CompetitorsNarrow moat

Palo Alto Networks (PANW) — moat facet

Palo Alto competes with a cheaper firewall rival, two cloud-native platforms, three bundlers and a set of identity vendors it inherited, and its answer to all of them is breadth.

Palo Alto names its competitors in the 10-K, and they fall into four different kinds of relationship. There are "large companies that incorporate security or observability features in their products", which the company lists as Alphabet, Cisco and Microsoft1. There are independent security vendors: Check Point, CrowdStrike, Delinea, Fortinet, Okta, SailPoint and Zscaler2. And in observability there are DataDog, Dynatrace and Elasticsearch3, discussed on the Chronosphere page.

Market value of named rivals, 25 September 2026 ($bn)Cisco420.7Palo Alto Networks306.5CrowdStrike267.4Fortinet130.1Check Point13.4stockanalysis and companiesmarketcap, 25 September 2026
Second only to a bundler.

The first kind is the head-on rival in firewalls, where Fortinet sells a similar product at a lower price and, in the last independent share figure found for this page, stood level with Palo Alto4. The second is the cloud-native platform, CrowdStrike and Zscaler, which compete to be the vendor customers consolidate onto. The third is the bundler, which does not need to win security on its merits because it includes security in something the customer already buys. The fourth arrived with CyberArk: the identity vendors Okta, SailPoint and Delinea, whose market Palo Alto entered by acquisition, and the company itself warns the deal brought "increased competition"5.

The public cloud providers are a fifth relationship, partner and rival at once; they sell Palo Alto's software firewall in their marketplaces6, and that is covered on the software firewall page.

The market values show where Palo Alto stands. On 25 September 2026 it was worth $306.54 billion7, against CrowdStrike at $267.43 billion and Fortinet at $130.12 billion8, and Cisco at $420.67 billion9.

The rivals also compete for engineers and for acquisitions. Palo Alto has booked about $30.0 billion of purchases since fiscal 201910, and each young security company it buys is one a rival did not. Its market value, $306.54 billion11, is also an acquisition currency: CyberArk was paid for largely with 112 million new shares12. A rival with a higher share price relative to its sales has the same advantage.

Palo Alto's answer to all four is breadth: it sells in each of the categories where these rivals compete. The platform strategy only works if breadth beats depth. Cortex growth is the cleanest test, because it competes with the platform rivals and the bundlers at once; its revenue grew 25% in fiscal 202613, and growth well below the guided 30% would mean specialists are winning.

Moat trajectory: Holding steady

Market value above CrowdStrike and Fortinet; Cortex guided about +30%.

The number that tests this moat
Moat Explorer calc
Market value against CrowdStrike
About 1.15 times (25 September 2026)

The relative standing of the two platform rivals; the ratio falling below one would mean the market prefers the cloud-native model.

