Binary Defense MDR vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks comparison

The compared Binary Defense and Palo Alto Networks solutions aren't in the same category. Binary Defense is ranked #9 in MDR , with an average rating of 9.4, and holds a 0.6% mindshare in the category. Palo Alto Networks is ranked #5 in EPP , with an average rating of 8.7, and holds a 3.8% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Binary Defense users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of Palo Alto Networks users who would recommend it.

Binary Defense MDR

Read 16 Binary Defense MDR reviews

4,303 Views
1,893 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Net...

Read 91 Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks reviews

16,066 Views
10,282 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Binary Defense MDR

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Net...

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Binary Defense MDR and Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about CrowdStrike, Huntress, Field Effect and others in Managed Detection and Response (MDR).

To learn more, read our detailed Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Report (Updated: August 2025).

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Managed Detection and Response (MDR)

August 2025

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Helped 866,685 peers since 2012

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

Binary Defense MDR

Average Rating

9.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Managed Detection and Response (MDR) (9th)

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Net...

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (5th), Extended Detection and Response (XDR) (7th), Ransomware Protection (2nd), AI-Powered Cybersecurity Platforms (4th)

Mindshare comparison

Binary Defense MDR and Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. Binary Defense MDR is designed for Managed Detection and Response (MDR) and holds a mindshare of 0.6%, up 0.5% compared to last year.
Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks, on the other hand, focuses on Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP), holds 3.8% mindshare, down 4.6% since last year.

Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Binary Defense MDR	0.6%
CrowdStrike Falcon Complete MDR	10.8%
Huntress Managed EDR	9.9%
Other	78.7%

Managed Detection and Response (MDR)

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks	3.8%
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint	10.0%
CrowdStrike Falcon	8.2%
Other	78.0%

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)

Featured Reviews

Rich Ullom

AVP, IT Security Compliance and Audit/Information Security Officer at The Western Reserve Group

Worth the money, fantastic communication, and fast service with an average response time of about four minutes on an alert

This is my third SOC. I have never had anybody react as well. So, it's hard for me to provide something that they could do better because I'm really happy with them. I just signed another three-year contract with them. I don't find any downside to them, but if I have to put one, it would be consistent manpower or staffing. The only area where the solution can be improved is going to be with people. As they grow, they are struggling with the same thing that every other company is, which is getting talent and getting that talent to stay, but they've just revised their tiering system to go from a flat analyst and manager to a three-tier solution where it goes through two or three before it gets elevated. That seems to have worked out well, so if one level misses it, the next one picks it up, and it works out fine. Consistent staffing is the only challenge they have because when you're hiring level-one analysts, you go through them pretty quickly. You'll probably hire them at 50K or 55K, and after they do it for a year, they find out they can make 85K somewhere else, and they bounce. So, their turnover is a little high, but that's it.

Read full review

NiteshSharma

Pre-Sales Architect at network techlab

Automated threat response and behavioral control improve security measures

I recommend adding a data loss prevention (DLP) solution to Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks. The inclusion of this feature would allow the application of DLP policies alongside antivirus policies via a single agent and console, making it more competitive as other OEMs often offer DLP solutions as part of their antivirus products. Additionally, multi-tenancy and multi-cloud features are not available and should be considered for inclusion.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Our mean time to response has gone down. We're much faster with direct response and have more investigative capabilities than we did before."

"The most valuable features are the SIEM and the ticketing function; the latter is very smooth and easy to read and understand. We don't have any issues looking at the ticketing information when we're trying to identify what's going on."

"Binary Defense has a human service department that provides live monitoring for our systems."

"The speed at which their services are reactive is valuable. Nowadays, when a threat hits an endpoint, you've got minutes, not hours or days. Their average response time is about four minutes on an alert. For anything that needs to be sent to us, it's about fourteen minutes, which is pretty good. They're the third SOC that I've used in fifteen years. By far, they are the quickest ones to act. When you're looking at prevention, that's a key factor."

"Binary Defense is comprehensive. We see most of the questionable activity. Once you see things a couple of times and are familiar with the processes, you know what those are. The level of activity is definitely favorable."

"Among the valuable features are the agent, continuous reporting, and dashboard. It has all the features we need and we haven't had to customize it, other than turning on certain features that we wanted."

"The best part about Binary Defense MDR is that it runs on everything, and they keep an eye on things 24/7."

"With Binary Defense, we don't just get an alert, but also a detailed rundown of why they're alerting us on it. They tell us what was executed, or the username, script, or IP. That way, we're not wasting time investigating."

More Binary Defense MDR pros

"It integrates well into the environment."

