Cortex Xpanse vs Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management comparison

Palo Alto Networks and Qualys are both solutions in the Attack Surface Management (ASM) category. Palo Alto Networks is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.5, while Qualys is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.9. Palo Alto Networks holds a 3.0% mindshare in ASM, compared to Qualys’s 3.7% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Palo Alto Networks users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 97% of Qualys users who would recommend it.

Cortex Xpanse

Read 6 Cortex Xpanse reviews

1,290 Views
1,277 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Qualys CyberSecurity Asset ...

Read 35 Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management reviews

4,290 Views
1,287 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

Cortex Xpanse

Qualys CyberSecurity Asset ...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 8, 2026

Cortex Xpanse and Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management are notable tools in the cybersecurity asset management sector. Qualys holds the upper hand due to its extensive features that suggest better long-term value and comprehensive threat management capabilities.

Features: Cortex Xpanse offers automated attack surface management, real-time visibility, and rapid threat identification, making it effective for dynamic monitoring. Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management provides robust device management, advanced vulnerability detection, and proactive risk mitigation, delivering detailed insights across various IT environments.

Room for Improvement: Cortex Xpanse could benefit from expanding its feature set to include device management and vulnerability detection, enhancing its appeal for wider use cases. Qualys may improve by simplifying its interface to reduce the learning curve and integrating more streamlined reporting features for users.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cortex Xpanse is valued for its easy deployment and responsive customer service, ensuring a seamless setup. In comparison, while Qualys offers robust customer support, its comprehensive toolset can introduce deployment challenges, necessitating more effort for teams.

Pricing and ROI: Cortex Xpanse is attractive for budget-conscious users with competitive setup costs and rapid ROI. Conversely, Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management, despite higher initial costs, provides substantial long-term ROI through its comprehensive functionality and threat management capabilities, promising greater value over time.

To learn more, read our detailed Cortex Xpanse vs. Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cortex Xpanse vs. Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management

December 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 881,733 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

Cortex Xpanse

Ranking in Attack Surface Management (ASM)

7th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Qualys CyberSecurity Asset ...

Ranking in Attack Surface Management (ASM)

2nd

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Vulnerability Management (9th), Patch Management (4th), Cyber Asset Attack Surface Management (CAASM) (2nd), Software Supply Chain Security (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Attack Surface Management (ASM) category, the mindshare of Cortex Xpanse is 3.0%, down from 4.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management is 3.7%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Attack Surface Management (ASM) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management	3.7%
Cortex Xpanse	3.0%
Other	93.3%

Attack Surface Management (ASM)

Featured Reviews

reviewer1442496

System Administrator at a retailer with 5,001-10,000 employees

Ensures robust security management with seamless integration

We work with the cloud version of Cortex Xpanse. We are working with Palo Alto products right at the moment. We have Cortex and GlobalProtect that we are using. I'm not sure if we utilize Cortex Xpanse's capability to identify internet-facing assets. I'm not sure about the automated threat assessment of Cortex helping prioritize vulnerabilities. I would assess the integration capabilities of Cortex Xpanse as good; no issues so far with integration with other tools from different vendors. Cortex Xpanse supports our organization's regulatory compliance efforts 100%, and it's what we need from it. Right now, I am working only with Palo Alto for security. I am not planning to work with some other vendors. On a scale of one to ten, I rate Cortex Xpanse a nine.

Read full review

Arshad N. R.

Cyber Security Specialist at UBS Financial

Customized dashboards and quick deployment support comprehensive asset management

We use the True Risk Score for vulnerability prioritization, though we do not solely rely upon it since some assets may be decommissioned soon or not in use. From Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management, we primarily focus on internet-facing assets. We have created separate tasks for internet-facing assets and track the True Risk dashboard specifically for these assets. If the True Risk Score is higher for any internet-facing assets, then we take action accordingly. The True Risk Score is very helpful for prioritization. The initial setup was straightforward and easy. We needed to create customized tags, group them twice, and validate whether the operating system detection was true positive or false positive. We encountered some false positives, which required coordination with the IT team for verification. In six months, we had approximately 20-25 machines that needed verification on a weekly basis. We coordinated with the IT team to identify the exact operating system specifications.

