Forescout Platform vs Palo Alto Networks IoT Security comparison

Forescout and Palo Alto Networks are both solutions in the IoT Security category. Forescout is ranked #5 with an average rating of 7.7, while Palo Alto Networks is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.1. Forescout holds a 8.2% mindshare in IS, compared to Palo Alto Networks’s 5.5% mindshare. Additionally, 88% of Forescout users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Palo Alto Networks users who would recommend it.

Forescout Platform

Read 79 Forescout Platform reviews

10,155 Views
1,523 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

Palo Alto Networks IoT Secu...

Read 11 Palo Alto Networks IoT Security reviews

1,767 Views
1,767 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Forescout Platform

Palo Alto Networks IoT Secu...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 3, 2025

Forescout Platform and Palo Alto Networks IoT Security compete in the network visibility and security solutions category. Forescout appears to hold an edge in device interaction and endpoint visibility while Palo Alto Networks excels with its next-gen firewall technology and integration capabilities.

Features: Forescout Platform offers comprehensive visibility of all devices on the network, integration with third-party security tools, and robust endpoint security without relying on 802.1x. Palo Alto Networks IoT Security utilizes next-gen firewall technology for risk assessment, aligns with zero-trust architecture, and provides detailed asset management features.

Room for Improvement: Forescout struggles with switch management data accuracy, high licensing costs, and requires better reporting. Palo Alto Networks IoT Security's user interface is complicated, integration capabilities can be enhanced, and reporting features lack depth.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Forescout supports on-premises, hybrid, and cloud deployments, with varied technical support satisfaction. Palo Alto Networks offers cloud and on-premises deployment options, with high customer service satisfaction but room for improvement in partner support.

Pricing and ROI: Forescout provides a flexible yet expensive licensing model, reflecting substantial total costs. Palo Alto Networks, also costly, justifies its price with robust features, though costs are a barrier for small organizations.

To learn more, read our detailed Forescout Platform vs. Palo Alto Networks IoT Security Report (Updated: June 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Forescout Platform vs. Palo Alto Networks IoT Security

June 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

Forescout Platform

Ranking in IoT Security

5th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Access Control (NAC) (6th), Endpoint Compliance (2nd), Extended Detection and Response (XDR) (35th)

Palo Alto Networks IoT Secu...

Ranking in IoT Security

3rd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the IoT Security category, the mindshare of Forescout Platform is 8.2%, down from 12.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Palo Alto Networks IoT Security is 5.5%, down from 7.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

IoT Security Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Palo Alto Networks IoT Security	5.5%
Forescout Platform	8.2%
Other	86.3%

IoT Security

Featured Reviews

AshishKumar Rai

Security Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Comprehensive visibility has strengthened endpoint control and automated threat response across networks

When it comes to improving Forescout Platform, I have faced some issues recently, particularly with the switch integration part. When integrating a switch, it asks for the vendor type, and often it does not match. For example, one series of HP switches may not be found in that vendor list. This leads to frustration because you have to check again with different HP models, and once you integrate a switch, you cannot edit the vendor list without removing it. Other issues are being worked on, particularly related to switch integration. I believe they will be fixed in the next upgrade or patch fix. There are no major issues, but the configuration changes needed for the switch model are necessary, and I think it would help if during integration, an admin user could check the password or credential used, as they currently cannot see the password after it is entered and saved.

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reviewer2774463

Manager ERP (Insurance) at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

Have used it to manage device updates remotely and now see potential for improved centralized control

One of the favorite features is that they can plug in a device and update it without being on the network, so you can perform an offline update. If all the IoT devices in the field can provide a single pane of glass and management through that platform in a controlled fashion, that would be really beneficial.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I have noticed that in the last year the license model has changed from licensing the whole appliance to licensing the number of devices. It's more simple for a large installation, or a user to have CounterACT as their peripheral site in the company. It's a good choice to have changed the license policy."

"The virtual firewall available on this solution is great and assists us in securing our servers, and the threat prevention feature provides complete visibility, making it very helpful in detecting, blocking, and monitoring heavy scanning on the system."

"Within three or four days, we have complete visibility of your infrastructure on the network. Compared to other solutions, the deployment of the solution is easier and we can close the project quickly."

"We use it to prevent malicious activities on our network that potentially infiltrate it."

"It has helped with improving our security posture in terms of controlling the access of rogue devices into our network through identification. We have been able to prevent rogue device activities on the network, check the health of the system, and ensure remediation."

