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Darktrace vs Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 29, 2026

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

Darktrace
Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
84
Ranking in other categories
Email Security (8th), Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) (1st), Network Detection and Response (NDR) (1st), Extended Detection and Response (XDR) (7th), Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) (11th), Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) (9th), Attack Surface Management (ASM) (4th), AI-Powered Cybersecurity Platforms (4th), AI Observability (9th)
Palo Alto Networks URL Filt...
Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
8th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
13
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) category, the mindshare of Darktrace is 11.2%, down from 14.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB is 2.3%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Darktrace11.2%
Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB2.3%
Other86.5%
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.
Abdul  Basit - PeerSpot reviewer
Deputy Manager IT at Asia Petroleum Limited
Advanced features and robust support elevate overall network management experience
I think URL filtering could be better to some extent. Improvements could be made in Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB compared to Sophos. The URL filtering option in Palo Alto gives a very clear vision of the network and the applications using URL filtering. If you assign a user in a group not to access certain URLs, that user should only be allowed to access LinkedIn without running videos. However, deep URL filtering in Palo Alto is not configurable. One user can have access to LinkedIn with video running, while another cannot. They should improve this deep analysis of URL filtering options.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Artificial intelligence and machine learning functionalities are valuable."
"The most valuable feature is the alerts. The alerts are meaningful. The event rolls up into meaningful and actionable alerts rather than just being noise."
"The autonomous mode, which is the Antigena AI response, is particularly valuable."
"It is a stable solution."
"It is a stable solution without downtime."
"The active threat dashboard is the most valuable feature of this solution."
"We are able to detect a lot of things, actually, and see what is happening in our network."
"The most valuable feature is that it gives us visibility of rogue traffic that is on the network."
"The Palo Alto solution has improved our organization by providing threat protection across a variety of internet connections, and our company also gets valuable insights regarding threat analysis."
"It's allowed us to have better visibility and protection from threats."
"The URL categories are updated by Palo Alto Networks itself."
"The most valuable feature is that the product can do everything in a single device, including the firewall, rules, and the PBL. It also has good routing and switching."
"The most valuable feature is that the product can do everything in a single device, including the firewall, rules, and the PBL, and it also has good routing and switching."
"It provides visibility and control over where people are web browsing and protects them from going to malicious sites."
"I would rate Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB a perfect 10 out of 10."
"The stability is excellent; we've never had to raise any technical issues, there have been no bugs or glitches, and it doesn't crash or freeze."
 

Cons

"The stability isn't good but I like the product."
"Darktrace requires numerous configurations. It would be beneficial if the configuration could be made simpler."
"Darktrace needs to simplify most of the positive reports. We have to field all the positive reports, false positives, too."
"It's quite expensive to have."
"Darktrace would tell you, for example, if there was a ransomware attack, but it wouldn't stop the attack."
"Darktrace is a closed technology, meaning we know very little about how it works, including the architecture, which is significant. As a result, when we implement the system and find we're getting many false positives, we have minimal insight into why it's happening and what we can do to fix it. We don't know how the solution is configured, the criteria for threats to be determined, or the product's inner workings. We understand that they have to ensure privacy and their copyright, but we want to see some documentation or public research into the security Darktrace provides."
"With Darktrace, at the moment, I have to almost put in a date and tell them that I want you to give me data from this date to this date."
"If asked to rate Darktrace support on a scale from zero to ten where ten is the best, I would give them five points."
"We have had some challenges with making Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB work with ELK stack."
"An area for improvement would be the technical support, which can be slow."
"The main limitation is that it needs a live Internet connection for ongoing updates."
"One way Palo Alto can improve is by offering sandboxing. I don't know if they currently offer a sandboxing feature together with the firewall or not. They should provide secure sandboxing with the firewalls."
"It is an expensive solution and not everyone has the budget for it."
"The solution is a bit expensive."
"Support needs to be enhanced."
"Performance monitoring could use improvement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is expensive. It costs over $100,000 a year."
"The cost of the solution can be reduced to make it more appealing to customers."
"The pricing is quite high, estimated at around $350,000 per year."
"The price of the solution is not cheap. It is not a one-time purchase, there is a subscription that needs to be paid every one to five years depending on your choice. It is expensive but you can reduce the price by only using the services that you want."
"It's an expensive solution."
"It is expensive."
"The pricing is very flexible for Darktrace. Sometimes, a customer does not have the appropriate budget, but Darktrace can handle that. They offer monthly payments, so the customer can acquire the solution very easily."
"The cost is moderate."
"It is more expensive than ASA but is far cheaper than Checkpoint. So, pricing wise, it is right in the middle."
"Expensive, but that's because it provides everything."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
7%
Performing Arts
15%
University
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

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 Business5
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise5
 

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 user interface that makes setup easy and seamless. CrowdStrike Falcon offers a cl...
Which is better - SentinelOne or Darktrace?
Which solution is better depends on which is more suitable specifically for your company. Darktrace, for example, is meant for smaller to medium-sized businesses. It is also a good option for organ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Darktrace?
Concerning pricing for the product, I would say it is somewhat expensive.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB?
The licensing costs and setup costs are very expensive for us. The price is significantly higher compared to other competitive products.
What needs improvement with Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB?
I think URL filtering could be better to some extent. Improvements could be made in Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB compared to Sophos. The URL filtering option in Palo Alto gives a ve...
What is your primary use case for Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB?
We previously discussed Palo Alto Networks WildFire, and we are currently using it for our firewalls with the WildFire subscription included. We have micro-segmentation using the VMware environment...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering PAN-DB
 

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.
TRI-AD, Telkom Indonesia
Find out what your peers are saying about Darktrace vs. Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
885,728 professionals have used our research since 2012.