"It collects and caches and the knowledge of machine learning from different customers to take to the cloud. It makes it better to use for everybody. It allows for quick learning and updates and can, therefore, offer zero-day malware security. This sharing of metadata helps make the solution very safe."

"Cortex XDR's most valuable feature is its intelligence-based dashboards."

"It'll not slow down your system when compared to others."

"Being a cloud solution it is very flexible in serving internal and external connections and a broad range of devices."

"The live terminal is probably the best thing ever. It gives you the access to get straight onto any machine."

"When the pandemic started, Palo Alto came up with many solutions, which helped with the quick shift from on-premises to the cloud."

"After deploying Traps, we saw the performance of the network improve by 65 to 70 percent."

More Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks pros

Cons

"The current reporting system could benefit from improvement."

"If I were shopping for an MDR solution today, I would not only look for a company that has the ability to alert, detect, and remediate, but also the ability to integrate vulnerability management. That's a big thing that they're lacking today."

"Binary Defense MDR could be even better with additional features, like automatic scans and file quarantine."

"We found that an earlier version of the agent had high memory usage and that was a bit concerning, but we raised the concern with their support team and they immediately replied that they had noticed the same thing and had a candidate fix already available... it totally fixed the issue."

"It's sometimes difficult to know when to engage Binary Defense or TrustedSec, their sister company. TrustedSec is more focused on offensive security, as opposed to the defensive security that the MDR solution provides. It would be awesome if there were a better bridge between that relationship for when we need to get more proactive services or when we need to do a penetration test."

"While my understanding is that they're working on this, I would like to see some more of the quantification or reporting."

"I would like to get more reports from Binary Defense about what they're blocking."

"I would like to see more frequent check-ins with our security status."

More Binary Defense MDR cons

"It is not easy to sell Cortex XDR, not because it isn't a good tool. Its marketing needs to be improved."

"They have the worst support, as a company, that I have ever worked with, as they are difficult to get a hold of and keep on the phone. They don't know what they are talking about when you get them on the phone. They don't like to respond to messages when you send them to them. They like to "research problems" for weeks on end, then pass you off to somebody else."

"In reporting they should have a customizable dashboard due to the fact that C-level people don't like reporting to the IT department. They prefer to have a real-time dashboard. That kind of dashboard needs to have various customizations."

"The solution should force customers to integrate with network traffic to see the full benefits of XDR."

"If they had pulse rate detection, it would be better."

"It would be good to have a better way to search for a file within the UI."

"The server sometimes stops continuously to check things so it would be helpful to receive access updates or technical reasons."

"It is not very strong in terms of endpoint management. It should have additional features like DLP, encryption, or advanced device control. Currently, Cortex is good in terms of the security of the endpoints, but it is not as good as other vendors in terms of the management of the endpoint."

More Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Binary Defense MDR is priced competitively and may be slightly lower than CrowdStrike."

"The pricing is very good. They are definitely competitive and they were lower at the time that we went with them."

"It's valued at the right price. Even with the number of endpoints we have, we don't feel that it's a lot more than any competitor. In fact, it might be less expensive when you look at the fact that you're getting a full flex SOC out of it along with the tools."

"The pricing is on target. Working with their sales team on pricing negotiations was a pleasant process. They were very respectful of the constraints we had and I feel that we're paying a fair price."

"The pricing isn't that bad, it's very competitive. I don't feel that it's over-priced and I don't feel that it's under-priced."

"Binary Defense has changed its pricing model from being primarily based on the volume of data to one based on escalations and incidents they handle."

"From the initial cost that Binary Defense came in with, we pared it down quite a bit over the course of 30 or 60 days. My leadership would say that their cost was high, but realistically, they were in line with the market."

"After we acquired this platform, we met with a number of different vendors. Binary Defense came in with a proposal that was surprisingly affordable. In fact, we were able to recoup the cost of their services within a short period of time. This is because Binary Defense is able to provide the same level of security as a team of two or three in-house analysts but at a fraction of the cost. As a result, Binary Defense is saving us an estimated $250,000 to $300,000 per year."

More Binary Defense MDR pricing and cost advice

"Licensing for Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR can be costly, especially when it comes to a hundred users. A license is required for each user, and the subscription must be renewed on a yearly basis."

"I feel it is fairly priced."

"The pricing is a little high. It is per user per year."

"Our customers have expressed that the price is high."

"Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is an expensive solution."

"This is an expensive solution."

"It's way too expensive, but security is expensive. You pay for your licensing, and then you pay for someone to monitor the stuff."

"The pricing is okay, although direct support can be expensive."

More Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

18%

Healthcare Company

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	7

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	41
Midsize Enterprise	18
Large Enterprise	35

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Binary Defense MDR?

The most valuable feature is reviewing tickets and the notes added by technicians.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Binary Defense MDR?

