Symantec Endpoint Security vs Tanium comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Broadcom and Tanium are both solutions in the Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) category. Broadcom is ranked #8 with an average rating of 7.2, while Tanium is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.3. Broadcom holds a 3.7% mindshare in EPP, compared to Tanium’s 2.5% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of Broadcom users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 81% of Tanium users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 18, 2026

Symantec Endpoint Security and Tanium compete in the endpoint protection category. Tanium seems to have the upper hand in real-time data aggregation and threat hunting, making it more suitable for vulnerability management.

Features: Symantec Endpoint Security offers anti-virus, anti-spyware, and intrusion prevention across multiple platforms like Windows, Mac, and Linux. Users value its comprehensive threat protection and network-based intrusion prevention. Tanium is recognized for real-time data aggregation, inventory management, and threat hunting capabilities, which are useful in risk identification and patching processes.

Room for Improvement: Symantec is criticized for being resource-intensive during scans and having a complex management interface. Users seek faster updates and better ransomware protection. Tanium faces challenges with managing false positives and complex pricing, and users desire improved scalability and reporting capabilities, particularly in larger organizations.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Symantec uses an on-premises deployment model with hybrid and cloud options, but customer service quality varies post-acquisition by Broadcom, with reports of delays and responsiveness issues. Tanium also supports public, private, and hybrid cloud deployments and is noted for better customer satisfaction, though its setup can be more involved.

Pricing and ROI: Symantec is viewed as expensive but provides a favorable return on investment with strong security features and flexible pricing that includes discounts for non-profits. Tanium is generally pricier but is justified by its capabilities and performance. Despite the costs, both solutions offer a positive ROI, with Symantec praised for reducing downtime and increasing efficiencies and Tanium appreciated for its comprehensive capabilities and more agile nature.

To learn more, read our detailed Symantec Endpoint Security vs. Tanium Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Symantec Endpoint Security vs. Tanium

September 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 913,924 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 XDR by Palo Alto Net...

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) category, the mindshare of Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is 3.8%, up from 3.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Endpoint Security is 3.7%, up from 3.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Tanium is 2.5%, up from 2.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks	3.8%
Symantec Endpoint Security	3.7%
Tanium	2.5%
Other	90.0%

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)

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

Abhimanyu Das

Senior Cybersecurity Engineer at Kyndryl

Behavioral protection has blocked ransomware and now saves extensive recovery and audit time

The best feature of Symantec Endpoint Security is its effectiveness in malware protection. Its malware protection capabilities stand out due to their ease of management. Although multiple tools assist in this process, managing them all can sometimes be challenging. In terms of malware protection, Symantec Endpoint Security performs well, and its mechanisms, tactics, and techniques are effective. Symantec Endpoint Security offers robust features such as advanced reporting capabilities with a customizable dashboard that integrates EDR timelines, threat maps, and compliance metrics into a single view. Additionally, reports can be exported to PDF or CSV formats, making reporting one of its strong points. It also provides comprehensive device control features, which block unauthorized USB devices and support whitelisting. This helps prevent data exfiltration and phishing scenarios without disrupting user workflows.

Read full review

Sandeepraj Gatla

Dfir Analyst at a tech services company with 201-500 employees

Endpoint monitoring has strengthened incident response and provides rapid isolation and forensics

Tanium provides an endpoint which is isolated from the network and environment. We can easily search its logs and history and connect remotely directly to that particular device which has been isolated from the network. We can search for the history and logs, including audit logs and event logs. The complete activity of the user or owner of the device is visible to us. We can see the artifacts of particular USB transfers internally for official use. We can not only connect remotely but also see the device status and how many failures have occurred within the network so far. We can see the IP address, how many times it has changed its IP address, and how many times it was connected to VPN or external VPN or internal VPN and what has been searched while on VPN. We can block the IOCs or IP addresses as well. We can block domains, hashes, SHA values, SHA-256, SHA-1, SHA-5 and MD5. Although I am not completely involved in the automation team, we do have that team and I have worked in some CERT recently. Tanium is more useful while we are in the CERT because most of the times when we are on high alert, Tanium does play a main role for that particular incident or any high case. Tanium is a simple tool and we can easily integrate it to many devices and it is a mandatory tool to secure an endpoint. It is mandatory to give any RDP connection and the tool should be present in the particular device. It is completely mandatory and it is in the policy as well.

