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Kaspersky Next EDR Expert vs WatchGuard Firebox comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 9, 2026

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
4.7
Cortex XDR reduces costs by preventing malware, improving compliance, enhancing performance, and replacing multiple tools, outperforming alternatives.
Sentiment score
2.5
Kaspersky EDR Expert can improve data security for SMBs, but effectiveness varies based on IT setup and enterprise size.
Sentiment score
6.3
WatchGuard Firebox enhances ROI by improving security, reducing downtime, cutting costs, and simplifying network management, achieving substantial savings.
They appreciate the rich telemetry data from the solution, as it provides in-depth threat identification.
Cyber Security Manager at Welab bank
Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks helps to reduce my total cost of ownership significantly.
Detection and Response Consultant at Inovasys
In Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks, most of the remediation is automated and the accuracy is quite good.
Network Security Engineer at Cyberwell Solution
From a security standpoint, preventing even a single major security incident or prolonged outage can represent significant cost savings.
Professional Services Engineer at Next7 IT
I do not see any return on investment after WatchGuard Firebox implementation in terms of cost reductions.
CEO at ajuntament del Prat
Reduced incidents and easier management helped lower operational cost.
Security Engineer at Antina Empleos
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.0
Cortex XDR support is praised for responsiveness but criticized for delays, language barriers, and inconsistent satisfaction across regions.
Sentiment score
6.2
Kaspersky support quality varies; some users praise responsiveness and expertise, while others criticize slow and inadequate assistance.
Sentiment score
6.4
WatchGuard Firebox support is generally praised for responsiveness, but experiences vary with communication efficiency and time zone challenges.
The technical support from Palo Alto deserves a mark of ten because they reach out within an hour whenever assistance is needed.
Head of data centers at a non-profit with 10,001+ employees
There is no back and forth, and they know what we are asking for and come up with the best resolution for a solution.
Senior Process Expert at A.P. Moller - Maersk
If any of these services are missed, it becomes a problem in terms of support tickets, follow-up, or special configuration that needs to be done in the system.
Chief of IT Architecture at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
I rate the technical support from Kaspersky a 10, as they respond quickly with engineers joining the conversation within three to five minutes.
Enterprise Endpoint Protection and IT Security Controls General Manager at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
I have my own independent team for Kaspersky deployment and operational support, so I am not dependent on Kaspersky's backend technical support.
Founder at Inspira Enterprise
From my perspective, the local team and the support team of Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Expert need to be more accurate and more responsible.
Systems Specialist/ Administrator at ALFA International Company Limited.
On a scale of one to 10, I would rate the technical support of the WatchGuard Firebox a 10.
Consultant at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
When comparing WatchGuard Firebox with other vendors such as Fortinet, SonicWall, Palo Alto, and Sophos, WatchGuard Firebox performs competitively.
Cyber Security Engineer at Underdefense
Most of the time, support engineers are knowledgeable and able to assist effectively with firewall configuration issues, VPN troubleshooting, firmware updates, and security-related concerns.
Professional Services Engineer at Next7 IT
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
Cortex XDR offers impressive scalability for large enterprises, with easy deployment and management, supporting both medium and large environments.
Sentiment score
7.0
Kaspersky is scalable and flexible for SMEs; some report deployment complexity, suggesting third-party solutions for high availability.
Sentiment score
6.7
WatchGuard Firebox is scalable, adaptable for growth, and offers consistent management, though some hardware may need capacity upgrades.
You can onboard 10,000 endpoints in just hours, which demonstrates the excellent scalability of this product.
Assistant Security Architect at Cloudnomics
Activating the newly purchased licenses is instantaneous, allowing installations without adjustments since it's cloud-based.
Junior Security Analyst at ITSEC Asia
Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks can be expanded anytime by purchasing another license without any issues related to scalability.
Head of data centers at a non-profit with 10,001+ employees
Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Expert is very scalable, working with high availability techniques across three main data centers in my organization.
Enterprise Endpoint Protection and IT Security Controls General Manager at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
I believe Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Expert is scalable, as I can keep adding agents without hard limitations.
Founder at Inspira Enterprise
Overall, WatchGuard Firebox offers strong scalability for SMBs, MSPs, branch offices, and hybrid environments while keeping deployment and management relatively straightforward.
Professional Services Engineer at Next7 IT
The user interface and features compared to newer firewalls are not up to the mark, which includes functionalities such as filtering, web filtering, threat protection, user identity, and UTM features that need improvement.
Senior Network Consultant at NETOPS
You can choose different models based on throughput and features, which makes it easy to support growing environments.
Security Engineer at Antina Empleos
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is praised for stability and reliability, despite occasional minor issues and complex upgrade steps.
Sentiment score
6.6
Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Expert is stable, effective, and highly rated for its robustness and threat detection capabilities.
Sentiment score
8.1
WatchGuard Firebox is stable, reliable, with rare issues, high user ratings, and excellent continuous performance, needing minimal maintenance.
Cortex remains fast and responsive, even with increasing data and alerts.
Final Year Student at Gitam University
The thresholds we've seen on our firewall boxes at some instances reached 80% to 85%, but even at that level of utilization, we don't observe any latency or any issues reported with respect to accessing the application.
Senior Process Expert at A.P. Moller - Maersk
Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks can be trusted completely.
Soc Analyst at Softcell Technologies Limited
It effectively detects new applications and requires whitelisting based on assessments discussed with the technical teams or vendors.
Enterprise Endpoint Protection and IT Security Controls General Manager at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Customers using Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Expert can manage environments with as few as 100 endpoints or as many as 5,000 endpoints very effectively.
Founder at Inspira Enterprise
I haven't found any issues with this particular solution, and there's no room for improvement for Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Expert.
Owner at Maxpro Technologies
I have just one WatchGuard Firebox unit that is licensed, and I have no bugs on it, so I am happy with that.
Administrateur Systã¨Mes Et Rã©Seau at Btp Consultants
Once properly configured, the platform handles VPN connectivity, traffic inspection, and security services constantly, even in multi-site environments with remote users.
Professional Services Engineer at Next7 IT
There are issues with traffic hitting the firewall, which could indicate performance problems related to throughput.
Senior Network Consultant at NETOPS
 

