Palo Alto Networks Cortex Xpanse is a commercial external attack surface management solution by Palo Alto Networks. Smogcloud is a free external attack surface management solution. 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.
Active attack surface mgmt solution for discovering & remediating unknown risks
A Go-based tool for discovering and inventorying internet-facing AWS assets across single or multiple accounts to help maintain comprehensive cloud attack surface visibility.
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Based on what each listing shows: deployment, company size, price and open source.
Palo Alto Networks Cortex Xpanse fits if you want a cloud product.
Smogcloud fits if you need to run it on your own servers, you are a small business, you need a free product and you want an open-source product.
Common questions when comparing Palo Alto Networks Cortex Xpanse vs Smogcloud for external attack surface management.
Palo Alto Networks Cortex Xpanse: Active attack surface mgmt solution for discovering & remediating unknown risks, built by Palo Alto Networks.
Smogcloud: A Go-based tool for discovering and inventorying internet-facing AWS assets across single or multiple accounts to help maintain comprehensive cloud attack surface visibility.
The table above shows where their features, integrations, deployment and company size fit differ.
Palo Alto Networks Cortex Xpanse is made by Palo Alto Networks. Smogcloud is open-source with 347 GitHub stars. The vendor behind a product decides its roadmap, support, and longevity, so check each company's profile before you commit.
Often, yes. Palo Alto Networks Cortex Xpanse and Smogcloud are both External Attack Surface Management products, and both cover Reconnaissance. Key differences: Palo Alto Networks Cortex Xpanse is Commercial while Smogcloud is Free, Smogcloud is open-source. 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
