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Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks vs ThreatLocker Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 11, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
5.2
Cortex XDR enhances security and cost efficiency by reducing malware incidents, consolidating solutions, and ensuring data protection.
Sentiment score
7.9
ThreatLocker Zero Trust boosts ROI by blocking threats, reducing risks, and enhancing security with seamless integration and quick adaptation.
They appreciate the rich telemetry data from the solution, as it provides in-depth threat identification.
Cyber Security Manager at Welab bank
Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks helps to reduce my total cost of ownership significantly.
Detection and Response Consultant at Inovasys
I have seen a return on investment with Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks, as this product is offered at a minimal cost, and we can find a good ROI from it.
Cyber Security Information Security Specialist at MHM Holding GmbH
If something were to happen without ThreatLocker, the cost would be huge, and thus, having it is definitely worth it.
Tier 1 IT Engineer at a retailer with 11-50 employees
The main return on investment is peace of mind, knowing that with ThreatLocker on any endpoint, it will almost always block all malicious code or exploits, even zero-day exploits.
Project Engineer at Lutz M&A, LLC
It keeps malware, Trojans, and ransomware at bay.
Technical Engineer at Cloud 1 Solutions
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.9
Customer opinions on Cortex XDR support vary, praising expertise yet noting slow resolutions and regional language challenges.
Sentiment score
7.7
ThreatLocker offers exceptional 24/7 customer service with fast issue resolution, highly rated by users for speed and expertise.
The technical support from Palo Alto deserves a mark of ten because they reach out within an hour whenever assistance is needed.
Head of data centers at a non-profit with 10,001+ employees
There is no back and forth, and they know what we are asking for and come up with the best resolution for a solution.
Senior Process Expert at A.P. Moller - Maersk
If any of these services are missed, it becomes a problem in terms of support tickets, follow-up, or special configuration that needs to be done in the system.
Chief of IT Architecture at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
They have been very responsive, helpful, and knowledgeable.
Systems Security Analyst & Deputy Security Officer at a financial services firm with 201-500 employees
I would rate their customer support a ten out of ten.
Director, Managed Services at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Their support is world-class.
Supervisor, Client Security at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
Cortex XDR scales efficiently across diverse environments, enabling rapid deployment and seamless expansion for various company sizes.
Sentiment score
8.0
ThreatLocker scales efficiently, handling thousands of endpoints easily, with updates and flexible deployment supporting diverse organizational needs.
Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks can be expanded anytime by purchasing another license without any issues related to scalability.
Head of data centers at a non-profit with 10,001+ employees
I think scalability for Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is good.
Threat Analyst II at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
I started off with just the servers, and within a month and a half, I set up the entire company with ThreatLocker.
Technical Engineer at Cloud 1 Solutions
It seems to primarily operate on the endpoints rather than at a central location pushing out policies.
Systems Security Analyst & Deputy Security Officer at a financial services firm with 201-500 employees
I would rate it a ten out of ten for scalability.
Project Engineer at Lutz M&A, LLC
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
Cortex XDR is reliable, stable, easy to deploy, with some minor issues in updates and heavy data loads.
Sentiment score
7.4
ThreatLocker Zero Trust Platform offers stable performance, minimal downtime, quick issue resolution, and seamless integration with operating systems.
Cortex remains fast and responsive, even with increasing data and alerts.
Final Year Student at Gitam University
The thresholds we've seen on our firewall boxes at some instances reached 80% to 85%, but even at that level of utilization, we don't observe any latency or any issues reported with respect to accessing the application.
Senior Process Expert at A.P. Moller - Maersk
Cortex XDR is stable, offering high quality and reliable performance.
Cyber Security Manager at Welab bank
For five years, we have not had a problem.
Supervisor, Client Security at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Once deployed, it downloads the policies locally, so even if the computer doesn't have internet, it doesn't matter.
Information Cybersecurity Technology Specialist at Freez.it
It has been very stable, reliable, and accessible.
COO at Panda Technology
 

Room For Improvement

Cortex XDR needs better reporting, UI, integration, reduced resource use, enhanced support, and more automation for improved usability.
ThreatLocker could improve by enhancing training, UI, reporting, integration, and support to address approval and update challenges.
Improving reporting and dashboard customization, along with the addition of real-time and exportable reports, would help SOC teams greatly.
Final Year Student at Gitam University
The inclusion of this feature would allow the application of DLP policies alongside antivirus policies via a single agent and console, making it more competitive as other OEMs often offer DLP solutions as part of their antivirus products.
Pre-Sales Architect at network techlab
If the per GB data could be provided at a certain level free of cost or at the same cost which the customer is taking for the entire bundle, that would be better.
Cyber Security Information Security Specialist at MHM Holding GmbH
Controlling the cloud environment, not just endpoints, is crucial.
COO at Panda Technology
This is problematic when immediate attention is needed.
Senior System Administrator at Molders Group Limited
Comprehensive 24-hour log monitoring is a valuable enhancement for both business and enterprise-level users.
IMS ENGINEER at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Setup Cost

Cortex XDR is costly but offers flexible licensing and robust security, with discounts available for long-term commitments.
ThreatLocker offers a cost-effective Zero Trust solution with flexible pricing, appreciated for transparency and easy setup across clients.
The pricing on SentinelOne is far more reasonable and cheaper than Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks.
Consultant at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
I would say it is definitely not a cheap product, considering how mature it is and how scalable all Palo Alto products are together.
Senior Process Expert at A.P. Moller - Maersk
Cortex XDR is perceived as expensive by some customers, yet offers dynamic pricing.
Cyber Security Manager at Welab bank
After conversations with other partners, it became clear we underpriced it initially, which caused most of our issues.
Director, Managed Services at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
We are moving towards the Unified solution, where they basically bundle everything together, providing us better stability with the ability to bring in new product offerings without having to go back to the customer and say, 'This is going to cost you.'
Supervisor, Client Security at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
I had a really good deal at the time, and it continues to be cost-effective.
Cyber Security Specialist at Bremmar Consulting
 

