SOAR Platform Comparison: Splunk SOAR, Phantom, XSOAR & More

Security operations teams increasingly depend on multiple security tools to detect, investigate, and respond to threats. SIEM, EDR, XDR, threat intelligence, identity, email security, cloud security, and ticketing platforms each contribute different data or response capabilities.

The problem is coordination. Analysts often have to move between security tools, enrich alerts manually, investigate indicators, document findings, create tickets, and execute response actions. A SOAR platform brings these activities into structured workflows through security orchestration, automation, and response.

This guide compares leading SOAR tools, including Cortex XSOAR, Eventus SOAR Platform, Splunk SOAR, Tines, Torq, Swimlane, IBM QRadar SOAR, and FortiSOAR.

Key Takeaways

1. SOAR platforms connect security tools and automate repeatable investigation and response workflows.
2. Cortex XSOAR, Eventus SOAR Platform, Splunk SOAR, Tines, Torq, Swimlane, IBM QRadar SOAR, and FortiSOAR represent different approaches to security orchestration and automation.
3. Splunk Phantom is the former name of Splunk SOAR, so current platform comparisons should treat Phantom as part of the Splunk SOAR product lineage.
4. Enterprise SOAR selection should prioritize integration depth, automation, case management, governance, scalability, deployment, and TCO rather than connector count alone.
5. AI is extending SOAR with investigation assistance and adaptive workflows, but high-impact response actions still require appropriate governance and human oversight.

What Is a SOAR Platform?

A SOAR platform combines security orchestration, automation, and response capabilities to connect security tools, standardize workflows, automate repetitive tasks, and coordinate incident response.

The three components address different operational requirements:

• Security orchestration connects security tools and coordinates their actions.
• Security automation executes predefined tasks and workflows.
• Security response supports investigation, containment, remediation, and incident management.

A SOAR platform can connect a SIEM with endpoint detection tools, threat intelligence sources, identity systems, firewalls, email security, cloud security, and ticketing platforms.

A typical workflow can look like this:

Alert → enrichment → investigation → decision → response → case documentation

For example, a phishing alert can trigger a workflow that extracts indicators, queries threat intelligence, searches for related activity, checks the affected endpoint, creates an incident case, and performs an approved containment action.

The purpose is not simply to automate one task. It is to coordinate the security tools and processes involved in an incident.

How Does a SOAR Platform Work?

A SOAR platform receives security events, enriches them with contextual information, executes workflows or playbooks, coordinates actions across connected tools, and records the resulting investigation and response.

A common SOAR workflow contains:

1. Alert ingestion: The platform receives an alert from a SIEM, EDR, email security tool, or another source.
2. Enrichment: The workflow gathers information about indicators, users, assets, vulnerabilities, and threats.
3. Investigation: Automated queries and checks gather additional evidence.
4. Decision: Conditions determine the next action or escalate the case to an analyst.
5. Response: The platform executes approved actions such as blocking an indicator or isolating an endpoint.
6. Case management: Investigation results and actions are recorded for follow-up and auditing.

This structure allows security teams to automate repeatable processes while keeping human analysts involved where judgment is required.

Why Do Security Teams Use SOAR Platforms?

Security teams use SOAR to automate repetitive tasks, reduce alert fatigue, standardize incident response, connect disparate security tools, and help analysts focus on higher-value investigations. Automation is particularly useful when security teams handle large volumes of recurring alerts and response procedures.

What Are the Benefits of SOAR?

The main benefits of SOAR include faster response, reduced manual work, consistent workflows, better coordination across security tools, structured case management, and improved SOC efficiency.

Automating Repetitive Tasks

SOAR can automate activities such as:

• IOC enrichment
• Threat intelligence lookups
• Phishing investigation
• Ticket creation
• Alert classification
• Notification
• User or endpoint checks
• Indicator blocking
• Endpoint isolation

Automating these activities reduces the amount of time analysts spend performing the same steps for every alert.

Reducing Alert Fatigue

Alert fatigue occurs when analysts receive more alerts than they can effectively investigate.

SOAR can automatically enrich and prioritize alerts before they reach an analyst. This gives the security team more context and can reduce the amount of manual triage required.

Standardizing Incident Response

A playbook turns a documented response procedure into an executable workflow.

For example, a malware-response playbook can specify:

Detect → enrich → investigate → isolate → collect evidence → create case → escalate

The workflow can be applied consistently instead of relying on each analyst to remember every response step.

Improving Response Time

Automation can execute predefined actions immediately after a condition is met. This can reduce delays between detection and containment.

Security teams commonly measure this using Mean Time to Detect (MTTD) and Mean Time to Respond (MTTR). MTTD measures the time required to identify an event, while MTTR measures the time required to respond.

