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Darktrace vs Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention vs Splunk User Behavior Analytics 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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
6.3
Darktrace users experience substantial returns through threat prevention and reduced downtime, despite deployment challenges and difficulty measuring returns.
Sentiment score
5.7
Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention offers financial benefits and high user satisfaction despite its cost, boosting revenues, especially in Italy.
Sentiment score
5.9
Splunk User Behavior Analytics improves productivity and ROI, with significant investment offset by enhanced data integration and strategic implementation.
Other NDR solutions provide virtual appliances that can be deployed on virtualization servers to get up and running quickly.
Technical Consultant - Unix Platform Services at BITS AND BYTE IT CONSULTING PVT LTD
Using this solution provides financial benefits by securing from server attacks, which offers indirect savings.
Systems Specialist/ Administrator at ALFA International Company Limited.
It offers insights into security threats, despite the inability to quantify its impact in numbers.
Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
The solution can save costs by improving incident resolution times and reducing security incident costs.
Enterprise Architect at Wipro Limited
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.6
Darktrace's customer service is praised for responsiveness and efficiency, though some suggest improvements for complex issues.
Sentiment score
5.9
Palo Alto Networks' support is praised for expertise but faces inconsistent response times and communication challenges with third-party facilitation.
Sentiment score
6.8
Splunk User Behavior Analytics support is generally well-rated, with satisfaction varying by support tier and community resources valued.
The technical support from Darktrace is of high quality.
Network & Security Section Head/Digital Transformation at a government with 201-500 employees
Darktrace provides excellent technical support with a monthly meeting to review platform incidents, ensuring the system functions as expected.
Head of Technology Operations at Pobl Group
The challenge lies in waiting for a response after logging a ticket.
Group Cybersecurity Administrator at Tharisa
I rate technical support from Palo Alto as eight out of ten.
Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
I have proof of this rating - when I escalate a case, I receive a reply from TAC support after two days.
Presales Engineer at SAUDI PARAMOUNT COMPUTER SYSTEMS
Overall, I find the technical support from Palo Alto Networks quite good, although getting a hold of the TAC can be challenging and sometimes requires long phone calls.
Global Network Tech Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Mission-critical offering a dedicated team, proactive monitoring, and fast resolution.
Enterprise Architect at Wipro Limited
From the responsiveness perspective, Splunk is very responsive with SLA-bound support for premium tiers.
Enterprise Architect at Wipro Limited
I would rate their technical support as 8.5 out of 10.
Director at Techpace
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
Darktrace is praised for its scalability, supporting diverse user bases and integrating well with existing infrastructures.
Sentiment score
7.7
Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention is scalable, adaptable, and efficient, though cost may constrain its broad deployment.
Sentiment score
7.3
Splunk User Behavior Analytics excels in scalability, supporting vast data and devices, despite some storage limitations for long-term logs.
Darktrace has high scalability, and I would rate it a nine out of ten.
Network & Security Section Head/Digital Transformation at a government with 201-500 employees
Since it's cloud-based, it expands easily.
Head of Technology Operations at Pobl Group
There is still a gap in terms of storage, and we are trying to figure out how to increase that capacity for regulated environments, which require data retention for 5 to 6 years.
Technical Consultant - Unix Platform Services at BITS AND BYTE IT CONSULTING PVT LTD
Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention is scalable and works well wherever enforcement points exist.
Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Splunk User Behavior Analytics is highly scalable, designed for enterprise scalability, allowing expansion of data ingestion, indexing, and search capabilities as log volumes grow.
Enterprise Architect at Wipro Limited
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.5
Darktrace is highly rated for stability and reliability, with effective monitoring and an intuitive interface despite occasional traffic impacts.
Sentiment score
7.7
Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention is praised for its superior stability and performance, though requires careful version selection.
Sentiment score
7.9
Splunk User Behavior Analytics is stable, reliable, and user-friendly, excelling in enterprise environments with high log volumes.
The stability of Darktrace is excellent, rated ten out of ten.
Head of Technology Operations at Pobl Group
The appliance itself has never let me down.
Group Cybersecurity Administrator at Tharisa
For stability, I would rate Darktrace an eight out of ten.
Security Analyst at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Proper sizing of the firewall models ensures that the system does not experience crippling performance issues.
Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
With built-in redundancy across zones and regions, 99.9% uptime is achievable.
Enterprise Architect at Wipro Limited
Splunk User Behavior Analytics is a one hundred percent stable solution.
Cloud Solution Architect at Tech Mahindra Limited
Splunk User Behavior Analytics is highly stable and reliable, even in large-scale enterprise environments with high log injection rates.
Enterprise Architect at Wipro Limited
 

