Cisco Umbrella vs Heimdal Endpoint Security comparison

Cisco and Heimdal are both solutions in the Domain Name System (DNS) Security category. Cisco is ranked #1 with an average rating of 9.2, while Heimdal is ranked #12 with an average rating of 9.0. Cisco holds a 20.6% mindshare in DS, compared to Heimdal’s 0.9% mindshare. Additionally, 97% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Heimdal users who would recommend it.

Cisco Umbrella

Read 121 Cisco Umbrella reviews

20,240 Views
4,250 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

Heimdal Endpoint Security

Read 1 Heimdal Endpoint Security review

1,090 Views
120 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cisco Umbrella

Heimdal Endpoint Security

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 21, 2025

Cisco Umbrella and Heimdal Endpoint Security are in the cybersecurity market. Cisco Umbrella appears to have the upper hand with its global reach and comprehensive threat intelligence.

Features: Cisco Umbrella delivers robust DNS-layer security, making it effective against threats pre-network entry. It stands out for its wide-ranging threat intelligence and cloud-based rapid response capabilities. Heimdal Endpoint Security is strong in proactive threat prevention and endpoint-to-network security. It offers advanced ransomware and malware protection, vital for concentrated endpoint defense.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Umbrella provides easy cloud-based deployment with strong technical support, minimizing complexity. Heimdal Endpoint Security requires a more involved setup due to its advanced features but supports users with dedicated customer service aiding both deployment and maintenance.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Umbrella offers scalable pricing suited for various business sizes and delivers significant ROI with its security strengths. Heimdal Endpoint Security, though higher in initial cost, is seen as valuable for its comprehensive protection, justifying the investment. Cisco is more budget-friendly, while Heimdal is a premium choice with an enhanced feature set.

To learn more, read our detailed Domain Name System (DNS) Security Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Domain Name System (DNS) Security

September 2025

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Helped 868,759 peers since 2012

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 Umbrella

Ranking in Domain Name System (DNS) Security

1st

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

121

Ranking in other categories

Secure Web Gateways (SWG) (1st), Internet Security (1st), Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB) (2nd), Cisco Security Portfolio (1st)

Heimdal Endpoint Security

Ranking in Domain Name System (DNS) Security

12th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

8.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (42nd), Anti-Malware Tools (25th), Threat Intelligence Platforms (TIP) (21st), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) (35th), Ransomware Protection (13th)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Domain Name System (DNS) Security category, the mindshare of Cisco Umbrella is 20.6%, down from 25.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Heimdal Endpoint Security is 0.9%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Domain Name System (DNS) Security Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Cisco Umbrella	20.6%
Heimdal Endpoint Security	0.9%
Other	78.5%

Domain Name System (DNS) Security

Featured Reviews

Emilio Montoya

CTO at PROA

Ensures internet navigation safety and boosts productivity

The features of Cisco Umbrella I prefer most are DNS protection and traffic redirect. With Cisco Talos's threat intelligence, we reduce the impact of malware traffic in our network, and we currently see the behavior of equipment and choose the correct sites. Cisco Talos has helped us reduce the impact of malware traffic. We can see the behavior and choose the correct sites. We're currently testing secure access with Umbrella in order to secure access to core applications. It's a product that the user doesn't even know is there, even though it is protecting them. It's not hard on the equipment. And, for us, it centralizes everything, which improves productivity. With the Experience Insights feature of Cisco Secure Access, we've seen impacts on the management of user connectivity by allowing us to deliver safe connectivity. We are testing the Secure Access product with Cisco Umbrella to improve our connectivity with our users in order to secure access to the corporate applications. Cisco Umbrella is in the cloud, which is nice.

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DEEPAK KUMAR PACHDEO DUBEY

Senior IT Support Specialist at PXGEO

Delivers efficiency and agility with USB control limitations

One area where we lag is that, since we use everything from Heimdal, including XDR and other features, we also use the privilege manager feature called Elevation. What we lack is granular USB control. We have an issue where we can only switch USB on or off. I want to whitelist specific devices in the network, which I currently cannot do.

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

"One of the most important features is the security posture check which Umbrella offers when a user accesses any website. That is one of the most unique features that it offers."

"By using Cisco Umbrella, you are sure of inspecting all the traffic. Whenever the user machine is connected to your network, it is inspected. That's the best thing. It means you are sure that nothing is being exported or imported without your choice. That is the best feature."

