Armor vs Palo Alto Networks: MDR comparison 2026
Armor and Palo Alto Networks are both Platform vendors that bring their own security platform. Armor targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations, while Palo Alto Networks serves Mid-market and Enterprise. Armor includes 3 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, Network), compared to 5 for Palo Alto Networks (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network).
Key differences at a glance
Full comparison
Which should you choose?
Choose Armor if:
- •Healthcare or financial services teams already running Microsoft Sentinel who need compliance consulting baked in
- •Multi-cloud shops on AWS, Azure, or GCP that want a single MDR provider across all three
- •Organizations that value IR and forensics included in base pricing rather than as a retainer add-on
Choose Palo Alto Networks if:
- •Enterprise organizations already invested in the Palo Alto ecosystem (NGFW, Prisma, WildFire) wanting native MDR
- •US government and defense organizations needing FedRAMP Moderate, DoD IL5, StateRAMP compliance
- •Large enterprises facing sophisticated threats needing Unit 42 threat intelligence (500B events/day)
- •You need SaaS and Identity coverage included in base pricing
- •Breach warranty matters to you (Palo Alto Networks offers one, Armor does not)
Bottom line: Palo Alto Networks offers broader coverage (5 surfaces vs. 3). Armor may suit teams that need depth over breadth.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between Armor and Palo Alto Networks?
Armor is a Platform vendor that is platform-native (requires their own security stack). Palo Alto Networks is a Platform vendor that is platform-native (requires their own security stack). Armor covers 3 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 5 for Palo Alto Networks.
How do Armor and Palo Alto Networks differ in response capabilities?
Armor supports 4 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, network containment, file quarantine, custom playbooks) and approval is configurable. Palo Alto Networks supports 6 autonomous actions (endpoint isolation, process termination, network containment, account disable, file quarantine, custom playbooks) and approval is configurable. Incident response is included with Armor and not included with Palo Alto Networks.
How does Armor pricing compare to Palo Alto Networks?
Armor pricing: Starting at ~$4,317/month for XDR+SOC (per SourceForge listing). Palo Alto Networks pricing: Cortex XDR Pro: ~$81/endpoint/year reported (platform only, pricing sources vary). Unit 42 MDR service is additional custom pricing. Total cost depends on endpoints, tier, coverage scope, and contract terms.. Watch for with Armor: Armor Anywhere agent is built on Trend Micro. Running it alongside CrowdStrike or SentinelOne may cause conflicts, forcing a swap.; Compliance consulting (HIPAA readiness, HITRUST prep) is billed as professional services on top of the MDR subscription.. Watch for with Palo Alto Networks: Cortex XDR/XSIAM platform license is a significant prerequisite cost on top of MDR service fee; Cortex Data Lake storage costs are separate and scale with data volume.
Should I choose Armor or Palo Alto Networks?
Choose Armor if: healthcare or financial services teams already running Microsoft Sentinel who need compliance consulting baked in. Choose Palo Alto Networks if: enterprise organizations already invested in the Palo Alto ecosystem (NGFW, Prisma, WildFire) wanting native MDR. Armor is not ideal for teams running macOS or mobile-heavy environments with no agent support for either. Palo Alto Networks is not ideal for sMBs or budget-constrained organizations (significant platform prerequisites plus MDR service fee).