Symantec Endpoint Security vs Tanium comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Broadcom and Tanium are both solutions in the Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) category. Broadcom is ranked #8 with an average rating of 7.2, while Tanium is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.3. Broadcom holds a 3.7% mindshare in EPP, compared to Tanium’s 2.5% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of Broadcom users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 81% of Tanium users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 18, 2026

Symantec Endpoint Security and Tanium compete in the endpoint protection category. Tanium seems to have the upper hand in real-time data aggregation and threat hunting, making it more suitable for vulnerability management.

Features: Symantec Endpoint Security offers anti-virus, anti-spyware, and intrusion prevention across multiple platforms like Windows, Mac, and Linux. Users value its comprehensive threat protection and network-based intrusion prevention. Tanium is recognized for real-time data aggregation, inventory management, and threat hunting capabilities, which are useful in risk identification and patching processes.

Room for Improvement: Symantec is criticized for being resource-intensive during scans and having a complex management interface. Users seek faster updates and better ransomware protection. Tanium faces challenges with managing false positives and complex pricing, and users desire improved scalability and reporting capabilities, particularly in larger organizations.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Symantec uses an on-premises deployment model with hybrid and cloud options, but customer service quality varies post-acquisition by Broadcom, with reports of delays and responsiveness issues. Tanium also supports public, private, and hybrid cloud deployments and is noted for better customer satisfaction, though its setup can be more involved.

Pricing and ROI: Symantec is viewed as expensive but provides a favorable return on investment with strong security features and flexible pricing that includes discounts for non-profits. Tanium is generally pricier but is justified by its capabilities and performance. Despite the costs, both solutions offer a positive ROI, with Symantec praised for reducing downtime and increasing efficiencies and Tanium appreciated for its comprehensive capabilities and more agile nature.

To learn more, read our detailed Symantec Endpoint Security vs. Tanium Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Symantec Endpoint Security vs. Tanium

September 2026

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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...

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) category, the mindshare of Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is 3.8%, up from 3.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Endpoint Security is 3.7%, up from 3.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Tanium is 2.5%, up from 2.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks	3.8%
Symantec Endpoint Security	3.7%
Tanium	2.5%
Other	90.0%

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)

Featured Reviews

ABHISHEK_SINGH

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.

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Abhimanyu Das

Senior Cybersecurity Engineer at Kyndryl

Behavioral protection has blocked ransomware and now saves extensive recovery and audit time

The best feature of Symantec Endpoint Security is its effectiveness in malware protection. Its malware protection capabilities stand out due to their ease of management. Although multiple tools assist in this process, managing them all can sometimes be challenging. In terms of malware protection, Symantec Endpoint Security performs well, and its mechanisms, tactics, and techniques are effective. Symantec Endpoint Security offers robust features such as advanced reporting capabilities with a customizable dashboard that integrates EDR timelines, threat maps, and compliance metrics into a single view. Additionally, reports can be exported to PDF or CSV formats, making reporting one of its strong points. It also provides comprehensive device control features, which block unauthorized USB devices and support whitelisting. This helps prevent data exfiltration and phishing scenarios without disrupting user workflows.

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Sandeepraj Gatla

Dfir Analyst at a tech services company with 201-500 employees

Endpoint monitoring has strengthened incident response and provides rapid isolation and forensics

Tanium provides an endpoint which is isolated from the network and environment. We can easily search its logs and history and connect remotely directly to that particular device which has been isolated from the network. We can search for the history and logs, including audit logs and event logs. The complete activity of the user or owner of the device is visible to us. We can see the artifacts of particular USB transfers internally for official use. We can not only connect remotely but also see the device status and how many failures have occurred within the network so far. We can see the IP address, how many times it has changed its IP address, and how many times it was connected to VPN or external VPN or internal VPN and what has been searched while on VPN. We can block the IOCs or IP addresses as well. We can block domains, hashes, SHA values, SHA-256, SHA-1, SHA-5 and MD5. Although I am not completely involved in the automation team, we do have that team and I have worked in some CERT recently. Tanium is more useful while we are in the CERT because most of the times when we are on high alert, Tanium does play a main role for that particular incident or any high case. Tanium is a simple tool and we can easily integrate it to many devices and it is a mandatory tool to secure an endpoint. It is mandatory to give any RDP connection and the tool should be present in the particular device. It is completely mandatory and it is in the policy as well.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I've found the solution to be highly scalable for enterprises."

"Cortex is the best solution for avoiding security breaches, malware attacks, and other kinds of security issues."

