Network & Connectivity · head to head
Palo Alto Networks vs Consul
Palo Alto Networks
Network & Connectivity
Enterprise cybersecurity platform
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Consul
Network & Connectivity
Service discovery, networking, and security
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Consul has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Palo Alto Networks enterprise-focused pricing model; Consul namespaces, admin partitions and other multi tenancy controls are Consul Enterprise only
- They diverge on capability: Palo Alto Networks covers Advanced threat prevention, Consul covers Service discovery.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Palo Alto Networks and Consul actually diverge.
| Attribute | Palo Alto Networks | Consul |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | open-source |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Cloud, On-premises, Hybrid | Linux, Windows, Mac, Cloud |
| Founded | 2005 | 2014 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Network & Connectivity).
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 Palo Alto Networks
- Advanced threat prevention
- Threat detection and response
- Cloud security
- Endpoint protection
- Network security
- API protection
- Incident response
- Threat intelligence
Only in Consul
- Service discovery
- Health checking
- Key/value store
- Multi-datacenter
- DNS interface
- Service mesh
- Load balancing
- Configuration management
Both cover
- Cloud deployment
- On-premise deployment
- Hybrid deployment
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Palo Alto Networks
- Enterprise network security and threat protectionnot Consul
- Cloud-native application protectionnot Consul
- Identity and access securitynot Consul
- Security operations and incident responsenot Consul
Consul
- Service discovery and health checking across dynamic infrastructurenot Palo Alto Networks
- Running a service mesh with mutual TLS between servicesnot Palo Alto Networks
- Distributed key value configuration storage for applicationsnot Palo Alto Networks
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Palo Alto Networks
- Enterprise-focused pricing model
- Complex implementation required
Consul
- Namespaces, admin partitions and other multi tenancy controls are Consul Enterprise only
- Audit logging, OIDC authentication and FIPS 140-2 builds require Consul Enterprise, so compliance driven deployments cannot use the free edition
- Automated backups, redundancy zones, read replicas and automated server upgrades are Enterprise only
- Long Term Support releases are Enterprise only, so community users must upgrade to stay supported
- Service mesh and advanced traffic management sit in the Premium Enterprise tier above Standard Enterprise
- HashiCorp does not publish a Consul rate on its pricing page, which lists per resource prices for Terraform instead
Pricing, plan by plan
Palo Alto Networks
On request- Enterprise$undefined/year
- Threat prevention
- Detection and response
- Cloud security
Consul
Free- Open SourceFree
- Service discovery
- Health checking
- KV store
Which should you pick?
Choose Palo Alto Networks if
- You need advanced threat prevention.
- You work on Cloud, On-premises, Hybrid.
- You also want threat detection and response.
Choose Consul if
- You need service discovery.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Windows, Mac, Cloud.
- You also want health checking.
Questions people ask
- Is Palo Alto Networks or Consul better?
- Neither clearly leads. Palo Alto Networks starts at On request and Consul at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Palo Alto Networks or Consul?
- Consul has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Palo Alto Networks and Free for Consul.
- Does Palo Alto Networks or Consul run on more platforms?
- Palo Alto Networks runs on Cloud, On-premises, Hybrid. Consul runs on Linux, Windows, Mac, Cloud.
- Can I use Consul for free?
- Yes. Consul has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Palo Alto Networks starts at On request.
- What is Palo Alto Networks best used for?
- Palo Alto Networks is most often used for enterprise network security and threat protection, cloud-native application protection, identity and access security, security operations and incident response. Of those, enterprise network security and threat protection and cloud-native application protection are not what Consul is typically brought in for.
- What can Palo Alto Networks do that Consul cannot?
- Palo Alto Networks covers Advanced threat prevention, Threat detection and response, Cloud security, Endpoint protection. Consul covers Service discovery, Health checking, Key/value store, Multi-datacenter. Both handle Cloud deployment, On-premise deployment, Hybrid deployment.