"The reports and notifications are the most useful part of the platform. As soon as you deploy the security layers, the reporting is very comprehensive. It helps you to have, at a glance, a clear view of what's going on."

"It has improved our organization from a security posture perspective. We feel more confident now knowing that we can block phishing attempts or any type of malware that is DNS-related. This is a very nice feature that provides peace of mind."

"The best possible thing is that it is very easy to deploy, easy to configure, and very fast to get onboarded with a customer because this is a cloud-based service."

"The implementation is pretty easy."

"The most valuable features are the dashboard, visibility, and reporting capabilities. Our customers can see how much Umbrella is protecting their organization. If you don't know what you've got, you can't protect it. With Umbrella, you get the visibility and see the protection that it's providing. We can get PDF reports on a weekly basis of any malware activities and any denial of service or command-and-control-type activities."

"The single-pane-of-glass management is very important. We have a very small team. We can't spend a lot of time going from product to product to product to either investigate or set up policy. We need to have one place that we can go to and set everything up."

More Cisco Umbrella pros

"As compared to multiple solutions I have used in the past, Heimdal is a very agile and lightweight solution."

"Heimdal is a very agile and lightweight solution."

Cons

"It would be useful if they had a malware protection engine running inside their own VM."

"Network connectivity was a bit of a challenge at the beginning, but we were able to get the right help from Cisco."

"We faced an issue regarding virtual appliances (VAs) during deployment. They could improve the quality and management of the virtual appliances offered right now. You can't see much because it is a Linux machine, and they have customized it. You don't have any route access to the machine, only seeing limited things in it. When we opened a ticket, they didn't know much about VAs themselves. So, that is where it is lacking right now. I know this will improve in the long run."

"We've noticed some issues with the SWG where, when I'm connected, it thinks I'm in Miami, Florida instead of Savannah, Georgia."

"It would be good if the more complex versions of Umbrella are simplified so that we can offer them in a more standardized way. We, as a telco, do not operate the same as a traditional integration partner would, who can sell all its services. We try to have a standardized approach as much as we can so that we can sell the solution with as many services added to it as possible. If you look at the structure of businesses in Switzerland, 95% of them have 10 persons or less, and they do not have a security specialist. Therefore, the higher the automated and standardized features, the better it is for them."

"Cisco Umbrella can be improved in terms of limited coverage and wind vulnerability. The product can only shield a small area, making it less effective for larger spaces or multiple users."

"Looking at the full umbrella suite in the light of SASE, Secure Access Service Edge, they are clearly lacking in the inline CASB."

"I don't have an answer for how Cisco Umbrella can be improved, as it has been some time since I've worked with it."

More Cisco Umbrella cons

"What we lack is granular USB control."

"What we lack is granular USB control. We have an issue where we can only switch USB on or off."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution’s pricing is reasonable."

"The licensing and pricing structure of Cisco Umbrella is in line with standard systems on the market, and we have no specific requirements in this area. Overall, we have found it to be an acceptable pricing model for our organization."

"Cisco has a set price for a single license up to 100, but whenever we get over 100, we have to ask for a quote."

"Its price for us is quite expensive because it's a subscription, and we just use it for the DNS log. So, for us, it's quite expensive."

"There are three models for licensing with different feature sets."

"Cisco is expensive. For example, we are looking at Nexus Dashboard, and it's costing about 250,000 euros. I ask, "What do I get from it?" I'm still not convinced that we have to spend on it, so pricing is a problem."

"I am not sure, I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I think it's $1.00 or so per device/month."

"The pricing is great and very competitive with the rest of the market."

More Cisco Umbrella pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

18%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Healthcare Company

Computer Software Company

22%

Non Profit

10%

Comms Service Provider

Media Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	49
Midsize Enterprise	30
Large Enterprise	51

No data available

Questions from the Community

Which is the better security solution - Cisco Umbrella or Zscaler?

Cisco Umbrella and Zscaler Internet Access are two broad-spectrum Internet security solutions that I have tried. Zscaler Internet Access is a good option for carrying out multiple security functi...

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Which is the better security solution - Cisco Umbrella or Microsoft Cloud App Security?

Cisco Umbrella is an integral component of the Cisco SASE architecture. It integrates security in a single, cloud-native solution, unifying multiple features like DNS-layer security, threat intelli...

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What do you like most about Cisco Umbrella?