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

"Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks's ability to block sophisticated threats in real time is quite good and is on par with SentinelOne's."

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

"One of the things that I enjoy the most is using policy extensions. It's like having host firewalls to control USB connections. I think it's a wonderful tool to restrict use when connecting to our computers. Another important tool is Home Insights. That is an add-on to the Cortex solution. I like that because we can see all the vulnerabilities in the environment and control what assets are connected to our network."

"The tool's use cases are relevant to security."

"The most valuable features are incident creation, policy-based protection, IP whitelisting, and device encryption. These are beneficial for endpoint and server security."

"One thing that I like about Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks, it is detecting all the suspicious or malicious binaries, and it has integration with Palo Alto Firewall."

"The protection offered by this product is good, as is the endpoint reporting."

"The behavior-based detection feature is valuable."

More Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks pros

"Some of the most valuable features were antivirus, malware, and spyware. They were really good."

"The solution is very stable."

"When it comes to pricing, Sophos is preferable to Symantec, as it provides a cloud-based dashboard which affords control and an easy centralized management system, which is of considerable benefit and explains why we have decided to go with Sophos."

"SONAR/Auto-Protect feature and Generic Exploit Mitigation can detect and prevent attacks that are exploring common software vulnerabilities."

"Scalability."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is the antivirus and the protection against Ransomware/Malware/Zero day attacks and device control."

"The antivirus and antimalware features are good."

"The management console is mostly useful."

More Symantec Endpoint Security pros

"The interrogation piece was the most valuable feature because it was very detailed."

"Tanium’s best features include support for any Windows, Linux, or Mac endpoint, regardless of where it is, and the ability to do IT operations and security operations."

"Tanium is a simple tool and we can easily integrate it to many devices and it is a mandatory tool to secure an endpoint."

"I like the tool's incident response and security patching."

"For incident response tasks, all these tasks can get done in minutes with minimal disruption to the end-user."

"The security features are very valuable."

"The solution's technical support is very responsive."

"Tanium is highly scalable."

More Tanium pros

Cons

"The installation should be easier and the Palo Alto pre-sales and sales teams should have more information on the product because they don't know what they are selling."

"The solution eats memory of the computer, unlike anything I've ever seen."

"The tool needs to be improved in terms of integration and interface."

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

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

"Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is not only pricey; it is extremely expensive."

"There are some false positives."

"The solution can never really be an on-premises solution based simply on the way it is set up. It needs metadata to run and improve. Having an on-premises solution would cut it off from making improvements."

More Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks cons

"As soon as we removed Symantec End-User Endpoint Security, the user did see a lot of improvement in their hardware performance, such as the CPU usage being lower and memory resources going down."

"We are essentially left with a vulnerability."

"It can be improved in terms of features and integration. It should have more advanced features and more integration. Currently, it is just talking to their own solutions. They could add more artificial intelligence, more XDR, and more integration with other vendors so that we can do sharing of information with other vendors."

"I would like to see improvements in the anti-virus and the device control features."

"Symantec isn't good in terms of updating customers about updates. You'd normally have to search it out. Sometimes, the update process for the administration and management console can be a bit intimidating, and it can be quite inconvenient to get the updates. That's because when you have to do the update, you have to update the management console, and then you need to update the clients. Their application that's installed on desktops and servers needs to go hand in hand with the management console. Sometimes, it's a bit unwieldy to see that process through."

"There have been some complaints about the visibility of current licensing, as sometimes it does not show all the seats, and customers have trouble getting a complete overview of Symantec licenses."

"The solution could improve by having a better graphical interface."

"From my experience, I find scaling this solution is difficult."

More Symantec Endpoint Security cons

"There are downsides and drawbacks in Tanium, and there is room for improvement from my perspective."

"The problem or challenge is a pre-sales and go-to strategy for the SMB market delivered through a channel or model. It's very convoluted and vague, which leads to some confusion about the various types of modules, and the device-to-seat cost is extremely difficult to calculate."

"In my opinion, sometimes it takes a long time to give solutions or resolve the issue."

