Zscaler Private Access (ZPA)
OnePAM vs Zscaler Private Access (ZPA)
Compare OnePAM's Unified PAM Solution — with per-resource controls, session recording, and no agents — against Zscaler ZPA's ZTNA approach that still relies on endpoint connectors and lacks session-level visibility.
Feature Comparison
See how we compare across key capabilities
| Capability | OnePAM | Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) |
|---|---|---|
| Security model |
Zero Trust — per-resource, per-session verification
|
Zero Trust marketed — but session-level controls are limited
|
| Client software required |
No — fully browser-based access
|
Yes — Zscaler Client Connector agent on every device
|
| Connector infrastructure |
Lightweight agent on target network only
|
App Connector VMs required in every environment
|
| Session recording |
Full visual playback (SSH, RDP, VNC, DB, Web)
|
Not available — no session-level visibility
|
| Protocol-aware controls |
SSH keystroke logging, DB query audit, RDP/VNC screen recording
|
Application-level access only, no protocol inspection
|
| Lateral movement prevention |
Eliminated — users reach only the specific resource authorized
|
Reduced — but application segments can still be broad
|
| Identity-based access |
Per-user, per-resource RBAC with any IdP
|
IdP integration with policy-based access
|
| Just-in-time access |
Built-in approval workflows with automatic expiration
|
Requires third-party PAM integration
|
| Deployment complexity |
Minutes — SaaS with minimal infrastructure
|
Weeks — App Connectors, Client Connectors, policy setup
|
| Audit & compliance |
Full session recordings, keystroke logs, query audit trails
|
Connection logs and access metadata only
|
| Database access |
Browser-based SQL console with query masking
|
No native database session support
|
| Data masking |
Built-in database query and result masking
|
Requires separate DLP integration
|
| Pricing transparency |
Per-user, published pricing from $5/user/mo
|
Enterprise sales-driven pricing, bundled with Zscaler platform
|
| Vendor lock-in |
Standalone — works with your existing stack
|
Best value when buying full Zscaler platform (ZIA + ZPA + ZDX)
|
Why Choose OnePAM
Key advantages for secure infrastructure access
True Zero Trust — not just network segmentation in the cloud
- OnePAM verifies identity and authorization on every session, not just at connection time
- Users access specific resources, not application segments that can span multiple services
- Every action is recorded: SSH commands, RDP/VNC screens, database queries
- ZPA brokers connections but has no visibility into what happens inside the session
ZPA tells you who connected. OnePAM tells you who connected AND exactly what they did — every command, every query, every screen.
No endpoint agent, no connector sprawl
- Browser-based access — nothing to install on user devices
- No Zscaler Client Connector to deploy, update, and troubleshoot across your fleet
- No App Connector VMs to provision in every VPC, data center, and cloud region
- Works from any device, any browser — managed or unmanaged
Stop managing Zscaler Client Connector rollouts and App Connector VMs. Users just open a browser.
Session recording and protocol-level audit trails
- SSH sessions recorded with keystroke-level detail
- RDP sessions with full screen recording and playback
- Database queries logged, searchable, and maskable
- ZPA provides connection metadata only — no session content
For compliance audits, connection logs aren't enough. OnePAM gives you the full recording — every keystroke, every query, every screen.
Simpler, more transparent pricing
- Published per-user pricing starting at $5/user/month
- No multi-product bundle requirement (ZIA + ZPA + ZDX)
- No minimum seat counts or multi-year enterprise commitments
- Full feature set available — not gated behind premium SKUs
Get Zero Trust access at a fraction of the cost, without being locked into the full Zscaler platform.
Our Focus
We specialize in secure infrastructure access with full session visibility. We don't try to do everything — we focus on what security and operations teams need most.
- We don't provide internet security or SWG (that's Zscaler Internet Access)
- We don't replace CASB or DLP for SaaS applications
- We focus on infrastructure access — SSH, RDP, VNC, databases, web apps — not general application access
- We complement Zscaler ZIA for teams that need deeper infrastructure session controls
Works with your existing tools: OnePAM integrates with your identity providers, alerting tools, and SIEM platforms.
Common Questions
What customers often ask when comparing
We already have Zscaler ZPA deployed for private application access
ZPA handles application-level connectivity well, but it doesn't record sessions, audit database queries, or provide protocol-level controls. OnePAM adds the session visibility layer for infrastructure resources — SSH, RDP, VNC, databases — that ZPA simply doesn't cover. Many teams use ZPA for internal web apps and OnePAM for infrastructure access.
Zscaler is the industry leader in Zero Trust
Zscaler is strong for web/internet security (ZIA) and application access (ZPA). But for infrastructure access — SSH, RDP, VNC, databases — ZPA only brokers connections without session visibility. OnePAM is purpose-built for infrastructure Zero Trust: browser-based access, full session recording, keystroke-level audit trails, and just-in-time access workflows.
We need the Zscaler Client Connector anyway for ZIA
If you're running Zscaler Client Connector for internet security (ZIA), you still don't get session recording or protocol-level controls for infrastructure access through ZPA. OnePAM provides browser-based infrastructure access with full audit trails alongside your existing Zscaler deployment — no conflict, no overlap.
ZPA already provides Zero Trust network access
ZPA provides Zero Trust at the network/connection layer — it controls who can reach which application. OnePAM provides Zero Trust at the session layer — it controls and records what users do once connected. For infrastructure (SSH, RDP, VNC, databases), the session layer is where compliance and security risk actually lives.
We get a better price bundling ZPA with ZIA and ZDX
Platform bundles can seem cost-effective, but you're paying for capabilities ZPA doesn't provide: session recording, database query auditing, keystroke logging, just-in-time access. OnePAM delivers these from $5/user/month — often less than the ZPA component of your Zscaler bundle — with transparent, published pricing.
Is OnePAM Right for You?
OnePAM works best for teams that need secure access with full audit trails
OnePAM is ideal for
- Organizations needing session recording and audit trails for infrastructure access
- Teams frustrated with Zscaler Client Connector deployment and management complexity
- Companies paying for full Zscaler bundles but only needing private access
- Security teams that need protocol-level visibility (SSH commands, DB queries, RDP/VNC screens)
- Cloud-first teams wanting browser-based access without endpoint agents
- Organizations with compliance requirements that demand session-level audit trails (SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS)
OnePAM delivers what Zscaler ZPA can't: browser-based infrastructure access with full session recording, keystroke-level audit trails, and database query controls — no endpoint agents, no connector VMs, no blind spots in your compliance posture.
Ready to See the Difference?
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