Meanwhile, Palo Alto’s Cortex XDR offers a robust service of its own. It offers ML-powered behavioral analytics and powerful malware analysis sandbox capabilities that keep organizations safe from advanced threats.
In this article, I list some of the key differences between CrowdStrike and Palo Alto in 2024.
Recommended Alternative: CrowdStrikeCrowdStrike offers the most complete CNAPP to prevent breaches from code to cloud.
Learn more about Falcon Cloud Security.
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CrowdStrike Falcon vs Palo Alto Cortex XDR: Comparison Table
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CrowdStrike Falcon vs. Palo Alto Cortex XDR: Pricing
CrowdStrike Falcon Pricing
CrowdStrike’s EDR software is available through its Falcon Enterprise and Falcon Elite subscription tiers. Below is an overview of prices and features for both:
- Falcon Enterprise: $184.99 per device, annual bill EDR, XDR, vulnerability management, and integrated threat intelligence.
- Falcon Elite: Contact sales for pricing; All enterprise features plus Identity Protection, Falcon Discover IT Hygiene, and Falcon Identity Protection.
You can avail a free 15-day trial of CrowdStrike Falcon through the online form. This includes their Falcon platform, as well as its Falcon Prevent next-generation antivirus and Falcon device control services. Personally, I recommend going this route to spend time with their software and see if it meets your business needs.
Palo Alto Cortex XDR Price
Compared to CrowdStrike, Palo Alto’s Cortex XDR unfortunately doesn’t have a transparent price on its product page. It has two main subscription options: Cortex XDR Prevent and Cortex XDR Pro. Below is an overview of the feature differences between the two:
- Cortex XDR Prevention: Contact sales for pricing; NGAV, endpoint protection.
- Cortex XDR Pro: Contact sales for pricing; All prevention features plus EDR, and optional add-ons for administrative detection and response, identity threat detection and response, host insight, and forensics.
Interested customers can contact Palo Alto to arrange a 30-minute product demo of their Cortex XDR solution. In my view, this is the first step if you are considering their Cortex XDR software for your business. A demo can be requested through an online form on their official website.
CrowdStrike Falcon vs. Palo Alto Cortex XDR: Feature Comparison
Risk identification and mitigation
With CrowdStrike, you consolidate cloud, identity, endpoint, data protection, IT automation, and other attack surfaces into a single, unified console. It provides IT teams with a comprehensive threat detection tool that is both efficient in its deployment and user-friendly in its management.
Its Falcon Insight XDR also includes its new Charlotte AI generative AI cybersecurity analyzer. With Charlotte AI, security professionals are able to shave hours off threat investigation time and prioritize high-level incidents through automated workflows and your traditional query writing.
On the other hand, Palo Alto Cortex XDR prioritizes accurate threat detection using a combination of machine learning and behavioral analytics. With their platform, endpoints are secured through NGAV, host firewalls, USB device controls, to ensure To ensure that any cracks or potential vulnerabilities cannot be exploited by threat actors.
Cortex XDR’s behavioral analytics are also critical in detecting hidden threats such as credential attacks, insider threats and abuse, and data extraction techniques.
Independent assessment
Both CrowdStrike and Palo Alto have received positive recognition from leading independent firms looking at endpoint protection and extended detection and response providers.
At Gartner Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms According to the 2024 report, both providers were considered leaders in the EPP space. That means both offered balanced services, extensive EDR capabilities, and integrated workspace security functionality according to Gartner standards.
In the report, CrowdStrike was praised for being suitable for “a wide range of organizations worldwide” and for companies that need a cloud-delivered EPP deployment. Meanwhile, Cortex XDR is said to be a good choice for “mature, well-staffed security operations teams” and organizations seeking security vendor consolidation.
Forrester also announced the same. Crowd strike And Palo Alto Networks Among them as leaders Forrester Wave extended detection and response platforms For Q2 2024. This is impressive as they are two of only three providers to be labeled as leaders, Microsoft being the last of the set of three.
With these reviews, I feel confident in saying that both CrowdStrike and Palo Alto’s related services are equipped with the necessary security capabilities we want in a modern XDR solution.
