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Cisco Secure Network Analytics vs Fortinet FortiNDR comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

Cisco Secure Network Analytics
Ranking in Network Detection and Response (NDR)
8th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
61
Ranking in other categories
Network Monitoring Software (38th), Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) (3rd), Cisco Security Portfolio (9th)
Fortinet FortiNDR
Ranking in Network Detection and Response (NDR)
10th
Average Rating
9.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Network Detection and Response (NDR) category, the mindshare of Cisco Secure Network Analytics is 6.3%, down from 7.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiNDR is 3.6%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Detection and Response (NDR) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Secure Network Analytics6.3%
Fortinet FortiNDR3.6%
Other90.1%
Network Detection and Response (NDR)
 

Featured Reviews

Muhammad Harun-Owr-Roshid - PeerSpot reviewer
CEO at BRIGHT-i SYSTEMS LIMITED
Have streamlined network visibility and troubleshooting while seeing benefits from AI integration
In terms of improvements for Cisco Secure Network Analytics, from the implementation point of view, now that AI is in use, some other features need to be upgraded considering AI solutions. Proper management of the database is also important; it should be centralized for easier data collection from a single database. When precise manual analysis is needed, it's sometimes difficult, so having a centralized database will allow network admins to find actual scenarios more effectively, especially since some information may not be visible on the GUI. Cisco should upgrade their hardware part to run the database, because sometimes it cannot handle the load while all features are running in the network. The database management should indeed be centralized because while AI runs behind the systems, central management is essential. For example, in a network with 100 Cisco switches, a few routers, firewalls, and access points, all data generated should be preserved in a central database. This approach simplifies management and analysis for troubleshooting, as GUI interfaces may not always provide visible information. Centralizing the database will allow for better understanding of which information is preserved for each specific device.
Anton Anton - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Manager at sanf
Network detection enhances security while seamless integration boosts utility
I use Fortinet FortiNDR for its Network Detection features, primarily with FortiGate on-premises. However, I do not handle day-to-day operations myself; my team manages the tools. In general, there is no issue with FortiGate in our company Some of the valuable features include FortiGate's Network…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution allowed us to not only get gain insight but also start collaborating with other tools."
"I value the feature which enables me to detect devices talking to suspect IPs."
"This product alleviates the day-to-day headaches for us, in regards to metrics."
"The most valuable feature is having visibility into the data segments throughout our network."
"Cisco Stealthwatch provides the solutions analytics and threat detection capabilities that I am looking for. It has also improved the network visibility of our organization."
"Great network monitoring, looking at anomaly detection and evaluation."
"The most valuable features are encrypted threat analysis and the ability to run jobs on entire flows."
"The most valuable part is that Stealthwatch is part of a portfolio of security devices from Cisco. Cisco literally can touch every single end point, every single ingress and egress point in the network. Nobody else has that."
"Using Fortinet FortiNDR as a bundle is cost-effective, providing a complete package of tools."
"The dashboards are very informative compared to other solutions like Cisco, providing valuable insights into network threats."
 

Cons

"I would like to see more and cleaner reporting. For example, if I pull up Steven and I want to look and maybe compare him to what you've done in the past week, and compare that to the past six months, the point would be to see what the difference in activity looks like over this time. I don't see that capability in reporting to date. You see that trend but you don't really see a straightforward comparison. That right there is key to what we want to see about the normal activity."
"If they can make this product more web-based, that would be amazing."
"The initial setup was complex."
"The GUI could use some improvement. Being able to find features more easily would be a great improvement if it was simplified."
"I would like to see a hybrid solution that can work without being connected directly to the internet for those destinations."
"This is a good solution, but Java is still in the SMC, the Firepower integration is not really there, and I would really appreciate people being told about the necessity of ISE beforehand."
"Stealthwatch needs improvement when it comes to speed."
"The overall visibility into the actual device itself would be helpful. I don't just want support-specific data, but also to be able to see information such as CPU and other internal components or usage of the devices."
"I would like to see the inclusion of sandboxing in the bundling. Currently, sandbox is not included in our package."
"There is room for improvement in third-party integrations, particularly with other vendors like Check Point and Palo Alto."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Licensing is done by flows per second, not including outside>in traffic."
"The pricing for this solution is good."
"The licensing costs are outrageous."
"​Licensing is done by flows per second, not including outside (in traffic)."
"NetFlow is very expensive."
"There are additional licenses needed for the number of so-called network flows. It's hard to plan the number of flows you need in the network, this is a problem. The price of the Cisco Stealthwatch is relatively inexpensive"
"It is worth the cost."
"One of the things which bugs me about Lancope is the licensing. We understand how licensing works. Our problem is when we bought and purchased most of these Lancope devices, we did so with our sister company. Somewhere within the purchase and distribution, licensing got mixed up. That is all on Cisco, and it is their responsibility. They allotted some of our sister company's equipment to us, and some of our equipment to them. To date, they have never been able to fix it."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Outsourcing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise7
Large Enterprise52
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Stealthwatch?
Regarding cost, for the Bangladesh context, Cisco Secure Network Analytics is a little bit high-priced because we are a developing country, making it tough to manage affordable solutions. However, ...
What needs improvement with Cisco Stealthwatch?
In terms of improvements for Cisco Secure Network Analytics, from the implementation point of view, now that AI is in use, some other features need to be upgraded considering AI solutions. Proper m...
What is your primary use case for Cisco Stealthwatch?
Our customers mainly use Cisco Secure Network Analytics to get whole network visibility and easy troubleshooting to find actual problems and also to mitigate loopholes or findings immediately to pr...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiNDR?
Using Fortinet FortiNDR as a bundle is cost-effective, providing a complete package of tools.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiNDR?
I would like to see the inclusion of sandboxing in the bundling. Currently, sandbox is not included in our package.
What is your primary use case for Fortinet FortiNDR?
I use Fortinet FortiNDR ( /products/fortinet-fortindr-reviews ) for its Network Detection features, primarily with FortiGate ( /products/fortinet-fortigate-reviews ) on-premises. However, I do not ...
 

Also Known As

Cisco Stealthwatch, Cisco Stealthwatch Enterprise, Lancope StealthWatch
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Edge Web Hosting, Telenor Norway, Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, Webster Financial Corporation, Westinghouse Electric, VMware, TIAA-CREF
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Secure Network Analytics vs. Fortinet FortiNDR and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
884,933 professionals have used our research since 2012.