It has been good. We have saved money, and we have a better product. We are a company that has become an enterprise from a small medium business in two years. Our company passed a certain dollar ma...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Binary Defense MDR?

We are going to have a meeting with them the following Monday. It will be our first quarterly business review. Half of it is going to be looking at new products and new functions that they are brin...

See all answers

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto vs. Sentinel One

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto vs. SentinelOne SentinelOne offers very detailed specifics with regard to risks or attacks. The ability to reverse damage caused by ransomware with minimal interruptions to...

See all answers

Comparing CrowdStrike Falcon to Cortex XDR (Palo Alto)

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto vs. CrowdStrike Falcon Both Cortex XDR and Crowd Strike Falcon offer cloud-based solutions that are very scalable, secure, and user-friendly. Cortex XDR by Palo Alto offers ...

See all answers

How is Cortex XDR compared with Microsoft Defender?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a cloud-delivered endpoint security solution. The tool reduces the attack surface, applies behavioral-based endpoint protection and response, and includes risk-ba...

See all answers

Comparisons

CrowdStrike Falcon vs Binary Defense MDR

Compared 30% of the time

Arctic Wolf Managed Detection and Response vs Binary Defense MDR

Compared 23% of the time

ReliaQuest GreyMatter vs Binary Defense MDR

Compared 20% of the time

More Binary Defense MDR Competitors

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 10% of the time

CrowdStrike Falcon vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 6% of the time

Cortex XSIAM vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 5% of the time

SentinelOne Singularity Complete vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 5% of the time

Wazuh vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 4% of the time

More Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Binary Defense MDR

August 2025

Download Binary Defense MDR product report

Buyer's Guide

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

August 2025

Download Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks product report

Also Known As

Binary Defense Vision, Binary Defense Managed Detection and Response, Binary Defense Managed Detection & Response

Cyvera, Cortex XDR, Palo Alto Networks Traps

Overview

Binary Defense provides a Managed Detection and Response service using an Open XDR strategy that detects and isolates threats early in the attack lifecycle. Expert security analysts in the Binary Defense Security Operations Center leverage an attacker’s mindset, monitoring your environments for security events 24x7x365 and acting as an extension of your security teams. When a security event occurs, Binary Defense analysts triage, disposition, and prioritize the event. Analysts conduct full kill chain analysis and supply tactical and strategic mitigation recommendations to your security team with the goal of increasing your organization’s security posture against the latest adversary threats.

Visit us online at https://www.binarydefense.com

Binary Defense

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks delivers comprehensive endpoint security, integrating well with other systems to offer robust threat detection and real-time protection through AI-driven analytics.

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks offers advanced endpoint protection and threat detection through AI and behavior-based analytics. Its user-friendly design simplifies integration with firewalls, delivering multi-layered protection with low resource consumption. Valued for policy management, USB control, and incident correlation, Cortex XDR enhances threat management and real-time threat hunting capabilities. However, users note challenges with third-party integration, reporting, and dashboard automation. Agent performance across operating systems and memory consumption are areas for improvement, alongside reducing false positives and simplifying endpoint management and setup.

What features does Cortex XDR offer?

Behavior-Based Detection: Analyzes user behavior to identify suspicious activities.
AI Analytics: Utilizes AI for accurate threat detection and response.
Real-Time Protection: Provides immediate defense against threats.
Policy Management: Allows customization of security policies across endpoints.
USB Control: Regulates USB device access for added security.
Incident Correlation: Connects and analyzes various security events for better response.
Firewall Integration: Seamlessly works with firewalls for enhanced security.
Machine Learning Capabilities: Continuously improves threat detection precision.

What benefits should be considered in reviews?

Low Resource Consumption: Efficient security functions without taxing system resources.
Multi-Layered Protection: Comprehensive security across multiple attack vectors.
User-Friendly Interface: Intuitive design for easier management.
Enhanced Threat Management: Identifies and mitigates threats effectively.
Real-Time Threat Hunting: Proactively searches for and mitigates potential threats.

Cortex XDR is crucial in industries requiring robust endpoint protection, such as finance, healthcare, and technology. It supports malware detection, behavioral analysis, and ransomware mitigation across endpoints, including remote work environments, providing comprehensive threat visibility and security policy management. The solution's integration with firewalls and specialized industry requirements enhances security posture in diverse operational settings.

Palo Alto Networks

Sample Customers

Securitas USA, Black Hills Energy, Lincoln Electric,The J.M. Smuckers Company, New York Community Bank, State of Connecticut, NCR

CBI Health Group, University Honda, VakifBank

Buyer's Guide

Managed Detection and Response (MDR)

August 2025

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