"My advice to others is Forescout Platform is a good solution; it's fairly simple to deploy in an environment, far better than the other products in which we have done a POC, and has good stability and performance."

"It gives us a clear initial and secondary view of what's happening on our network to determine its health."

"Forescout Platform isn't cheap, but it's the best solution for the environment I'm dealing with."

More Forescout Platform pros

"It is simple to use. We just need to enable features and then configure IoT policies."

"The key strength of Palo Alto firewalls lies in their application-based approach, offering a much finer level of control compared to traditional firewalls."

"The stability is pretty good; it's a very solid solution, so if customers are looking for an IoT/OT solution, they should consider Palo Alto Networks IoT Security."

"Single-pass traffic processing enables very high throughput and low latency."

"I like the threat information, and we can share the logging data with Cortex Data Lake."

"From a security standpoint, it provides a comprehensive range of standard security features that align with our requirements."

"This solution has been most valuable for establishing a VPN and implementing allow/deny rules. It has also enabled us to create security policies. It is an easy solution to customise when it comes to creating templates and pulling reports."

"I would recommend Palo Alto Networks IoT Security to any organization with automation plants or standard enterprise IT environments."

More Palo Alto Networks IoT Security pros

Cons

"The biggest negative regarding Forescout is their support."

"Can be expensive if it's only being used for one feature."

"Other solutions have TACACS+, but Forescout does not. In the next release, I would like to see Forescout have accounting."

"As a product, there is nothing to complain about. However, they should improve their overall support. You need that level of knowledge, that level of information is clearly not available. First and foremost, that information is not accessible. The second point to mention is that once you purchase the later support and services. That is, they will continue to charge you for every service."

"Search - needs boolean functionality (or pseudo operand now working)."

"Multitenancy should be included in the next version so it could be used as a managed service provider."

"At this point, I haven't come across many drawbacks of Forescout Platform, but I would like to give that some time and then possibly identify where they could improve."

"Since the costs continually go up with each new endpoint, we don't really see an ROI."

More Forescout Platform cons

"Palo Alto Networks IoT Security's reporting capabilities are less comprehensive and robust than those provided by Cisco."

"It would be beneficial if Palo Alto IoT Security could integrate with Let's Encrypt for free SSL certificates."

"Essentially, this solution focuses on data analysis and cannot perform any physical actions."

"The reporting for this solution could be improved. The logs we receive are only saved for one week. We would like to have the database timeframe increased to a month or two for historical reporting as well as increased storage capabilities to support this data and reporting."

"The support is in line with Palo Alto Networks services for other products but needs improvement."

"More application signatures are required."

"It would be beneficial to have a more centralized and user-friendly platform that could consolidate all the necessary information, which proved challenging during the initial POC phase."

"I had to call the support because there were some devices that were not showing up."

More Palo Alto Networks IoT Security cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The Forescout Platform's pricing is in the middle range, not too cheap or expensive."

"We might have paid in the ballpark of $20,000 yearly for our licenses. I do not recall there being other fees over and above the standard licensing fee."

"We need to pay for integration for each integration that we want to do and there is an additional license fee. This adds more costs. It is not something that anyone can afford. If you want to integrate this with a lot of other tools, it can be costly."

"For one license, we pay around 3,000 Indian rupees."

"The cost of the solution depends on the customer's requirement because the customer is asking for different integration with a different product. Forescout Platform's price would start to get a bit higher. However, overall the price is a little expensive. It's can fit within the customer budget."

"The tool's pricing is expensive but reasonable."

"Forescout Platform is on the expensive side."

"You can have a flexible license depending on your environment."

More Forescout Platform pricing and cost advice

"The pricing for Palo Alto Networks IoT Security is a bit high."

"The initial investment is substantial, but the renewal costs make it financially unsustainable."

"While Palo Alto Networks IoT Security might cost more than some competitors, its features and effectiveness justify the price tag."

"The successful migration trend suggests that Palo Alto provides a superior cost-benefit ratio for firewall solutions."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Government

Construction Company

Performing Arts

13%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	30
Midsize Enterprise	10
Large Enterprise	45

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Large Enterprise	7

Questions from the Community

What advice do you have for others considering Forescout Platform?

Forescout is a very powerful NAC product that does not rely on port level configuration. It can detect and block unauthorized devices very quickly. But it has a lot of capabilities and really would...

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What advice do you have for others considering Forescout Platform?

I would rate the Forescout Device and Visibility Control Platform at a six out of ten.

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Forescout Platform?