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

"As an attack surface manager, I highly recommend Cortex Xpanse, especially if there are many services exposed publicly on the internet."

"The most valuable features of the solution are its firewall and antivirus."

"The most valuable aspect is its ability to catch trojans and malware."

"Cortex Xpanse has an easy-to-use user interface."

"Cortex Xpanse is a strong solution for attack surface management, including digital brand protection and continuous monitoring."

"The most valuable aspect is its ability to catch trojans and malware."

"When there is an alert from Cortex Xpanse regarding a certificate or surface, it prompts us to take immediate action."

"The best feature of the product is that it's easy to manage when we have set it up, and the beneficial impact of Cortex Xpanse for the company is security."

"What I appreciate most about Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management is the inventory feature, where I can look up assets, software, applications, open ports, and similar items because it's very useful."

"The support has been excellent; they are responsive and effectively bring in the appropriate resources to help solve problems."

"I would rate Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management ten out of ten."

"With Qualys CSAM, we can see which assets have critical application vulnerabilities. This feature helps us prioritize and address these vulnerabilities more efficiently."

"Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management offers comprehensive features to cover our entire attack surface."

"I use it primarily with tagging, asset counts, and groups that we can put them in, and we also use it to tell if a device has been merged and seen in Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management, so that's beneficial for us too."

"I like the EASM part because it provides visibility into unmanaged assets that are public-facing."

"The most valuable feature is the real-time visibility Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management provides into all assets across our development and operational environments."

More Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management pros

Cons

"Cortex Xpanse should offer better customization and configuration options on its dashboard."

"Some improvements are needed in the user interface."

"There is an issue with the old versions of Cortex, and so when we have an older one with Windows or any OS, we have a problem with its connectivity with the cloud."

"Some improvements are needed in the user interface. It may require more enhancements."

"Regarding technical support, I would rate it as a seven."

"Cortex Xpanse should offer better customization and configuration options on its dashboard."

"Cortex Xpanse needs to add dark-web scanning."

"It's challenging to confirm the absolute coverage and penetration of Cortex Xpanse into the Dark Web. The solution lacks comprehensive intelligence on adversaries and risks, which other competitors might provide."

"As of now, the support, results, and low false positives do not necessitate changes."

"Currently, whenever the agent is running, it consumes over ten percent of my CPU, indicating that CPU consumption is another area Qualys needs to address."

"There can be further simplification to reduce the overall noise and provide ESAM-related data."

"Based on the company's budget, Qualys offers limited features, which can also be utilized in other environments."

"In our reporting, we faced a challenge syncing with cloud devices."

"Currently, in the EASM module, the scan frequency is limited to once daily, but allowing end users control over scan scheduling would be advantageous."

"The only minor issue is occasionally being redirected to multiple teams, causing slight delays."

"From the user experience perspective, we need a simpler interface and reduced complexity in certain features, particularly with the Qualys Query Language."

More Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Cortex Xpanse is cheaper than other solutions."

"The tool's cost is too high."

"Qualys offers excellent value for money."

"Qualys is competitively priced for its features. Its pricing is suitable for large organizations with more than 4,000 assets, but for smaller organizations with few assets, such as banks, the costs might be high. They should come up with packages that are suitable for small organizations."

"The pricing is market-competitive."

"The Qualys Cybersecurity Asset Management pricing is well-aligned with our usage."

"The pricing is reasonable relative to the features provided, as it collects all module data and operates as a main, centralized inventory, making it a cost-effective solution."

"Though the solution is considered expensive, if bundled with other services such as VMDR or cloud agents, its value would significantly increase. It is currently a bit costly, but with bundling, it could become attractive to more customers."

"It is cost-effective because, in a single tool, we are getting everything. All the solutions come in a single license or price."

"The cost for Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management is high."

More Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Attack Surface Management (ASM) solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

881,733 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	23

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cortex Xpanse?

I don't know the licensing or setup cost; I have no idea about the cost.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cortex Xpanse?

