No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks vs FortiXDR 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

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Net...
Ranking in Extended Detection and Response (XDR)
6th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
110
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (4th), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) (7th), Ransomware Protection (2nd), AI-Powered Cybersecurity Platforms (1st)
FortiXDR
Ranking in Extended Detection and Response (XDR)
29th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Extended Detection and Response (XDR) category, the mindshare of Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is 4.9%, down from 5.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of FortiXDR is 1.5%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Extended Detection and Response (XDR) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks4.9%
FortiXDR1.5%
Other93.6%
Extended Detection and Response (XDR)
 

Q&A Highlights

AM
IT Infrastructure Analyst at TV Integração, Afiliada Rede Globo
Jan 17, 2022
 

Featured Reviews

ABHISHEK_SINGH - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Process Expert at A.P. Moller - Maersk
Gained full visibility and streamlined threat detection through behavior-based insights and AI integration
Initially, we got to have a lot of false positives when we onboarded, but nowadays it's quite smooth. We have fine-tuned our security policies and allowed different levels of policies to get rid of those false positives. Currently, we are getting a fairly good amount of incidents that are not false positives or benign, but actionable items. The process is streamlined. In the initial days, the operations used to get involved in a lot of benign and other activities, but now the process is streamlined. We are leveraging the auto-detection and remediation plans. The operations teams are now more involved in other business roles as well, not just looking into the logs and fetching out what's happening there. They have fixed a lot of things. Initially, they didn't have IAC code drift detection, cloud posture management, or security posture management, but they have those now. They purchased different vendors and did a merger with that. They have now Prisma Cloud that gets integrated and now they are working with Cortex Cloud. Everything that was negative has now been addressed, and the product altogether looks to be in a very better and mature shape now. Currently, it's more or less detecting the workloads with AI-based best practices. Since most organizations are consuming AI agents and other things, we are looking forward to seeing what other feature enhancements Palo Alto can support in that.
LL
Integration capabilities enhance compatibility across various cloud environments
I have extensive experience using Fortinet solutions, especially FortiXDR. I have implemented perimeter security in Azure, utilizing features such as web application firewall, application control, and security management.  I specialize in security for data centers, using various Fortinet solutions…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We use Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks for its ability to detect based on behavior rather than simple virus scan to prevent malicious activities."
"I like that the product has behavior-based detection which offers many benefits over signature-based detection."
"Its interface and pricing are most valuable, and it is better than other vendors in terms of security."
"Best solution for avoiding security breaches, malware attacks, and other kinds of security issues."
"Cortex is the best solution for avoiding security breaches, malware attacks, and other kinds of security issues."
"Stability is one of the features we like the most."
"Palo Alto is the best security solution in the market."
"I generally believe that Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is probably the best in the market right now."
"The product is stable enough."
"The most valuable feature of FortiXDR is it integrates well with other Fortinet solutions, such as Fortinet firewall, FortiMail, FortiSandbox, Forti Fabric, switches, and access points. Whatever the flow of the traffic comes in or goes out, the entire traffic can be managed and monitored properly."
"The most valuable feature of FortiXDR is its ability to block clients, providing comprehensive endpoint protection."
"The most valuable feature of FortiXDR is its ability to block clients, providing comprehensive endpoint protection."
"FortiXDR is valuable for its integration capabilities with one hundred percent compatibility with other vendors in cloud environments like Google, Oracle, and Microsoft."
"FortiXDR is valuable for its integration capabilities with one hundred percent compatibility with other vendors in cloud environments like Google, Oracle, and Microsoft."
"Our customers are satisfied with FortiXDR."
 

