Small business▲+2Since September 2026: 0% → 2%, +2 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.
2%from 0% in September 2026
Inside the floor by 9 pointsRank 69 → 15 of 87
Palo Alto Networks · 1 category · RankedPalo Alto Networks NGFW
131Judge labels
22First choices
33Negative labels
14 / 14Models named it
1Category
October 2026 Edition. Every number here is derived from the raw labels under vendor table v2026-10.8, every buyer segment counted.
Best standing
35% in Firewalls for enterprise buyers
Rank 3 of 83 in the mid-market standingaccepted challenger
0 of 14 models made it the first choice on the direct prompt; 20% of its 44 labels there were negative.
What the models named instead of Palo Alto Networks NGFW →By buyer segmentStrongest at enterprise.
Small business18 of 99
2%33 labels
criticized challenger
Mid-market3 of 83
2%44 labels
accepted challenger
Enterprise2 of 88
35%54 labels
endorsed leader
In firewalls · each standing computed within its segment · bars are 0 to 100 · the accent bar is the product's own best reading
Standing by category
Every category where a model named Palo Alto Networks NGFW for a mid-market B2B company. Share is first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts; rank is within every product named in that category.
| Category | Function | Share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Quadrant | Since September 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Next-generation firewalls | Network and edge | 2% | 3 of 83 | 20% | 44 | accepted challenger | =heldSince September 2026: 2% → 2%, ±0 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked. |
Movement
Since September 2026, Palo Alto Networks NGFW held within the floor in its one category: no change cleared 11 points.
Best category · Firewalls · by segment
Mid-market=heldSince September 2026: 2% → 2%, ±0 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.
2%from 2% in September 2026
Inside the floor by 11 pointsRank 6 → 3 of 73
Enterprise▲+6Since September 2026: 32% → 38%, +6 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.
38%from 32% in September 2026
Inside the floor by 5 pointsRank 2 of 70, unchanged
All categories · Mid-market
| Category | September 2026 | Now | Change | Reading | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firewalls | 2% | 2% | =heldSince September 2026: 2% → 2%, ±0 points. Inside the 11-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked. | Within noise | Rank 6 → 3 of 83 |
Shares here are read over the models both editions asked, so they can differ by a point or two from the standing above, which counts every model in this edition.
The floor is 11 points of share, measured: how far the models move a leader on their own when the same questions are asked twice with nothing changed. A larger change is movement; a smaller one is noise, and both are shown. Movement is read over the twelve models both editions asked; GPT-6 Luna, Muse Glimmer 30B joined this edition and are in the standing but not yet in the comparison. How the floor is measured · The editions
By model
How each model treated Palo Alto Networks NGFW across every prompt where it was named for a mid-market B2B company. Fourteen models, six prompts per category.ShowHide
By model
How each model treated Palo Alto Networks NGFW across every prompt where it was named for a mid-market B2B company. Fourteen models, six prompts per category.
ShowHide| Model | First choice | Alternative | Mention | Negative | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| GPT-5.4 mini | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Perplexity Sonar | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Grok 4.20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Mistral Small | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Llama 4 Maverick | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| Kimi K2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| MiniMax M2.5 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| GPT-6 Luna | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Muse Glimmer 30B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
By framing
Which of the six questions produced the naming. By model says how often; this says asked what. The first-choice count on the right carries the marks of the models that produced it.
FramingLabels by classFirst choices
Direct25 labels9
Paraphrase14 labels7
Comparative26 labels18not counted in share
Budget-constrained19 labelsNone
Scale-constrained22 labels6
Negative25 labels3not counted in share
First choiceAlternativeMentionNegative131 labels in all, every segment counted; 22 of the 43 first choices count toward share, since the comparative and negative framings do not. The bar is one segment per label class, to scale within the framing.
What the models said for it
Verbatim evidence the judge attached to positive labels.
“Palo Alto Networks is widely considered the gold standard for enterprise-grade threat prevention and deep application visibility.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · Firewalls · comparative prompt · first choice
“Strongest reputation for advanced threat prevention... deepest security capabilities and strongest premium platform feel.” GPT-5.4 mini · Firewalls · comparative prompt · first choice
“Known for its "Single Pass" architecture... especially strong in security-focused enterprise environments” Mistral Small · Firewalls · comparative prompt · first choice
“Consider vendors like Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks, or Cisco that have proven mid-market solutions” GLM 4.7 FlashX · Firewalls · scale prompt · first choice
And against it
Verbatim evidence attached to negative labels. A warning on a product with few labels is a warning; on a product with many, it is one voice among them.
“Palo Alto Networks failed both network and transport-layer categories” Muse Glimmer 30B · Firewalls · negative prompt · hard negative
“Top-tier app control and Recommended ratings, but cons include high costs ("often most expensive per Mbps"), subscription stacking inflating TCO, and steep learning curve.” Grok 4.20 · Firewalls · negative prompt · soft negative
“Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, Cisco Secure Firewall/ASA, and Check Point all appear repeatedly in vulnerability lists and active exploitation coverage” GPT-5.4 mini · Firewalls · negative prompt · soft negative
“draw criticism for steep learning curves, high cost, poor interface design, and performance hits on lower-end hardware” DeepSeek V4 Flash · Firewalls · negative prompt · soft negative
Named alongside
The products named in the same answers as Palo Alto Networks NGFW, over the 131 answers that named it. Took the first choice instead counts the answers where the other product was the first choice and Palo Alto Networks NGFW was named but was not.ShowHide
Named alongside
The products named in the same answers as Palo Alto Networks NGFW, over the 131 answers that named it. Took the first choice instead counts the answers where the other product was the first choice and Palo Alto Networks NGFW was named but was not.
