Cobalt Attack Surface Monitoring is a commercial external attack surface management solution by Cobalt. Palo Alto Networks Cortex Xpanse is a commercial external attack surface management solution by Palo Alto Networks. Features, integrations, deployment and the company behind each one, side by side.
What our shortlists say about the one we picked.
Best for: Large companies wanting automated fixes for exposures
It earns a place because it goes past listing exposures, since automated playbooks close them without a ticket, which suits a large company with a sprawling footprint. It fits mid-market and enterprise teams. Agree up front which fixes the playbooks may run on their own, because automatic changes to live assets need an owner.
From Best Attack Surface Management Solutions for Business, Fall 2026
Reviewed by Nika (Nikoloz) Kokhreidze.
Continuous external asset discovery and monitoring with daily domain scans.
Active attack surface mgmt solution for discovering & remediating unknown risks
See more solutions in this category, or build a security stack from your picks.
Based on what each listing shows: deployment, company size, price and open source.
Cobalt Attack Surface Monitoring fits if you are a small business.
Common questions when comparing Cobalt Attack Surface Monitoring vs Palo Alto Networks Cortex Xpanse for external attack surface management.
Cobalt Attack Surface Monitoring: Continuous external asset discovery and monitoring with daily domain scans, built by Cobalt.
Palo Alto Networks Cortex Xpanse: Active attack surface mgmt solution for discovering & remediating unknown risks, built by Palo Alto Networks.
The table above shows where their features, integrations, deployment and company size fit differ.
Cobalt Attack Surface Monitoring is made by Cobalt. Palo Alto Networks Cortex Xpanse is made by Palo Alto Networks. The vendor behind a product decides its roadmap, support, and longevity, so check each company's profile before you commit.
Often, yes. Cobalt Attack Surface Monitoring and Palo Alto Networks Cortex Xpanse are both External Attack Surface Management products, and both cover Reconnaissance. Use the table above to see where features, deployment and company size fit differ.
Need the answer fast? Best Attack Surface Management Solutions for Business picks Palo Alto Networks Cortex Xpanse, Microsoft Defender EASM, Google Mandiant Attack Surface Management and 4 more.See the shortlist