How it's calculated: Palo Alto market value $306.54bn divided by CrowdStrike market value $267.43bn, stockanalysis, 25 September 2026.
Source: Moat Explorer calculation from Palo Alto filings ↗
Dig deeper
DIG DEEPER 01
Fortinet: The Firewall Rival Level on Share
Palo Alto and Fortinet were level on firewall appliance share in the last count, and Palo Alto is worth 2.4 times as much because of what it sells…
DIG DEEPER 02
CrowdStrike and Zscaler: Platform Against Platform
CrowdStrike and Zscaler want to be the platform customers consolidate onto, which makes them Palo Alto's rivals for the same idea.
DIG DEEPER 03
Microsoft, Cisco and Alphabet: Security as a Feature
Microsoft, Cisco and Alphabet do not need to win security on its merits, because they include it in products customers already pay for.
DIG DEEPER 04
Okta, SailPoint and Delinea: Rivals Inherited With CyberArk
Buying CyberArk put Palo Alto into a fight with Okta, SailPoint and Delinea, rivals it never faced as a firewall company.
References
  1. ReportedThere are "large companies that incorporate security or observability features in their products", which the company lists as Alphabet, Cisco and Microsoft.
    Palo Alto Networks Form 10-K for fiscal 2026 (year ended 31 July 2026) - Item 1 business and Item 7 MD&A: platforms, customers, channels, employees, revenue by type and geography. — FY2026 · publ. 10 September 2026 · source ↗
  2. ReportedThere are independent security vendors: Check Point, CrowdStrike, Delinea, Fortinet, Okta, SailPoint and Zscaler.
    Palo Alto Networks Form 10-K for fiscal 2026 (year ended 31 July 2026) - Item 1 business and Item 7 MD&A: platforms, customers, channels, employees, revenue by type and geography. — FY2026 · publ. 10 September 2026 · source ↗
  3. ReportedAnd in observability there are DataDog, Dynatrace and Elasticsearch, discussed on the Chronosphere page.
    Palo Alto Networks Form 10-K for fiscal 2026 (year ended 31 July 2026) - Item 1 business and Item 7 MD&A: platforms, customers, channels, employees, revenue by type and geography. — FY2026 · publ. 10 September 2026 · source ↗
  4. Third-party estimateThe first kind is the head-on rival in firewalls, where Fortinet sells a similar product at a lower price and, in the last independent share figure found for this page, stood level with Palo Alto.
    SDxCentral on the IDC security appliance tracker for the fourth quarter of 2022 - Palo Alto Networks $973 million and 15.9% share, Fortinet $967 million and 15.8%. — Q4 2022 · publ. 2023 · source ↗
  5. ReportedThe fourth arrived with CyberArk: the identity vendors Okta, SailPoint and Delinea, whose market Palo Alto entered by acquisition, and the company itself warns the deal brought "increased competition".
    Palo Alto Networks Form 10-K for fiscal 2026 (year ended 31 July 2026) - Item 1A risk factors, Israel, supply and legal proceedings. — FY2026 · publ. 10 September 2026 · source ↗
  6. ReportedThe public cloud providers are a fifth relationship, partner and rival at once; they sell Palo Alto's software firewall in their marketplaces, and that is covered on the software firewall page.
