What is the cost of Cisco Umbrella in 2026?

Cisco Umbrella costs between $2.25 and $10.00 per user per month in 2026, depending on the chosen DNS or Secure Internet Gateway (SIG) tier.

While Cisco does not publish official list prices, aggregated reseller data and AWS Marketplace listings confirm these baseline street prices. Final costs are negotiated through Cisco's sales team or authorized channel partners and scale based on seat count, term length, and bundle discounts. Cisco licenses by covered user — one license covers a single employee across all their devices, not per device.

All estimates are derived from third-party sources including AWS Marketplace listings, public sector procurement data, and reseller quotes. Your actual quote will vary.

Pricing research conducted May 2026. Contact Cisco sales or an authorized partner for a current quote before planning your budget.

Cisco Umbrella pricing tiers and architecture

Cisco divides its pricing into four tiers based on whether traffic is inspected at the DNS layer or proxied fully via a web gateway.

The core product lines are split into DNS Security (Essentials and Advantage) and Secure Internet Gateway, or SIG (Essentials and Advantage). DNS Security tiers intercept DNS queries and block connections to malicious domains before they are established. SIG tiers route all HTTP and HTTPS web traffic through Cisco's cloud infrastructure for full packet-level inspection — a fundamentally different protection architecture that roughly doubles the per-user cost.

DNS Security Essentials: $2.25–$3.71/user/month

DNS Security Essentials costs $2.25 to $3.71 per user per month and provides DNS-layer threat blocking without full web traffic inspection.

This entry-level tier classifies DNS queries into three categories: Good domains (returned directly, no proxying), Bad domains (blocked immediately at the DNS layer), and Grey domains (routed through Cisco cloud servers in the 146.112.0.0/16 range for additional inspection). It includes basic reporting, application discovery, and embedded Cisco Talos threat intelligence — making it suitable for organizations layering DNS protection over existing perimeter firewalls.

Included capabilities:

• DNS-layer blocking for malware, phishing, and botnet callback domains
• Category-based and custom URL allowlist/blocklist management
• Application discovery and risk scoring
• Basic Reporting API and Enforcement API
• Cisco Talos threat intelligence (embedded across all tiers at no additional cost)
• Basic support: 24×7 phone/web, 1-hour response for Sev 1/2 issues

Not included: Full SSL/TLS inspection, selective proxy for grey-listed domains, SIEM log export via S3, and the Investigate On-Demand Enrichment API. Since more than 80% of web traffic is now encrypted, this tier provides limited visibility into encrypted threats.

DNS Essentials works well as a supplementary control layered over existing endpoint security and perimeter firewalls. It is not a standalone security layer for organizations with complex policy or compliance requirements.

DNS Security Advantage: $4.17–$5.57/user/month

DNS Security Advantage costs $4.17 to $5.57 per user per month, adding selective web proxies and SIEM log exports for security operations.

By proxying risky "grey-listed" domains for deeper inspection, this tier bridges the gap between basic DNS blocking and a full web gateway. It is the most common deployment tier for mid-market security teams requiring S3 log exports for centralized monitoring in a SIEM. Known-good and known-bad domains still bypass the proxy entirely — only uncertain domains receive additional inspection.

Additional capabilities over Essentials:

• Intelligent/selective proxy for grey-listed (risky but unconfirmed) domains
• Full URL-level blocking, not just domain-level
• Management API for programmatic policy configuration
• Investigate On-Demand Enrichment API
• S3 log export for SIEM integration
• Cisco Duo Identity limited entitlement

Volume pricing: DNS Advantage drops from approximately $5.57/user/month for 1–99 users to approximately $4.73/user/month at 250 users — a 15% reduction that meaningfully impacts mid-market budgets. If your team is at 95 users, the math may favor purchasing to the 100-user threshold.

Secure Internet Gateway (SIG) Essentials: $5.55–$6.50/user/month

SIG Essentials ranges from $5.55 to $6.50 per user per month, providing a full cloud-delivered Secure Web Gateway (SWG) proxy and cloud-delivered firewall.

This tier routes all HTTP and HTTPS traffic through Cisco's infrastructure, not just DNS queries. It supports full SSL/TLS inspection, file sandboxing via Cisco Threat Grid, and base Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) capabilities for remote workforces. This is the minimum viable tier for organizations serious about cloud-delivered security.

Additional capabilities over DNS Advantage:

• Full SWG proxy for all web traffic (not just grey-listed domains)
• Cloud-delivered firewall (Layer 3/4)
• IPsec network tunnels for branch office connectivity
• Full SSL/TLS inspection (requires Cisco Umbrella root certificate deployment on endpoints)
• File sandboxing via Cisco Threat Grid
• CASB capabilities for cloud application visibility and control
• Inline DLP available as add-on (not yet included at this tier)
• Layer 7 IPS available as add-on (not yet included at this tier)

Secure Internet Gateway (SIG) Advantage: $8.52–$10.00+/user/month

SIG Advantage costs $8.52 to $10.00 or more per user per month, integrating inline Data Loss Prevention (DLP) and Layer 7 Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) as included capabilities, not add-ons.