Room For Improvement

Darktrace needs improved integration, automation, usability, pricing, support, and clarity, plus better endpoint protection and third-party tool integration.
Palo Alto Networks needs improvements in email filtering, setup ease, user experience, support services, and enhanced security features.
Splunk User Behavior Analytics needs enhancements in dashboards, integration, pricing, support, automation, machine learning, configuration, and storage management.
There is no dedicated salesperson in Egypt, and having one would help to improve focus on this market.
Solution Architect at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
They say they can integrate with most firewalls, but when we did an integration with Meraki MX firewalls, that integration didn't work and still doesn't work to this day.
Security Analyst at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
We need Darktrace on each branch to get the data out, and I suggest having some kind of a centralized product that gets data from multiple sources to aggregate and provide the data.
Technical Consultant - Unix Platform Services at BITS AND BYTE IT CONSULTING PVT LTD
Palo Alto needs to focus on how to bring that technology to end users and how easy it is to use, especially in a hybrid environment where users work from various locations.
Global Network Tech Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
The behavioral detection capabilities could be expanded to address all threats at the perimeter, reducing the reliance on endpoint detection and response systems.
Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Global reach allows deployment of apps and services closer to users worldwide, but data sovereignty concerns exist and region selection must align with compliance requirements.
Enterprise Architect at Wipro Limited
I encountered several issues while trying to create solutions for this advanced version, which seem unrelated to query or data issues.
System Engineer at Infosys
High data ingestion costs can be an issue, especially for large enterprises, as Splunk charges based on the amount of data processed.
Enterprise Architect at Wipro Limited
 

Setup Cost

Darktrace is costly yet valued for advanced features, offering flexible module selection with negotiable discounts and yearly contracts.
Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention is costly but valued for strong threat detection, with pricing challenging for smaller businesses.
Splunk User Behavior Analytics is costly, with pricing based on processed data, transitioning to subscription models, and includes additional costs.
The product is considered expensive compared to others.
Solution Architect at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
The pricing is costly in USD, and they charge based on device counts.
Group Cybersecurity Administrator at Tharisa
The licensing cost is approximately eight dollars a year.
Security Information & Incident Analyst at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention requires an add-on license and is considered expensive compared to competitors like Cisco AMP and FortiGate firewalls.
Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Reserved instances with one or three-year commitments offer lower rates, providing up to 70% savings.
Enterprise Architect at Wipro Limited
Compared to all other products in the market, it is the most expensive one in all aspects including professional service and licenses, even the cloud version.
Director at Techpace
Comparing with the competitors, it's a bit expensive.
Regional Director at iSecureMind
 

Valuable Features

Darktrace offers AI-driven threat detection, real-time monitoring, and autonomous response with scalability and ease of integration for enhanced security.
Palo Alto Networks excels in threat prevention with features like sandboxing, machine learning, and user-friendly design, enhancing efficiency.
Splunk User Behavior Analytics offers advanced threat detection, scalability, and integration for robust security and data analysis solutions.
It is capable of responding to lateral movement and ransomware deployment within environments where there is data exfiltration.
Group Cybersecurity Administrator at Tharisa
I do not need to manually process incidents as Darktrace provides an incident summary, potential detection paths, and other details, all exportable with just a click.
Security Information & Incident Analyst at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
If I am in a data center where I don't have layer two, it becomes an issue because the autonomous response is reliant on sending spoofed TCP resets to my core switch to block traffic, which is a major issue.
Security Analyst at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
As traditional signature-based mechanisms become less effective due to the evolving nature of attacks, this solution's focus on behavioral analysis is crucial.
Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
We are satisfied with the analytic capabilities of Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention, especially the reporting features available in the Palo Alto portal in terms of their application visibility interface, which is very good for us to get visibility on all critical applications and the associated users, as well as the risks associated with every category of traffic.
Global Network Tech Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
I also utilize it for anomaly detection and behavior analysis, particularly using Splunk's machine learning environment.
Cloud Solution Architect at Tech Mahindra Limited
The dashboards themselves are nice, very good, and very helpful, but the accuracy of the data or the information that will be presented on the dashboard is something that needs to be questioned.
Director at Techpace
Features like alerts and auto report generation are valuable.
System Engineer at Infosys
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) category, the mindshare of Darktrace is 10.8%, down from 14.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention is 4.8%, down from 5.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Splunk User Behavior Analytics is 2.7%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Darktrace10.8%
Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention4.8%
Splunk User Behavior Analytics2.7%
Other81.7%
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
 

