Defendable vs Palo Alto Networks
Defendable is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. Palo Alto Networks is a Platform vendor that requires its own security platform. Defendable targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; Palo Alto Networks serves Mid-market and Enterprise. Defendable includes 1 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint), compared to 5 for Palo Alto Networks (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network).
Buyer brief
Defendable is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. Palo Alto Networks is a Platform vendor that requires its own security platform. Defendable targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; Palo Alto Networks serves Mid-market and Enterprise. Defendable includes 1 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint), compared to 5 for Palo Alto Networks (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network).
Palo Alto Networks is the choice if you want a single-vendor stack with deep integration. Defendable is better if you have existing tools and want flexibility.
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Norwegian and Nordic buyers that want MDR operated from Oslo and Gjovik | Enterprise organizations already invested in the Palo Alto ecosystem (NGFW, Prisma, WildFire) wanting native MDR |
| Price | Custom quote | Cortex XDR Pro platform: ~$81/endpoint/yr; MDR extra |
| Response authority | 1/6 actions · Configurable | 6/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Works with existing stack | Requires own platform |
| Data access | Dashboards | Full query access |
| Warranty | None listed | Available |
- Best fit
- Norwegian and Nordic buyers that want MDR operated from Oslo and Gjovik
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 1/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
- Best fit
- Enterprise organizations already invested in the Palo Alto ecosystem (NGFW, Prisma, WildFire) wanting native MDR
- Price
- Cortex XDR Pro platform: ~$81/endpoint/yr; MDR extra
- Response authority
- 6/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Requires own platform
- Data access
- Full query access
- Warranty
- Available
Detailed comparison
| FIELD | DefendableTECH-AGNOSTIC | Palo Alto NetworksPLATFORM |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | ||
| Target size | Mid-market, Enterprise | Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Mixed | Positive |
| Your stack | ||
| Approach | Works with your tools | Requires their platform |
| EDR integrations | Microsoft Defender | Cortex XDR (native, required for full endpoint D&R)Third-party EDR telemetry (MSIAM 2.0, Feb 2026) |
| SIEM integrations | Microsoft Sentinel | Cortex XSIAM (native) |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: LimitedIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: LimitedNetNetwork: LimitedOTOT/IoT: Not covered | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: CoveredSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on |
| Response | ||
| Response type | Active Remediation | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Configurable | Configurable |
| Response actions | Custom playbooks | IsolateKill processContainDisable accountsQuarantineCustom playbooks |
| IR included | Separate | Separate |
| Cost | ||
| Price range | Not published | 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. |
| Minimum seats | None | None |
| Breach warranty | – | ✓ |
| More details | ||
| Requires own agent | No | Yes |
| Endpoints | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Cloud workloads | ~ Limited | ✓ Included |
| Identity | ~ Limited | ✓ Included |
| SaaS apps | ~ Limited | ✓ Included |
| Network | ~ Limited | ✓ Included |
| OT/ICS | Not offered | + Optional |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Custom quote. Defendable does not publish MDR package pricing. | Subscription-based, custom pricing. Cortex XDR/XSIAM platform license required as prerequisite, with Unit 42 MDR service as additional subscription. |
| Hidden cost warnings | Public pages do not publish MDR pricing, contract minimums or service-credit language.. Response authority should be defined in writing because named autonomous endpoint and identity actions are not published.. Log storage can sit in the customer's Microsoft Log Analytics tenant or Defendable's platform, so retention and storage costs should be modeled early.. Incident-response retainer SLA is separate language and should not be assumed to be the MDR SLA.. Threat hunting is public, but hunt cadence and staffing are not published. | 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. Renewal price increases reported by community (up to 225% per some Gartner reviews). Best experience requires native Cortex XDR agent, third-party EDR support available via MSIAM 2.0 but with reduced fidelity. Enterprise pricing only, not accessible for SMBs |
