Overall Score
Counts only researched checks (YES, PARTIAL, or NO) — pending (TBD) checks are never scored as failures. Research coverage differs by vendor, so the number of answered checks per vendor can differ.
139 of 141 researched checks supported
141 of 142 checks researched · 1 still pending
139 of 142 researched checks supported
All 142 checks researched
Cisco vs Palo Alto Networks: Key Differences
Cisco scores 88 YES across 121 checks in 12 security topics, while Palo Alto Networks scores 103 YES. Cisco leads in SD-WAN & Branch Office. Palo Alto Networks leads in 6 topics including BYOD Coverage, Ease of Deployment, Global PoP Coverage & SLA. They are evenly matched in 5 topics. The widest gap is in Unified Management & Reporting, where Palo Alto Networks scores 10/10 YES compared to Cisco's 5/10.
Score by Topic
| Topic | Cisco | Palo Alto Networks | Checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI/ML Traffic Security & Controls | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5 |
| BYOD Coverage | 5/8 | 8/8 | 8 |
| CASB & Shadow IT Discovery | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5 |
| Compliance Frameworks & Certifications | 3/5 | 3/5 | 5 |
| Digital Experience Monitoring | 8/8 | 8/8 | 8 |
| Ease of Deployment | 6/10 | 7/10 | 10 |
| Firewall as a Service (FWaaS) | 4/6 | 6/6 | 6 |
| GenAI DLP | 19/23 | 19/23 | 23 |
| Global PoP Coverage & SLA | 2/8 | 6/8 | 8 |
| IoT/OT Device Security | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5 |
| SD-WAN & Branch Office | 10/10 | 9/10 | 10 |
| Secure Web Gateway & URL Filtering | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5 |
| Threat Prevention | 11/12 | 12/12 | 12 |
| TLS Inspection on Mobile | 1/10 | 2/10 | 10 |
| Unified Management & Reporting | 5/10 | 10/10 | 10 |
| ZTNA for Private Apps | 10/12 | 12/12 | 12 |
Detailed Comparison by Topic
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cisco or Palo Alto Networks better for SASE?
Where does Cisco beat Palo Alto Networks?
Where does Palo Alto Networks beat Cisco?
Which is better for Unified Management & Reporting: Cisco or Palo Alto Networks?
Which is better for Global PoP Coverage & SLA: Cisco or Palo Alto Networks?
Which is better for BYOD Coverage: Cisco or Palo Alto Networks?
How is the Cisco vs Palo Alto Networks comparison conducted?
Methodology
All answers are sourced from publicly available vendor documentation, knowledge base articles, press releases, and verified user reports. We do not rely on vendor marketing claims.
YES means the feature is confirmed working with documentation. PARTIAL means it works with significant caveats. NO means confirmed not supported. TBD means research is still in progress.