ESET Inspect vs WatchGuard EPDR comparison

ESET and WatchGuard are both solutions in the Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) category. ESET is ranked #30 with an average rating of 8.0, while WatchGuard is ranked #13 with an average rating of 8.7. ESET holds a 1.3% mindshare in EDR, compared to WatchGuard’s 1.8% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of ESET users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of WatchGuard users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 9, 2024

ESET Inspect and WatchGuard EPDR are robust cybersecurity solutions designed to enhance business security. WatchGuard EPDR seems to have the upper hand due to its integrated approach to endpoint protection and detection.

Features: ESET Inspect users value advanced threat detection, forensic tools, and the ability to identify sophisticated attacks. WatchGuard EPDR users benefit from the comprehensive security suite, endpoint detection and response, and advanced threat defense mechanisms.

Room for Improvement:ESET Inspect users suggest enhancements in report customization, integration with third-party tools, and improved user experience. WatchGuard EPDR's users recommend better performance efficiency, reduced false positives, and more streamlined management features.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: ESET Inspect is generally straightforward to deploy with commendable customer support, but some users report initial setup issues. WatchGuard EPDR is noted for seamless deployment and responsive customer support, with occasional hiccups.

Pricing and ROI: ESET Inspect users find the solution reasonably priced with satisfactory ROI, appreciating the cost and functionality balance. WatchGuard EPDR users view the pricing as fair with significant ROI, especially given its security features.

To learn more, read our detailed ESET Inspect vs. WatchGuard EPDR Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

ESET Inspect vs. WatchGuard EPDR

March 2026

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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 XDR by Palo Alto Net...

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) category, the mindshare of Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is 3.4%, down from 4.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ESET Inspect is 1.3%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of WatchGuard EPDR is 1.8%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks	3.4%
WatchGuard EPDR	1.8%
ESET Inspect	1.3%
Other	93.5%

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)

Featured Reviews

ABHISHEK_SINGH

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.

Read full review

Moshiur-Rahman Khan

CEO at IOPoint.com

Provides reliable and comprehensive internet security solutions without significant system slowdowns

My organization uses ESET Inspect for antivirus and internet security on laptops and desktops. On the enterprise side, we utilize it on our Windows Server. The platform has improved our organization's security by providing comprehensive antivirus and internet security solutions. It is fast and…

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Norlia Jalani

Section Head, Information Technology at a transportation company with 201-500 employees

Using cloud-based console for software inventory management and email alerts

I have no idea if I use some automation functions. I can't find any disadvantages; maybe that is because many companies haven't used it. I would prefer to see some features such as AI in antivirus solutions. I appreciate reporting, but it could be better with monthly reporting or auto-generated monthly reports.

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

"It can automatically correlate events and logs, which is very helpful for an IT administrator. It can correlate different kinds of malware activities over a network, agent, or host system. You do not need to do it manually. It is a good feature. It is also a user-friendly solution. We have deployed it on the cloud because our space does not provide any flexibility for on-premises deployment, but Palo Alto has added some flexibility to install it on-premises. It must be like the same Cortex XDR agent for all the VPN services, web filtering services, and everything else."

"The user interface of the solution is sophisticated and straightforward."

"My advice for others looking into using Cortex is that it is very easy to use and very useful for the customer environment, whether it's a public or private one."

"The tool is designed to scale for large enterprises and handle large volumes of data."

"The main benefit of using Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks while employing Palo Alto Firewall at the internet edge is that it improves security on our endpoint devices, integrating seamlessly with Palo Alto Firewalls to deliver comprehensive network, analyst, and security details all in a single dashboard, which allows us to manage everything from our network devices."

"From a single pane of glass, you can easily manage all of your endpoints."

"Cortex Xnor's playbooks predefine the workflow of the automation, such as response processes, alert triggering, and enriching the context, collecting relevant indicators such as hashes, IP addresses, or domains efficiently and can detect and block malicious attacks with firewalls."