| Data portability | Partial | Limited |
| Contract terms | Custom, Incident Response Retainer | Annual, Multi-year |
| Channels | PortalEmailPhone | PortalEmailPhone |
| Data access | Dashboards | Full query access |
| Dedicated analyst | – | ✓ |
| SOC regions | Europe | North AmericaEuropeAsia-Pacific |
| Onboarding | Defendable publishes an MDR onboarding flow covering identification, planning, platform establishment and execution. It does not publish a standard onboarding duration. | 4-8 weeks typical for enterprise |
| Industry focus | Not published | Government/Public SectorFinancial ServicesHealthcareTechnologyCritical Infrastructure |
| MTTD | Not published | Not formally published. Customers report up to 90% reduction. 2x faster than average MDR participant (Frost & Sullivan 2024). Green Bay Packers case study: 5-minute response time. |
| MTTR | Not published | Not formally published. Green Bay Packers case study: median resolution time 42 minutes with Cortex XSIAM. Customers report up to 90% reduction in MTTR. |
| Community view | Defendable has limited MDR-specific public review volume in major English-language review communities. The public buyer case rests on Norwegian SOC delivery, a direct MDR page, Microsoft Sentinel support, proactive threat hunting, a customer portal and incident-response depth. Buyers should validate pricing, response authority, retention cost and contractual SLA terms directly. | PeerSpot 8.4/10 (Cortex XDR platform, not MDR-specific). Frost & Sullivan Frost Radar Leader Global MDR 2024 and 2025. Strong detection capabilities and threat intelligence praised. Pricing is the most consistent complaint. No G2 MDR listing. No Reddit discussion specific to Unit 42 MDR found. |
| Compliance | ISO 27001Norwegian National Security Authority Quality Scheme for Incident Response | SOC 2+ (aligned to HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS, UK NCSC)ISO 27001FedRAMP ModerateDoD IL5StateRAMP |
| Certifications | ISO 27001:2023Norwegian National Security Authority Quality Scheme for Incident ResponseEco-lighthouse certified | SOC 2+ (with HIPAA Security Rule alignment)ISO 27001FedRAMP Moderate (Cortex XDR, Cortex Data Lake, Prisma Access, Prisma Cloud, WildFire)DoD IL5StateRAMPGovRAMP |
| Founded | 2020 | 2005 |
| Data retention | Defendable says customers can store additional log data in their own Microsoft Log Analytics tenant or in Defendable's log management platform. It does not publish standard MDR retention periods. | Cortex Data Lake: ~$11,000 per 1TB. Retention configurable by customer. |
| API available | – | ✓ |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
FAQ
What is the main difference between Defendable and Palo Alto Networks?
Defendable is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Palo Alto Networks is a Platform vendor that is platform-native (requires their own security stack). Defendable covers 1 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 5 for Palo Alto Networks.
How do Defendable and Palo Alto Networks differ in response capabilities?
Defendable supports 1 autonomous actions (custom playbooks) and approval is configurable. Palo Alto Networks supports 6 autonomous actions (account disable, custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, file quarantine, network containment, process termination) and approval is configurable.
How does Defendable pricing compare to Palo Alto Networks?
Defendable pricing: Not published. 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 Defendable: Public pages do not publish MDR pricing, contract minimums or service-credit language.; Response authority should be defined in writing because named autonomous endpoint and identity actions are not published.. 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 Defendable or Palo Alto Networks?
Choose Defendable if: norwegian and Nordic buyers that want MDR operated from Oslo and Gjovik. Choose Palo Alto Networks if: enterprise organizations already invested in the Palo Alto ecosystem (NGFW, Prisma, WildFire) wanting native MDR. Defendable is not ideal for buyers that need public MDR pricing or contractual SLA terms before sales. Palo Alto Networks is not ideal for sMBs or budget-constrained organizations (significant platform prerequisites plus MDR service fee).
Daylight Security
AI-native MDR for buyers comparing active remediation across endpoint, cloud, identity, and SaaS. Daylight works with existing EDR/SIEM stacks and uses ChatOps-native collaboration, so it can be a useful third reference point in this comparison.