Cybersecurity · head to head
Semperis vs Zscaler Internet Access
Semperis
Cybersecurity
Identity threat detection and Active Directory forest recovery for AD, Entra ID and Okta, from a privately held US vendor.
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Zscaler Internet Access
Cybersecurity
Secure cloud-native internet and SaaS access
- From
- $100/year
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Semperis scope is limited to Active Directory, Entra ID and Okta, so an organisation whose critical identity lives elsewhere gets little from it, and the recovery value declines in direct proportion to how much has already moved off on-premises AD.; Zscaler Internet Access the pricing page names two base tiers, Essentials Platform and Zscaler Platform, plus modular add ons including three Digital Experience Monitoring tiers, but publishes no dollar figures anywhere and routes buyers to a demo request for cost
- They diverge on capability: Semperis covers Active Directory Forest Recovery, Zscaler Internet Access covers Secure web gateway.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Semperis and Zscaler Internet Access actually diverge.
| Attribute | Semperis | Zscaler Internet Access |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | $100/year |
| Pricing model | quote | subscription |
| Platforms | Web | Web, Desktop, Mobile |
| Founded | Unknown | 2007 |
Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cybersecurity).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Semperis
- Active Directory Forest Recovery
- Malware-free restore
- Replication-stream monitoring
- Automated rollback
- Attack indicator scoring
- Entra ID and Okta coverage
- Purple Knight
- Forest Druid
Only in Zscaler Internet Access
- Secure web gateway
- Cloud firewall
- URL filtering
- Advanced threat protection
- Data loss prevention
- Cloud sandbox
- Browser isolation
- CASB
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Semperis
- An organisation that cannot answer an auditor or insurer asking how long it would take to rebuild Active Directory after a destructive attacknot Zscaler Internet Access
- Post-incident recovery where domain controllers are compromised and restoring from system-state backup would reintroduce the attacker's footholdnot Zscaler Internet Access
- Continuous detection of privileged group changes and directory-level tampering that domain controller security logs missnot Zscaler Internet Access
- Hybrid estates where AD, Entra ID and Okta all matter and no single tool currently shows changes across the threenot Zscaler Internet Access
Zscaler Internet Access
- Cloud Securitynot Semperis
- Zero Trustnot Semperis
- Web Securitynot Semperis
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Semperis
- Scope is limited to Active Directory, Entra ID and Okta, so an organisation whose critical identity lives elsewhere gets little from it, and the recovery value declines in direct proportion to how much has already moved off on-premises AD.
- The licence buys tooling, not a proven runbook: forest recovery is only worth what your last rehearsal demonstrated, and a plan that has never been executed end to end in a lab is an untested assumption regardless of what was purchased.
- It overlaps with backup and directory management products from Quest, Veeam, Commvault and others, so the buyer must argue internally why a dedicated product is needed alongside a backup contract that already claims to protect Active Directory.
- Running Directory Services Protector well requires someone who understands AD internals, replication metadata and Tier 0 attack paths, and without that person the alerts on privileged changes are either ignored or auto-reverted in ways that break legitimate administration.
- Licensing is driven by identity object counts, so directories carrying years of stale user accounts and service principals pay for objects that should have been deleted, and the cleanup project that would reduce the bill is the one nobody has time for.
Zscaler Internet Access
- The pricing page names two base tiers, Essentials Platform and Zscaler Platform, plus modular add ons including three Digital Experience Monitoring tiers, but publishes no dollar figures anywhere and routes buyers to a demo request for cost
Pricing, plan by plan
Semperis
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Semperis review.
Zscaler Internet Access
$100/year- ZIA Business$100/year
- Web security
- URL filtering
- Cloud firewall
- ZIA Transformation$200/year
- All Business features
- Advanced threat protection
- Cloud sandbox
- ZIA Unlimited$350/year
- All Transformation features
- Cloud browser isolation
- CASB
Which should you pick?
Choose Semperis if
- You need active directory forest recovery.
- You also want malware-free restore.
Choose Zscaler Internet Access if
- You need secure web gateway.
- You work on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
- You also want cloud firewall.
Questions people ask
- Is Semperis or Zscaler Internet Access better?
- Neither clearly leads. Semperis starts at On request and Zscaler Internet Access at $100/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Semperis or Zscaler Internet Access?
- Semperis starts at On request and Zscaler Internet Access at $100/year.
- Does Semperis or Zscaler Internet Access run on more platforms?
- Semperis runs on Web. Zscaler Internet Access runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
- What is Semperis best used for?
- Semperis is most often used for an organisation that cannot answer an auditor or insurer asking how long it would take to rebuild active directory after a destructive attack, post-incident recovery where domain controllers are compromised and restoring from system-state backup would reintroduce the attacker's foothold, continuous detection of privileged group changes and directory-level tampering that domain controller security logs miss, hybrid estates where ad, entra id and okta all matter and no single tool currently shows changes across the three. Of those, an organisation that cannot answer an auditor or insurer asking how long it would take to rebuild active directory after a destructive attack and post-incident recovery where domain controllers are compromised and restoring from system-state backup would reintroduce the attacker's foothold are not what Zscaler Internet Access is typically brought in for.
- What can Semperis do that Zscaler Internet Access cannot?
- Semperis covers Active Directory Forest Recovery, Malware-free restore, Replication-stream monitoring, Automated rollback. Zscaler Internet Access covers Secure web gateway, Cloud firewall, URL filtering, Advanced threat protection.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Semperis: Does this replace my backups?
No. It replaces the Active Directory recovery procedure specifically. You still need backups for everything else, and the point of Semperis is that a generic system-state backup of a domain controller is a poor way to recover a forest because it restores the operating system along with whatever compromised it.
Zscaler Internet Access: How many pricing tiers does Zscaler Internet Access offer?
Zscaler Internet Access offers two main platform bundles: the Essentials Platform (entry-level) and the Zscaler Platform (comprehensive). Specific pricing is not published online.
SourceSemperis: Is it useful if we are cloud-only on Entra ID?
Partly. Directory Services Protector covers Entra ID and Okta for change tracking and posture, but the forest recovery product, which is the strongest reason to buy, applies to on-premises Active Directory. A genuinely cloud-only organisation should weigh it against Microsoft's own tooling.
Zscaler Internet Access: Are there optional add-on modules available?
Yes. Zscaler offers extensive optional capabilities in five categories including Inline Cyberthreat Protection, Private Access enhancements, Data Security, Security Operations, and Zero Trust Branch.
SourceSemperis: Are Purple Knight and Forest Druid really free?
Yes, both are free downloads with no licence requirement, and they are widely used by organisations that are not Semperis customers. They are also, transparently, the top of the sales funnel.
Zscaler Internet Access: How is Zscaler Zero Trust Branch priced?
Zero Trust Branch is sized by encrypted throughput (200 Mbps to 10 Gbps) or endpoint count (200 to 5,000 endpoints), with pricing varying by configuration.
SourceSemperis: How long does forest recovery actually take?
The honest answer is whatever your rehearsal took. The vendor's case is hours instead of days, and automation genuinely removes most manual steps, but the number that matters for your board is the one from a test in your own environment.
Zscaler Internet Access: How do I get Zscaler pricing?
Zscaler does not publish pricing online. You must request a demo or contact their sales team to receive a pricing quote.
SourceSemperis: Does it require agents on domain controllers?
It collects directory changes from the AD replication stream, which is what lets it see changes that bypass the security log. Deployment details vary by product and version, so confirm the exact architecture against your domain controller change-control rules.
Related pages
More on Zscaler Internet Access
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