The closest alternatives to Palo Alto Networks on Lister are Sophos XG Firewall, CrowdStrike Falcon and CrowdStrike, the companies that share the most rankings with it. Each is compared below on its stated best fit, starting price and Lister Score.
How to choose an alternative to Palo Alto Networks
Start from what you need it for. Where each fits best, as Lister records it:
- Sophos XG Firewall: Mid-market organisations seeking balanced protection with user-friendly administration
- CrowdStrike Falcon: Security operations centres needing rapid endpoint threat detection and industry-leading threat intelligence integration
- CrowdStrike: Endpoint security and rapid incident response
- SentinelOne Singularity: Organisations seeking autonomous threat prevention without ongoing signature updates or complex tuning
- Veracode: Large enterprises with stringent security requirements and compliance mandates
- Fortinet FortiGate: Mid-market to enterprise organisations balancing performance with cost efficiency
- Snyk: Security-conscious engineering departments
- Cisco ASA: Large enterprises with existing Cisco infrastructure and complex security requirements
- Splunk: Large enterprises with complex security needs
- Juniper SRX: Service providers and enterprises requiring integrated routing and firewall functionality
Closest to Palo Alto Networks by the rankings they share: Sophos XG Firewall (3 rankings), CrowdStrike Falcon (2 rankings) and CrowdStrike (2 rankings).
Stated starting prices: Sophos XG Firewall (£800 per annum) and Fortinet FortiGate (£1,500 per annum).
Custom or quote-based pricing: CrowdStrike Falcon, CrowdStrike, SentinelOne Singularity, Veracode, Snyk, Cisco ASA, Splunk and Juniper SRX.
Each Lister Score is the alternative's score on the ranking named in its row, so compare scores within one ranking rather than across rankings. How the score is made.
Each alternative in brief
01
Mid-market firewall with integrated threat intelligence
#4 in Best web filtering software: Sophos XG Firewall consolidates security with a Secure by Design approach. It offers unmatched protection and streamlined management for hybrid networks.
PROS- Intuitive web interface simplifies configuration
- Integrated Sophos Central management reduces administrative overhead
CONS- Performance may lag under sustained heavy loads
- Advanced features require additional licensing
88.0
02
AI-driven endpoint detection and response with cloud-native architecture
#1 in AI threat intelligence platforms for financial services: The Falcon platform unifies security data and AI intelligence to stop breaches. It learns from every signal with AI trained on frontline data.
PROS- Low-overhead sensor architecture minimises endpoint performance impact whilst delivering real-time detection
- Integrated threat intelligence from global sensor network provides unmatched visibility into attacker campaigns
CONS- Licensing model based on modules can result in higher total cost of ownership for comprehensive protection
- Transition from legacy antivirus tools requires endpoint reimaging in some environments
88.0
03
We stop breaches
#3 in Best AI vulnerability management tools: CrowdStrike is an AI-native cybersecurity provider offering a unified platform to stop breaches. It combines endpoint security with threat intelligence and autonomous response capabilities.
PROS- Exceptional threat intelligence capabilities
- Fast remote incident response deployment
CONS- High cost for smaller businesses
88.0
04
Autonomous endpoint protection with behavioral AI and automated response
#3 in AI threat intelligence platforms for financial services: SentinelOne Singularity is an AI-native cybersecurity platform delivering autonomous protection. It stops emerging threats at machine speed to give defenders the upper hand.
PROS- Behavioural analysis detects unknown malware families and zero-days without signature dependency
- Autonomous remediation and rollback reduce manual incident response workload significantly
CONS- Requires cultural shift in organisations accustomed to manual approval gates before remediation
- Pricing based on endpoint count can be expensive for large sprawling environments
86.0
05
Application security platform with AI-powered static and dynamic analysis
#6 in Enterprise vulnerability management software: Veracode is an application risk management platform that provides unified visibility and AI-driven prioritisation. It identifies risks across the software development lifecycle to help deliver secure software faster.
PROS- Comprehensive security testing across development lifecycle
- Industry-leading compliance certifications and reporting
CONS- Very high cost, typically for enterprise only
- Complex implementation and steep onboarding curve
88.0
06
High-performance firewall with integrated security fabric
#2 in Top 10 Firewall Software: Fortinet FortiGate combines exceptional throughput with comprehensive security features including intrusion prevention, application control, and threat intelligence. The Security Fabric architecture connects endpoints, gateways, and cloud platforms for unified threat response.
PROS- Excellent price-to-performance ratio
- Unified security fabric simplifies multi-device management
CONS- User interface can be dense for less experienced administrators
- Support responsiveness varies by region
92.7
07
#2 in Best AI vulnerability management tools: Snyk is an AI security platform that secures code, agents and applications. It provides an independent layer to validate AI-generated content.
PROS- Strong focus on open source dependency scanning
- Actionable remediation advice
CONS- Pricing scales quickly for growing organizations
90.0
08
Enterprise firewall with proven reliability and Cisco ecosystem integration
#3 in Top 10 Firewall Software: Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) provides enterprise-grade firewall protection with VPN capabilities, intrusion prevention, and advanced malware protection. Deep integration with Cisco's broader security portfolio and ecosystem support makes it ideal for established Cisco deployments.
PROS- Seamless integration with Cisco ISE and security ecosystem
- Robust VPN and remote access capabilities
CONS- Higher total cost of ownership than some competitors
- Configuration complexity steeper than newer platforms
90.3
09
#3 in Best AI security automation tools: Splunk unifies petabyte-scale machine data for security, observability, and trusted AI. It turns this data into agentic action by providing real-time context across domains.
PROS- Incomparable search and analysis capabilities at massive scale
- Robust enterprise security features
CONS- Steep learning curve and complex deployment model
- High cost structure for smaller businesses
90.0
10
Carrier-grade firewall with advanced routing capabilities
#4 in Top 10 Firewall Software: Juniper SRX Series combines firewall protection with intelligent routing and threat prevention in a unified platform. Native support for virtualisation and cloud architectures makes it suitable for service providers and large enterprises managing complex network topologies.
PROS- Excellent performance for large-scale deployments
- Strong routing capabilities reduce infrastructure complexity
CONS- High capital expenditure for initial deployment
- Requires specialised training on Juniper OS
88.0