ZTNA vs VPN: Which is the best solution?

Remote work isn't going anywhere. But as teams continue working from home, coffee shops, and co-working spaces around the world, IT leaders face a critical question: how do you keep company data secure when employees are accessing it from everywhere?

For years, virtual private networks (VPNs) have been the go-to solution. But as workforces become more distributed and cloud-first, many organizations are discovering that traditional VPNs aren't quite cutting it anymore. That's where zero trust network access (ZTNA) comes in as a modern approach that's changing how we think about remote access security.

So, which one should you choose: a VPN or ZTNA? Let's break down the key differences and help you make the right decision for your organization.

What is a VPN?

A virtual private network creates an encrypted tunnel between a user's device and your corporate network. 

Think of it as extending your office network to wherever your employees happen to be working. So when someone connects to your VPN, their device essentially becomes part of your internal network, with access to the same resources they'd have if they were sitting at their office desk.

VPNs have been the standard choice for remote access for decades because they’re simple to deploy and work with almost any system. They remain a common solution across industries: IT teams use them to manage infrastructure remotely, legal professionals to review sensitive case files from outside the office, and financial firms to meet encryption and compliance requirements.

How does a VPN work?

When someone connects to a VPN, three things happen:

1. Encrypted tunnel creation: The VPN establishes a secure, encrypted connection between the user's device and your organization's private network, protecting data as it travels across the internet.
2. Traffic routing: All of the user's internet traffic gets routed through a centralized VPN gateway, typically located in your data center or on-premises infrastructure.
3. User authentication: The system verifies the user's identity through credentials or certificates before granting authenticated access to internal systems.

Benefits of using VPNs for business

• Secure remote access for legacy systems: VPNs excel at connecting remote users to older applications and systems that weren't designed for cloud access. If you're running critical software that can't easily be moved to the cloud, VPNs provide a reliable bridge.
• Compliance support in regulated industries: Many compliance frameworks were written with VPNs in mind. Industries like healthcare and finance often have established procedures and audit trails built around VPN access.
• Familiarity and widespread adoption: According to a security report, 95% of American adults are familiar with VPNs, and 46% actively use them, which could represent over 100 million users. In other words, your IT team likely already knows how to manage VPNs, and most employees have used them before. This familiarity can make implementation and training much smoother.

Disadvantages of using VPNs for business

• Broad network access increases risk: Once someone connects to your VPN, they typically get access to your entire internal network. This creates significant network security challenges—if their device is compromised or credentials are stolen, an attacker can potentially access everything.
• Performance bottlenecks from traffic backhauling: Since all traffic routes through your VPN gateway, users often experience slower internet speeds and increased latency, especially when accessing cloud applications that don't need to touch your internal network.
• Limited scalability in hybrid environments: VPNs were designed for a world where "the office" was a single location. As organizations adopt cloud services and distributed teams, VPNs can become a bottleneck rather than an enabler.

What is ZTNA?

Zero trust network access (ZTNA) takes a fundamentally different approach than VPN. Instead of assuming that users are trustworthy once they're inside the network, ZTNA operates on the principle of "never trust, always verify."

With ZTNA, users don't get broad network access. Instead, they get carefully controlled access to specific applications and resources, based on their identity, role, and current context. This approach follows the least privilege principle, ensuring users only have access to what they absolutely need to do their jobs.

How does ZTNA work?

ZTNA flips the traditional security model on its head:

1. Identity and device verification: Before granting secure access to any application, ZTNA verifies both the user's identity and their device's security posture. No broad network access is ever provided.
2. Cloud-based policy enforcement: A cloud-based broker enforces access control policies dynamically, making real-time decisions based on factors like user location, device type, time of day, and current role.
3. Application-level access: Internal applications remain hidden from public view. Users can only access authorized services through secure gateways, and each application access is individually controlled.

Benefits of using ZTNA for business

• Reduced attack surface and improved security posture: By implementing least privilege access and providing secure access only to specific applications rather than entire networks, ZTNA dramatically reduces what attackers can reach if they compromise a user account or device.
• Scalability across remote, hybrid, and cloud environments: ZTNA was built for today's distributed world. It works equally well whether your applications are on-premises, in the cloud, or spread across multiple environments.
• Granular, identity and context-based access control: ZTNA can make sophisticated access decisions based on dozens of factors—not just "does this person have the right password?" but "are they accessing this from their managed device, during business hours, from a known location?"

Disadvantages of using ZTNA for business

• Requires upfront integration and planning: Moving to ZTNA isn't just a technology switch. It requires rethinking your access policies and often involves significant planning and integration work.
• Limited support for legacy systems: Older applications that weren't designed with modern authentication methods may not work well with ZTNA solutions without additional configuration or middleware.
• Higher complexity in policy and change management: The granular control that makes ZTNA powerful also makes it more complex to manage. You'll need clear processes for updating access policies as roles and responsibilities change.

Key differences between ZTNA and VPN

Security model

VPNs operate on a perimeter-based security model. Once you're authenticated and inside the "trusted" network, you're generally trusted to access whatever you need. ZTNA, on the other hand, treats every access request as potentially untrusted, requiring verification each time.

Access scope

When you connect to a VPN, you typically get access to the entire internal network. ZTNA provides access only to specific applications that users need for their roles.