"Automation and playbooks have helped me significantly, as Cortex Xnor's playbooks predefine the workflow of the automation, such as response processes, alert triggering, and enriching the context, efficiently detecting and blocking malicious attacks with firewalls while eliminating workload and speeding responses for next-generation operations."

More Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks pros

"Rules are the most valuable feature of ESET Inspect. They are created through XML language, and they track and filter events from endpoints. If the event matches the rule, the rule is triggered. Exceptions are the second most valuable feature because it gives you the power to filter false positives in large numbers. The third most valuable feature is the Learning mode that facilitates making exceptions for known processes with a good reputation."

"ESET Enterprise Inspector's greatest asset lies in its user-friendly interface, which allows for easy navigation and thorough analysis of incidents."

"The rules are the best and most useful features."

"ESET Enterprise Inspector's most valuable feature is EDR."

"The product's most valuable features are its performance and stability."

"I find the multilayered endpoint security the most valuable feature."

"Scalability-wise, it is a very good solution."

"The patch management module is very important."

"What is really great about Panda Adaptive Defense 360 is its console in the cloud, and it can keep the inventory of software in the PC."

"It prevents our users from circumventing security. Everything is password protected so they can't get into it. They can't uninstall it. They can't do anything."

"It's very easy to deploy, we don't have any problem or issues. It's most full automatic. It basically takes the assumption that everything is supposed to be a suspect; files, processes, URL accesses, and so on."

"It allows us to stop activation windows."

"I would give the overall solution a rating of ten out of ten."

"The interface is great."

"The dashboard management feature is valuable."

More WatchGuard EPDR pros

Cons

"It would be better if they could educate the customers more. Some sort of seminars and roadshows will help educate the customers and show what the product can do. The price could be better. It would also help if they had a team for deployment and support."

"While using Cortex, I noticed some aspects that could be improved, such as increasing the synchronization speed between XDR and Xnor."

"Although I would say this product is highly-rated, it could probably do more because nothing does everything that you want."

"In terms of areas of improvement, we have not completed our review of the product. We're also looking at other products. So, it's a little bit hard to tell what could be different because we have not completed the review of this product, but based on our experience so far, its implementation is quite complex."

"Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is a very good product, but financially, it is very expensive, so the company should look into that area."

"The solution lacks real-time, on-demand antivirus."

"Currently, we are monitoring all USB drives and ports but we would like to improve our device control capabilities."

"Additionally, I think the price is very high, and if it can be adjusted, I believe it will be a very good solution."

More Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks cons

"The solution could improve the consumption of resources. The RAM and CPU usage increases during usage which can cause issues. We have three separate services and it would be beneficial if all were executed from one agent limiting the over usage of system resources."

"One area that needs improvement for the product is ransomware protection, which does not offer complete security."

"Every vendor is working on making the job of SOC analysts easier, with fewer false positives and more precise detections. ESET uses LiveGrid technology that provides feedback on the reputation of files and operations. It's hard to eliminate all of the false positives, but hopefully, we'll see some improvement with the advances in AI."

"The platform's price could be better."

"It is not a stable product. We were disappointed in the stability of this product in comparison to McAffee."

"The product is complex to configure, and there are too many errors that are not errors, making it an area that can be considered for improvement."

"It may be difficult for a first-time customer to understand all of the functions that are available to him."

"It needs some improvements in the DNS security feature. Currently, it does not have full DNS security. It only has semi-DNS security, which can be improved. It is an important feature for us, and it would be really good if they can improve the DNS security feature. Our group has some plans to change to Cisco AMP, which has features such as DNS, Umbrella. We are trying to learn about Cisco AMP and compare it with Panda."

"Panda Adaptive Defense 360 is not compatible with certain network devices like access points, switches, or routers, which would be an area for improvement."

"They could have more reports."

"It needs improvements in its EDR and its ability to manage all the nodes. I'd like better communication between the console and the nodes, so I don't have to remote into each individual machine that's having an issue with the protection."