I'm not sure right now; I have nothing to comment on regarding what could be improved in the product. We are using it and we are satisfied. I have nothing to comment right now on what other feature...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Cortex Xpanse?

Cortex Xpanse is usually used for security from clients.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management?

I'm not entirely sure about the pricing; I don't know.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management?

I think the one thing Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management can do better is the package management and the updating process. Knowing that you can't update any of the packages until you've done the...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management?

I primarily use it for a small, single-site, multi-source setup with multi-WAN inputs. I have a main fiber connection and a couple of failovers while managing different networks across different se...

See all answers

Comparisons

Tenable Attack Surface Management vs Cortex Xpanse

Compared 18% of the time

Bitsight vs Cortex Xpanse

Compared 14% of the time

CyCognito vs Cortex Xpanse

Compared 14% of the time

CrowdStrike Falcon vs Cortex Xpanse

Compared 9% of the time

IBM Security Randori Recon vs Cortex Xpanse

Compared 5% of the time

More Cortex Xpanse Competitors

Armis vs Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management

Compared 7% of the time

CrowdStrike Falcon vs Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management

Compared 5% of the time

Axonius vs Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management

Compared 5% of the time

Amazon Inspector vs Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management

Compared 4% of the time

Bitsight vs Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management

Compared 4% of the time

More Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Attack Surface Management (ASM)

February 2026

Download Cortex Xpanse product report

Buyer's Guide

Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management

January 2026

Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management report

Download Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management product report

Overview

Xpanse provides a complete, accurate and continuously updated inventory of all global internet-facing assets. This allows you to discover, evaluate, and mitigate cyber attack surface risks. You can also evaluate supplier risk and assess the security of acquired companies.
Manual asset inventory maintenance is slow and prone to error. An outside-in view of your attack surface catches assets and exposures you never knew existed to help with attack surface reduction.

Get ahead of your ransomware risk assessment by discovering and remediating RDP exposures, the leading attack vector in ransomware attacks. Find exposed assets before attackers do.

Integration with Cortex XSOAR, Prisma Cloud, and our broader portfolio allows our ASM findings to enhance security workflows, and secure unknown, unmanaged risks on your cloud attack surface.

Palo Alto Networks

Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management provides key features including asset inventory management, end-of-life tracking, dynamic tagging, and integration with CMDB, offering extensive visibility and support for proactive threat response.

Qualys offers comprehensive visibility across hardware and software assets, aiding in tracking unauthorized applications and facilitating automated vulnerability remediation. Its user-friendly interface and dynamic risk scoring enhance security posture management. Users leverage it for vulnerability management and compliance, benefiting from real-time risk identification and efficient operations in cloud and on-premises environments.

What are the key features of Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management?

Asset Inventory Management: Provides detailed visibility over hardware and software assets.
End-of-Life Tracking: Helps identify technical debt by pinpointing outdated hardware and software.
Dynamic Tagging: Allows flexible classification and categorization of assets.
Real-Time Risk Identification: Detects risks as they arise, enhancing threat response capabilities.
CMDB Integration: Streamlines data integration for comprehensive asset insights.

What benefits should users look for in Qualys reviews?

Improved Security Posture: Enables proactive threat management and streamlined operations.
Efficient Remediation: Automates vulnerability management and patch deployment.
User-Friendly Operations: Simplifies cybersecurity operations with an intuitive interface.
Comprehensive Asset Visibility: Offers unparalleled insight into organizational assets.
Scalable Solutions: Facilitates asset tracking across cloud and on-premises environments.

Cybersecurity teams in various industries, such as financial services, healthcare, and manufacturing, utilize Qualys to manage technical debt through end-of-life tracking and facilitate robust patch management. It supports compliance and visibility initiatives, essential for maintaining data integrity and operational security in dynamic environments.

Qualys

Buyer's Guide

Cortex Xpanse vs. Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management

December 2025

Free Report: Cortex Xpanse vs. Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management

Find out what your peers are saying about Cortex Xpanse vs. Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

881,733 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Cortex Xpanse vs. Qualys CyberSecurity Asset Management report.

See our list of best Attack Surface Management (ASM) vendors.

We monitor all Attack Surface Management (ASM) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.