Organizations with strict regulatory compliance requirements — such as PCI-DSS or HIPAA — utilize this tier for unlimited cloud malware scanning and advanced data handling enforcement. SIG Advantage makes financial sense when the cost of DLP and Layer 7 IPS as add-ons at SIG Essentials would exceed the tier upgrade price.

Additional capabilities over SIG Essentials:

• Inline DLP (included) — enforces data handling policies across all proxied web traffic
• Layer 7 IPS (included) — application-layer intrusion prevention without add-on licensing
• Unlimited cloud malware scanning (vs. capped volume in SIG Essentials)
• Unlimited Secure Malware Analytics submissions (vs. ≤500/day in SIG Essentials)

Compare Transparent-Pricing DNS Security Alternatives

Cisco Umbrella requires a sales quote. These alternatives offer published pricing and a free trial — compare before starting a Cisco conversation.

NordLayer

Business VPN with zero-trust features • Starting at From $8/user/mo — published pricing

Compare NordLayer (VPN + DNS Filtering)Read Review

Proton VPN

Privacy-first VPN from Proton with Swiss protection • Starting at From $6.99/user/mo — published pricing

Compare Proton VPN BusinessRead Review

Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission from purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. Recommendations are based on fit and product quality, not commission size.

How the Cisco Secure Access transition impacts pricing

Cisco is currently offering existing Umbrella DNS customers a migration to Cisco Secure Access – DNS Defense at the exact same per-user price, with expanded capabilities included.

According to Cisco's official migration page and product marketing, the Secure Access – DNS Defense platform includes all Umbrella DNS features plus additional capabilities — specifically SaaS API Data Loss Prevention (DLP) and cloud malware scanning — that were not available in the equivalent Umbrella DNS tiers. Cisco's messaging: "For our existing Umbrella DNS customers, migrating to Secure Access – DNS Defense offers powerful new security capabilities at the exact same price."

What this means for buyers in 2026:

• Organizations renewing DNS Essentials or DNS Advantage contracts in 2026 will be transitioned to Secure Access – DNS Defense at equivalent pricing
• The transition itself is automated: Cisco states Umbrella customers can typically complete the platform migration in an hour or less using their automated migration tool
• Existing security policies, reporting configurations, and network tunnel settings migrate automatically
• The "same price" guarantee applies to the license — it does not absorb implementation labor for organizations that need to reconfigure integrations or update endpoint policies

Where the "same price" claim requires scrutiny:

Cisco Secure Access tiers require mandatory 24×7 Enhanced Software Support, whereas legacy Umbrella support tiers were optional paid add-ons. Organizations migrating from legacy Umbrella contracts where they carried Basic (not Enhanced) support may see a structural cost increase in support costs that is not reflected in the license price marketing. Verify support tier requirements with your Cisco rep before signing a Secure Access contract.

Timeline reference:

• October 2023: Cisco Secure Access reached general availability
• September 30, 2025: End-of-sale for legacy Umbrella DNS Essentials and Advantage SKUs
• September 30, 2026: End of software maintenance for retired SKUs
• September 30, 2030: Last date of support for retired SKUs

Hidden costs of Cisco Umbrella deployment

Organizations must budget for premium support upgrades, SSL certificate deployment labor, and mandatory migration to the Cisco Secure Client.

Beyond the base per-user license, IT teams face operational overhead that falls outside the license fee. For example, migrating from the legacy Umbrella Roaming Client (which reached end-of-support on April 2, 2025) to Cisco Secure Client requires endpoint deployment across all managed devices. Cisco confirms the entitlement is no-cost for licensed subscribers, but the labor is not trivial — particularly at SIG tiers requiring SSL inspection.

Estimated implementation labor by task:

Additional cost items to budget:

Support tier upgrades: Basic support (24×7, 1-hour Sev 1/2 response) is included with all tiers. Enhanced support (30-minute Sev 1/2 response) and Premium support (15-minute response) are paid add-ons. Third-party procurement data suggests Enhanced support adds approximately $1.39/user/year at scale — roughly $350–$500/year for a 250-user organization.

Cisco Secure Client VPN licensing: The Cisco Secure Client (formerly AnyConnect) is included for Umbrella protection module use only. Organizations that need VPN functionality through on-premises ASA or Firepower headends require a separate Cisco Secure Client VPN license. The VPN module installs as a dependency even when hidden from the end-user interface — a friction point for organizations deploying alongside existing third-party VPN clients.

Contract length and volume leverage:

Cost examples for a 50-user organization

These scenarios use the third-party estimates above to illustrate realistic budget ranges. Your actual quote will differ.

50-user team on DNS Essentials (12-month term): $3.00/user/month × 50 users × 12 months = approximately $1,800/year

50-user team on DNS Advantage (12-month term): $5.00/user/month × 50 users × 12 months = approximately $3,000/year

250-user team on DNS Advantage (36-month term, volume discount): $4.73/user/month × 250 users × 12 months = approximately $14,190/year (or ~$42,570 over three years)

50-user team on SIG Essentials (12-month term): $6.00/user/month × 50 users × 12 months = approximately $3,600/year

Add Enhanced Support (+$350–$500/year at 250 users) and implementation labor to the SIG tier scenarios. These figures illustrate why the jump from DNS Advantage to SIG Essentials represents roughly a 2× pricing step for equivalent team sizes.