"Panda Adaptive Defense 360 is not compatible with certain network devices like access points, switches, or routers, which would be an area for improvement."

"Panda Security Adaptive Defense can improve by including the intrusion and prevention system not only on their most expensive platform. Additionally, it blocks software that is legitimate from users. They complain and then we have to manually unblock the software, by hash, or we receive a message. Some of the prevention features are not available and this might cause us to need a separate firewall or something to protect the company."

"I would rate Panda Adaptive Defense 360 overall eight points because I still try to find another solution that is easier for me, which can provide what I currently have in Panda Adaptive Defense 360."

"Only the DNS filtering part could be improved, and nothing else apart from this needs correction."

More WatchGuard EPDR cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost of Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is $55 to $90 USD per endpoint per month."

"Licensing for Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR can be costly, especially when it comes to a hundred users. A license is required for each user, and the subscription must be renewed on a yearly basis."

"The price of the solution is high for the license and in general."

"It has reasonable pricing for the use cases it provides to the company."

"Compared to CrowdStrike, Cortex XDR is an expensive solution."

"It is present, but when compared to other competitive products, I would say it is not less expensive; however, when all of the other added values are considered, the price is reasonable."

"The pricing is a little high. It is per user per year."

"I don't like that they have different types of licenses."

More Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks pricing and cost advice

"The platform's licensing is affordable and straightforward."

"The platform is expensive; it could be cheaper."

"I feel it is a very expensive product."

"The pricing and licensing are the big issue now, in my opinion. If the price was less than other companies, or a one-time charge for service was available, I think there would be more users of this solution."

"This is true in the case of licensing, we do not have the most expensive products, and we don't have the cheapest product, it's somewhere in the middle. Perhaps a little higher from the middle, but we are known for what we provide to our customers, and they are pleased."

"Customers need to pay monthly licensing costs for Panda Security Adaptive Defense, which is not expensive."

"The price of this solution depends on the number of licenses that you are purchasing."

"The price is excellent."

"The solution's pricing is better compared to other products."

"I don't think Panda's license is too expensive, but they're charging more than it's worth. It's a yearly license. For 1,000 endpoints, it's around $18,000."

"The licensing is subscription-based and priced well compared to other endpoint security solutions."

"The product is available at a high price."

"Panda is cloud-only and comes at a reasonable cost. It is a set price per seat."

More WatchGuard EPDR pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

11%

Computer Software Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

12%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Hospitality Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	44
Midsize Enterprise	20
Large Enterprise	47

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Large Enterprise	2

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	26
Midsize Enterprise	8
Large Enterprise	2

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. ...

See all answers

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 th...

See all answers

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,...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ESET Inspect?

The platform's licensing is affordable and straightforward. We purchase soft keys, install them, and manage the licen...

See all answers

What needs improvement with ESET Inspect?

One area that needs improvement for the product is ransomware protection, which does not offer complete security.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for ESET Inspect?

My organization uses ESET Inspect for antivirus and internet security on laptops and desktops. On the enterprise side...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for WatchGuard EPDR?

The price of the solution is okay. It's all right.

See all answers

What needs improvement with WatchGuard EPDR?

I would not be able to say what areas of WatchGuard EPDR have improved, as I do not work with the product myself so m...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for WatchGuard EPDR?

My clients use Panda Adaptive Defense 360 for security purposes.

