CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks are the top vendors in the endpoint security industry today. The CrowdStrike Falcon XDR platform has been a community favorite for years, bringing high-quality protection, fast investigations and an easy-to-use console to its service.
Meanwhile, Palo Alto’s Cortex XDR provides a robust service in its own right. It offers ML-powered behavioral analytics and powerful malware analytics sandbox capabilities that keep organizations safe from advanced threats.
In this article, I give you an overview of some of the key differences between CrowdStrike and Palo Alto in 2024.
Recommended Alternative: CrowdStrikeCrowdStrike offers the most complete CNAPP to stop breaches from code to cloud.
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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 pricing and features for both:
- Falcon Enterprise: $184.99 per device, billed annually; EDR, XDR, managed threat hunting 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 take advantage of a free 15-day trial of the CrowdStrike Falcon through their online form. This includes their Falcon platform, plus its Falcon Prevent next-generation antivirus and Falcon Device Control services. Personally, I recommend going this route to get hands-on time with their software and whether it fits your business needs.
Palo Alto Cortex XDR Pricing
Compared to CrowdStrike, Palo Alto’s Cortex XDR unfortunately lacks transparent pricing 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 Appears: Contact sales for pricing; NGAV, endpoint protection.
- Cortex XDR Pro: Contact sales for pricing; all Prevent features plus EDR, and optional add-ons for managed detection and response, identity threat detection and response, host insights and forensics.
Interested customers can contact Palo Alto to arrange a 30-minute product demo of their Cortex XDR solution. In my opinion, this is the first step to take if you are considering their Cortex XDR software for your business. The demo can be requested via an online form on their official website.
CrowdStrike Falcon vs Palo Alto Cortex XDR: Feature Comparison
Threat detection and mitigation
With CrowdStrike, you get consolidation of 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. Through Charlotte AI, security professionals can cut hours in threat investigation time and prioritize high-level incidents via automated workflows and your traditional query writing.
On the other hand, Palo Alto Cortex XDR prioritizes accurate threat detection using a blend of machine learning and behavioral analytics. With their platform, endpoints are secured by NGAV, host firewalls, USB device controls, among others, to ensure that no cracks or potential vulnerabilities can be exploited by threat actors.
Cortex XDR’s behavioral analysis is also critical to finding hidden threats such as credential attacks, insider threats and abuse, and data exfiltration techniques.
Independent assessments
Both CrowdStrike and Palo Alto have received positive recognition from key independent firms looking at endpoint protection and extended detection and response providers.
In Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms report for 2024, both vendors were considered leaders in the EVP space. This means they both offered balanced services, extensive EDR capabilities, and integrated workspace security features, according to Gartner’s criteria.
In the report, CrowdStrike was praised for its suitability for a “broad range of organizations worldwide” and companies requiring cloud-delivered EPP deployment. Meanwhile, Cortex XDR is said to be a good choice for organizations with “mature, well-staffed security operations teams” and those seeking security vendor consolidation.
Similarly, Forrester also declared CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks as Leaders in their Forrester Wave Advanced Detection And Response Platforms for Q2 2024. This is impressive as they are two of only three vendors designated as Leaders, with Microsoft being the last of the set of three.
With these assessments, I feel confident in saying that both CrowdStrike and Palo Alto’s respective services are equipped with the necessary security prowess we want in a modern XDR solution.
SEE: Network Security Policy (TechRepublic Premium)
Ease of use
The two vendors use a single console for all of its endpoint management and security features. For CrowdStrike, its main Falcon Insight XDR dashboard includes information about adversary activity, your most recent detections, SHA-based detections and detections by tactic, among other things.
Through their console, you get contextual information about threats, a process tree detailing a threat’s attack path, and all affected resources or files.
On the other hand, Palo Alto’s Cortex XDR provides a unified view via its web-based console.
Apart from a clear view of endpoint data, number of open incidents and response action statistics, Cortex XDR’s console is also highly customizable. With Cortex, you can set your own tracking rules and personalize specific dashboards according to your organization’s needs.
CrowdStrike Falcon vs Palo Alto Cortex XDR on Reddit
On Reddit, both CrowdStrike and Palo Alto are generally well received by the security community as EDR and XDR vendors.
One user in the Cyber ​​Security Reddit Community shared that they used Palo Alto’s Cortex XDR and were happy. In particular, the user said: “We use Cortex XDR. It’s a fantastic product. It can take a while to tune, but is very effective. As someone mentioned earlier, PRO licensing is a must.”
Meanwhile, CrowdStrike has long been considered one of the best choices for a quality XDR. Check out a post in the System Administrator Reddit Communitymany users choose CrowdStrike as a top endpoint protection solution for large organizations. One comment on the post said, “CrowdStrike is superior technology, has a minimal footprint in the device, and has SOC support so you can ignore noise and focus on real threats.”
SEE: Everything you need to know about the cybersecurity threat of disinformation (TechRepublic Premium)
CrowdStrike Falcon Pros and Cons
Advantages of CrowdStrike Falcon
- Strong threat detection performance.
- Well-regarded customer and technical support.
- Lightweight agent that is easy to deploy and manage.
- Accessible 15-day free trial.
Cons of CrowdStrike Falcon
- Recent IT outage incident in July 2024.
Palo Alto Cortex XDR Pros and Cons
Advantages of Palo Alto Cortex XDR
- 100% threat prevention in 2023 MITER ATT&CK Evaluations.
- Comprehensive automated checks on all endpoints.
- Highly accurate analytical detection rate.
- Integrates well with other Palo Alto products.
Disadvantages of Palo Alto Cortex XDR
- User interface can be overwhelming with its breadth of functions.
Should your business use CrowdStrike Falcon or Palo Alto Cortex XDR?
Both XDR solutions are purpose-built to provide protection to your endpoints, cloud, network and other security layers.
If you are 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 a standard consideration as an 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 that Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR is a good choice. The impressive performance for both threat prevention and visibility positions Palo Alto as a top choice regardless of business size.
Methodology
My comparison of CrowdStrike and Palo Alto XDR solutions involved doing a head-to-head comparison of their features, price, and overall value.
In particular, I considered key XDR and EDR functionality, such as threat detection and mitigation, independent assessments, and ease of use. I also considered general feedback from real user testimonials and verified third-party reviews.
The evaluation of both products also required an extensive review of official product documentation, available video demos and possible use cases for different types of businesses.
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