Cisco Umbrella pricing vs alternatives: 2026 comparison

The deprecation of the Umbrella Roaming Client required IT teams to deploy a new endpoint agent across their fleet in 2025. Many organizations used this migration window to evaluate alternatives like Cloudflare Gateway or DNSFilter — since endpoint deployments were already underway, the incremental effort to run a parallel pilot was lower than during a typical evaluation cycle.

Cisco Umbrella's quote-driven model makes direct comparison difficult. The table below benchmarks it against alternatives with published pricing:

DNSFilter: transparent pricing for DNS-only protection

DNSFilter publishes pricing directly: Basic at $1.00/user/month, Pro at $2.10/user/month, and Enterprise at $2.70/user/month. For teams that need pure DNS-layer threat blocking without a SIEM integration or full web gateway, DNSFilter Pro is meaningfully cheaper than Umbrella DNS Advantage and requires no sales engagement to get started.

DNSFilter is DNS-layer only. There is no SWG proxy, no SSL/TLS inspection, and no cloud firewall. Organizations evaluating DNSFilter as a replacement for Cisco Umbrella SIG are comparing fundamentally different product categories.

Cloudflare Zero Trust: published pricing with ZTNA included

Cloudflare Zero Trust offers a free tier (up to 50 users, 24-hour log retention) and a pay-as-you-go plan at $7/user/month. That $7 rate includes DNS filtering, Secure Web Gateway (SWG), and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) — capabilities that Umbrella does not bundle at any SIG tier. Cloudflare also processes roughly 25% of global internet traffic, which underlies broad threat detection coverage.

Limitations: Cloudflare's CASB is limited to 2 integrations on pay-as-you-go. Umbrella SIG offers broader CASB capabilities with unlimited cloud scanning at higher tiers. File sandboxing equivalent to Umbrella's Threat Grid is also absent from Cloudflare's current stack.

For the full architecture and policy-model comparison, see our Cisco Umbrella vs Cloudflare comparison guide.

NordLayer: VPN-first with built-in DNS threat blocking

NordLayer is a business VPN with DNS threat blocking (ThreatBlock) as a built-in feature — it is not a direct Cisco Umbrella replacement. The Lite plan starts at $8/user/month; the Core plan at $11/user/month adds DNS filtering, dedicated gateways, and IP allowlisting.

For SMB teams whose primary need is secure remote access rather than enterprise-grade DNS policy management, NordLayer addresses the remote access and DNS threat-blocking use case in one license at a published price without a sales negotiation. For teams that have already determined they need Cisco Umbrella's feature depth, NordLayer serves a different primary function and is not a substitute.

Compare Transparent-Pricing DNS Security Alternatives

Cisco Umbrella requires a sales quote. These alternatives offer published pricing and a free trial — compare before starting a Cisco conversation.

NordLayer

Business VPN with zero-trust features

Starting at From $8/user/mo — published pricing

Compare NordLayer (VPN + DNS Filtering)Read Review

Proton VPN

Privacy-first VPN from Proton with Swiss protection

Starting at From $6.99/user/mo — published pricing

Compare Proton VPN BusinessRead Review

Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission from purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. Recommendations are based on fit and product quality, not commission size.

Is Cisco Umbrella worth the cost?

The value calculation depends on which tier you need and what you are replacing or adding.

DNS Essentials is worth considering if:

• You have a distributed team (multiple offices or remote users) and need centralized DNS policy enforcement
• You already have strong endpoint security and a perimeter firewall, and want an additional DNS-layer control
• You have compliance or cyber-insurance requirements that mandate documented DNS filtering controls

DNS Essentials is likely oversized if:

• Your team is entirely office-based with a managed router that already applies DNS filtering
• You have fewer than 15–20 users and a tight security budget — DNSFilter or Cloudflare's free tier address the base DNS protection use case at lower cost
• You need price certainty upfront for budget planning — the quote-only model adds procurement friction

SIG tiers are worth evaluating if:

• You are replacing or augmenting an on-premises web proxy and want a cloud-delivered equivalent
• You have regulatory requirements (HIPAA, PCI-DSS) that mandate documented web traffic controls and audit logs
• Your team is remote-first and you need full traffic inspection that follows users regardless of network

SIG tiers are likely oversized if:

• You are a single-location team under 30 users with no compliance-driven web inspection requirement
• Your current security investment priority is endpoint protection, identity security, or backup — these address higher-probability risks for most small businesses before network-layer inspection is warranted

If you are unsure whether your compliance requirements mandate full SIG inspection or whether DNS-layer protection is sufficient for your risk profile, the small business cybersecurity roadmap provides a structured framework for prioritizing controls by threat category.

For a complete evaluation of Cisco Umbrella's features, deployment experience, and real-world SMB fit beyond pricing, see the Cisco Umbrella Business Review.

FAQ