Room For Improvement

Cortex XDR requires better integration, reduced false positives, improved UI, enhanced configuration, reporting, and broader network detection support.
Kaspersky needs to enhance resource efficiency, cloud integration, and add features like AI while improving support, interface, and partnerships.
WatchGuard Firebox needs UI, reporting, performance, licensing clarity, advanced security features, and improved support to enhance user experience.
Improving reporting and dashboard customization, along with the addition of real-time and exportable reports, would help SOC teams greatly.
Final Year Student at Gitam University
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.
Pre Sales Architect at network techlab
If the per GB data could be provided at a certain level free of cost or at the same cost which the customer is taking for the entire bundle, that would be better.
Cyber Security Information Security Specialist at MHM Holding GmbH
A centralized dashboard is a primary requirement, as it would facilitate easier management without needing to install multiple agents.
Founder at Inspira Enterprise
Deployment with the console directly, without depending on other workers to deploy the agents, would be beneficial.
Technical Support Analyst at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
Compared to my previous product, Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Expert is not up to the mark; it's below my rating.
Systems Specialist/ Administrator at ALFA International Company Limited.
It gives good visibility and control over the traffic, and the UI makes it easy to manage policies and respond quickly when something comes up.
Manager at Cyvogenix
Some improvements in threat intelligence integrations and SIEM integration as an out-of-the-box context would be beneficial.
SOC Analyst L2 at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
The cost for renewal after three years is 75% of the hardware cost, which is a significant problem.
Owner at it logic
 