Valuable Features

Cortex XDR offers AI-driven threat detection, seamless integration, and intuitive features for robust, adaptive endpoint and network protection.
ThreatLocker enhances security and reduces costs with application control, instant support, intuitive interface, and comprehensive training resources.
It incorporates AI for normal behavior detection, distinguishing unusual operations.
Cyber Security Manager at Welab bank
The product provides automation responses in case of a threat attack, severity assessments, centralized manageability, and comprehensive compliance features, resulting in reduced costs.
Pre-Sales Architect at network techlab
It includes machine learning to easily analyze data and detect complex threats across endpoints, networks, or clouds.
Final Year Student at Gitam University
ThreatLocker Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform's ability to block access to unauthorized applications has been excellent.
Cyber Security Specialist at Bremmar Consulting
It protects our customers.
CTO at Zettabytes
The major benefit is fewer breaches overall, as nothing can be run without prior approval. This helps my company protect its data and secure itself effectively.
Tier 1 IT Engineer at a retailer with 11-50 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Net...
Ranking in Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
5th
Ranking in Ransomware Protection
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
103
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) (8th), Extended Detection and Response (XDR) (7th), AI-Powered Cybersecurity Platforms (2nd)
ThreatLocker Zero Trust End...
Ranking in Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
6th
Ranking in Ransomware Protection
1st
Average Rating
9.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
40
Ranking in other categories
Network Access Control (NAC) (4th), Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (6th), Application Control (1st), ZTNA (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) category, the mindshare of Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is 3.3%, down from 4.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ThreatLocker Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform is 1.1%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks3.3%
ThreatLocker Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform1.1%
Other95.6%
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
 

Featured Reviews

ABHISHEK_SINGH - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Process Expert at A.P. Moller - Maersk
Gained full visibility and streamlined threat detection through behavior-based insights and AI integration
Initially, we got to have a lot of false positives when we onboarded, but nowadays it's quite smooth. We have fine-tuned our security policies and allowed different levels of policies to get rid of those false positives. Currently, we are getting a fairly good amount of incidents that are not false positives or benign, but actionable items. The process is streamlined. In the initial days, the operations used to get involved in a lot of benign and other activities, but now the process is streamlined. We are leveraging the auto-detection and remediation plans. The operations teams are now more involved in other business roles as well, not just looking into the logs and fetching out what's happening there. They have fixed a lot of things. Initially, they didn't have IAC code drift detection, cloud posture management, or security posture management, but they have those now. They purchased different vendors and did a merger with that. They have now Prisma Cloud that gets integrated and now they are working with Cortex Cloud. Everything that was negative has now been addressed, and the product altogether looks to be in a very better and mature shape now. Currently, it's more or less detecting the workloads with AI-based best practices. Since most organizations are consuming AI agents and other things, we are looking forward to seeing what other feature enhancements Palo Alto can support in that.
CL
Supervisor, Client Security at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
World-class support and highly effective for application control and elevation
Their product is solid. I have a hard time complaining much about it because when we do find little things, they are usually interface-related or related to things that would be nice to have. Their idea portal, unlike so many other vendors we deal with, shows movement. At least four to eight features of ThreatLocker exist because I made a request in the last five years, and it became a feature of the actual product. When it comes to improvements, we moved the product as customers, and we got to move the product by making suggestions. They seem to be very reactive to it, so there is not a whole lot that they actively need to change right now. It is one of those situations where when we run into something that would be nice to have, it happens. They make it work.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Computer Software Company
22%
Retailer
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business43
Midsize Enterprise20
Large Enterprise44
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business32
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise3
 

Questions from the Community

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto vs. Sentinel One
Cortex XDR by Palo Alto vs. SentinelOne SentinelOne offers very detailed specifics with regard to risks or attacks. The ability to reverse damage caused by ransomware with minimal interruptions to...
Comparing CrowdStrike Falcon to Cortex XDR (Palo Alto)
Cortex XDR by Palo Alto vs. CrowdStrike Falcon Both Cortex XDR and Crowd Strike Falcon offer cloud-based solutions that are very scalable, secure, and user-friendly. Cortex XDR by Palo Alto offers ...
How is Cortex XDR compared with Microsoft Defender?
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a cloud-delivered endpoint security solution. The tool reduces the attack surface, applies behavioral-based endpoint protection and response, and includes risk-ba...
What do you like most about ThreatLocker Allowlisting?
The interface is clean and well-organized, making it simple to navigate and find what we need.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ThreatLocker Allowlisting?
Pricing, setup costs, and licensing have been pretty accessible and manageable. It was not too expensive to get started, especially at a small scale for a smaller MSP. It is very accessible, easy t...
What needs improvement with ThreatLocker Allowlisting?
Going with the theme of ThreatLocker Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform being a one-stop shop where they have just about everything, and they have a really good product stack as is. However, t...
 

Also Known As

Cyvera, Cortex XDR, Palo Alto Networks Traps
Protect, Allowlisting, Network Control, Ringfencing
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

CBI Health Group, University Honda, VakifBank
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks vs. ThreatLocker Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform and other solutions. Updated: January 2026.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.