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Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks vs Symantec Endpoint Detection and Response 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...
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
90
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (4th), Extended Detection and Response (XDR) (7th), Ransomware Protection (2nd), AI-Powered Cybersecurity Platforms (5th)
Symantec Endpoint Detection...
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
30
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) (25th)
 

Featured Reviews

Mohammad Qaw - PeerSpot reviewer
Perfect correlation and XDR capabilities for network traffic plus endpoint security
The solution should force customers to integrate with network traffic to see the full benefits of XDR. If you are not integrating it or feeding in your network traffic, then you are just buying a normal antivirus which doesn't make any sense. You are paying double the price to use the antivirus feature or to say you have XDR, but in reality you are not using it. The solution should include an on-premises option because some customers want only on-premises. It would be hard, but good to do if possible. Open XDR would be beneficial in the future. Right now, the solution is Closed XDR so cannot communicate with the few new vendors in the Open XDR market.
YusufAhmed - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy to use and competitively priced
Honestly, the product needs to continue the way it is, and I feel that everything will be fine. I haven't had any reasons to complain about the product. The product doesn’t offer MDM functionality under its current licensing model. In the future, I want the product to offer MDM. It can allow me to manage my mobile device more efficiently and effectively. Currently, there is a need for a separate license to be added to Symantec Endpoint Detection and Response to be able to use the MDM part. If both are bundled up under the same license, the administration part can be made easier.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We can use Cortex XDR to get the entire graph of the incidents from source to destination, and we can take remedial action."
"The solution helps find bugs, and it is safe to use to prevent attacks by hackers."
"The tool is easy to use."
"The integrations are out-of-the-box, as are the playbooks."
"The solution doesn't need a high level of technical training."
"The tool is designed to scale for large enterprises and handle large volumes of data."
"This software helps us understand any issues that may arise when someone is not at work."
"Cortex XDR is a very capable solution for protecting large networks and a lot of endpoints. It's very useful because the automation is very high, and if you combine it with the features on Palo Alto firewalls, it provides very strong protection."
"The security is good."
"The most valuable features of the solution are that it is easy to use and has good support."
"The solution does all that we expect it to do."
"A great feature of this solution is that it is very well-integrated with antivirus software. Other ADR solutions are implemented as single technologies and are not integrated with the provider, but Symantec offers AV plus ADR."
"The solution is stable."
"The most valuable feature is that the same agent can act as the endpoint detection and response agent."
"Symantec Endpoint Detection and Response is stable."
"The solution has great blocking features."
 

Cons

"When it comes to malware files, it should be a little quick because, at times, it would give a wrong result in the sense of what it might be on malware, even if it still might be a normal one."
"Every 30 or 40 days, there's a new version and we need to go and make sure our customer's laptops are upgraded."
"Traps doesn't work with McAfee. You need to remove McAfee to install Traps. This is very common, and its nothing that should be an issue. Some antivirus engines recognize Traps as an threat component, so maybe they need to shake hands somewhere."
"A little bit more automation would be nice."
"It should support more mobile operating systems. That is one of the cons of their infrastructure right now."
"Cortex XDR could be improved with more GUI features."
"It automatically detects security issues. It should be able to protect our network devices while operating autonomously."
"Dashboards do not allow everyone to see what's happening."
"The interface has many issues."
"Symantec Endpoint Detection and Response could improve the reporting. It is very difficult to create reports from the user interface."
"The product doesn’t offer MDM functionality under its current licensing model."
"It should be easier to deploy Symantec's client for end-users."
"While they are quite dynamic, they need to ensure they are detecting threats faster in the future to keep people safer."
"In the future, it would be nice to have playbooks in the tool, to allow for some of the common activities to be automated. For example, some of the scannings of the malware can be too manual for a specific device. Additionally, a vulnerability manager would be beneficial."
"The Symantec portfolio is not big enough to cover the organization in all 360 degrees."
"That's why I wouldn't recommend it for other systems. It works only with SAP clients. That's why I'm giving it a six. It would get higher if it worked on all networks without the help of SAP."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."
"The price of the solution is high for the license and in general."
"Licensing for Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR can be costly, especially when it comes to a hundred users. A license is required for each user, and the subscription must be renewed on a yearly basis."
"Our customers have expressed that the price is high."
"I am using the Community edition."
"This is an expensive solution."
"It has reasonable pricing for the use cases it provides to the company."
"Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is quite an expensive solution."
"Symantec Endpoint Detection and Response is expensive."
"We are satisfied with the pricing."
"Of late, because of the Broadcom purchase, its price has been increasing."
"The price is reasonable."
"It is an expensive solution."
"It's a yearly subscription."
"The product is cheap."
"The more devices we have the more expensive it becomes, which is where the challenge is."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Manufacturing Company
8%
University
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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 Symantec Endpoint Detection and Response?
I am not aware of the pricing details, as that falls under the management's responsibility.
What needs improvement with Symantec Endpoint Detection and Response?
There are several areas where Symantec Endpoint Detection and Response can improve, including shell features, web control, asset management, and device control. Specifically, the application contro...
 

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. Symantec Endpoint Detection and Response and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
842,672 professionals have used our research since 2012.