[advisory]List reference prices. The figures on this page are the vendor’s published list or reference prices, not negotiated quotes. Actual pricing varies with volume, contract term, and reseller discount, and should not be used as a basis for procurement decisions. Always request a direct quote from the vendors you shortlist.
Cortex XDR Pro and CrowdStrike Falcon Insight XDR are the two most frequently shortlisted greenfield XDR platforms. At list Cortex XDR Pro is $70 per endpoint per year against $184.99 for Falcon Enterprise, but Falcon Enterprise bundles managed threat hunting and Cortex prices third-party data per GB, so the bundles differ. Figures are list prices checked 30 October 2026 on crowdstrike.com/pricing and a G-Cloud 15 Palo Alto price list filing. The short version: pick on architecture fit and bundle context, then let the competitive bid set the price.
Side by side on cost
| Line | Cortex XDR Pro | Falcon Enterprise |
|---|---|---|
| XDR licence | $70 / endpoint / yr | $184.99 / device / yr |
| Pricing visibility | No price on paloaltonetworks.com; list in G-Cloud filings | Published on crowdstrike.com |
| Managed threat hunting | Separate add-on | Bundled (Adversary OverWatch) |
| Third-party ingestion | Pro per daily GB ($400 / GB / yr list) | Separate (Next-Gen SIEM) |
| Native bundle edge | Palo Alto NGFW / Prisma shops | Falcon platform consolidation |
Where each wins on price
Cortex wins cost when
- You already run Palo Alto NGFWs or Prisma and fold Cortex into the enterprise agreement.
- You run your own SOC and do not need bundled managed hunting.
- Some endpoints only need endpoint protection, where Prevent lists at $40 against $70 for Pro.
Falcon wins cost when
- You value bundled OverWatch threat hunting included in Enterprise.
- You want one agent for EDR and XDR with minimal tuning overhead.
- You plan to grow into Falcon Next-Gen SIEM and retire a legacy SIEM.
// Q&A appendix
Frequently asked questions
01.Is Cortex XDR or CrowdStrike Falcon cheaper in 2026?+
At list, Cortex XDR Pro is cheaper per endpoint. Palo Alto's US-dollar price list, as filed by resellers on UK G-Cloud 15 in January 2026, puts Cortex XDR Pro at $70 per endpoint per year; CrowdStrike publishes Falcon Enterprise, which includes Falcon Insight XDR and managed threat hunting, at $184.99 per device per year, and Falcon Pro at $99.99. The lists are not like for like: Falcon Enterprise bundles threat hunting that Cortex sells separately, and Cortex licenses third-party data per daily GB. Compare full quotes for your estate, and run both as a genuine competitive bid.
02.How does pricing transparency differ between Cortex and Falcon?+
CrowdStrike publishes its tier prices on its own site (Falcon Go $59.99, Falcon Pro $99.99 and Falcon Enterprise $184.99 per device per year). Palo Alto shows no Cortex XDR prices on its own site, but its US-dollar list prices appear in resellers' UK G-Cloud 15 pricing documents (Cortex XDR Prevent $40, Pro $70 per endpoint per year). Either way a list is a starting point: both vendors sell through partners and price large deals from it.
03.Which has the lower total cost of ownership, Cortex or Falcon?+
Total cost of ownership turns on three lines beyond the licence: data ingestion, managed services, and integration. Falcon bundles Adversary OverWatch threat hunting into Enterprise and charges separately for Next-Gen SIEM ingestion; Cortex charges separately for both managed hunting and ingestion above the bundled allowance. For a Palo Alto NGFW shop, Cortex integration cost is lower; for a buyer wanting bundled managed hunting, Falcon's all-in Enterprise tier can be the cheaper total.
04.Should I pick Cortex or Falcon based on cost alone?+
No. The headline lists differ, but they buy different bundles, so the cost-deciding factors are contextual: existing Palo Alto investment favours Cortex, a desire for bundled managed threat hunting favours Falcon, and your data-ingestion volume drives the separate ingestion line either way. Decide on architecture fit and bundle context first, then use the competitive bid to drive the price.