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EASM Compared

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Cortex Xpanse vs Hadrian: which ASM tool takes an exposure further?

THE SHORT ANSWER

Hadrian scores higher overall on our weights, 6.60 to 6.40. Cortex Xpanse scores higher on Finds the unlisted estate, Contains before the patch and Fits the enterprise stack; Hadrian scores higher on Proves exploitability, Closes the loop and Buying transparency; they tie on Routes to an owner. The table below gives the reason for every score.

By The Perimeter Desk · EASM Compared · Published 2026-10-11

Desk research from public vendor pages and documentation; vendor facts read September 2026, updated 13 October 2026. Editorial assessment; we did not test the products.

Cortex Xpanse

Rank 5 of 10

Cortex Xpanse closure trackFOUND: documented; OWNED: partial; PROVEN: not documented; CONTAINED: documented; ROUTED: documented; RECHECKED: not documented

Best for: Palo Alto Networks Cortex estates that want automated response through XSOAR

Read the Cortex Xpanse profile

Hadrian

Rank 4 of 10

Hadrian closure trackFOUND: documented; OWNED: partial; PROVEN: documented; CONTAINED: not documented; ROUTED: documented; RECHECKED: documented

Best for: Teams replacing periodic external pentests with continuous, agent-based proof

Read the Hadrian profile

Which tool scores higher on each criterion?

Criterion scores 0 to 10 with weights. Open Why for both reasons and sources.
CriterionCortex XpanseHadrianHigher
Finds the unlisted estate 15%
Why

Cortex Xpanse: Palo Alto Networks states it scans all 4.3 billion IPv4 addresses several times a day and 500 billion+ ports daily.

Source: Palo Alto Networks: Cortex Xpanse · Read 27 Sep 2026

Hadrian: Scans hourly or on events to keep the external inventory current; subsidiary mapping is not documented.

Source: Hadrian technology · Read 27 Sep 2026

8 / 107 / 10Cortex Xpanse
Routes to an owner 10%
Why

Cortex Xpanse: Identifies third-party stakeholders for exposures; subsidiary attribution detail is not on the pages reviewed.

Source: Palo Alto Networks: Cortex Xpanse attack surface management · Read 27 Sep 2026

Hadrian: Machine learning confirms whether an asset belongs to the organization.

Source: Hadrian technology · Read 27 Sep 2026

7 / 107 / 10Tie
Proves exploitability 20%
Why

Cortex Xpanse: Exploitability validation is not described on the product pages reviewed; the emphasis is discovery and response.

Source: Palo Alto Networks: Cortex Xpanse · Read 27 Sep 2026

Hadrian: Agentic AI exploits issues to prove impact; Hadrian states it proves exploitability within 15 minutes.

Source: Hadrian technology · Read 27 Sep 2026

5 / 109 / 10Hadrian
Contains before the patch 20%
Why

Cortex Xpanse: Active Response runs built-in automated playbooks against exposures; edge WAF rules are not named.

Source: Palo Alto Networks: Cortex Xpanse · Read 27 Sep 2026

Hadrian: No edge rule, playbook or other compensating control is described.

Source: Hadrian technology · Read 27 Sep 2026

7 / 102 / 10Cortex Xpanse
Closes the loop 15%
Why

Cortex Xpanse: Routes and remediates through Cortex XSOAR playbooks; a retest after the fix is not described.

Source: Palo Alto Networks: Cortex Xpanse attack surface management · Read 27 Sep 2026

Hadrian: Remediation guidance, automatic tickets and automatic regression testing after a fix.

Source: Hadrian technology · Read 27 Sep 2026

6 / 109 / 10Hadrian
Fits the enterprise stack 10%
Why

Cortex Xpanse: Native ties to Cortex XSOAR and Prisma Cloud inside the Palo Alto Networks Cortex portfolio.

Source: Palo Alto Networks: Cortex Xpanse attack surface management · Read 27 Sep 2026

Hadrian: Names Jira, ServiceNow, GLPI, Slack, Microsoft Teams, SentinelOne, Datadog, Zendesk and HubSpot plus an API.

Source: Hadrian integrations · Read 27 Sep 2026

9 / 106 / 10Cortex Xpanse
Buying transparency 10%
Why

Cortex Xpanse: No price from Palo Alto Networks; a UK G-Cloud reseller listing shows £70,850.84 per instance per year.

Source: UK G-Cloud 14 listing for Cortex Xpanse by reseller Khipu Networks · Read 11 Oct 2026

Hadrian: NOVA pentests from 1,250 euros per test excluding VAT, and ATLAS on AWS Marketplace at $50,000 per 12 months for up to 250 assets.

Source: Hadrian pricing (re-read) · Read 13 Oct 2026 · AWS Marketplace: Hadrian Atlas External Attack Surface Management · Read 11 Oct 2026

3 / 107 / 10Hadrian

Which steps does each tool document?

Cortex Xpanse

Cortex Xpanse closure trackFOUND: documented; OWNED: partial; PROVEN: not documented; CONTAINED: documented; ROUTED: documented; RECHECKED: not documented
  • Documented on the vendor's pages
  • Partial: only in general terms, a higher tier or another product
  • Not documented on the pages reviewed
A filled station means the vendor's own pages describe that step. It does not measure how well or how often the step works.
  1. FOUNDDocumented

    Internet-wide IPv4 scanning several times a day.