"Cortex XDR's most valuable feature is its intelligence-based dashboards."

"The level of security I get for my endpoints and servers is extremely valuable."

"The solution allows us to make investigations. Other XDR solutions also provide similar capabilities but for investigation, Cortex XDR is better."

"The solution allows control over the user and his machine through Cortex XDR security policies."

"The most valuable features are incident creation, policy-based protection, IP whitelisting, and device encryption. These are beneficial for endpoint and server security."

"The solution doesn't need a high level of technical training."

More Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks pros

"It is more than a classic Anti-virus solution: both SONAR and IPS help to protect the system."

"In my personal experience, most people use Symantec, and in my whole life, I couldn't find any problems with Symantec."

"The valuable features are device control, SONOR, and anti-virus."

"This solution has helped us because it is really useful for blocking all kinds of viruses."

"No maintenance is required after a successful installation phase."

"I like the endpoint detection and response. That's the best feature. I also like the fact that we don't need to use a file on the computer, whereas some anti-malware solutions work with a file on the endpoint. Symantec is a very good option compared to solutions from other vendors."

"It seems to be user-friendly and our users seem to like it for the most part."

"Symantec is a traditional antivirus, and among all traditional antivirus solutions, Symantec is very good."

More Symantec Endpoint Security pros

"The insights we gain from our endpoints and the management capabilities that Tanium provides have been a boon to our operations and security."

"Tanium’s best features include support for any Windows, Linux, or Mac endpoint, regardless of where it is, and the ability to do IT operations and security operations."

"It's definitely not complex, it is pretty user-friendly and it's a solid tool enterprise to use."

"I like the tool's incident response and security patching."

"The most valuable features of this solution are the consolidation of all historical data on device endpoints, security drivers, firmware, and Software version gaps."

"Tanium is a very good product and I would rate it eight or nine out of ten."

"Tanium is used for endpoint management, specifically patching and configuration management."

"The interrogation piece was the most valuable feature because it was very detailed."

More Tanium pros

Cons

"There is also no recovery feature; if some endpoint is under attack there must be the possibility of recovering it or restoring it to a normal state."

"The configuration could be simplified. I would like to see better protection, specifically to protect email applications."

"The server sometimes stops continuously to check things so it would be helpful to receive access updates or technical reasons."

"It's more focused on network communication. If a customer wants to increase the level of protection and start working with documents, it's impossible to integrate these features into the system. It's more of a communication-oriented system than a content security-oriented system."

"Every 30 or 40 days, there's a new version and we need to go and make sure our customer's laptops are upgraded."

"The negative aspect I see is the economic model used by Palo Alto."

"The installation should be easier and the Palo Alto pre-sales and sales teams should have more information on the product because they don't know what they are selling."

"The playbooks could be improved to include more functionalities or actions."

More Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks cons

"There is a lack of reporting and alerts."

"The custom reporting and real-time monitoring (the customizable dashboard) need improvement."

"We must have complete dissolution with advance care protection but we are finding out that we need more Symantec technical specialists. We have identified a need to hire at least one more technical specialist familiar with Symantec to improve our solutions capabilities."

"The support can be wanting, for those reasons. Sometimes the time to resolution is longer than I would expect."

"The solution could improve by adding encryption. If it had encryption along with antivirus it would be better."

"I think Symantec, like many of its competitors, doesn't have comprehensive built-in reporting."

"Compared to Kaspersky, the reporting features are not rich."

"Symantec's application security module needs some improvement. You need to create a lot of fingerprints for application security. For instance, let's say I have different brands of ATMs in my environment, like Wincor and NCR. I use GRG to deploy an application control to whitelist some applications. I have to get the exact image of the different models of ATMs. When I tested in the past, some machines would not connect to the server without that."

More Symantec Endpoint Security cons

"Tanium required local admin or root rights on Mac devices, which did not comply with our security policies. This made the solution less suitable for our restrictive environment."

"Tanium's limitations should be improved because although it is a great tool, it is limited to only a few classes during a session."

"Most of the time, agent-relative issues have to be more equipped with self-healing features. At times, the agent is there, but for some reason, it doesn't report a status. It gives certain problems that are obviously agent-based."

"We set a policy to block USB access. The moment a device is being set up on the network, I apply the policy, but it does not come into effect immediately."

"We had some issues with the solution's OS upgrade."

"The solution needs to improve the reporting and tracking capabilities."

"When working with Tanium, there are some older devices that haven't been patched for a long time, and certain patches are not included in Tanium. I have to search outside to download patches, create bundles, and then perform the task."