See all answers

Comparisons

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 9% of the time

SentinelOne Singularity Complete vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 6% of the time

CrowdStrike Falcon vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 4% of the time

Cortex XSIAM vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 4% of the time

Symantec Endpoint Security vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 3% of the time

More Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks Competitors

CrowdStrike Falcon vs ESET Inspect

Compared 12% of the time

HP Wolf Security vs ESET Inspect

Compared 11% of the time

Fortinet FortiEDR vs ESET Inspect

Compared 6% of the time

SentinelOne Singularity Complete vs ESET Inspect

Compared 5% of the time

Huntress Managed EDR vs ESET Inspect

Compared 3% of the time

More ESET Inspect Competitors

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs WatchGuard EPDR

Compared 8% of the time

ESET Endpoint Protection Platform vs WatchGuard EPDR

Compared 6% of the time

CrowdStrike Falcon vs WatchGuard EPDR

Compared 5% of the time

Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business vs WatchGuard EPDR

Compared 4% of the time

Bitdefender GravityZone EDR vs WatchGuard EPDR

Compared 3% of the time

More WatchGuard EPDR Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

March 2026

Download Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks product report

Buyer's Guide

ESET Inspect

March 2026

Download ESET Inspect product report

Buyer's Guide

WatchGuard EPDR

February 2026

Download WatchGuard EPDR product report

Also Known As

Cyvera, Cortex XDR, Palo Alto Networks Traps

ESET Enterprise Inspector

Panda Adaptive Defense 360

Overview

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks provides advanced threat detection with AI-driven endpoint protection and seamless integration, ensuring multi-layered security and automatic threat response.

Cortex XDR is designed to safeguard endpoints against malware and suspicious activities. It offers advanced threat detection and response capabilities using behavioral analysis, AI, and machine learning. It seamlessly integrates with security infrastructures, providing endpoint security, firewall integration, and enhanced visibility in both cloud-based and on-premises environments.

What are the key features of Cortex XDR?

Advanced Threat Detection: Uses AI and machine learning for proactive threat identification.
Multi-layered Security: Combines various security measures for comprehensive protection.
Endpoint Protection: Safeguards against malware and exploits.
Behavioral Analysis: Monitors suspicious activity for early detection.
Automatic Threat Response: Automates responses to neutralize threats.

What benefits should users expect?

Ease of Use: Simplifies security management with intuitive design.
Resource Efficiency: Minimizes impact on system resources.
Integration Capabilities: Works well with existing security setups.
Reduced Analyst Workload: Automates processes to decrease manual intervention.

Organizations in diverse sectors deploy Cortex XDR to protect against malware, leveraging its advanced threat detection capabilities. Its integration with existing security infrastructures appeals to those seeking comprehensive protection in both cloud and on-premises environments, providing enhanced visibility and threat intelligence.

Palo Alto Networks

ESET Inspect is an essential component to help ensure the highest level of enterprise security. While standard ESET Endpoint Security provides strong protection, ESET Inspect takes your environment's security to a new dimension. A security tool is needed to help security professionals protect their sensitive data and detect and investigate security incidents, advanced threats, and targeted attacks or breaches on endpoint devices. ESET Inspect is a tool that offers the peace of mind of continuous protection and security monitoring in a powerful and easy-to-use solution.

ESET

EDR for continuous monitoring that prevents the execution of unknown processes. Behavioral analysis and detection of IoAs (indicators of attack) scripts, macros, etc.
Automatic detection and response for targeted attacks and in-memory exploits. Endpoint protection capabilities such as URL filtering, device control and managed firewall.
Zero-Trust Application and Threat Hunting features delivered as managed services. Lightweight agent and easy-to-use Cloud-based console with detailed reporting.

WatchGuard

Sample Customers

CBI Health Group, University Honda, VakifBank

Mitsubishi Motors, Allianz Suisse, Cannon, T-Mobile

Indra, Valea AB, Fineit, Aemcom, Data Solutions INC., Gloucestershire NHS, Golden Star Resources Ltd, Hispania Racing Team, Instituto Dos Museus e da ConserÊo, Escuelas Pias Provincia Emaus, Axiom Housing Association, Municipality of Bjuv, Lesedi Nuclear, Mullsj_ municipality, Eng. skolan Norr AB, Dalakraft AB, Peter Green Haulage Ltd

Buyer's Guide

ESET Inspect vs. WatchGuard EPDR

March 2026

Free Report: ESET Inspect vs. WatchGuard EPDR

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