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VERDICT

Should I use Palo Alto Networks?

Protect your organization with Idira®. Modernize identity governance, automate access reviews, and secure every identity across your hybrid cloud environment. - cyberark.com

Depends. Buy only if you're a large enterprise with dedicated security staff and budget — granular control and portfolio depth are real. Small teams should walk away: opaque partner-based pricing, heavy admin burden, and actively exploited PAN-OS CVEs in 2026.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 20+ public sources. Note: submitted URL (cyberark.com) does not match the product name; report reflects the Palo Alto Networks evidence provided.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of useNo usability evidence in reviewed sources
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

$6.75–$18/endpoint

Endpoint protection

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierNo
Cloud NGFW (AWS/Azure)Usage-based, from $0.01/unit
Hardware NGFWQuote-based via partners

Best for

  • Large enterprises with dedicated security teams
  • Hybrid cloud estates needing granular NGFW control
  • SOCs consolidating network, cloud, and endpoint
  • Regulated industries with compliance demands

Not for

  • Small businesses — enterprise pricing, enterprise complexity
  • Teams without dedicated firewall admins
  • Home labs — no personal-use licenses
  • Buyers wanting transparent, predictable pricing

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

CVE-2026-0300 critical buffer overflow exploited in the wild — patching is constant work

medium

DoS flaw CVE-2026-0262 means emergency maintenance windows

medium

No public price list; negotiate hard through partners or overpay

medium

Guess: deep PAN-OS ecosystem lock-in; migrations to rivals reported painful

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Granular control praised in AWS Marketplace Panorama reviews
  • Rated 4.7/5 in hybrid mesh firewall comparison
  • Broad portfolio: NGFW, cloud, endpoint, identity in one stack
  • 1,675 reviews across G2 product listings
  • Publishes rapid advisories on its own product flaws

Cons

  • Independent review: overpriced and underperforming
  • Multiple PAN-OS CVEs actively exploited in the wild
  • Company confirmed a breach, per report
  • Support complaints; some users migrating to other vendors
  • Opaque pricing; quotes only via partners

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/24/2026 - 10 sources - Multiple critical PAN-OS CVEs actively exploited in 2026; company also confirmed a breach.

official x1review x5security x3news x1
  • CVE-2026-0300 — critical buffer overflow, Exploited in the wild per Wiz analysis.
  • CVE-2026-0257 — active exploitation, Unit 42 threat brief confirms active exploitation of PAN-OS.
  • CVE-2026-0262 — denial-of-service, PAN-OS DoS vulnerability tracked by SentinelOne.
  • Confirmed company breach, Report states Palo Alto Networks confirmed hackers accessed systems.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 2/5

    Rating

  • $6.75–$18/endpoint

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 2/5. Called overpriced and underperforming in independent review
  • Ease of use. No usability evidence in reviewed sources
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Granular control praised in AWS Marketplace review
  • Support quality: 2/5. Reddit threads cite support issues driving migrations
  • Security posture: 2/5. Multiple actively exploited PAN-OS CVEs; confirmed breach
  • 1,675 G2 reviews across Palo Alto product listings
  • 4.7/5 Comparison rating RFP.wiki hybrid mesh firewall
  • $6.75–$18/endpoint Endpoint pricing Costbench 2026 guide
  • Public (NASDAQ: PANW) Company SEC filings on record

Pricing

Endpoint protection

$6.75–$18/endpoint

  • Per-endpoint subscription
  • Cortex/XDR line

Cloud NGFW (AWS/Azure)

Usage-based, from $0.01/unit

  • Pay per usage
  • Cloud-native firewall

Hardware NGFW

Quote-based via partners

  • Appliance plus subscriptions
  • No published list prices

Security

Multiple critical PAN-OS CVEs actively exploited in 2026; company also confirmed a breach.

  • CVE-2026-0300 — critical buffer overflowExploited in the wild per Wiz analysis.⁵
  • CVE-2026-0257 — active exploitationUnit 42 threat brief confirms active exploitation of PAN-OS.⁶
  • CVE-2026-0262 — denial-of-servicePAN-OS DoS vulnerability tracked by SentinelOne.⁷
  • Confirmed company breachReport states Palo Alto Networks confirmed hackers accessed systems.⁸

What users say

Reviewers praise granular control and security depth while repeatedly criticizing price and support quality.

“Palo Alto Networks Review: Overpriced and Underperforming”
Lmntrix independent review
“downside to Palo Alto Firewalls?”
Reddit, r/sysadmin
“Palo Support issue - what firewall vendor are you moving to?”
Reddit, r/paloaltonetworks

Alternatives

Compare Palo Alto Networks with each alternative.

  • Versa Networks

    Comparable hybrid mesh firewall, head-to-head alternative

  • Check Point

    Longtime NGFW rival with direct PAN comparison guide

  • Fortinet

    Common budget-conscious swap for Palo Alto firewalls

    Palo Alto Networks vs Fortinet

  • Microsoft Defender

    Endpoint alternative frequently compared against Cortex XDR

Companies that use it

  • Schnuck Markets
Full analysis

Based on 20+ public sources. Note: submitted URL (cyberark.com) does not match the product name; report reflects the Palo Alto Networks evidence provided.

Deep, enterprise-grade security stack — but overpriced for small teams, and 2026 PAN-OS CVEs are actively exploited.

Methodology

Based on 20+ public sources. Note: submitted URL (cyberark.com) does not match the product name; report reflects the Palo Alto Networks evidence provided.

Sources

  1. Palo Alto Networks Products | 1,675 G2 Reviewsg2.com
    review
  2. Palo Alto Networks Review: Overpriced and Underperforminglmntrix.com
    review
  3. Palo Alto vs Versa Networks (2026) — RFP.wikirfp.wiki
    review
  4. Palo Alto Networks Pricing 2026 — Costbenchcostbench.com
    review
  5. Critical PAN-OS Vulnerability Exploited in the Wild — Wizwiz.io
    security
  6. Threat Brief: Active Exploitation of PAN-OS CVE-2026-0257 — Unit 42unit42.paloaltonetworks.com
    security
  7. CVE-2026-0262: PAN-OS DoS Vulnerability — SentinelOnesentinelone.com
    security
  8. Palo Alto Networks Confirms Breach — LinkedInlinkedin.com
    news
  9. Downside to Palo Alto Firewalls? — Reddit r/sysadminreddit.com
    review
  10. Palo Alto Networks Network Security — officialpaloaltonetworks.com
    official

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