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AlienVault OSSIM vs Cynet comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 18, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

AlienVault OSSIM
Ranking in Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
8th
Average Rating
7.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
31
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cynet
Ranking in Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
11th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
41
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (17th), User Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) (3rd), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) (13th), Threat Deception Platforms (4th), Network Detection and Response (NDR) (4th), Extended Detection and Response (XDR) (8th), Ransomware Protection (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) category, the mindshare of AlienVault OSSIM is 3.6%, down from 3.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cynet is 0.9%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
 

Featured Reviews

Aman Aijaz - PeerSpot reviewer
An easy-to-scale open-source solution used for monitoring events on devices
The area for improvement is a lot. When I started using it on our enterprise side, the issue we faced was, for example, if we were running at that time on AlienVault OSSIM v5.7.4. So, for some orders, we had to install some packages, and when we tried installing that package, some dependencies got upgraded to a new version. Now once that dependency got upgraded, the SQL, since you might be aware that OSSIM uses SQL database, now SQL and all the dependency in everything was not on the same version, and that caused the database to crash. The aforementioned area should be eased out by upgrading the patches and upgrading dependencies. This kind of thing is a disadvantage of OSSIM, and I would like them to work on this. But I have also raised service requests many times and gave it a push on the community section too. However, since it is a local source, they don't reply much over there. That is why I don't like to work on OSSIM because it is unpredictable. Once the storage goes above 50 percent, it starts behaving unpredictably. If you get stuck with a situation, then you need to drill a lockdown into that. Sometimes you get no luck. Then you have to just reimage the server with the new fresh OS of AlienVault. As for additional features, not much because if you move to the newer version, it is kind of getting more stable. But, to make my life easier, then I would say try to give more features. I know it's open source, so they also cannot provide me with more features. But still, if they can provide me with more features because right now it's becoming old. Right now, we are even moving from SIEM to Security Data Lake. So when we move to it, this will be literally outdated. No one can even expect anything out of it. The way security is moving, it will be outdated very soon. They have to also provide something new to keep this going for the future also.
Zubair Ahmad - PeerSpot reviewer
Managed threat detection efficiently with minimal resource usage
We used the solution as a Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service. It detected threats, and the team managing our services took care of it. We did not face any major challenges or attacks, and memory utilization was minimal. It functioned very well Cynet was valuable since it efficiently…

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The solution is very stable. Compared to Qradar and Splunk, it's very stable."
"The most valuable feature is the logging capability."
"There are a lot of people you will find using OSSIM since they are also offering OTX as a service"
"The dashboard is the solution's most valuable aspect. It brings everything into one central point where I can actually look at it and go, "Okay, I understand what's going on.""
"Its user-friendliness is the most valuable. It is very easy to use and explore. The dashboard is very well packaged and integrated. You don't have to spend a lot of time in configuring it and checking out the RPM etc. It is also free and very powerful."
"The initial setup was straightforward. I didn't have any problems."
"The solution is free to use."
"The most valuable features of this solution are the data correlation and vulnerability assessment."
"Cynet's most valuable features are laptop and server performance, internal network monitoring, and external firewall lock management."
"The dashboard is beautiful, overall easy of use, and the UBA and NBA features are valued."
"A reliable security system that automatically quarantines anything suspicious."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the network part of it because most of the endpoint products in XDS products we find Cynet has networking user behavior analysis and network analysis, for the whole team."
"It is quite stable. I would rate the stability of the solution a nine out of ten."
"It can be deployed in autonomous mode, and then it automatically blocks malware threats."
"The feature I find most valuable, is the reality graphical user interface."
"The product did not utilize much memory or resources from the background, which was a significant advantage."
 

Cons

"There are somewhat more false positives with the user behavior analytics, which could benefit from an additional machine learning model to detect user patterns more rapidly."
"I don't like to work on OSSIM because it is unpredictable."
"There needs to be more support or some kind of training program so users can self-learn the system more effectively."
"GUI could be improved."
"AlienVault OSSIM should improve the deployment and make it unified like the USM."
"The solution is not scalable."
"The user interface could be improved."
"AlienVault OSSIM gives unwanted notifications."
"I suppose everybody's working on AI these days. So, I would like to see more about AI-based threats."
"The solution lacks URL filtering."
"The command line interface could be improved."
"The solution just needs to keep maturing and they need to keep up with the threat landscape to ensure they're protecting clients well as time passes."
"Their deployment needs some work, especially with integration with remote monitoring management systems like Datto AutoTask or ConnectWise Automate."
"There are some shortcomings in Cynet's integration capabilities that need improvement."
"Their technical support can be improved in terms of speed when opening a ticket."
"Their support for issues related to the portal or feature problems isn't great."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I used the paid version of the tool and found it to be expensive. It has been a while since I changed to Securonix. I will have to check whether AlienVault charges per device, user, or log."
"We are using a free version of the solution. If you purchase a license there are more features available but the price is a little high. The solution should be cheaper to allow more customers to be able to afford it."
"The price of AlienVault OSSIM is too high sometimes for us to present to our customers. The price should be lower. We are on a three-year license to use the solution. We had to pay extra for the support."
"AlienVault pricing is the best. Whatever cost you are paying, you are getting a return on every penny... It's not like your IBM, your QRadar, or Splunk, where the cost is too high."
"AlienVault OSSIM is expensive compared to its competitors."
"AlienVault OSSIM is free."
"The tool's licensing costs are yearly."
"OSSIM is open source, and USM is the paid license. So, if you want, you can switch to USM. There you will have to buy a license, and they have a support team that helps you out on issues you face."
"Cynet is cheap."
"Everything is included in this one solution and the pricing is pretty competitive."
"Cynet has a pay-as-you-go pricing model."
"I don't have specific information about integration capabilities or licensing costs."
"There is an extra cost if you want the support of Cynet."
"The price is very competitive."
"This solution is expensive. I would rate the price as a three out of five when compared to similar products."
"It costs 18,000 per year, but we have the whole package with not only Cynet but also the Perception Point for emails. There are also some small security courses for our users."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
University
8%
Computer Software Company
15%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AlienVault OSSIM?
It depends. I would need to review their cost models, but generally, they are on a scaled basis based on throughput usage. Because it's a software as a service solution for their core product for U...
What needs improvement with AlienVault OSSIM?
Scaling for USM is always challenging for any product unless it is purpose-built or overbuilt at the front end. They will use Palo Alto and its competitors, and LevelBlue will manage that implement...
When evaluating User Activity Monitoring, what aspect do you think is the most important to look for?
The support team that stands behind the detection and response. Is there adequate expertise and are they behind you 24x7x365? Cynet CyOps has been there for us.
What do you like most about Cynet?
In terms of incident response, Cynet can contain attacks, offer a trial period to customers, and uninstall if not continued. The most valuable aspect is its integration capabilities, covering endpo...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cynet?
The price of Cynet is reasonable considering its features and support.
 

Also Known As

OSSIM
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Council Rock School District
Meuhedet, East Boston Neighborhood Health Center
Find out what your peers are saying about AlienVault OSSIM vs. Cynet and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
859,438 professionals have used our research since 2012.