User experience

VPN users often experience slower performance because their traffic has to route through the VPN gateway, even when accessing cloud applications. ZTNA users typically connect directly to the applications they need, resulting in better performance.

Scalability

VPNs were designed when most business applications lived in a single data center. ZTNA was built for today's reality, where applications are spread across multiple clouds and locations.

Device posture

ZTNA continuously monitors device health and security posture, while VPNs typically only check credentials at connection time.

Maintenance

VPNs require ongoing maintenance of on-premises infrastructure. ZTNA solutions are typically cloud-managed, with automatic updates and scaling.

Visibility and auditing capabilities

ZTNA provides detailed logs of who accessed what applications and when. VPN logs typically only show network-level connections, making it harder to audit actual application usage.

ZTNA vs. VPN: Which is the best for a hybrid or remote workplace?

For most modern organizations with distributed teams, ZTNA offers significant advantages as an access solution. It provides better security through reduced attack surface, improved performance through direct application access, and greater scalability as your workforce grows and changes.

However, the best choice depends on your specific situation. Organizations with primarily cloud-based applications, distributed teams, and modern zero-trust security requirements will likely benefit most from ZTNA. Those with significant legacy infrastructure, strict compliance frameworks built around VPNs, or limited resources for a major security transformation might find VPNs more practical in the short term.

The key is to think about where your organization is heading, not just where it is today. As more applications move to the cloud and workforces become more distributed, ZTNA becomes increasingly attractive.

When should you use a VPN?

Despite the advantages of ZTNA, VPNs still make sense in several scenarios:

Supporting legacy applications and systems

If you're running critical applications that can't easily be updated or moved to the cloud, VPNs provide a reliable way to give remote users access. This is particularly common in manufacturing, healthcare, and financial services.

Temporary or short-term remote access

For contractors, consultants, or temporary employees who need quick access to internal resources, VPNs can be simpler to set up and manage than implementing full ZTNA policies.

Compliance with existing security frameworks

Some organizations operate under compliance requirements that were written with VPNs in mind. While these frameworks are evolving, changing established compliance procedures can be complex and time-consuming.

When should you use ZTNA?

ZTNA is ideal for organizations that want to embrace modern, cloud-first security practices and implement a zero-trust network:

Enabling secure access for distributed teams

If your workforce is spread across multiple locations, time zones, and work environments, ZTNA provides the flexibility and security controls you need to manage access effectively.

Supporting cloud-first and hybrid infrastructure

Organizations that have moved most of their applications to the cloud, or are in the process of doing so, will find ZTNA aligns much better with their infrastructure approach.

Enforcing granular, identity-based access policies

If you need detailed control over who can access what, when, and from where, ZTNA's policy engine provides the granularity that VPNs simply can't match. This makes ZTNA a key component of implementing a comprehensive zero-trust architecture across your organization.

Secure remote access easily with Rippling

Whether you choose ZTNA, VPN, or a hybrid approach, managing secure remote access doesn't have to be complicated. 

Rippling's IT management platform takes a comprehensive approach that aligns with zero trust principles. Instead of treating identity, access, and device management as separate challenges, Rippling combines them into a single, unified platform.

The platform includes these key features:

• Centralized identity management that combines HRIS and identity provider functions, ensuring user data stays consistent across all systems without manual synchronization.
• Device-level security policies that automatically enforce encryption, software updates, and compliance requirements across all managed devices, regardless of location.
• Dynamic access controls that adjust permissions based on real-time user and device data, supporting both zero-trust principles and traditional network access models.
• Remote lock and wipe capabilities that protect company data if devices are lost, stolen, or when employees leave the organization.
• Behavioral detection rules that identify suspicious access patterns and automatically require additional authentication or block access entirely.
• Comprehensive audit trails that provide detailed logging for compliance requirements and security investigations.

This integrated approach means you don't have to piece together multiple solutions or worry about security gaps between systems. Everything works together to provide secure, scalable access for your distributed workforce.

ZTNA vs VPN FAQs

Can ZTNA replace VPN?

In many cases, yes. Zero trust network access (ZTNA) can replace virtual private networks (VPNs) for most modern use cases, especially in cloud-first organizations. However, the transition requires careful planning and may not be appropriate for all legacy systems or compliance requirements.

Is ZTNA more secure than VPN?

Generally, yes, ZTNA is more secure than VPN. ZTNA's application-level access and continuous verification provide a smaller attack surface and better security posture than VPN's network-level access. However, both can be secure when properly implemented and managed.

Can ZTNA and VPN be used together?

Absolutely. Many organizations use both ZTNA and VPNs during transition periods or for different use cases. You might use ZTNA for cloud applications and modern systems while maintaining VPN access for legacy applications that can't easily be integrated with ZTNA.

Does ZTNA require special hardware or agents?

Most ZTNA solutions are cloud-based and don't require special hardware. However, they may require software agents on user devices to monitor device health and enforce security policies. The specific requirements depend on your chosen ZTNA solution and security policies.

This blog is based on information available to Rippling as of June 25, 2025.

Disclaimer: Rippling and its affiliates do not provide tax, accounting, or legal advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide or be relied on for tax, accounting, or legal advice. You should consult your own tax, accounting, and legal advisors before engaging in any related activities or transactions.