Setup Cost

Cortex XDR's pricing is flexible and cost-effective, considering its technology, with setup costs medium and negotiable for enterprises.
Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Expert offers competitive pricing, varying by license duration, region, and necessary features.
WatchGuard Firebox is cost-effective for mid-sized businesses, offering straightforward setup and competitive pricing against other brands.
The pricing on SentinelOne is far more reasonable and cheaper than Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks.
Consultant at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
I would say it is definitely not a cheap product, considering how mature it is and how scalable all Palo Alto products are together.
Senior Process Expert at A.P. Moller - Maersk
Compared to CrowdStrike, which is very costly, and SentinelOne, which is also very costly, Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is a medium cost-efficient solution.
Soc Analyst at Softcell Technologies Limited
The pricing is nominal when we compare it with other solutions.
Owner at Maxpro Technologies
Compared to other products, the pricing for Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Expert is almost the same.
Systems Specialist/ Administrator at ALFA International Company Limited.
When we tried to renew the Palo Alto license, the cost was beyond any reasonable range.
Digital Solution Designer at Accenture
Fortinet is more expensive than WatchGuard.
Security Engineer at Antina Empleos
I find WatchGuard Firebox to be cost-effective.
Chief Technology Officer at Falcon Automation
 

Valuable Features

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks provides AI threat detection, seamless integration, automated responses, and scalable multi-layered protection.
Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Expert offers scalable, user-friendly protection with seamless integration and strong threat detection features.
WatchGuard Firebox offers robust, user-friendly security with strong firewalls and VPN capabilities, streamlining management for scalable solutions.
It incorporates AI for normal behavior detection, distinguishing unusual operations.
Cyber Security Manager at Welab bank
The product provides automation responses in case of a threat attack, severity assessments, centralized manageability, and comprehensive compliance features, resulting in reduced costs.
Pre Sales Architect at network techlab
It includes machine learning to easily analyze data and detect complex threats across endpoints, networks, or clouds.
Final Year Student at Gitam University
The ATP functionality is quite strong because it utilizes the behavioral analytics engine in the backend, which employs machine learning mechanisms to identify any kind of vulnerability or exploit running on the operating system level and the network level.
Founder at Inspira Enterprise
Almost all our clients use the Patch Management, vulnerability, and integration feature.
Technical Support Analyst at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
The product is strong enough and capable of handling the type of detections as protection and security.
Systems Specialist/ Administrator at ALFA International Company Limited.
The Firebox offers valuable features such as network security, URL filtering, UTM features, intrusion prevention and detection, and authentication.
Solution Architect at Simvicitsolutions
The features of WatchGuard Firebox are most valuable for maintaining network security.
Cyber Security Engineer at Underdefense
Some of the best features of WatchGuard Firebox in my experience are its ease of management, strong VPN capabilities, and integrated security services.
Professional Services Engineer at Next7 IT
 

Categories and Ranking

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Net...
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Ranking in Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
6th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
114
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (4th), Extended Detection and Response (XDR) (4th), Ransomware Protection (2nd), AI-Powered Cybersecurity Platforms (1st)
Kaspersky Next EDR Expert
Ranking in Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
20th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
51
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
WatchGuard Firebox
Ranking in Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
10th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
141
Ranking in other categories
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) (11th), Firewalls (12th), Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) (4th), Anti-Malware Tools (6th), Application Control (3rd), Unified Threat Management (UTM) (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2026, in the Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) category, the mindshare of Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is 3.6%, down from 3.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Kaspersky Next EDR Expert is 1.2%, down from 1.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of WatchGuard Firebox is 1.3%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks3.6%
WatchGuard Firebox1.3%
Kaspersky Next EDR Expert1.2%
Other93.9%
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
 