"There are some bugs in the product. The tool needs to improve in the area of reporting."

More Tanium cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's about $55 per license on a yearly basis."

"I don't like that they have different types of licenses."

"The cost of Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is $55 to $90 USD per endpoint per month."

"Cortex XDR's pricing is ok."

"Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is an expensive solution."

"The solution is expensive. It's pricing is 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."

"I don't have any issues with the pricing. We are satisfied with the price."

More Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks pricing and cost advice

"We receive a discounted price for this solution because we are a non-profit organization."

"There is a yearly license."

"The pricing is good, very moderate, and the licensing is also good. It gives you more room to install a lot of endpoints and it even gives you the opportunity to install it on your mobile phone without any extra cost."

"There are subscription costs, we typically purchase the annual subscription. There can be other expenses too, for example, we use CrowdStrike also as part of our policy."

"The pricing is a little bit more expensive than other competitors, if you compare it to Kaspersky, for example, or McAfee."

"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."

"Pricing and licensing for our country is very good. It's not that expensive and the endpoint security is very good. It's not as cheap as some others, but they are not as good."

"It is cheap. It is especially cheaper than Malwarebytes, which is three times higher than this. It is also cheaper than Cisco. Its price is almost similar to Bitdefender, Gravity, and CloudZone."

More Symantec Endpoint Security pricing and cost advice

"The solution offers value for money."

"It's an expensive solution. It would be nice if the cost were lower."

"The product's pricing differs from region to region depending on negotiations and the number of endpoints."

"Tanium is a more expensive solution in Latin America than some of the competitors, such as BigFix."

"There is an annual license required to use this solution."

"The solution is expensive but it's a good investment."

"It is higher than some competitors in the market."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Outsourcing Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

12%

Construction Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Outsourcing Company

13%

Comms Service Provider

13%

Financial Services Firm

Construction Company

Financial Services Firm

13%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	47
Midsize Enterprise	21
Large Enterprise	55

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	69
Midsize Enterprise	32
Large Enterprise	63

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	12

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. ...

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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...

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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,...

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Which is better - Cortex XDR or Symantec End-User Endpoint Security?

Aqua Security is easy to use and very manageable. Its main focus is on Kubernetes and Docker. Security is a very valu...

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Which offers better endpoint security - Symantec or Microsoft Defender?

We use Symantec because we do not use MS Enterprise products, but in my opinion, Microsoft Defender is a superior sol...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Symantec End-User Endpoint Security?

Symantec Endpoint Security's pricing is better than most offerings based on my research. It seems to be half the cost...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Tanium?

While there is always room for improvement, I am pleased with Tanium.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Tanium?

The primary use case for Tanium ( /products/tanium-reviews ) is compliance, patching, and inventory as part of the co...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Tanium?

For smaller companies, Tanium is quite a big investment, and one needs to have a considerable setup to make it econom...

See all answers

Comparisons

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 14% of the time

SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 5% of the time

CrowdStrike Falcon vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 4% of the time

Cortex XSIAM vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 3% of the time

Trellix Endpoint Security Platform vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 3% of the time

More Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks Competitors

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Symantec Endpoint Security

Compared 8% of the time

Morphisec vs Symantec Endpoint Security

Compared 5% of the time

Trellix Endpoint Security Platform vs Symantec Endpoint Security

Compared 5% of the time

Kaspersky Next XDR Optimum vs Symantec Endpoint Security

Compared 4% of the time

Check Point Harmony Endpoint vs Symantec Endpoint Security

Compared 3% of the time

More Symantec Endpoint Security Competitors

CrowdStrike Falcon vs Tanium

Compared 5% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Tanium

Compared 4% of the time

BigFix vs Tanium

Compared 3% of the time

Microsoft Configuration Manager vs Tanium

Compared 3% of the time

Trellix Endpoint Security Platform vs Tanium

Compared 2% of the time

More Tanium Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

September 2026

Download Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks product report

Buyer's Guide

Symantec Endpoint Security

August 2026

Download Symantec Endpoint Security product report

Buyer's Guide

Tanium

August 2026

Download Tanium product report

Also Known As

Cyvera, Cortex XDR, Palo Alto Networks Traps

Symantec EPP, Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP)

Tanium Inc Cloud, Tanium XEM

Overview

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks provides advanced threat detection with AI-driven endpoint protection and seamless integration, ensuring multi-layered security and automatic threat response.