Cisco Umbrella is easy to monitor, manage, and deploy.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Heimdal Endpoint Security?

Pricing, compared to what we had before, was quite economical. There was a difference of about twenty percent or something between the solutions.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Heimdal Endpoint Security?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Heimdal Endpoint Security?

My company colleagues and I use this antivirus solution. I am part of a company where I deploy solutions, and I also work in the IT department of that company. Therefore, I have chosen this antivir...

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Comparisons

Zscaler Internet Access vs Cisco Umbrella

Compared 17% of the time

Cisco Secure Access vs Cisco Umbrella

Compared 9% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Cisco Umbrella

Compared 7% of the time

Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection vs Cisco Umbrella

Compared 5% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps vs Cisco Umbrella

Compared 5% of the time

More Cisco Umbrella Competitors

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Heimdal Endpoint Security

Compared 19% of the time

CrowdStrike Falcon vs Heimdal Endpoint Security

Compared 14% of the time

Huntress Managed EDR vs Heimdal Endpoint Security

Compared 12% of the time

Bitdefender GravityZone EDR vs Heimdal Endpoint Security

Compared 10% of the time

VirusTotal vs Heimdal Endpoint Security

Compared 7% of the time

More Heimdal Endpoint Security Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Umbrella

September 2025

Download Cisco Umbrella product report

Buyer's Guide

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)

September 2025

Download Heimdal Endpoint Security product report

Also Known As

OpenDNS

Heimdal Next-Gent Endpoint Antivirus, Thor Vigilance Enterprise, Heimdal Endpoint Detection and Response, Heimdal DNS Security - Endpoint, Heimdal Threat Prevention, Heimdal Ransomware Encryption Protection

Overview

Cisco Umbrella delivers rapid DNS security with over 30,000 customers, providing outstanding threat protection and handling more than 600 billion requests daily. It's recognized for high threat efficacy in the SSE domain and integrates elements like SWG, ZTNA, CASB, and more.

Cisco Umbrella is renowned for its effective DNS-layer security against ransomware and phishing. It offers flexible content filtering and integrates seamlessly with existing networks while providing single-pane-of-glass management for centralized monitoring. Its robust threat intelligence and customizable policies are central to its appeal. Users highlight room for improvement in areas like WHOIS data inclusion, malware enhancement, and reporting analytics. Integration with other threat feeds and better client support are requested for more comprehensive coverage.

What are the key features of Cisco Umbrella?

DNS-Layer Security: Blocks malicious domains, preventing ransomware attacks.
Web Content Filtering: Allows users to manage lists for strict content control.
Seamless Integration: Blends with systems like Active Directory and Meraki.
Remote Protection: Keeps remote users safe across different locations.
Single-Pane Management: Facilitates effective monitoring and reporting.

What should users expect in reviews about Cisco Umbrella?

Threat Intelligence: Provides comprehensive malware and attack data.
Customizable Policies: Enables tailored security measures for users.
Integration Options: Works with diverse systems for holistic security.
Ease of Use: Offers a straightforward experience for administrators.
Remote Worker Security: Ensures protection outside traditional networks.

Industries implement Cisco Umbrella primarily for DNS-level security, web filtering, and protecting remote employees. It strengthens cybersecurity frameworks by blocking malware and avoiding access to harmful sites. The tool is widely integrated with Active Directory and Cisco Meraki, providing consistent internet security for employees.

Cisco

Heimdal Endpoint Security, is a comprehensive suite of security tools designed to safeguard devices from a range of cyber threats. Offering functionalities like Next-Generation Antivirus, Endpoint Detection and Response, Application Control, Firewall, and Mobile Device Management, Heimdal ensures a multi-layered defense against malware, suspicious activities, and unauthorized applications. Its benefits include proactive threat detection, enhanced efficiency through task automation, centralized management for streamlined administration, and dedicated mobile device security features. Targeted primarily at businesses and organizations of all sizes, Heimdal Endpoint Security caters to the diverse cybersecurity needs of modern enterprises, providing robust protection against evolving threats.

Heimdal

Sample Customers

Chart Industries, City of Aspen, Eastern Mountain Sports, FLEXcon, George Washington University, Jackson Municipal Airport Authority, Ohio Public Library Information Network, PTC, Richland Community College, Smart Motors, Tulane University, VeriClaim

Brother, Symbion, CPH West

Buyer's Guide

Domain Name System (DNS) Security

September 2025

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