See: Network Security Policy (TechRepublic Premium)
Ease of use
Both providers use the same console for its endpoint management and security features. For CrowdStrike, its central Falcon Insight XDR dashboard contains information about adversary activity, your latest detections, SHA-based detections, and tactical detection.
Through their console, you get contextual information about the threats, a process tree that outlines the attack trajectory of the threat, and all the affected resources or files.
On the other hand, Palo Alto’s Cortex XDR provides a unified view through its web-based console.
In addition to having a clear view of endpoint data, number of open events, and response statistics, Cortex XDR’s console is also highly customizable. With Cortex, you can configure your own detection rules and personalize specific dashboards to fit your organization’s needs.
CrowdStrike Falcon vs Palo Alto Cortex XDR on Reddit
On Reddit, both CrowdStrike and Palo Alto are generally recognized by the security community as EDR and XDR providers.
I am a user The Cybersecurity Reddit Community shared that they used Palo Alto’s Cortex XDR and were happy. Specifically, the user said, “We use Cortex XDR. It’s a fantastic product. It may take some time to tune but it’s very efficient. As someone mentioned earlier, PRO licensing is required. is
Meanwhile, CrowdStrike has long been considered one of the go-to choices for a standard XDR. I am looking at a post. System Administrator Reddit CommunityMany users choose CrowdStrike as the top endpoint protection solution for large organizations. “CrowdStrike is high-tech, has minimal device impact, and has SOC support so you can ignore the noise and focus on the real threats,” said a comment on the post.
However, it’s important to point out that CrowdStrike was recently involved in controversy. In July 2024, a flaw in the CrowdStrike Falcon sensor update caused a massive IT disruption that affected approximately 8.5 million Windows devices worldwide. You can learn more through our news article. Closure of crowd strike.
Knowing the seriousness of this incident, I wanted to see what the user perception of CrowdStrike was after the incident. Surprisingly, many consumers still trusted the provider and considered it one of the better options regardless of the event.
i The Cybersecurity Reddit Communitya user responded to the question of whether they would sign up to use CrowdStrike after the botched update. “They have a solid product and know their stuff. If anything, this is a great time to sign up,” said the user.
“Get a massive discount because you can discuss the recent incident. But at the same time, they have implemented major changes to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” the user added.
See: Everything you need to know about the malvertising cybersecurity threat. (TechRepublic Premium)
Advantages and Disadvantages of CrowdStrike Falcon
Benefits of CrowdStrike Falcon
- Robust threat detection performance.
- Dear customer and technical support.
- A lightweight agent that is easy to deploy and manage.
- A 15-day free trial is accessible.
Disadvantages of CrowdStrike Falcon
- Recent IT Outages in July 2024
Pros and Cons of Palo Alto Cortex XDR
Advantages of Palo Alto Cortex XDR
- 100% risk prevention in 2023 MITER ATT&CK assessment.
- Comprehensive automated investigation across all endpoints.
- Highly accurate analytical detection rate.
- Integrates well with other Palo Alto products.
Disadvantages of Palo Alto Cortex XDR
- The user interface can be overwhelming with its breadth of features.
Should your business use CrowdStrike Falcon or Palo Alto Cortex XDR?
Both XDR solutions are designed to protect your endpoints, cloud, network, and other security layers.
If you’re looking for an XDR with an intuitive and easy-to-use interface, I recommend going for CrowdStrike Falcon Insight XDR. Its lightweight agent, along with its industry-leading threat detection and technical services, have made it the default XDR and EDR tool. You also get its newly installed Charlotte AI feature, which could be a big selling point for pro-generative AI users.
On the other hand, if a solution with strong performance in recent independent tests is a priority, I feel the Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR is a solid choice. Its impressive performance for both threat prevention and visibility makes Palo Alto a top choice no matter the size of the business. It’s also a good alternative if your business is less inclined to work with CrowdStrike in light of their July 2024 security incident.
Procedure
My comparison of the CrowdStrike and Palo Alto XDR solutions included a head-to-head comparison of their features, price, and overall value.
Specifically, I considered key XDR and EDR functionality, such as threat detection and mitigation, independent evaluation, and ease of use. I also considered the general feedback from real user testimonials and verified third-party reviews.
Evaluating both products also requires an extensive review of the official product documentation, available video demos, and potential use cases for different types of businesses.