Cortex XDR is designed to safeguard endpoints against malware and suspicious activities. It offers advanced threat detection and response capabilities using behavioral analysis, AI, and machine learning. It seamlessly integrates with security infrastructures, providing endpoint security, firewall integration, and enhanced visibility in both cloud-based and on-premises environments.

What are the key features of Cortex XDR?

Advanced Threat Detection: Uses AI and machine learning for proactive threat identification.
Multi-layered Security: Combines various security measures for comprehensive protection.
Endpoint Protection: Safeguards against malware and exploits.
Behavioral Analysis: Monitors suspicious activity for early detection.
Automatic Threat Response: Automates responses to neutralize threats.

What benefits should users expect?

Ease of Use: Simplifies security management with intuitive design.
Resource Efficiency: Minimizes impact on system resources.
Integration Capabilities: Works well with existing security setups.
Reduced Analyst Workload: Automates processes to decrease manual intervention.

Organizations in diverse sectors deploy Cortex XDR to protect against malware, leveraging its advanced threat detection capabilities. Its integration with existing security infrastructures appeals to those seeking comprehensive protection in both cloud and on-premises environments, providing enhanced visibility and threat intelligence.

Palo Alto Networks

Symantec Endpoint Security is a comprehensive protection tool designed for antimalware and antivirus defense. Providing centralized management and smooth deployment, it effectively secures environments from small businesses to extensive networks.

Symantec Endpoint Security serves organizations by offering robust protection with features like rapid deployment and centralized management, critical for securing workstations and servers. While appreciated for efficient resource utilization and stable operation, some users report issues with virus detection and cumbersome updates. Pricing is often considered high. It is a popular choice among IT consultants, academic institutions, and service providers for its ability to manage broad and varied security needs efficiently.

What are the key features of Symantec Endpoint Security?

Centralized Management: Streamlines security operations for ease of handling across networks.
Malware and Antivirus Protection: Provides real-time threat detection and EDR capabilities.
Application and Device Control: Manages access and control policies effectively.
SONAR and IPS: Enhances proactive malware scanning and intrusion prevention.
Active Directory Integration: Supports seamless integration with existing systems.

What benefits should be considered when evaluating Symantec Endpoint Security?

Reliable Support: Offers assistance which, while helpful, can vary in effectiveness.
Advanced Reporting: Enables detailed security analysis, though customization is limited.
Efficient Resource Usage: Provides stable performance across platforms with minimal impact.
Proactive Scanning: Ensures threats are detected early, enhancing security measures.

In industries like academia and IT consulting, Symantec Endpoint Security fulfills specific needs for robust endpoint protection. Its centralized management and application control make it suitable for educational institutions managing large network systems, while service providers benefit from its flexible deployment options.

Broadcom

Tanium offers robust endpoint protection, patching, and inventory management, consolidating the functions of tools like BigFix with capabilities in incident response, network security, and cloud or on-premise deployments.

Known for real-time capabilities, Tanium provides detailed analytics, security features, and device management. Users benefit from quick implementation, real-time updates, and patching campaigns. Despite its strengths, integration and custom plugin expansion remain areas to improve, along with data visualization and network optimization. Reporting enhancements and user training could advance its usability, and some UI elements may require updates for clarity and security.

What are the essential features of Tanium?

Detailed Analytics: Provides actionable insights for better decision-making.
Security Capabilities: Offers strong defense measures against threats.
Real-Time Queries: Facilitates immediate information access.
Patch Management: Streamlines software updates across devices.
Device Management: Efficiently handles comprehensive inventory and monitoring tasks.

What benefits should users expect?

Ease of Use: Simplifies complex IT tasks.
Scalability: Adapts to growing IT infrastructure needs.
Integration Flexibility: Merges with existing systems effortlessly.
Real-Time Updates: Ensures current data availability for informed actions.

Tanium's deployment spans industries focusing on endpoint protection and compliance, ensuring reliable device and server management in settings where safety and quick adaptation are critical. Organizations use it for application deployment, compliance checks, and integrating it as an EDR solution, enhancing overall security and operational efficiencies.

Tanium

Sample Customers

CBI Health Group, University Honda, VakifBank

Audio Visual Dynamics, Red Deer Advocate, Asia Pacific Telecom Co. Ltd., Kibbutz Ein Gedi, and AMETEK, Inc.

JPMorgan Chase, eBay, Amazon, US Bank, MetLife, pwc, Cerner, Delphi, MGM Grand, New York Life

Buyer's Guide

Symantec Endpoint Security vs. Tanium

September 2026

Free Report: Symantec Endpoint Security vs. Tanium

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