VPN vs ZTNA: Which Remote Access Option Is Right for Your Team?

For years, remote access meant one thing: install the VPN client, connect, and you’re “on the network.” That model made sense when most apps lived in an office server room and most people worked at a desk. Today, your team works from home, airports and client sites, and your apps live in a mix of cloud services and a few stubborn on-site servers.

That shift is why so many IT leaders are comparing VPN vs ZTNA, or zero trust network access. US and allied cyber agencies have also urged organizations to look beyond traditional VPNs, partly because VPN appliances have become a favorite target for attackers. This guide compares the 2 on security, user experience and cost, so you can decide what fits your remote and hybrid team.

One note before we start: this article is about business remote access. If you’re wondering whether to use a consumer VPN on public Wi-Fi, see do you need a VPN.

The core difference in one picture

A VPN is a tunnel into your network. The user authenticates to a VPN gateway, gets an IP address on the internal network and can then reach whatever the network allows. Security depends heavily on how well the internal network is segmented.

ZTNA is a broker for specific apps. The user authenticates to an identity provider, the ZTNA service checks policy, such as who they are, what device they’re on and whether it’s healthy, and then connects them only to the specific applications they’re allowed to use. The rest of the network stays invisible.

Think of a VPN as a key to the building, and ZTNA as a key to specific rooms, checked every time you open a door.

Key takeaway: The question isn’t only “which is more secure?” It’s “how much of my network should a remote user be able to reach?” If the answer is “only a handful of apps,” ZTNA fits that need more naturally.

Side-by-side comparison

Security: where ZTNA pulls ahead

VPN gateways are high-value targets

A VPN gateway sits on the internet’s edge with direct access to your network, which makes it valuable to attackers. NSA and CISA’s joint guidance on selecting and hardening remote access VPNs warns that exploiting these devices can let attackers harvest credentials, run code on the VPN device and hijack encrypted sessions. In 2024, CISA and partner agencies published Modern Approaches to Network Access Security, which pointed to many known exploited vulnerabilities tied to VPN products and encouraged organizations to move toward zero trust approaches, security service edge (SSE) and secure access service edge (SASE).

Lateral movement

The bigger structural issue is what happens after a breach. If an attacker steals a VPN user’s credentials, they may land on a flat internal network and move from machine to machine. ZTNA limits that by connecting users only to approved apps, applying the least-privilege principle at the network layer.

Identity and device context

ZTNA is built on the ideas in NIST SP 800-207, Zero Trust Architecture: no implicit trust based on network location, and access decisions made per session using identity, device and other signals. That ties remote access directly to your identity and access management program and multi-factor authentication. For the broader strategy, see our explainer on zero trust security.

Where VPNs can still be secure enough

A well-run VPN can be reasonably safe: a standards-based product, patched promptly, with MFA, limited to the users who need it and paired with internal network segmentation. The NSA and CISA hardening guidance recommends exactly these steps. The trouble is that many small businesses set up a VPN once and don’t maintain it to that standard.

User experience: the hidden reason teams switch

Security gets the headlines, but users often feel the difference first.

• No more connect-disconnect. Many ZTNA clients work in the background and connect to apps on demand.
• Better performance for cloud apps. Old VPN designs often route all traffic through headquarters, a pattern called hairpinning, which slows down cloud apps. ZTNA services typically route through nearby points of presence and leave other traffic alone.
• Easier access for contractors. Some ZTNA products offer browser-based or clientless access for specific web apps, which helps with contractors and personal devices. Pair this with a clear BYOD security policy.
• Fewer help desk tickets about dropped tunnels and slow connections, though results depend on the product and setup.

The flip side: ZTNA introduces new policies to manage, and a poorly designed rollout can block people from apps they need. Plan a pilot.

Cost: comparing pricing models

Exact prices vary widely by vendor, user count and features, so compare models rather than list prices.

VPN costs usually include:

• Firewall or VPN appliance hardware, or a virtual appliance license
• Per-user or concurrent connection licenses, depending on the product
• Support and maintenance contracts
• Staff time for patching, certificate management and troubleshooting
• Bandwidth at your headquarters or data center to carry remote traffic

Many small businesses already own a firewall with VPN features, so the incremental cost can look low, though the admin time is real.

ZTNA costs usually include:

• A per-user subscription, often bundled into broader SSE or SASE packages with secure web gateway or CASB features
• Connectors deployed near your apps, in your cloud or data center
• Integration work with your identity provider
• Policy design and ongoing tuning

For many teams, the deciding factor is total cost of ownership, including the cost of a breach and admin time, not license price alone. Our guide to small business cybersecurity costs puts these in context.

Which should you choose?

A VPN still makes sense if

• You have a small team, a few on-site systems and a modern firewall with VPN built in
• You rely on legacy applications or protocols that your ZTNA options don’t support
• You need full network-level access for IT administrators, with strong controls
• You’re committed to patching the gateway quickly and requiring MFA

ZTNA is likely the better fit if

• Most of your team is remote or hybrid
• Your apps are spread across SaaS, public cloud and a few internal servers
• You use contractors or allow personal devices
• You already have an identity provider with SSO and MFA
• You’re facing customer, insurer or compliance pressure to adopt zero trust controls

Many companies run both for a while

A common path is a phased migration: move web apps and the most sensitive systems to ZTNA first, keep the VPN for a shrinking set of legacy needs, then retire it.

Where to start: a 6-step migration plan

1. Inventory your remote access needs. List each app, who uses it, where it’s hosted and which protocols it uses.
2. Get identity right first. Consolidate on one identity provider with SSO and phishing-resistant MFA. Our single sign-on guide explains the basics.
3. Harden what you have now. Patch your VPN gateway, require MFA, remove unused accounts and restrict what VPN users can reach.
4. Pilot ZTNA with one group and a few apps, such as finance or engineering, and measure user experience and support tickets.
5. Expand by app, not by user. Move each application behind ZTNA, then remove VPN access to it.
6. Retire or shrink the VPN, keeping only documented exceptions with strong controls.

If you run your own perimeter equipment, our explainers on firewalls and business Wi-Fi security cover the other layers.

The bottom line

VPNs connect people to networks. ZTNA connects people to apps, checking identity and device health along the way. For most remote and hybrid teams, ZTNA offers a smaller attack surface, less lateral movement risk and a smoother user experience, and government guidance is pointing the same direction. A well-maintained VPN can still serve small, simple or legacy-heavy environments. Fix identity first, harden your current VPN, then pilot ZTNA app by app.

Sources

• NIST SP 800-207: Zero Trust Architecture — zero trust principles behind ZTNA
• CISA: Modern Approaches to Network Access Security — 2024 joint guidance on VPN risks and moving to zero trust, SSE and SASE
• CISA: CISA and partners release guidance for modern approaches to network access security — publication details and partner agencies
• CISA: CISA and NSA release guidance on selecting and hardening VPNs — VPN attack risks and hardening recommendations