"It is not really additional functions, or the features that are needed, rather the complexity would be reduced based on the number of modules required to put together a comprehensive operational security and risk compliance model."

"Tanium required local admin or root rights on Mac devices, which did not comply with our security policies. This made the solution less suitable for our restrictive environment."

"Tanium’s scalability could be improved."

"The main issues are the network connection because different customers have issues with their networks. It's difficult implementing this type of solution because the network is the main feature in the architecture for these types of solutions. Tanium could improve by creating some network optimization."

"We had some issues with the solution's OS upgrade."

More Tanium cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost depends on your chosen license type, like Pro or other licenses."

"Cortex XDR's pricing is ok."

"We didn't have to pay any additional fee for the cloud instance. It just came with the renewal, which was nice."

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

"The price is on the higher side, but it's okay."

"I did PoCs on products called Cylance and CrowdStrike. Although, I consider these products and they were also good, when it come to cost and budgetary factors, Traps has been proven to be better than the other two products. It is quite cost-effective and delivers all the entire solution which we require."

"The pricing seems fair, and I do like the licensing model. You use wherever they are, and it is elastic."

"Very costly product."

More Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks pricing and cost advice

"It is the better product, even if it is a little on the higher side."

"It is cheap. It is especially cheaper than Malwarebytes, which is three times higher than this. It is also cheaper than Cisco. Its price is almost similar to Bitdefender, Gravity, and CloudZone."

"The pricing is as per the environment. If all the features are there, there will be a cost for them. There were no additional costs for me. Support and other things were included in the pricing."

"The price of the solution could be less expensive."

"Its price should be reasonable."

"The pricing is good, very moderate, and the licensing is also good. It gives you more room to install a lot of endpoints and it even gives you the opportunity to install it on your mobile phone without any extra cost."

"They're on the reasonable side. They are at mid-level. They're not too expensive as compared to their competitors. They're also not too cheap. In terms of price structure, hopefully, they could do a subscription."

"Symantec Endpoint Security is an expensive solution."

More Symantec Endpoint Security pricing and cost advice

"Tanium is a more expensive solution in Latin America than some of the competitors, such as BigFix."

"The product's pricing differs from region to region depending on negotiations and the number of endpoints."

"The solution offers value for money."

"It is higher than some competitors in the market."

"The solution is expensive but it's a good investment."

"There is an annual license required to use this solution."

"It's an expensive solution. It would be nice if the cost were lower."

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

913,924 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Outsourcing Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

12%

Construction Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Outsourcing Company

13%

Comms Service Provider

13%

Financial Services Firm

Construction Company

Financial Services Firm

13%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	47
Midsize Enterprise	21
Large Enterprise	55

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	69
Midsize Enterprise	32
Large Enterprise	63

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	12

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

Which is better - Cortex XDR or Symantec End-User Endpoint Security?

Aqua Security is easy to use and very manageable. Its main focus is on Kubernetes and Docker. Security is a very valu...

See all answers

Which offers better endpoint security - Symantec or Microsoft Defender?

We use Symantec because we do not use MS Enterprise products, but in my opinion, Microsoft Defender is a superior sol...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Symantec End-User Endpoint Security?

Symantec Endpoint Security's pricing is better than most offerings based on my research. It seems to be half the cost...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Tanium?

While there is always room for improvement, I am pleased with Tanium.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Tanium?

The primary use case for Tanium ( /products/tanium-reviews ) is compliance, patching, and inventory as part of the co...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Tanium?

For smaller companies, Tanium is quite a big investment, and one needs to have a considerable setup to make it econom...

See all answers

Comparisons

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 14% of the time

SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 5% 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 3% of the time

Trellix Endpoint Security Platform vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 3% of the time

More Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks Competitors

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Symantec Endpoint Security

Compared 8% of the time

Morphisec vs Symantec Endpoint Security

Compared 5% of the time

Trellix Endpoint Security Platform vs Symantec Endpoint Security

Compared 5% of the time

Kaspersky Next XDR Optimum vs Symantec Endpoint Security

Compared 4% of the time

Check Point Harmony Endpoint vs Symantec Endpoint Security

Compared 3% of the time

More Symantec Endpoint Security Competitors

CrowdStrike Falcon vs Tanium

Compared 5% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Tanium

Compared 4% of the time

BigFix vs Tanium

Compared 3% of the time

Microsoft Configuration Manager vs Tanium

Compared 3% of the time

Trellix Endpoint Security Platform vs Tanium

Compared 2% of the time

More Tanium Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

September 2026

Download Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks product report

Buyer's Guide

Symantec Endpoint Security

August 2026

Download Symantec Endpoint Security product report

Buyer's Guide

Tanium

August 2026

Download Tanium product report

Also Known As

Cyvera, Cortex XDR, Palo Alto Networks Traps

Symantec EPP, Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP)

