancement, and affordability to better support larger enterprises and improve user experience.

What are the essential features of Cato SASE Cloud Platform?

SASE: Integrates security and networking functions for seamless performance.
CASB: Provides secure access to cloud applications.
Zero-trust Network Access: Offers secure and direct access without the need for traditional VPNs.
Unified Management: Centralizes control for ease of use and improved efficiency.
Next-Gen Firewall: Robust protection against diverse threats with advanced firewall capabilities.

What benefits or ROI can users expect?

Scalability: Easily adapts to growing organizational needs.
Cost Savings: Reduces expenses through efficient integration and operations.
Operational Efficiency: Streamlined processes save time and resources.
Responsive Support: Quick access to help when needed enhances user satisfaction.

Organizations in sectors like finance, telecommunications, and construction use Cato SASE Cloud Platform for enhanced network security and global connectivity. It effectively replaces MPLS with a cloud-native SD-WAN, integrates security measures for public clouds, and provides centralized management. Its implementation supports a zero-trust model, redundancy, and ISP integration, ensuring scalable remote access and improved security measures.

Cato Networks

Exinda provides granular traffic management and application performance monitoring with policy-based traffic shaping for prioritizing critical applications.

Exinda offers a user-friendly interface for managing bandwidth, ensuring business-critical applications receive priority while controlling non-essential traffic. Real-time monitoring offers network visibility, identifies bottlenecks, and suggests policy adjustments. It supports WAN optimization, satellite link management, and bandwidth control, aiding entities from corporate offices to remote locations.

What are Exinda's key features?

Granular Traffic Management: Provides precise control over network traffic.
Application Performance Monitoring: Monitors and analyzes application performance.
Policy-Based Traffic Shaping: Prioritizes critical applications efficiently.
Real-Time Monitoring Dashboard: Offers network visibility and identifies issues.
User-Friendly Interface: Simplifies bandwidth and traffic control.

What benefits or ROI should users look for?

Efficient Resource Utilization: Ensures critical applications receive necessary bandwidth.
Improved Network Performance: Identifies and resolves network bottlenecks.
Enhanced Traffic Control: Balances and limits non-critical traffic efficiently.
Actionable Insights: Provides recommendations for policy optimization.

Exinda is implemented in industries for WAN optimization, helping manage satellite links and control bandwidth on campuses and remote locations. It aids troubleshooting by monitoring satellite services and prioritizes network traffic for customers.

GFI

Sample Customers

Paysafe, AdRoll, Pet Lovers Centre, Arlington Orthopedics, Humphreys & Partners Architects

UMass Dartmouth, MLB Network, R&R Ice Cream, Savills, Manhattan School of Music, Blum Shapiro, Cincinnati Public Schools, City of Richmond, Genting Casinos, The Salvation Army, VoIP Unlimited, Frontier Silicon, Lakeshore Toltest, CTI Foods

Buyer's Guide

Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs. Exinda

September 2026

Free Report: Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs. Exinda

Find out what your peers are saying about Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs. Exinda and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.

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