Cloudflare Access
7.7/10
MSP Compared score
- Starting price
- $7/user/mo
- Reviews
- Not yet rated
- Free trial
- Free tier
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Best for
- Teams wanting accessible, edge-delivered ZTNA with a genuinely free tier for up to 50 users
Best ZTNA / Business VPN · 2026
Cloudflare Access vs 
NordLayer Cloudflare Access vs NordLayer: on our data-weighted scoring, Cloudflare Access edges ahead (7.7 vs 7.4/10). Cloudflare Access starts at $7/user/mo and is best for teams wanting accessible, edge-delivered ZTNA with a genuinely free tier for up to 50 users; NordLayer starts at $8/user/mo and is best for SMBs wanting an easy business VPN evolving toward zero-trust network access. Choose Cloudflare Access for the stronger overall track record; consider NordLayer if its pricing model or fit matches your environment better. Side-by-side table below.
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NordLayer
7.4/10
MSP Compared score
- Starting price
- $8/user/mo
- Reviews
- 4.3/5 (G2)
- Free trial
- —
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Best for
- SMBs wanting an easy business VPN evolving toward zero-trust network access
Strengths at a glance
Six criteria, each scored 0–10 on the same scale from real review data, public pricing and feature coverage. See our methodology →
| Criterion | Cloudflare Access | NordLayer |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial | 7.7 | 7.4 |
| User reviews | 7.0 | 8.6 |
| Adoption | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Affordability | 9.5 | 4.4 |
| Feature breadth | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Ease of trial | 7.0 | 3.0 |
Cloudflare Access vs NordLayer: head-to-head
| Cloudflare Access | NordLayer | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $7/user/mo | $8/user/mo |
| Pricing model | per user | per user |
| Free trial / tier | Free tier | — |
| Best for | Teams wanting accessible, edge-delivered ZTNA with a genuinely free tier for up to 50 users | SMBs wanting an easy business VPN evolving toward zero-trust network access |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |
| G2 rating | — | 4.3/5 |
| Capterra rating | — | — |
| Our score | 7.7 | 7.4 |
Choose Cloudflare Access if…
You need teams wanting accessible, edge-delivered ztna with a genuinely free tier for up to 50 users.
✓ Pros
- Best-in-class free tier (50 users)
- Lowest published per-user price
- Massive global edge network
✕ Cons
- CASB + DLP still maturing
- Best value if already on Cloudflare
- Enterprise support has gaps
Choose NordLayer if…
You need smbs wanting an easy business vpn evolving toward zero-trust network access.
✓ Pros
- Easy to deploy + manage
- Nord Security brand backing
- 14-day money-back guarantee
✕ Cons
- No free tier (5-user minimum)
- Dedicated IP/gateway costs extra
- Less ZTNA depth than Zscaler/Cato
In depth
Pricing: Cloudflare Access vs NordLayer
Cloudflare Access bills on a per user model from $7/user/mo (free tier available), while NordLayer uses a per user model from $8/user/mo. Because the models differ, the cheaper option flips depending on your fleet size — model both at your seat/endpoint count.
Features & deployment
Cloudflare Access ships 6 headline capabilities (Edge-delivered ZTNA on 330+ cities, Free tier up to 50 users, Identity-aware app access, Integrates with Cloudflare DNS/CDN) and deploys Cloud. NordLayer ships 6 (Cloud business VPN + ZTNA, Network segmentation, Dedicated servers + static IP, Device posture security), deploying Cloud.
Ratings & verdict
Cloudflare Access holds Not yet rated; NordLayer holds 4.3/5 (G2). On our data-weighted score, Cloudflare Access edges ahead (7.7 vs 7.4/10). Pick NordLayer instead when smbs wanting an easy business vpn evolving toward zero-trust network access. See Cloudflare Access alternatives or NordLayer alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
- Cloudflare Access vs NordLayer: which is better?
- Cloudflare Access vs NordLayer: on our data-weighted scoring, Cloudflare Access edges ahead (7.7 vs 7.4/10). Cloudflare Access starts at $7/user/mo and is best for teams wanting accessible, edge-delivered ZTNA with a genuinely free tier for up to 50 users; NordLayer starts at $8/user/mo and is best for SMBs wanting an easy business VPN evolving toward zero-trust network access.
- Is Cloudflare Access cheaper than NordLayer?
- Cloudflare Access starts at $7/user/mo and NordLayer starts at $8/user/mo (see the pricing rows for models and limits).
Data as of September 17, 2026. Sources: cloudflare.com, nordlayer.com. Figures are pulled from public vendor and security data and refreshed automatically.