ShowHideProductSame answerTook the first choice insteadHead to head
A head-to-head page exists where both products are among a category's top eight. The other rows are the same fact without a page behind them, so they link to the product instead.
What carried it into the answer
The sites and pages cited by the answers that named Palo Alto Networks NGFW. A fact about retrieval, not a lever on the model.
Citations exist only for the models that return a source list, five of the fourteen in this edition, so these counts come from 117 of the 131 answers that named Palo Alto Networks NGFW and are not a share of its labels.
Domains cited
fortinet.com65
checkpoint.com62
comparitech.com47
learn.g2.com47
cybersecuritynews.com41
paloaltonetworks.comYour site40
cyberpress.org36
cisco.com30
gbhackers.com28
it-ai-index.com27
383 of the 423 domain citations in answers naming Palo Alto Networks NGFW came from somebody else's page.
Pages cited
Pages are listed as the models cited them.
Search and answers
Where Palo Alto Networks NGFW stands in Google search beside where it stands in the models' answers.ShowHide
Search and answers
Where Palo Alto Networks NGFW stands in Google search beside where it stands in the models' answers.
ShowHideIn search
Google, US estimates- Searches for its name, Google
- 1,300 a month (“palo alto networks ngfw”)
- AI search demand for its name, est.
- 2 a month
- Its own site
- It sits on Palo Alto Networks's site (paloaltonetworks.com), so there are no site figures for it alone
In answers
This editionShare of first choices
2%
rank 3 of 83 in firewalls
Segment leader
73%
Fortinet FortiGate
- First choices
- 22 across its categories
- Named in
- 131 answers
- Its own site cited
- in 117 of the answers that named it
Search figures are US estimates from DataForSEO, read September 28, 2026; AI search demand is its modeled, directional estimate, not a count of queries to any assistant. The answers are this edition's. Two measurements side by side: neither is read as the cause of the other.
Names read as Palo Alto Networks NGFW
What the judge wrote, as written, with how often. The vendor table decides that these count as Palo Alto Networks NGFW; a claim can dispute any of them.
Palo Alto Networks 28Palo Alto 7Palo Alto Networks (PA-Series / Strata) 2Palo Alto Networks (PA Series, Prisma) 1Palo Alto Networks (PA-Series / Prisma) 1Palo Alto Networks (PA-Series) 1Palo Alto Networks (PA-Series/Strata) 1Palo Alto Networks Security NGFW 1
Follow Palo Alto Networks NGFW
An email the morning each edition publishes: where this product moved, where it held, and by how much against the noise floor. One address, confirmed by a click; a stop link in every email.
Already following? Everything you follow, with a stop for each.
The company
Palo Alto Networks is the company behind Palo Alto Networks NGFW.ShowHide
The company
Palo Alto Networks is the company behind Palo Alto Networks NGFW.
ShowHideOn record
Company recordsIn its own words
Stated by the vendor, not checked- Positioning
- Best-in-Class Cloud Network Security
- For
- NGFW (Managed by Strata Cloud Manager)
- Price stated
- Estimate pricing paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/cloud-ngfw
- Free plan or trial
- Start free trial paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/cloud-ngfw
- Certifications
- Palo Alto Networks Certified Next-Generation Firewall Engineer
- Not stated on the pages read
- Starting price, integrations, hosting, customers
What Palo Alto Networks NGFW's own pages state, read October 5, 2026: paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/cloud-ngfw, paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/next-gen-trust-security, docs.paloaltonetworks.com/ngfw/networking/network-profiles, paloaltonetworks.com/services/education/palo-alto-networks-ngfw-engineer, paloaltonetworks.com/resources/videos/aiops-for-ngfw-by-palo-alto-networks. A claimed page can correct any of them.
Is this your product?
Claim this page
Claiming is free and changes nothing in the data. A claimed page shows a verified contact who is told when each edition publishes and when Palo Alto Networks NGFW's standing changes by more than the noise floor; the right to propose corrections to the vendor table, meaning names the judge wrote that should or should not read as Palo Alto Networks NGFW, applied by version and listed in the change log; and a one-line description supplied by the vendor and marked as such.
What a new claim receivesHide what a new claim receives
A new claim receives the current edition's vendor brief for Palo Alto Networks NGFW by email, built from the raw record of the edition. It shows:
- where Palo Alto Networks NGFW is named, by buyer and by framing, and which cells hold its first choices;
- the claims the models make when they name it, ranked, with the strongest and the weakest quoted;
- its vocabulary against the segment leader's, and the pages the models cited;
- who was chosen in the answers that did not name Palo Alto Networks NGFW, and every reason the record gives;
- a battlecard for each top rival: the head-to-head split, why they win, and the reservation quoted against them;
- one page of published figures cleared to show a buyer.
Badges
Wins only: a badge exists where Palo Alto Networks NGFW is ranked in a category's top three this edition. Three sizes, one file each, light and dark; the code is under each.ShowHide
Badges
Wins only: a badge exists where Palo Alto Networks NGFW is ranked in a category's top three this edition. Three sizes, one file each, light and dark; the code is under each.
ShowHidePalo Alto Networks NGFW is among the products AI models recommend first in Next-generation firewalls this edition. Each badge says so in the buyer's words, names the edition, and links to the standing. The next edition issues a new badge; this one stays true as a record of October 2026.
Wide · 320 × 104 Website, beside other badges
Square · 240 × 240 LinkedIn, slides
Compact · 200 × 56 Email signature, footer
Badges read on light and dark pages. Alt text carries the claim, the category, the edition and the index, so it stays a citation where the image does not load.