    Source: Palo Alto Networks: Cortex Xpanse · Read 27 Sep 2026

  2. OWNEDPartial

    Third-party stakeholders identified; subsidiary attribution not detailed.

    Source: Palo Alto Networks: Cortex Xpanse attack surface management · Read 27 Sep 2026

  3. PROVENNot documented

    Exploitability validation not described on the pages reviewed.

    Source: Palo Alto Networks: Cortex Xpanse · Read 27 Sep 2026

  4. CONTAINEDDocumented

    Active Response automated playbooks.

    Source: Palo Alto Networks: Cortex Xpanse · Read 27 Sep 2026

  5. ROUTEDDocumented

    Routing and remediation through Cortex XSOAR playbooks.

    Source: Palo Alto Networks: Cortex Xpanse attack surface management · Read 27 Sep 2026

  6. RECHECKEDNot documented

    Retest after a fix not described.

    Source: Palo Alto Networks: Cortex Xpanse attack surface management · Read 27 Sep 2026

Hadrian

Hadrian closure trackFOUND: documented; OWNED: partial; PROVEN: documented; CONTAINED: not documented; ROUTED: documented; RECHECKED: documented
  • Documented on the vendor's pages
  • Partial: only in general terms, a higher tier or another product
  • Not documented on the pages reviewed
A filled station means the vendor's own pages describe that step. It does not measure how well or how often the step works.
  1. FOUNDDocumented

    Hourly or event-triggered external scanning.

    Source: Hadrian technology · Read 27 Sep 2026

  2. OWNEDPartial

    Ownership confirmed by machine learning; subsidiary mapping not described.

    Source: Hadrian technology · Read 27 Sep 2026

  3. PROVENDocumented

    Agentic exploitation; proof within 15 minutes, per Hadrian.

    Source: Hadrian technology · Read 27 Sep 2026

  4. CONTAINEDNot documented

    No edge rule or compensating control described.

    Source: Hadrian technology · Read 27 Sep 2026

  5. ROUTEDDocumented

    Automatic ticket creation.

    Source: Hadrian technology · Read 27 Sep 2026

  6. RECHECKEDDocumented

    Automatic regression testing after fixes.

    Source: Hadrian technology · Read 27 Sep 2026

Documented by Cortex Xpanse only: CONTAINED.

Documented by Hadrian only: PROVEN and RECHECKED.

Documented by both: FOUND and ROUTED.

Partial counts as not documented for these three lines.

What do they cost?

Cortex Xpanse

No price from Palo Alto Networks. Reseller price: a UK G-Cloud 14 listing by Khipu Networks shows £70,850.84 per instance per year, no free trial, public-facing attack surface only.

Source: UK G-Cloud 14 listing for Cortex Xpanse by reseller Khipu Networks · Read 11 Oct 2026

To start: Not published on the pages reviewed.

Hadrian

NOVA agentic penetration test: from 1,250 euros per test excluding VAT. ATLAS on AWS Marketplace: 250 assets (domains, IP addresses and certificates) $50,000 per 12 months.

Source: Hadrian pricing (re-read) · Read 13 Oct 2026

To start: Not specified on the pages reviewed.

Which should you choose?

Choose Cortex Xpanse if

  • it matters most to you that it fits the enterprise stack (9/10)
  • it matters most to you that it finds the unlisted estate (8/10)

Choose Cortex Xpanse if Cortex XSOAR already runs your response and you want exposures acted on by playbook. Look elsewhere if proof of exploitability is your main gap.

Choose Hadrian if

  • it matters most to you that it proves exploitability (9/10)
  • it matters most to you that it closes the loop (9/10)

Choose Hadrian if you want continuous, attack-based proof in place of periodic external pentests, with a price you can see. Look elsewhere if you need edge mitigation or attribution across many subsidiaries.

Frequently asked questions

Which proves exploitability better, Cortex Xpanse or Hadrian?

Hadrian scores higher on our proof criterion (Cortex Xpanse 5/10, Hadrian 9/10). Cortex Xpanse: Exploitability validation is not described on the product pages reviewed; the emphasis is discovery and response. Hadrian: Agentic AI exploits issues to prove impact; Hadrian states it proves exploitability within 15 minutes.

Can Cortex Xpanse or Hadrian contain an exposure before the patch?

Cortex Xpanse documents one: Active Response automated playbooks. Hadrian: not documented on the pages reviewed Contain scores: Cortex Xpanse 7/10, Hadrian 2/10.

Which is easier to buy, Cortex Xpanse or Hadrian?

Cortex Xpanse: No price from Palo Alto Networks. Reseller price: a UK G-Cloud 14 listing by Khipu Networks shows £70,850.84 per instance per year, no free trial, public-facing attack surface only. Hadrian: NOVA agentic penetration test: from 1,250 euros per test excluding VAT. ATLAS on AWS Marketplace: 250 assets (domains, IP addresses and certificates) $50,000 per 12 months. Buying transparency scores: Cortex Xpanse 3/10, Hadrian 7/10.