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Cisco Secure Network Analytics vs Fortinet FortiNDR 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

Cisco Secure Network Analytics
Ranking in Network Detection and Response (NDR)
6th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
62
Ranking in other categories
Network Monitoring Software (33rd), Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) (5th), Cisco Security Portfolio (8th)
Fortinet FortiNDR
Ranking in Network Detection and Response (NDR)
12th
Average Rating
9.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Network Detection and Response (NDR) category, the mindshare of Cisco Secure Network Analytics is 5.5%, down from 6.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiNDR is 2.6%, down from 3.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Detection and Response (NDR) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Secure Network Analytics5.5%
Fortinet FortiNDR2.6%
Other91.9%
Network Detection and Response (NDR)
 

Featured Reviews

Muhammad Harun-Owr-Roshid - PeerSpot reviewer
CEO at BRIGHT-i SYSTEMS LIMITED
Have streamlined network visibility and troubleshooting while seeing benefits from AI integration
In terms of improvements for Cisco Secure Network Analytics, from the implementation point of view, now that AI is in use, some other features need to be upgraded considering AI solutions. Proper management of the database is also important; it should be centralized for easier data collection from a single database. When precise manual analysis is needed, it's sometimes difficult, so having a centralized database will allow network admins to find actual scenarios more effectively, especially since some information may not be visible on the GUI. Cisco should upgrade their hardware part to run the database, because sometimes it cannot handle the load while all features are running in the network. The database management should indeed be centralized because while AI runs behind the systems, central management is essential. For example, in a network with 100 Cisco switches, a few routers, firewalls, and access points, all data generated should be preserved in a central database. This approach simplifies management and analysis for troubleshooting, as GUI interfaces may not always provide visible information. Centralizing the database will allow for better understanding of which information is preserved for each specific device.
Anton Anton - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Manager at sanf
Network detection enhances security while seamless integration boosts utility
I use Fortinet FortiNDR for its Network Detection features, primarily with FortiGate on-premises. However, I do not handle day-to-day operations myself; my team manages the tools. In general, there is no issue with FortiGate in our company Some of the valuable features include FortiGate's Network…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"AI provides suggested common lines and protection features that help safeguard networks from various threats or unwanted situations."
"StealthWatch lets me see the ports running in and out and the country. It has excellent reporting, telemetry, and artificial intelligence features. With the telemetry, I can set thresholds to detect sudden changes and the alarms go through the PLC parts. I can see all the ports running on that trunk."
"Stealthwatch has definitely reduced the incident response time, making troubleshooting now only minutes instead of a couple of hours and increasing our threat detection rate by around 25-30%."
"The most valuable feature is its alerts and dashboard."
"Overall, It seemed like a good product."
"The most valuable features include encrypted traffic analytics and the ability to fulfill requirements at the network level."
"The most valuable feature is having visibility into the data segments throughout our network."
"The most valuable part is that Stealthwatch is part of a portfolio of security devices from Cisco. Cisco literally can touch every single end point, every single ingress and egress point in the network. Nobody else has that."
"The dashboards are very informative compared to other solutions like Cisco, providing valuable insights into network threats."
"Using Fortinet FortiNDR as a bundle is cost-effective, providing a complete package of tools."
 

Cons

"The ability to be natively integrated into Port Aggregator would be beneficial because it would reduce just one more component that's needed in order to have that type of view."
"I would like Cisco to make it easier for the administrators to use it."
"The initial setup was complex."
"Initially, I felt Cisco Secure Network Analytics lacked integration with Splunk."
"The GUI could use some improvement. Being able to find features more easily would be a great improvement if it was simplified."
"They should include Citrix VDIs in the next release."
"Stealthwatch is still maturing in AI. It uses artificial intelligence for predictions, but AI still needs to mature. It is in a phase where you get 95% correct detection. As its AI engine learns more, it will become more accurate. This is applicable to all the devices that are using AI because they support both supervised and unsupervised machine learning. The accuracy in the case of supervised machine learning is dependent on the data you feed into the box. The accuracy in the case of unsupervised machine learning is dependent on the algorithm. The algorithm matures depending on retrospective learning, and this is how it is able to detect zero-day attacks."
"I would like to see interoperability with other Cisco products because we have ThousandEyes, Cisco Prime, and others. The interaction among these is important to us."
"There is room for improvement in third-party integrations, particularly with other vendors like Check Point and Palo Alto."
"I would like to see the inclusion of sandboxing in the bundling. Currently, sandbox is not included in our package."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing for this solution is good."
"Licensing is on a yearly basis."
"​Licensing is done by flows per second, not including outside (in traffic)."
"The yearly licensing cost is about $50,000."
"Licensing is done by flows per second, not including outside>in traffic."
"The licensing costs are outrageous."
"There are additional licenses needed for the number of so-called network flows. It's hard to plan the number of flows you need in the network, this is a problem. The price of the Cisco Stealthwatch is relatively inexpensive"
"It is worth the cost."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Construction Company
9%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business12
Midsize Enterprise7
Large Enterprise52
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Stealthwatch?
Regarding cost, for the Bangladesh context, Cisco Secure Network Analytics is a little bit high-priced because we are a developing country, making it tough to manage affordable solutions. However, ...
What needs improvement with Cisco Stealthwatch?
Several features often look very promising during evaluation or implementation but end up being used only lightly in day-to-day operations. Advanced reporting and scheduled compliance reports look ...
What is your primary use case for Cisco Stealthwatch?
My main use case for Cisco Secure Network Analytics has been network visibility and anomaly-based threat detection within the enterprise environment. In security operations and VAPT-related activit...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiNDR?
Using Fortinet FortiNDR as a bundle is cost-effective, providing a complete package of tools.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiNDR?
I would like to see the inclusion of sandboxing in the bundling. Currently, sandbox is not included in our package.
What is your primary use case for Fortinet FortiNDR?
I use Fortinet FortiNDR ( /products/fortinet-fortindr-reviews ) for its Network Detection features, primarily with FortiGate ( /products/fortinet-fortigate-reviews ) on-premises. However, I do not ...
 

Also Known As

Cisco Stealthwatch, Cisco Stealthwatch Enterprise, Lancope StealthWatch
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Edge Web Hosting, Telenor Norway, Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, Webster Financial Corporation, Westinghouse Electric, VMware, TIAA-CREF
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Secure Network Analytics vs. Fortinet FortiNDR and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
908,800 professionals have used our research since 2012.