12 Best CASB Solutions Compared (2026): Features & Pricing

Quick Answer: Nobody buys standalone CASB anymore you buy an SSE seat and CASB rides along.

That flips the cost question: Defender for Cloud Apps is already inside M365 E5, Netskope/Zscaler/Skyhigh price CASB into per-user SSE bundles, and specialist attach (Proofpoint-style people-risk, Lookout mobile) is where incremental spend needs justifying.

Category flag: Saviynt on legacy lists is an IGA vendor, not a CASB.

The dedicated CASB line item didn’t disappear it dissolved directly into the per-user SSE subscription, which is where buyers lose visibility into what they are actually paying for.

Evaluating modern Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) solutions requires analyzing deployment mechanics alongside Secure Web Gateway (SWG) architectures: what the capability costs inside each bundle, when API-only coverage is worth separate budget, which legacy brokers represent renewal traps, and where list entries (such as Saviynt) represent category errors.

The CASB line item didn’t disappear it dissolved into the per-user SSE subscription, and that’s exactly where buyers lose track of what they’re paying for.

This comparison approaches twelve CASB-capable vendors from the invoice side: what the capability costs inside each bundle, when API-only coverage is worth separate money, which legacy brokers are renewal traps, and where one list entry (Saviynt) simply doesn’t belong in the category.

The angle is procurement features matter only as far as they justify dollars. Independent editorial; no vendor payment; confirm all pricing structures directly before contracting.

Table of Contents

1. Decision Matrix

2. The 12 Vendors: Features & Pricing Mechanics

3. Procurement Comparison

4. Buying Guide

5. Cost-Focused FAQ

Decision Matrix

Your situation	Cheapest credible path	Watch for
M365 E5 licensed	Defender for Cloud Apps (already paid)	Portal sprawl, non-MS app depth
SSE decision pending	Netskope / Zscaler / Skyhigh bundle	CASB depth differences inside bundles
BYOD/unmanaged heavy	Forcepoint ONE (Bitglass reverse proxy)	Agentless-mode licensing tiers
Email-led security	Proofpoint attach	Overlap with existing DLP
Mobile-first workforce	Lookout	Per-device vs per-user math

The 12 Vendors: Features & Pricing Mechanics

1. Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps

What you get. Full-featured CASB Shadow IT discovery, API governance, session-level conditional access, and native Microsoft Purview DLP integration optimized for organizations monitoring Microsoft Defender security alerts and enterprise protections.

How it’s priced. Included in E5; standalone per-user add-on otherwise.

Procurement notes: if you hold E5, your CASB marginal cost is zero every competing quote must beat “already paid.”

Buy when: M365 is the center of gravity.

Push back on: buying third-party CASB before switching this on.

2. Palo Alto Networks (Next-Gen CASB)

What you get. Inline and API-based CASB integrated natively into Prisma Access SASE, delivering automated app discovery, data protection, and SaaS threat prevention across the Palo Alto PAN-OS and Prisma architecture.

How it’s priced. SASE bundle add-on, per user.

Procurement notes: strongest economics inside Prisma Access renewals; standalone rarely competitive.

Buy when: Prisma Access is your SASE.

Push back on: overlapping DLP licensing across Palo Alto modules.

3. Netskope

What you get. Granular SaaS activity control instance awareness (differentiating personal vs. corporate OneDrive/Google Drive), contextual activity policies, and GenAI governance backed by threat research from Netskope Threat Labs tracking evasive malware delivery.

How it’s priced. Per-user SSE tiers; CASB depth varies by tier.

Procurement notes: the depth you demo lives in upper tiers quote the tier that includes instance-level controls, not the entry bundle.

Buy when: SaaS control depth is the requirement.

Push back on: tier creep between POC and contract.

4. iboss

What you get. Containerized, node-based SSE architecture delivering CASB, SWG, and compliance auditing with predictable per-user economics, integrating with Zero Trust security implementations across distributed workforces.

How it’s priced. Per user, all-in bundles.

Procurement notes: flat bundle simplicity is the pitch compare its all-in rate against rivals’ tier-stacked totals.

Buy when: predictable per-user pricing beats à-la-carte.

Push back on: feature parity checks vs leaders on advanced CASB scenarios.