Featured Reviews

AM
Technical Consultant - Unix Platform Services at BITS AND BYTE IT CONSULTING PVT LTD
Consistent threat hunting and anomaly detection deliver valuable insights for network security management
In terms of improvement for Darktrace, pricing is the main concern. Pricing bothers me and this is one of the major factors when choosing a solution. When we get feedback from customers, that's the only felt need. When we factor in Darktrace, we do it only limited. We put it on where the perimeters and connections are, but still, some gray areas are left out, especially if we have multiple branches. We need Darktrace on each branch to get the data out, and I suggest having some kind of a centralized product that gets data from multiple sources to aggregate and provide the data.
Partha Dash - PeerSpot reviewer
Global Network Tech Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Advanced protection enables us to confidently secure against evolving threats
Palo Alto Networks can improve Advanced Threat Prevention by catering to the growing adoption of AI and agentic tooling. The Threat Protection modules should have the necessary intelligence to protect against those types of threats, as AI will be there to do a human job; this is an evolving area. From an Advanced Threat Protection perspective, the technology associated with Palo Alto Networks, such as their sandboxing environment, is quite good. However, Palo Alto needs to focus on how to bring that technology to end users and how easy it is to use, especially in a hybrid environment where users work from various locations. While Palo Alto excels in certain setups, they need to improve the user experience in distributed working conditions.
SK
Enterprise Architect at Wipro Limited
Offers intuitive deployment with strong customer support and advanced analytics features
There are improvements that could be made to Splunk User Behavior Analytics as any product will have advantages and disadvantages. Scalability is one consideration. For example, the advantages include rapid auto scaling to meet demand. A disadvantage is that it can lead to cost overrun if not properly factored or governed. The speed of deployment offers faster provisioning as an advantage, but it can require substantial automation skills and infrastructure as code expertise, which can be challenging. Cloud provides major operational benefits such as agility, automation, resilience, and global access when setting up on Cloud. However, it introduces challenges such as cost control, complexity, and vendor dependency. For example, global reach allows deployment of apps and services closer to users worldwide, but data sovereignty concerns exist and region selection must align with compliance requirements.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Government
7%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Performing Arts
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Computer Software Company
9%
Government
7%
Comms Service Provider
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business45
Midsize Enterprise19
Large Enterprise29
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise14
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise12
 

Questions from the Community

How does Crowdstrike Falcon compare with Darktrace?
Both of these products perform similarly and have many outstanding attributes. CrowdStrike Falcon offers an amazing u...
Which is better - SentinelOne or Darktrace?
Which solution is better depends on which is more suitable specifically for your company. Darktrace, for example, is ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Darktrace?
Concerning pricing for the product, I would say it is somewhat expensive.
Which is the best DDoS protection solution for a big ISP for monitoring and mitigating?
Arbor would be the best bid, apart from Arbor, Palo Alto and Fortinet have good solutions. As this is an ISP, I would...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Palo Alto Networks Threat Prevention?
Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention requires an add-on license and is considered expensive compared to comp...
What needs improvement with Palo Alto Networks Threat Prevention?
Palo Alto Networks can improve Advanced Threat Prevention by catering to the growing adoption of AI and agentic tooli...
What do you like most about Splunk User Behavior Analytics?
The solution's most valuable feature is Splunk queries, which allow us to query the logs and analyze the attack vectors.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Splunk User Behavior Analytics?
Splunk User Behavior Analytics is a premium product. Compared to all other products in the market, it is the most exp...
What needs improvement with Splunk User Behavior Analytics?
Splunk User Behavior Analytics is still an immature product, so it still needs some R&D to be able to be mature i...
 

Also Known As

No data available
No data available
Caspida, Splunk UBA
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Irwin Mitchell, Open Energi, Wellcome Trust, FirstGroup plc, Virgin Trains, Drax, QUI! Group, DNK, CreaCard, Macrosynergy, Sisley, William Hill plc, Toyota Canada, Royal British Legion, Vitol, Allianz, KKR, AIRBUS, dpd, Billabong, Mclaren Group.
University of Arkansas, JBG SMITH, SkiStar AB, TRI-AD, Temple University, Telkom Indonesia
8 Securities, AAA Western, AdvancedMD, Amaya, Cerner Corporation, CJ O Shopping, CloudShare, Crossroads Foundation, 7-Eleven Indonesia
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet, Darktrace, Check Point Software Technologies and others in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS). Updated: April 2026.
890,088 professionals have used our research since 2012.