Connecting the Security Stack

SOAR platforms can connect SIEM systems, endpoint detection tools, threat intelligence, identity systems, ticketing platforms, firewalls, email security, and other security tools.

The objective is to make these tools work together rather than operate as isolated systems.

How Does SOAR Compare With SIEM, XDR, and Incident Response Platforms?

SIEM primarily collects and correlates security data for detection and investigation, while SOAR focuses on orchestrating actions and automating response workflows. XDR emphasizes detection and response across connected telemetry, while incident response platforms focus on managing investigations and response activities.

These technologies can operate together.

A SIEM may identify suspicious activity. SOAR can then enrich the alert, query other security tools, create a case, and execute approved response actions.

What Are the Best SOAR Tools for 2026?

Leading SOAR platforms in 2026 include Cortex XSOAR, Eventus SOAR Platform, Splunk SOAR, Tines, Torq, Swimlane, IBM QRadar SOAR, and FortiSOAR. Each platform takes a different approach to automation, integrations, case management, deployment, and AI.

Which SOAR Platforms Are Best for Enterprise Security Operations?

Enterprise SOAR platforms should be evaluated on integration depth, automation, case management, scalability, governance, deployment options, customization, and total cost of ownership. Enterprise requirements also make ecosystem compatibility particularly important.

What Should Enterprises Compare?

What Are the Leading SOAR Platforms for Enterprise Security Teams?

The leading platform depends on the enterprise's existing security ecosystem and operational model. Palo Alto Networks-centric organizations may prioritize Cortex XSOAR, organizations using an integrated security operations architecture may evaluate Eventus SOAR, and Splunk-centric organizations may prioritize Splunk SOAR.

Cortex XSOAR

Cortex XSOAR provides security orchestration through integrations, playbooks, incident management, and automation across security operations. 

Cortex XSOAR can therefore be relevant for organizations that need extensive security-tool integration and already operate within the Palo Alto Networks ecosystem.

Eventus SOAR Platform

The Eventus SOAR Platform is designed for incident management, security automation, orchestration, case management, threat intelligence, and AI/ML-powered security operations.

This makes Eventus relevant to organizations that want SOAR capabilities integrated into a wider security operations architecture rather than treating orchestration as an isolated tool.

If your security team is evaluating SOAR as part of a wider SOC transformation, look beyond automation alone. Consider how the platform will integrate with your existing SIEM, incident response, threat intelligence, and compliance processes.

Looking for a security partner in India? Eventus Security is CERT-In empanelled for cybersecurity services, including security auditing, vulnerability assessment and penetration testing, and incident readiness and response. Explore how Eventus can support your organization's broader security operations and compliance requirements.

Splunk SOAR

Splunk SOAR provides playbook automation, case management, and security orchestration across connected security tools, with both cloud and on-premises deployment options. 

Splunk also maintains integration with Splunk Enterprise, Splunk Cloud, and Splunk Enterprise Security.

Tines

Tines uses intelligent workflows, API connectivity, prebuilt workflows, AI-powered workflows, and case management to automate security operations. Tines positions its platform as a modern SOAR approach that can connect to security tools through APIs while allowing organizations to control the degree of workflow autonomy.

This can suit security teams that want flexible workflow automation across heterogeneous security and IT environments.

Torq

Torq provides security hyperautomation through deterministic and agentic workflows, cloud-native architecture, integrations, and AI-assisted workflow creation. Its platform is designed to automate security tasks and workflows across the enterprise security stack.

Swimlane

Swimlane combines low-code playbooks, AI automation, case management, dashboards, reporting, and API-driven integrations for enterprise security operations. Its current platform supports low-code playbook creation and AI-assisted workflow development while maintaining role-based permissions, approvals, and audit history.

IBM QRadar SOAR

IBM Security QRadar SOAR provides case management, orchestration, automation, alert enrichment, and playbook-based incident response. IBM describes the platform as supporting the automation and orchestration of people, processes, and technology associated with incident response, with cloud and on-premises deployment options.

FortiSOAR

FortiSOAR centralizes incident management and automates investigation and response workflows across security operations. Fortinet positions the platform as a central operations hub with broad integrations, prebuilt workflows, and playbook creation capabilities.

Which SOAR Capabilities Matter Most When Comparing Platforms?

The most important SOAR capabilities are integrations, orchestration, playbook automation, case management, threat intelligence, AI, governance, customization, and deployment flexibility. Compare these capabilities based on the security workflows your team needs to automate, not simply the number of features or connectors a vendor lists.

What Is the Difference Between Traditional SOAR and AI-Powered SOAR?

Traditional SOAR relies on predefined workflows and deterministic playbooks, while AI-powered SOAR adds AI-assisted investigation, decision support, and adaptive automation. Both approaches can coexist, with AI extending established automation rather than replacing security controls.