5. Forcepoint (ONE, incl. Bitglass)

What you get. The Bitglass-lineage agentless reverse proxy delivering inline CASB protection to unmanaged and BYOD endpoints without client software integrated with enterprise Data Loss Prevention (DLP) software.

How it’s priced. Per user, SSE platform tiers.

Procurement notes: reverse-proxy coverage is the differentiated line price it explicitly; it’s why you’d pick Forcepoint.

Buy when: contractors/BYOD dominate.

Push back on: paying platform rates if you only need the proxy use case.

6. Trend Micro (Cloud App Security)

What you get. API-driven SaaS protection for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, focusing on email security, malicious file quarantine, and collaboration app defense, acting alongside enterprise anti-phishing solutions rather than an inline proxy.

How it’s priced. Per user, published tiers via Trend’s channel.

Procurement notes: honest scoping it’s email/collab-app protection; don’t spec it as inline CASB.

Buy when: hardening M365/Workspace mailboxes affordably.

Push back on: CASB-category claims beyond API coverage.

7. Skyhigh Security

What you get. Established CASB registry lineage (indexing risk scores for 30,000+ cloud applications), advanced data protection, and dual inline/API scanning, designed to remediate critical cloud misconfigurations and data leaks across cloud storage.

How it’s priced. Per user, quote.

Procurement notes: data-protection-led deals are where Skyhigh discounts to win leverage Netskope/Zscaler quotes.

Buy when: DLP depth leads the requirement.

Push back on: multi-year lock without roadmap commitments post-brand-transition.

8. Saviynt — Category correction

What you get. Not a CASB. Saviynt is identity governance (IGA) with SaaS-app entitlement management it governs who has access, not how apps are used inline. Its presence on CASB lists is a category error worth flagging to your procurement team.

How it’s priced. Per identity (IGA model).

Notes: Evaluate Saviynt exclusively within your Identity Governance and Administration procurement lane, combining it with centralized identity and access management tools rather than substituting it for a proxy broker.

Buy when: the actual need is SaaS entitlement governance.

Push back on: any CASB-labeled proposal built on it.

9. Zscaler

What you get. High-throughput inline CASB running across Zscaler’s globally distributed Zero Trust Exchange, paired with out-of-band API posture auditing and third-party application risk monitoring.

How it’s priced. ZIA bundle editions, per user.

Procurement notes: CASB rides the SWG/SSE negotiation the attach discount at ZIA renewal is the moment to strike.

Buy when: Zscaler is (or is becoming) the SSE.

Push back on: edition upsells for API app coverage counts.

10. Broadcom (Symantec CloudSOC)

What you get. The veteran CloudSOC CASB engine offering established API and inline discovery tied directly to Symantec DLP maintained alongside patches for enterprise software diagnostic and reporting tools.

How it’s priced. Quote/ELA within Broadcom agreements.

Procurement notes: classic renewal-trap profile viable to retain if bundled cheaply, hard to justify as a new selection; demand line-item transparency inside any ELA.

Buy when: existing Symantec DLP estates optimizing renewals.

Push back on: opaque ELA bundling and roadmap ambiguity.

11. Cisco (Cloudlock)

What you get. Cloud-native API-only CASB focused on OAuth app permissions, basic DLP, and anomalous user activity, maintained alongside software updates addressing vulnerabilities in Cisco network management platforms.

How it’s priced. Per user, legacy SKUs.

Procurement notes: if it’s on your renewal, that’s the negotiation moment to transition toward Secure Access or a leader don’t re-up by inertia.

Buy when: bridging an existing Cisco estate briefly.

Push back on: multi-year renewals of a sunset-track product.

12. Lookout

What you get. CASB (incorporating CipherCloud technology) unified with mobile endpoint security, bridging cloud data loss controls with Mobile Threat Defense (MTD) solutions across iOS and Android hardware.

How it’s priced. Per user/device blends.

Procurement notes: the mobile+CASB combination is the differentiator price it against buying MTD and CASB separately.

Buy when: mobile-first workforces (field, healthcare, retail).

Push back on: per-device math ballooning on multi-device users.