    Palo Alto Networks Form 10-K for fiscal 2026 (year ended 31 July 2026) - Item 1 business and Item 7 MD&A: platforms, customers, channels, employees, revenue by type and geography. — FY2026 · publ. 10 September 2026 · source ↗
  7. ReportedOn 25 September 2026 it was worth $306.54 billion, against CrowdStrike at $267.43 billion and Fortinet at $130.12 billion, and Cisco at $420.67 billion.
    Palo Alto Networks (PANW) market data - $374.74 at the close on 25 September 2026, market value $306.54 billion, trailing P/E 998.49, forward P/E 89.46, 52-week range $139.57-$398.88. — September 2026 · publ. 25 September 2026 · source ↗
  8. ReportedOn 25 September 2026 it was worth $306.54 billion, against CrowdStrike at $267.43 billion and Fortinet at $130.12 billion, and Cisco at $420.67 billion.
    Palo Alto Networks market capitalisation history - $3.54 billion at the July 2012 listing, $306.54 billion on 25 September 2026, calendar year-end values 2014-2025, and peer values (CrowdStrike $267.43B, Fortinet $130.12B). — 2012-2026 · publ. September 2026 · source ↗
  9. ReportedOn 25 September 2026 it was worth $306.54 billion, against CrowdStrike at $267.43 billion and Fortinet at $130.12 billion, and Cisco at $420.67 billion.
    Companies Market Cap - Palo Alto Networks $306.53 billion; Cisco $420.67 billion and Check Point $13.39 billion. — September 2026 · publ. September 2026 · source ↗
  10. Moat Explorer calcPalo Alto has booked about $30.0 billion of purchases since fiscal 2019, and each young security company it buys is one a rival did not.
    Moat Explorer calculation from Palo Alto Networks' reported figures ($ millions unless stated; fiscal years end 31 July). Growth: revenue FY2026 11,480 / 9,221.5 - 1 = 24.5%; FY2025 9,221.5 / 8,027.5 - 1 = 14.9%; FY2024 8,027.5 / 6,892.7 - 1 = 16.5%; FY2023 25.3%; FY2022 29.3%; FY2021 24.9%; FY2020 17.5%; FY2024 to FY2026 11,480 / 8,027.5 - 1 = 43%; compound FY2015-FY2026 (11,480 / 928.1)^(1/11) - 1 = 25.7%, about 26%. By type FY2026: product 2,280 / 1,801.9 - 1 = 26.5%; subscription 6,239 / 4,974.4 - 1 = 25.4%; support 2,961 / 2,445.2 - 1 = 21.1%. Product FY2025 12.4%, FY2024 1,603.3 / 1,578.4 - 1 = 1.6%, FY2020 1,064.2 / 1,096.2 - 1 = -2.9%. Subscription FY2017 53.7%, FY2019 36.2%, FY2021 35.1%, FY2023 31.4%, FY2024 25.6%, FY2025 18.8%. Support FY2022 29.3%, FY2023 23.7%, FY2024 13.0%, FY2025 9.4%. Compound FY2015-FY2026: subscription (6,239 / 212.7)^(1/11) - 1 = 36.0%; support (2,961 / 222.7)^(1/11) - 1 = 26.5%; product (2,280 / 492.7)^(1/11) - 1 = 14.9%. Product outgrew subscription in FY2026 (26.5% against 25.4%), which it did not in any year FY2016-FY2025. Organic: FY2026 (11,480 - 930) / 9,221 - 1 = 14.4%; Q4 acquisition revenue 930 - 388 = 542; Q4 (3,410 - 542) / 2,536 - 1 = 13.1%, about 13%; pro forma 12,312 / 10,486 - 1 = 17.4%; FY2027 guidance 14.15 / 12.312 - 1 = 14.9%, about 15%. Margins: gross margin FY2026 8,077 / 11,480 = 70.4% (FY2025 6,769.9 / 9,221.5 = 73.4%; FY2024 5,968.3 / 8,027.5 = 74.3%); Q4 GAAP 2,304 / 3,410 = 67.6%. Product gross margin (2,280 - 568) / 2,280 = 75.1% (FY2025 (1,801.9 - 413) / 1,801.9 = 77.1%); subscription and support (9,200 - 2,835) / 9,200 = 69.2% (FY2025 (7,419.6 - 2,038) / 7,419.6 = 72.5%). Operating margin 695 / 11,480 = 6.1% (FY2025 1,242.9 / 9,221.5 = 13.5%); non-GAAP 3,356 / 11,480 = 29.2% (FY2025 2,652 / 9,221.5 = 28.8%); Q4 non-GAAP 1,011 / 3,410 = 29.6%; gap 3,356 - 695 = 2,661. R&D 2,552 / 11,480 = 22.2%; sales and marketing 3,931 / 11,480 = 34.2%; capital expenditure 440 / 11,480 = 3.8%. Tax 229 / (307 + 229 = 536) = 42.7%. Mix: product share 492.7 / 928.1 = 53.1% (FY2015), 2,280 / 11,480 = 19.9% (FY2026); subscription 212.7 / 928.1 = 22.9%, 6,239 / 11,480 = 54.3%; support 222.7 / 928.1 = 24.0%, 2,961 / 11,480 = 25.8%; one point of share 1% x 11,480 = 115. Recurring share 435.4 / 928.1 = 46.9% (FY2015), 1,393.8 / 2,273.6 = 61.3% (FY2018), 3,135.8 / 4,256.1 = 73.7% (FY2021), 6,424.2 / 8,027.5 = 80.0% (FY2024). Subscription and support per dollar of product 435.4 / 492.7 = 0.88 (FY2015), 1,393.8 / 879.8 = 1.58 (FY2018), 3,135.8 / 1,120.3 = 2.80 (FY2021), 6,424.2 / 1,603.3 = 4.01 (FY2024), 9,200 / 2,280 = 4.04 (FY2026). Hardware about 10% x 11,480 = about 1,150, about 50% of product. NGS ARR 9.10 / 11.48 = 79% of revenue. United States 7,108 / 11,480 = 61.9% (FY2016 901.8 / 1,378.5 = 65.4%). Q4 share of year 3,410 / 11,480 = 29.7%, about 30%. Prisma AIRS ARR 100 / 11,480 = under 1%. ARR and RPO: Q3 acquired ARR 1.6 / 8.1 = 20%, about a fifth; Q3 organic 8.1 - 1.6 = 6.5; Q3 acquired RPO 1.8 / 18.4 = 10%; FY2023 NGS ARR 4.2 / 1.43 = about 2.9; FY2025 growth 5.6 / 4.2 - 1 = 33%; Q1 FY2027 net new 9.54 - 9.10 = 0.44 to 9.56 - 9.10 = 0.46 billion; FY2030 target (20 / 9.1)^(1/4) - 1 = 21.8% a year; RPO / revenue 21.2 / 11.48 = 1.85; RPO due in 12 months 1.7 / 3.1 = 55% (FY2019), 2.2 / 4.3 = 51% (FY2020), 3.1 / 5.9 = 53% (FY2021), 4.1 / 8.2 = 50% (FY2022), 5.1 / 10.6 = 48% (FY2023), 5.9 / 12.7 = 46% (FY2024), 7.0 / 15.8 = 44% (FY2025), 9.3 / 21.2 = 44% (FY2026); RPO beyond 12 months 21.2 - 9.3 = 11.9 billion; Idira guidance 1.5 / 1.26 - 1 = 19%; Network and AI Security FY2025 8.35 / 1.17 = about 7.14 billion. Revenue from prior deferred 6.2 / 5.5 - 1 = 13%. Cash, deferred revenue and stock pay: free cash flow margin 4,113 / 11,480 = 35.8%; share-based compensation (cash flow) 1,774 / 11,480 = 15.5%; 1,774 / 1,295 - 1 = 37%; 1,774 / 4,113 = 43%; free cash flow after stock pay 4,113 - 1,774 = 2,339, 2,339 / 11,480 = 20.4%, 2,339 / 306,540 = 0.76%; free cash flow 4,113 / 306,540 = 1.3% and 4,113 / 27,492 = 15%. Stock pay share of revenue FY2016 392.8 / 1,378.5 = 28.5%, FY2020 658.4 / 3,408.4 = 19.3%, FY2024 1,076 / 8,027.5 = 13.4%, FY2025 1,295 / 9,221.5 = 14.0%. 10-K share-based compensation 1,815 / 1,079 - 1 = 68%. Equity plan (26.1 + 24.3) / 818 = 6%. Net cash 2,514 + 557 + 4,835 - 1,774 = 6,132; cash and investments 2,514 + 557 + 4,835 = 7,906, about 7.9 billion. Deferred revenue 1,582.1 + 1,306.6 = 2,888.7 (FY2019); 2,741.9 + 2,282.1 = 5,024.0 (FY2021); 4,674.6 + 4,621.8 = 9,296.4 (FY2023); 6,302.2 + 6,449.7 = 12,751.9 (FY2025); 7,747 + 7,009 = 14,756 (FY2026); 14,756 / 11,480 = 1.29 times; 2,888.7 / 2,899.6 = about one year (FY2019); growth 14,756 / 12,751.9 - 1 = 15.7%; excluding CyberArk (14,756 - 776) / 12,751.9 - 1 = 9.6%. Billings FY2025 9,221.5 + (12,751.9 - 11,480.5) = 10,493, 10,493 / 10,208.1 - 1 = 2.8%; FY2026 11,480 + (14,756 - 12,752) - 776 = about 12,708, 12,708 / 10,493 - 1 = 21%; February 2024 guidance cut 10.7 - 10.1 = 0.6 billion. Acquisitions: fiscal 2019 378.1 + 474.2 + 158.2 + 292.9 + 82.7 + 36.8 + 103.1 = 1,526; fiscal 2020 144.1 + 66.4 = 210.5; fiscal 2021 797.2 + 227.7 + 156.9 + 27.0 = 1,209; fiscal 2024 255.4 + 458.6 = 714; fiscal 2025 1,143 + 635 = 1,778; fiscal 2026 2,951 + 21,061 + 231 + 117 = 24,360, about 24.4 billion; all twenty-two FY2019-FY2026 including Cider 198.3 = 29,996, about 30.0 billion; FY2026 against FY2019-FY2025 24,360 / 5,636 = 4.3 times; after year end 325 + 500 = 825; AI security 635 + 231 + 117 = 983. CyberArk shares 18,488 / 112 = about 165 a share; 25,000 - 21,061 = about 3.9 billion; 112 x 374.74 = about 42.0 billion; 112 / 818 = 14%. Chronosphere 2,951 / 160 = about 18 times ARR. Goodwill and intangibles (22,010 + 7,017) / 48,460 = 60%; other assets 48,460 - 29,027 = 19,433. Headcount 21,921 - 4,223 = 17,698, 17,698 / 16,068 - 1 = 10%. Revenue per employee 928.1 / 2,637 = 0.35; 9,221.5 / 16,068 = 0.57; 11,480 / 21,921 = 0.52. Convertible loss Q1-Q3 562 - 524 = 38. Distributors: FY2019 31.8 + 22.1 + 10.7 + 10.0 = 74.6%; FY2021 33.2 + 12.2 + 10.6 = 56.0%; FY2023 25.0 + 12.8 + 11.9 = 49.7%; FY2024 21.2 + 13.2 + 13.2 + 11.4 = 59.0%; FY2025 18.8 + 14.4 + 11.0 = 44.2%; FY2026 15 + 15 = 30%; largest 34.4% (FY2020) to 15% (FY2026); receivables FY2019 29.9 + 18.9 + 14.2 = 63.0%. Valuation: market value over fiscal revenue at calendar year-end 15.13 / 0.928 = 16.3 (2015), 11.47 / 1.3785 = 8.3 (2016), 42.19 / 5.5015 = 7.7 (2022), 92.98 / 6.8927 = 13.5 (2023), 119.40 / 8.0275 = 14.9 (2024), 128.39 / 9.2215 = 13.9 (2025); 306.54 / 11.48 = 26.7; 306.54 / 0.307 = 998; 374.74 / 3.84 = 97.6; market value against Fortinet 306.54 / 130.12 = 2.4, against CrowdStrike 306.54 / 267.43 = 1.15; analyst target 395.70 / 374.74 - 1 = 6% - valuation, cash flow, stock pay, deferred revenue, billings and acquisitions. — FY2015-FY2027 · publ. September 2026 · source ↗
    Method: Arithmetic on figures reported in Palo Alto Networks' Forms 10-K and results releases, the Q4 FY2026 earnings call and market data; operands shown in the source line.
  11. ReportedIts market value, $306.54 billion, is also an acquisition currency: CyberArk was paid for largely with 112 million new shares.
    Palo Alto Networks (PANW) market data - $374.74 at the close on 25 September 2026, market value $306.54 billion, trailing P/E 998.49, forward P/E 89.46, 52-week range $139.57-$398.88. — September 2026 · publ. 25 September 2026 · source ↗
  12. ReportedIts market value, $306.54 billion, is also an acquisition currency: CyberArk was paid for largely with 112 million new shares.
    Palo Alto Networks Form 10-K for fiscal 2026 (year ended 31 July 2026) - acquisition notes: CyberArk, Chronosphere and other purchase accounting, and pro forma results. — FY2026 · publ. 10 September 2026 · source ↗
  13. ReportedCortex growth is the cleanest test, because it competes with the platform rivals and the bundlers at once; its revenue grew 25% in fiscal 2026, and growth well below the guided 30% would mean specialists are winning.
    Palo Alto Networks fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings call transcript (Motley Fool) - platform revenue, platformized cohort retention, large deals and fiscal 2027 modelling points. — Q4 FY2026 · publ. 1 September 2026 · source ↗
Sources
Generated September 26, 2026