I recommend doing a compression demo. If people use it, they will buy it. So they have to see the product in place. That's the main recommendation is to do a proof of concept. If they do, they will...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Palo Alto Networks IoT Security?

One thing I communicated to them is that they need to provide a managed update for their IoT devices.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Palo Alto Networks IoT Security?

I use it for one of my customers, and my role is to help my customer with the solution. They use it for their IoT devices in the field, and they have a lot of sensors out there for their heating eq...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Palo Alto Networks IoT Security?

The pricing is not that bad. I would rate this solution an 8 out of 10.

See all answers

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Compared 5% of the time

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Compared 27% of the time

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Compared 16% of the time

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Compared 15% of the time

Phosphorus Cybersecurity vs Palo Alto Networks IoT Security

Compared 12% of the time

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Compared 8% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Forescout Platform

July 2026

Download Forescout Platform product report

Buyer's Guide

Palo Alto Networks IoT Security

July 2026

Download Palo Alto Networks IoT Security product report

Also Known As

Forescout Platform, CounterACT for Endpoint Compliance, ForeScout CounterACT

No data available

Overview

Forescout Platform provides comprehensive device visibility and asset management without requiring agent installation. It strengthens network access control and endpoint compliance, integrating flexibly with zero-trust architecture.

Forescout Platform offers organizations a robust solution for maintaining network security by enabling detailed monitoring of connected devices and enforcing compliance policies across IT and OT networks. Effective in sectors like finance, healthcare, and manufacturing, it controls unauthorized access, authenticates, quarantines, and remediates noncompliant devices while supporting both on-premises and cloud environments. Notable for its third-party integration, easy configuration, and customizable threat responses, Forescout Platform aids in efficient security measure maintenance.

What are the key features?

Device Visibility: Identifies and monitors all connected devices.
Asset Management: Facilitates efficient oversight of network assets.
Third-party Integration: Offers compatibility with many security systems.
No Agent Installation Required: Simplifies setup and reduces overhead.
Network Access Control: Protects networks with automated policy enforcement.
Endpoint Compliance: Ensures devices adhere to security policies.
Customizable Threat Responses: Tailors actions to specific security threats.

What are the benefits to look for?

Flexibility: Adapts to diverse IT environments with ease.
Zero-trust Integration: Enhances security with robust architecture compatibility.
Ease of Use: Reduces complexity in setup and operation.
Comprehensive Visibility: Maintains detailed insight into network devices.

Forescout Platform finds widespread adoption across industries like finance, healthcare, and manufacturing. It is particularly valued for enforcing cybersecurity measures and maintaining compliance in diverse operational environments, handling network access and device management challenges efficiently.

Forescout

Palo Alto Networks IoT Security enhances device classification and security through a cloud-based AI engine. It integrates seamlessly with third-party systems, supporting zero-trust policies and efficient network management.

Focused on securing on-premises and industrial control systems, Palo Alto Networks IoT Security utilizes AI-driven integration with Cortex Data Lake for automated security policy management. It aids endpoint security, IoT log monitoring, and regulatory compliance, offering centralized threat protection and vulnerability detection across diverse applications. Challenges include user-friendliness, scalability, and integration with infrastructure, but the service supports robust VPN capabilities and next-gen firewall technology.

What are the key features of Palo Alto Networks IoT Security?

Application Visibility: Offers deep insights into device operations.
Third-Party Integration: Enables seamless connections with existing systems.
Zero-Trust Policies: Implements granular security controls.
AI Device Classification: Utilizes cloud-based AI for advanced device management.
Cortex Data Lake: Enhances logging and threat management capabilities.

What benefits and ROI can be expected from using Palo Alto Networks IoT Security?

Comprehensive Management: Intuitive dashboard simplifies network oversight.
Offline Updates: Supports continued security even without direct cloud access.
Custom Policy Creation: Allows efficient security policy customization.
Enhanced Threat Protection: Offers robust defense across various environments.
VPN Capabilities: Provides secure connectivity in diverse scenarios.

In specific industries, Palo Alto Networks IoT Security serves as a critical tool for centralized network security in on-premises and operational technology environments. It is deployed for automated vulnerability detection and compliance across different applications, addressing regulatory and network security challenges for enterprises.

Palo Alto Networks

Sample Customers

NHS Sussex, SAP, SEGA, Vistaprint, Miami Children's Hospital, Pioneer Investments, New York Law School, OmnicomGroup, Meritrust

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Forescout Platform vs. Palo Alto Networks IoT Security

June 2026

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