What Should Security Teams Check in AI-Powered SOAR?

Security teams should evaluate what the AI actually does, which actions it can execute, whether analysts can approve or restrict those actions, how decisions are audited, and how AI-generated recommendations are validated. AI capabilities vary across modern SOAR platforms.

How Can You Choose the Right SOAR Platform?

Choose a SOAR platform based on your security stack, automation needs, integrations, deployment model, governance, scalability, and total cost of ownership. 

How Much Does a SOAR Platform Cost?

SOAR pricing varies according to licensing, deployment, automation volume, integrations, users, implementation requirements, and support. Many enterprise SOAR vendors use pricing models that require direct vendor engagement, making TCO analysis more useful than comparing published list prices.

Before selecting a platform, calculate:

The best SOAR investment is not necessarily the cheapest platform. It is the one that produces measurable operational value without creating an unsustainable maintenance burden.

What Should Organizations Consider Before SOAR Adoption?

Successful SOAR adoption starts with clearly defined processes, carefully selected automation use cases, governance controls, and measurable outcomes. Automating a poorly designed process only makes that process execute faster.

Recommended practices include:

1. Document the current response process.
2. Select repetitive, predictable workflows.
3. Build modular playbooks.
4. Define approval requirements.
5. Assign playbook ownership.
6. Test workflows before production deployment.
7. Monitor automation failures.
8. Measure MTTD and MTTR.
9. Review playbooks when security tools change.
10. Maintain human oversight for high-impact actions.

This approach makes SOAR adoption measurable and reduces the risk of uncontrolled automation.

Which Is the Best SOAR Platform for 2026?

The best SOAR platform depends on your security stack, automation needs, deployment model, governance requirements, and total cost of ownership.

• Cortex XSOAR — Best for Palo Alto Networks-centric SOCs.
• Eventus SOAR Platform — Best for integrated security operations with SOAR, AI-based playbooks, case management, and threat intelligence.
• Splunk SOAR — Best for organizations already using Splunk for security operations.
• Tines — Best for flexible, workflow-based security automation.
• Torq — Best for cloud-native security hyperautomation.
• Swimlane — Best for enterprise security automation and low-code workflows.
• IBM QRadar SOAR — Best for enterprise incident response and IBM security environments.
• FortiSOAR — Best for organizations invested in the Fortinet security ecosystem.

The final choice should be validated through a proof of concept using real SOC workflows, critical integrations, response actions, case management, and governance requirements.

How Does Eventus Security Provide SOAR Capabilities?

Eventus Security provides Eventus SOAR Platform as part of its broader Eventus Platform, with capabilities including AI-based playbooks, case management, threat intelligence, custom integrations, analytics, and security automation. Eventus describes its platform as a unified security architecture designed to reduce security silos and alert overload.

The Eventus platform includes:

• Versatile playbooks
• Multi-tenancy
• Role-based visualization
• Curated threat intelligence
• Case management
• Advanced analytics and reporting
• Custom integrations and APIs
• AI/ML-powered insights
• Reduced alert fatigue

Eventus also describes its SOAR capabilities as supporting intelligent alert processing, AI-powered enrichment, automated investigation and response, and case management.

This positioning makes Eventus relevant to organizations that want security orchestration to operate alongside other security functions rather than as a completely separate security tool.

FAQ

What is a SOAR platform?

A SOAR platform connects security tools, automates repetitive security workflows, and coordinates incident investigation and response. It can integrate with SIEM, EDR, threat intelligence, identity, ticketing, network, email, and cloud security tools.

What is the difference between Splunk SOAR and Cortex XSOAR?

Both provide security orchestration, playbook automation, integrations, and case management, but ecosystem alignment is a major differentiator. Cortex XSOAR is closely associated with Palo Alto Networks, while Splunk SOAR integrates closely with Splunk security products.

Is Splunk Phantom the same as Splunk SOAR?

Yes. Splunk Phantom is the former product name for Splunk SOAR. Splunk officially renamed Phantom to Splunk SOAR, and current documentation identifies Splunk SOAR On-premises as formerly Splunk Phantom.

What SOAR capabilities does Eventus Security provide?

Eventus SOAR Platform provides security orchestration and automation capabilities including AI-based playbooks, case management, threat intelligence, custom integrations, analytics, and AI/ML-powered insights. Eventus also positions the platform within a broader security operations architecture.

Is Eventus Security CERT-In empanelled?

Yes. Eventus Security states that it is CERT-In empanelled for cybersecurity services, including vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, security auditing, and incident readiness and response. Eventus also describes how its SOC capabilities can support organisations addressing CERT-In requirements.