Procurement Comparison

Vendor	Real category	Bundle home	Marginal cost if incumbent	Standalone viability
Defender for Cloud Apps	Full CASB	M365 E5	Zero (E5)	Add-on possible
Palo Alto	Inline+API CASB	Prisma SASE	Low at renewal	Weak
Netskope	Depth leader	Netskope One	—	Strong
iboss	SSE CASB	iboss bundle	—	Medium
Forcepoint (Bitglass)	BYOD specialist	Forcepoint ONE	Low for DLP estates	Medium
Trend Micro	API mail/collab	Trend suite	Low	Narrow scope
Skyhigh	DLP-led CASB	Skyhigh SSE	—	Strong
Saviynt	IGA (not CASB)	Identity	—	Wrong lane
Zscaler	SSE CASB	ZIA editions	Low at renewal	Via SSE
Symantec (Broadcom)	Legacy CASB	Broadcom ELA	Low if bundled	Weak (new)
Cloudlock (Cisco)	Legacy API	Cisco	Sunset-track	Weak
Lookout	Mobile+CASB	Lookout platform	—	Niche-strong

Buying Guide

Start from what’s already paid. E5 estates: enable Defender for Cloud Apps before any RFP competing spend must beat zero.

Verify Zero Trust Network Access integration: Ensure the CASB telemetry feed integrates directly with Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) frameworks to terminate sessions dynamically when risk scores elevate.

Buy CASB as an SSE tiebreaker, not a product.

When Netskope, Zscaler, Skyhigh, Palo Alto, and iboss bid the SSE seat, make CASB depth (instance controls, GenAI governance, BYOD proxy) the scored differentiator inside the same per-user price.

Justify every attach separately. Proofpoint-style people-risk, Lookout mobile fusion, Trend mailbox hardening each is incremental spend needing its own ROI line.

Treat legacy as leverage. CloudSOC and Cloudlock renewals are exit windows: quote leaders against them and bank the discount either way.

And correct the category errors an IGA platform (Saviynt) on a CASB shortlist wastes an evaluation slot someone else should fill. Three-year math beats first-invoice math everywhere in this market.

Cost-Focused FAQ

How much does CASB cost per user?

As a standalone line, it’s vanishing: CASB arrives inside per-user SSE tiers (Netskope, Zscaler, Skyhigh, Palo Alto, iboss) or inside M365 E5 (Defender for Cloud Apps). Incremental CASB spend is now mostly tier-upgrade or specialist-attach money.

Is Defender for Cloud Apps really free?

It’s included in E5/E5 Security so for those estates the marginal cost is zero. Non-E5 tenants pay a per-user add-on that still undercuts most standalone quotes.

Netskope’s instance-aware controls and GenAI governance, Forcepoint’s Bitglass reverse proxy for BYOD, and Lookout’s mobile fusion are the three capabilities that most often justify spend above the bundled baseline.

Are legacy CASBs (CloudSOC, Cloudlock) safe renewals?

They’re negotiation events: Broadcom-era CloudSOC belongs inside a scrutinized ELA line-item, and Cloudlock’s maintenance orbit makes multi-year re-ups hard to defend. Use both as leverage toward SSE-era replacements.

Why is Saviynt on CASB lists?

Category drift — Saviynt governs SaaS entitlements (IGA), which sounds adjacent but isn’t inline/API app control. Evaluate it for identity governance; fill the CASB slot with an actual broker.

API-only vs inline CASB — what’s the price difference?

API-only (Trend, Cloudlock-class) is the budget tier data-at-rest scanning without traffic steering. Inline adds real-time control and costs SSE-seat money. Most estates need inline for sanctioned-app control and API for depth.

Bottom Line

CASB budgeting in 2026 is bundle archaeology: find what you already own (E5 → Defender for Cloud Apps), make depth the tiebreaker in the SSE bake-off (Netskope vs Zscaler vs Skyhigh vs Palo Alto vs iboss), pay extra only for named differentiators (Forcepoint BYOD proxy, Lookout mobile, Trend mailbox hardening), turn legacy renewals (CloudSOC, Cloudlock) into leverage, and strike miscategorized entries (Saviynt) from the lane. The cheapest strong CASB is usually the one hiding in a subscription you’ve already signed.

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