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.
Ravi-Upadhyay - PeerSpot reviewer
Founder at Inspira Enterprise
Provides strong threat detection and response through behavior analytics and network isolation
I have found the most valuable features of Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Expert to be its ability to tackle the biggest challenges customers face when they have to mitigate any kind of a malware, ransomware attack, or online theft scenarios. The solution utilizes its HIPS, which is the host intrusion prevention system, behavior analytics system, and device control mechanism, making the antivirus capabilities of EDR quite strong. It is able to detect zero-day threats as well as historical or legacy malware, providing protection against current threats in the market and legacy malware. My opinion on the advanced threat detection algorithms in Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Expert is that the ATP functionality is quite strong because it utilizes the behavioral analytics engine in the backend, which employs machine learning mechanisms to identify any kind of vulnerability or exploit running on the operating system level and the network level. If an attack is about to happen on the endpoint, it is able to protect over the network as well and checks for any illegitimate encryption activities. The machine learning capability within Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Expert has contributed to improving detection accuracy and reducing false positives in my environment by helping me identify malicious activity and differentiate between any malicious activity on the operating system level and on the network level. I have seen customers with in-house developed applications that have no public signatures available. Once I whitelist a particular application, it intelligently whitelists not only the executable but also all the dependent services required to run that application. Furthermore, Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Expert has successfully blocked network-level attacks on the endpoint. For example, during a recent DoS attack aimed at choking the entire network, Kaspersky detected the attack, isolated the device in a sandbox network, and alerted my SOC team via email for corrective action, thereby proactively helping me detect and protect devices from malicious attacks.
Abhishek Saini - PeerSpot reviewer
Professional Services Engineer at Next7 IT
Centralized security management has improved VPN reliability and simplified daily operations
WatchGuard Firebox is a strong and reliable platform overall, but there are a few areas where improvements could make the experience even better. One area is the user interface and navigation in some management tools. While the platform is powerful, certain configurations and troubleshooting workflows can feel less intuitive compared to some newer cloud-native firewall platforms. Another point is reporting and log analysis. Although the logging features are very useful, deeper analytics and more customizable reporting dashboards would make security monitoring much more effective. Firmware upgrades and policy synchronization can sometimes require careful planning to avoid security interruptions. Overall, the core security and VPN functionality are very solid, but improving usability, reporting, and automation would make the platform even stronger. One area that could be improved is the learning curve for new administrators. While experienced engineers can work with the platform effectively, some advanced networking and security configurations can be a bit complex for junior technicians. More guided configuration workflows, smarter recommendations, and simplified troubleshooting tools would make onboarding easier. Another improvement would be more flexible reporting customization for executive-level and client-facing reports.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Construction Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Computer Software Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
8%
Construction Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business46
Midsize Enterprise21
Large Enterprise53
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business30
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise18
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business102
Midsize Enterprise30
Large Enterprise17
 

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. ...
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 th...
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,...
What needs improvement with Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Expert?
The user interface of Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Expert could be more intuitive, and I would appreciat...
What is your primary use case for Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Expert?
My usual use cases for Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Expert involve detecting ransomware earlier and proa...
What is your primary use case for WatchGuard Firebox?
We are providing our services to all WatchGuard customers in the region.
What is your primary use case for WatchGuard Firebox?
We just use it as a secondary WiFi device. We're a small office and we needed to set up a WiFi device for a few of ou...
What is your primary use case for WatchGuard Firebox?
We're a hospital and we use it for developing our incoming and outgoing policies, and we also use it for VPN.
 

Also Known As

Cyvera, Cortex XDR, Palo Alto Networks Traps
Kaspersky EDR
WatchGuard Threat Detection and Response, WatchGuard Application Control, WatchGuard Data Loss Prevention, WatchGuard Gateway AntiVirus, WatchGuard Intrusion Prevention Service
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

CBI Health Group, University Honda, VakifBank
Ferrari, Insolar, Tael, Republic of Serbia
Ellips, Diecutstickers.com, Clarke Energy, NCR, Wrest Park, Homeslice Pizza, Fortessa Tableware Solutions, The Phoenix Residence
Find out what your peers are saying about Kaspersky Next EDR Expert vs. WatchGuard Firebox and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
903,871 professionals have used our research since 2012.