Palo Alto Cortex XDR vs Huntress Managed EDR
Side-by-side from the Top 11 ranking of CrowdStrike Falcon vs Microsoft Defender for Endpoint: 11 Best Endpoint Protection Software 2026. Last verified July 4, 2026.
The short answer
Palo Alto Cortex XDR ranks higher on Top 11 (#4 vs #11) for IT and security leaders. Fuses endpoint, network, and cloud into one XDR.
At a glance
| Palo Alto Cortex XDR | Huntress Managed EDR | |
|---|---|---|
| Top 11 rank | #4 / CrowdStrike Falcon vs Microsoft Defender for Endpoint: 11 Best Endpoint Protection Software 2026 | #11 / CrowdStrike Falcon vs Microsoft Defender for Endpoint: 11 Best Endpoint Protection Software 2026 |
| Score (out of 9.4) | 8.9 | — |
| Best for | Best for network plus endpoint XDR | Best for SMB and MSP managed EDR |
| Pricing | $$$ (custom, per-endpoint enterprise pricing) | $ (roughly $2 to $7 per endpoint per month via MSP) |
| HQ | Santa Clara, USA | Ellicott City, USA |
| Founded | 2005 | 2015 |
Palo Alto Cortex XDR
Fuses endpoint, network, and cloud into one XDR.
www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cortex-xdrHuntress Managed EDR
Managed EDR with a human SOC at SMB pricing.
www.huntress.com/platform/managed-edrMethodology and scoring weights live at /methodology. No vendor pays for placement — see about.