Cons

"Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks could improve by offering remote management."
"It would be better if they could educate the customers more. Some sort of seminars and roadshows will help educate the customers and show what the product can do. The price could be better. It would also help if they had a team for deployment and support."
"While using Cortex, I noticed some aspects that could be improved, such as increasing the synchronization speed between XDR and Xnor."
"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."
"I have run into some detection issues with Cortex XDR. It needs to be better at detection of internal attacks."
"Previously, the endpoint would leave the environment, not being on our VPN, essentially unable to interact with the server to upload files."
"Cortex XDR could be improved with more GUI features."
"When it comes to core analysis, and security analysis, Cortex needs to provide more information."
"They could change their licensing costs to make it more affordable for smaller businesses."
"Many of the solutions, such as CrowdStrike have an MDR solution where remediation can be provided by the vendor. For example, if there is any zero data threat found, a new threat that the customer is not able to recognize, fix, or understand what needs to be done this feature has to be added in FortiXDR so that the customer feels comfortable."
"They could change their licensing costs to make it more affordable for smaller businesses."
"Improvement is needed in the intuitiveness and integration measures of FortiXDR, especially in terms of compatibility."
"Improvement is needed in the intuitiveness and integration measures of FortiXDR, especially in terms of compatibility."
"The pricing of FortiXDR should be improved."
"The pricing of FortiXDR should be improved. It's a point of concern for us."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is quite an expensive solution."
"It has a higher cost than other solutions, like CrowdStrike or Microsoft’s EDR tools, but it reduces the cost of our operations because it’s a new generation antivirus tool."
"It's about $55 per license on a yearly basis."
"It's the most expensive solution, but features-wise, it's quite strong. It's very good for protection, so the results are very good in the case of protection. I would rate it a two out of ten in terms of pricing."
"When we first bought it, it was a bit expensive, but it was worth it. The licensing was straightforward."
"It's way too expensive, but security is expensive. You pay for your licensing, and then you pay for someone to monitor the stuff."
"Compared to CrowdStrike, Cortex XDR is an expensive solution."
"In terms of the cost Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is very expensive because we are a Mexican company and when you translate dollars to pesos the cost is very high. The solution is very expensive for Mexican companies. I understand that they have international prices, but I do not think it offsets the price enough for many companies in countries, such as Mexico. The amount it is reduced is not a massive percentage."
"This is an expensive solution compared to other vendors, such as Check Point."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Extended Detection and Response (XDR) solutions are best for your needs.
890,027 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Answers from the Community

AM
IT Infrastructure Analyst at TV Integração, Afiliada Rede Globo
Jan 17, 2022
Jan 17, 2022
@KostiantynFrolov, @Zubair Ahmad, @Mantu Shaw, @Gian Michele Roletto, Can you please share any advice here?
See 2 answers
ER
Principal Security Architect - Pre Sales at GM Security Technologies
Mar 10, 2021
Disclosure - I work for a company where we are Partners of Palo Alto Networks. Hi Augusto, The answer depends on what you are looking for and your current infrastructure. If you have Fortinet security infrastructure, it will "make sense" to go with them, if you have palo alto firewalls "then" Cortex XDR PRO.  However, As I am not completely familiar with FortiXDR, I am going to showcase why I will select Cortex XDR PRO: 0- Security: Cortex XDR PRO does really well compared to other endpoint products (NSS labs showed this, not sure what happened to them). Look info at MITRE.  1- More time and expertise on the XDR market: Cortex XDR was the first XDR platform out there to integrate, endpoint, network and cloud. 2- Integrations with other firewalls: Cortex XDR can integrate checkpoint, fortigate and cisco ASA logs. 3- Licensing model: You can start with EPP (Prevent), PRO for endpoint (EDR + other features), and PRO for network (integrate fw/cloud) using the same cloud platform. I believe that the best way is to see both product by yourself. Let me know if you are interested to see Cortex XDR PRO, we can schedule a call. We have some clients in Brazil (assuming that based in your title). Regards, Edwardo
EB
Director of Community at PeerSpot (formerly IT Central Station)
Jan 17, 2022
@KostiantynFrolov, @Zubair Ahmad, @Mantu Shaw, @Gian Michele Roletto, Can you please share any advice here?
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Comms Service Provider
14%
Government
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Construction Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business45
Midsize Enterprise20
Large Enterprise48
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

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...
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 ...
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...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for FortiXDR?
Comparing to the enterprise level, the pricing is reasonable. However, for some companies, it might be a little high.
What needs improvement with FortiXDR?
They could change their licensing costs to make it more affordable for smaller businesses.
What is your primary use case for FortiXDR?
We are a system integrator and cloud service provider. Although I am in sales and not technical, I am involved with these products to sell them to our customers.
 

Also Known As

Cyvera, Cortex XDR, Palo Alto Networks Traps
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

CBI Health Group, University Honda, VakifBank
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks vs. FortiXDR and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.
890,027 professionals have used our research since 2012.