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Networking · head to head

Palo Alto Networks vs ThousandEyes

Palo Alto Networks logo

Palo Alto Networks

Networking

Enterprise cybersecurity platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
ThousandEyes logo

ThousandEyes

Networking

Internet and network path monitoring, owned by Cisco but still sold as a standalone product on its own annual contracts

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Palo Alto Networks enterprise-focused pricing model; ThousandEyes cisco does not publish a current definitive rate card, so any price a buyer finds online is likely outdated and should be confirmed directly with sales before budgeting
  • They diverge on capability: Palo Alto Networks covers Advanced threat prevention, ThousandEyes covers Path visualisation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Palo Alto Networks and ThousandEyes actually diverge.

Attributes where Palo Alto Networks and ThousandEyes differ
AttributePalo Alto NetworksThousandEyes
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote, unit-based consumption on annual or prepaid contracts
PlatformsCloud, On-premises, HybridWeb, API
Founded2005Unknown

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

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 ThousandEyes

  • Path visualisation
  • Cloud, enterprise and endpoint agents
  • Internet Insights
  • Cisco ecosystem integration
  • Unit-based consumption billing

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 ThousandEyes
  • Cloud-native application protectionnot ThousandEyes
  • Identity and access securitynot ThousandEyes
  • Security operations and incident responsenot ThousandEyes

ThousandEyes

  • A network operations team at a large enterprise needing to diagnose whether a performance problem sits inside their network, with an ISP, or at the destinationnot Palo Alto Networks
  • An organisation already standardised on Cisco networking wanting internet path monitoring that integrates with existing Cisco toolingnot Palo Alto Networks
  • A company needing endpoint agent testing from real employee devices to reproduce user-reported performance issuesnot Palo Alto Networks
  • An SRE team wanting aggregated internet outage and BGP visibility across a wide customer base rather than building that dataset themselvesnot 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

ThousandEyes

  • Cisco does not publish a current definitive rate card, so any price a buyer finds online is likely outdated and should be confirmed directly with sales before budgeting
  • A 12-month minimum contract removes the option to trial the platform under real production load on a shorter commitment
  • Unit-based consumption billing across different test types is not always intuitive to forecast, and usage can grow unpredictably as more tests and agents are added
  • Since the Cisco acquisition, purchasing now runs through Cisco's broader enterprise sales and licensing process, which can be slower and less transparent than dealing with a smaller standalone vendor
  • Deep Cisco ecosystem integration is a real advantage only for organisations already standardised on Cisco; it offers less differentiated value for a non-Cisco shop
  • Endpoint agent pricing tiers (Essentials versus Advantage) gate meaningfully different capability, and choosing the wrong tier at signup can mean a contract renegotiation to get needed features

Pricing, plan by plan

Palo Alto Networks

On request
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Threat prevention
    • Detection and response
    • Cloud security

ThousandEyes

On request
  • ThousandEyes$undefined/year
    • Cloud and enterprise agent testing
    • Endpoint agents
    • Internet Insights

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.
Palo Alto Networks review

Choose ThousandEyes if

  • You need path visualisation.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want cloud, enterprise and endpoint agents.
ThousandEyes review

Questions people ask

Is Palo Alto Networks or ThousandEyes better?
Neither clearly leads. Palo Alto Networks starts at On request and ThousandEyes at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Palo Alto Networks or ThousandEyes?
Palo Alto Networks starts at On request and ThousandEyes at On request.
Does Palo Alto Networks or ThousandEyes run on more platforms?
Palo Alto Networks runs on Cloud, On-premises, Hybrid. ThousandEyes runs on Web, API.
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 ThousandEyes is typically brought in for.
What can Palo Alto Networks do that ThousandEyes cannot?
Palo Alto Networks covers Advanced threat prevention, Threat detection and response, Cloud security, Endpoint protection. ThousandEyes covers Path visualisation, Cloud, enterprise and endpoint agents, Internet Insights, Cisco ecosystem integration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Palo Alto Networks: How much do Palo Alto Networks products cost?

Palo Alto Networks does not publish pricing on their main website. Customers must request a demo, trial, or contact their sales team directly to receive custom pricing based on specific security needs and deployment scale.

Source
ThousandEyes: Is ThousandEyes still sold as a standalone product after the Cisco acquisition?

Yes, it remains a distinct, purchasable product line rather than being merged into another Cisco offering.

ThousandEyes: Is there a published, current price list?

No, Cisco does not publish a definitive current rate card; historical unit prices exist online but should not be treated as confirmed 2026 pricing.

ThousandEyes: What is the minimum contract length?

12 months.

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