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Cybersecurity · head to head

Idira vs VMware Carbon Black

Idira logo

Idira

Cybersecurity

Built on CyberArk's legacy and powered by Palo Alto Networks

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
V

VMware Carbon Black

Cybersecurity

Cloud-delivered endpoint protection and EDR, now owned by Broadcom and positioned alongside Symantec.

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Idira no pricing is published anywhere on the product page; every call to action is Request a Demo or a sales contact form; VMware Carbon Black broadcom's enterprise model concentrates direct sales and support on its largest accounts and moves everyone else to resellers, so a mid-size customer can lose named support contacts and face a substantially repriced renewal with limited notice.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Idira and VMware Carbon Black actually diverge.

Attributes where Idira and VMware Carbon Black differ
AttributeIdiraVMware Carbon Black
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWebDesktop, Api
FoundedUnknown2002

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cybersecurity).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Idira

Nothing recorded that VMware Carbon Black does not also cover.

Only in VMware Carbon Black

  • Endpoint Standard
  • Enterprise EDR
  • Audit and Remediation
  • Single sensor
  • Live Response
  • Workload protection
  • Container security
  • Watchlists and feeds

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Idira

  • Tracking all privileged account usage in manufacturing facilitiesnot VMware Carbon Black
  • Securing clinical resource access across distributed healthcare practicesnot VMware Carbon Black
  • Implementing managed privilege access management across government agenciesnot VMware Carbon Black
  • Consolidating human, machine, and AI agent activity monitoringnot VMware Carbon Black
  • Centralizing vault and secrets management across environmentsnot VMware Carbon Black

VMware Carbon Black

  • A SOC that wants unfiltered endpoint telemetry to hunt over rather than only vendor-generated alertsnot Idira
  • A vSphere estate that wants workload protection deployed through the hypervisor instead of installing an agent in every guestnot Idira
  • Replacing signature antivirus after an incident where the incumbent product had no record of what the attacker didnot Idira
  • An organisation already inside a Broadcom or Symantec enterprise agreement that can consolidate endpoint onto an existing contractnot Idira

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Idira

  • No pricing is published anywhere on the product page; every call to action is Request a Demo or a sales contact form
  • Endpoint privilege management and agentic AI identity governance are sold as separate solution categories rather than one bundled price, so evaluating total cost requires multiple sales conversations

VMware Carbon Black

  • Broadcom's enterprise model concentrates direct sales and support on its largest accounts and moves everyone else to resellers, so a mid-size customer can lose named support contacts and face a substantially repriced renewal with limited notice.
  • Continuous EDR recording is retained for a defined window and longer retention is a paid tier, so the investigation you most need is often the one whose telemetry has already aged out, and that is discovered during the incident rather than before it.
  • The product assumes an operator: watchlists, policy tuning and alert triage are ongoing work, and organisations without a dedicated analyst or an MDR contract typically leave policies in monitor mode and pay for telemetry that is never reviewed.
  • The sensor operates in the same kernel and file-filter territory as other endpoint agents, so running it alongside an incumbent antivirus, DLP or backup agent commonly produces performance complaints and requires maintained exclusion lists on both sides.
  • Linux sensor support is tied to specific distribution and kernel versions, so a routine operating system upgrade can leave hosts without a supported sensor until a matching build ships, and anything outside the supported list gets no coverage at all.

Pricing, plan by plan

Idira

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Idira review.

VMware Carbon Black

On request
  • CB Endpoint StandardFree
    • NGAV
    • Behavioral EDR
    • Device control
  • CB Endpoint AdvancedFree
    • All Standard features
    • Threat hunting
    • Audit and remediation
  • CB Endpoint EnterpriseFree
    • All Advanced features
    • Advanced threat hunting
    • Live response

Which should you pick?

Choose Idira if

Nothing in the data separates Idira from VMware Carbon Black on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Idira review

Choose VMware Carbon Black if

  • You need endpoint standard.
  • You work on Desktop, Api.
  • You also want enterprise edr.
VMware Carbon Black review

Questions people ask

Is Idira or VMware Carbon Black better?
Neither clearly leads. Idira starts at On request and VMware Carbon Black at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Idira or VMware Carbon Black?
Idira starts at On request and VMware Carbon Black at On request.
Does Idira or VMware Carbon Black run on more platforms?
Idira runs on Web. VMware Carbon Black runs on Desktop, Api.
What is Idira best used for?
Idira is most often used for tracking all privileged account usage in manufacturing facilities, securing clinical resource access across distributed healthcare practices, implementing managed privilege access management across government agencies, consolidating human, machine, and ai agent activity monitoring. Of those, tracking all privileged account usage in manufacturing facilities and securing clinical resource access across distributed healthcare practices are not what VMware Carbon Black is typically brought in for.
What can Idira do that VMware Carbon Black cannot?
VMware Carbon Black covers Endpoint Standard, Enterprise EDR, Audit and Remediation, Single sensor.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Idira: How is Idira priced and what are the costs?

Idira pricing is not disclosed on the Palo Alto Networks website. The company directs interested organizations to request a demo or contact their sales team directly to discuss pricing and licensing options for this identity security platform.

Source
VMware Carbon Black: Who owns Carbon Black now?

Broadcom. It acquired VMware in November 2023, and Carbon Black now sits in Broadcom's enterprise security business alongside Symantec. VMware branding is being phased out.

VMware Carbon Black: Why do the docs use names I do not recognise?

The product has been renamed repeatedly. CB Defense is now Endpoint Standard, CB ThreatHunter is Enterprise EDR and CB LiveOps is Audit and Remediation. Older community answers and runbooks still use the previous names.

VMware Carbon Black: Does it replace my existing antivirus?

Yes on supported Windows, macOS and Linux versions, and running it alongside another antivirus is not recommended because the two agents contend for the same hooks. Check your compliance requirements, as some auditors still ask for a named antivirus product.

VMware Carbon Black: Do I need a full-time analyst to run it?

To get value from Enterprise EDR, effectively yes. The prevention tier can run with part-time attention, but the hunting and recording capability is only worth its cost if somebody is querying it, which is why many customers buy it through an MDR provider.

VMware Carbon Black: How is it licensed?

Per endpoint, per year, with the capability tier determining the rate and workload and container protection priced separately. Extended EDR data retention is an additional line item.

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