Tanium Inc Cloud, Tanium XEM

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

Symantec Endpoint Security is a comprehensive protection tool designed for antimalware and antivirus defense. Providing centralized management and smooth deployment, it effectively secures environments from small businesses to extensive networks.

Symantec Endpoint Security serves organizations by offering robust protection with features like rapid deployment and centralized management, critical for securing workstations and servers. While appreciated for efficient resource utilization and stable operation, some users report issues with virus detection and cumbersome updates. Pricing is often considered high. It is a popular choice among IT consultants, academic institutions, and service providers for its ability to manage broad and varied security needs efficiently.

What are the key features of Symantec Endpoint Security?

Centralized Management: Streamlines security operations for ease of handling across networks.
Malware and Antivirus Protection: Provides real-time threat detection and EDR capabilities.
Application and Device Control: Manages access and control policies effectively.
SONAR and IPS: Enhances proactive malware scanning and intrusion prevention.
Active Directory Integration: Supports seamless integration with existing systems.

What benefits should be considered when evaluating Symantec Endpoint Security?

Reliable Support: Offers assistance which, while helpful, can vary in effectiveness.
Advanced Reporting: Enables detailed security analysis, though customization is limited.
Efficient Resource Usage: Provides stable performance across platforms with minimal impact.
Proactive Scanning: Ensures threats are detected early, enhancing security measures.

In industries like academia and IT consulting, Symantec Endpoint Security fulfills specific needs for robust endpoint protection. Its centralized management and application control make it suitable for educational institutions managing large network systems, while service providers benefit from its flexible deployment options.

Broadcom

Tanium offers robust endpoint protection, patching, and inventory management, consolidating the functions of tools like BigFix with capabilities in incident response, network security, and cloud or on-premise deployments.

Known for real-time capabilities, Tanium provides detailed analytics, security features, and device management. Users benefit from quick implementation, real-time updates, and patching campaigns. Despite its strengths, integration and custom plugin expansion remain areas to improve, along with data visualization and network optimization. Reporting enhancements and user training could advance its usability, and some UI elements may require updates for clarity and security.

What are the essential features of Tanium?

Detailed Analytics: Provides actionable insights for better decision-making.
Security Capabilities: Offers strong defense measures against threats.
Real-Time Queries: Facilitates immediate information access.
Patch Management: Streamlines software updates across devices.
Device Management: Efficiently handles comprehensive inventory and monitoring tasks.

What benefits should users expect?

Ease of Use: Simplifies complex IT tasks.
Scalability: Adapts to growing IT infrastructure needs.
Integration Flexibility: Merges with existing systems effortlessly.
Real-Time Updates: Ensures current data availability for informed actions.

Tanium's deployment spans industries focusing on endpoint protection and compliance, ensuring reliable device and server management in settings where safety and quick adaptation are critical. Organizations use it for application deployment, compliance checks, and integrating it as an EDR solution, enhancing overall security and operational efficiencies.

Tanium

Sample Customers

CBI Health Group, University Honda, VakifBank

Audio Visual Dynamics, Red Deer Advocate, Asia Pacific Telecom Co. Ltd., Kibbutz Ein Gedi, and AMETEK, Inc.

JPMorgan Chase, eBay, Amazon, US Bank, MetLife, pwc, Cerner, Delphi, MGM Grand, New York Life

Buyer's Guide

Symantec Endpoint Security vs. Tanium

September 2026

Free Report: Symantec Endpoint Security vs. Tanium

Find out what your peers are saying about Symantec Endpoint Security vs. Tanium and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.

DOWNLOAD NOW

913,924 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Symantec Endpoint Security vs. Tanium report.

See our list of best Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) vendors.

We monitor all Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) 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.