The Top 12 SOAR Platforms to Supercharge Your Security Operations

Security teams face hundreds—sometimes thousands—of alerts every day.  Real threats are mixed with low-risk noise, but separating the two can take hours of manual cross-checking across systems, reviewing logs, and chasing down known false positives. It’s a rhythm that quickly leads to exhaustion, and it’s not hard to see why alert fatigue is one of the biggest challenges security teams face.

SOAR—Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response—takes repetitive tasks off your team’s plate, automating response playbooks, enhancing incident management, and even analyzing patterns over time.

Which SOAR solution is best suited for your organization? Soon, we’ll look at the top 12 SOAR platforms and what each offers.

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What is a SOAR Platform?

A SOAR platform (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response) is like the command center for your security operations. Think of it as your security team’s “easy button” for handling the repetitive and time-consuming tasks involved in monitoring, responding, and mitigating threats. Unlike other tools that focus on collecting and analyzing data (like SIEMs), SOAR platform cybersecurity is designed to take action—automatically and at scale.

SOAR platforms integrate and orchestrate multiple tools—like Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), Threat Intelligence, Vulnerability Management, and more—bringing everything under one roof. They streamline workflows by automating complex processes, creating playbooks for common incident responses, and using threat intelligence to prioritize real threats over false alarms.

What Does S-O-A-R Mean?

SOAR, which stands for Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response, brings together the essential elements to supercharge your security team’s capabilities. Here’s a look at how each letter of the acronym contributes to a smoother, faster, and smarter approach to security.

• S: Security

SOAR platforms are built to keep security front and center, providing a solid foundation to manage threats. With SOAR, all your tools and insights come together in one place, streamlining defenses and making it easier to detect, analyze, and act on threats—all from a single command center.

• O: Orchestration

Orchestration syncs your tools seamlessly, turning your defenses into a powerful, coordinated response system. SOAR allows threat intelligence, endpoint protection, firewalls, and reports to communicate and share data smoothly, creating a fast-moving, unified security operation that leaves no gaps.

• A: Automation

With SOAR’s automation capabilities, routine tasks become swift, automatic processes. SOAR handles everything from threat validation to initiating responses, empowering your team to focus on critical analysis and strategy while handling the operational details on its own.

• R: Response

SOAR is action-driven at its core, meaning it doesn’t just observe; it actively responds. It swiftly executes tasks like isolating suspicious endpoints or blocking risky IPs, maintaining a consistent and quick approach to neutralizing threats. With SOAR, your team always has a trusted first responder.

SOAR vs. SIEM

Both SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) and SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response) are essential tools for security teams but have unique roles in protecting your environment:

• SIEM as the Eyes: SIEM gathers, analyzes, and alerts on security data, giving teams visibility into potential threats. Think of SIEM as your “radar,” scanning for unusual activities and flagging them for review.
• SOAR as the Brain and Hands: SOAR steps in to handle those alerts. By automating responses, orchestrating workflows across tools, and even running incident playbooks, SOAR reduces manual work for your team. SOAR doesn’t just detect but acts, managing threats more quickly and consistently. This can mean blocking a malicious IP, containing a suspicious endpoint, or sending immediate alerts to stakeholders—all without waiting for human intervention.

12 Top SOAR Platforms

1. Splunk SOAR

Splunk SOAR (formerly known as Phantom) is widely known for its integration depth and flexibility. It’s built to handle complex workflows and connect easily with numerous data sources. Splunk SOAR is ideal for organizations with mixed tech stacks, providing a comprehensive solution for automating responses, running playbooks, and centralizing security operations. Plus, if your team is already using Splunk for SIEM, this is a natural extension.

Best For: Organizations needing highly customizable automation capabilities with multiple data sources.

2. Cortex XSOAR by Palo Alto Networks

A leader in endpoint and network security, Palo Alto Networks offers Cortex XSOAR, a SOAR platform with a rich library of integrations and out-of-the-box playbooks. With Cortex XSOAR, you can automate response and incident triage with built-in intelligence, making it a great choice for organizations with a variety of security tools and processes.

Best For: Enterprises looking for extensive, built-in playbooks and intelligence-powered automation.

3. IBM Security QRadar SOAR

IBM QRadar SOAR (formerly Resilient) offers end-to-end case management and a powerful orchestration engine. Known for its detailed incident response functionalities, it’s designed for use by teams looking to fine-tune every aspect of their workflows. IBM QRadar integrates smoothly with IBM’s other cybersecurity solutions, making it ideal for larger organizations with significant incident management needs.

Best For: Large enterprises focused on granular incident response and tight integration within the IBM ecosystem.

4. Siemplify (Now Part of Google Cloud)

Siemplify has gained attention for its intuitive interface and is especially appealing for managed security service providers (MSSPs). Now part of Google Cloud, Siemplify helps teams cut down on alert fatigue with tools for playbook automation and threat intelligence management. It’s especially valuable for organizations wanting to scale operations without adding headcount.

Best For: MSSPs and SOCs looking for a scalable solution for automated workflows and threat intelligence.

5. ServiceNow Security Operations

ServiceNow’s Security Operations integrates seamlessly with its IT service management platform, which is a huge benefit for organizations already using ServiceNow. The platform offers automation and orchestration capabilities specifically designed for improving security operations, incident response, and vulnerability management workflows.

Best For: Organizations deeply invested in the ServiceNow ecosystem looking to unify IT and security operations.

6. Swimlane

Swimlane stands out for its low-code automation, allowing analysts with limited programming knowledge to create and manage complex playbooks. With its flexibility and ease of customization, Swimlane is suitable for teams that want high levels of control over automation but need to avoid extensive coding.

Best For: Teams with limited coding resources seeking a highly customizable, low-code SOAR solution.

7. DFLabs (IncMan SOAR)

DFLabs IncMan SOAR is well-regarded for its advanced automation and incident response features, including the ability to build custom workflows without heavy coding. It emphasizes flexibility in response automation and is particularly useful in high-security environments that need a fully adaptable SOAR solution.

Best For: High-security industries needing granular control over incident response workflows.

8. Rapid7 InsightConnect

InsightConnect by Rapid7 is highly accessible, designed to simplify workflow automation for security teams of all sizes. It integrates well with other Rapid7 solutions, making it an efficient choice for companies already using Rapid7’s vulnerability and incident management tools. InsightConnect is also known for providing excellent pre-built playbooks and an intuitive interface.

Best For: Small to mid-sized teams or those already using Rapid7, looking for ease of setup and deployment.

9. SIRP (Security Incident Response Platform)

SIRP is an analytics-driven SOAR that emphasizes risk-based management of security incidents. It combines automation with insights into risk levels, allowing teams to prioritize incident response based on impact. This approach is valuable for organizations aiming to align incident response with overall risk management strategies.

Best For: Organizations focused on risk-based incident response with analytics-driven prioritization.

10. ThreatConnect

ThreatConnect’s unique offering is its combination of threat intelligence with orchestration and automation. Built with intelligence analysis in mind, it’s highly effective for organizations with mature threat intelligence functions, allowing for well-informed, context-rich automation.

Best For: Teams with a mature threat intelligence program needing integration between intelligence and automated response.

11. LogRhythm SOAR

LogRhythm SOAR is a powerful platform built to integrate seamlessly with LogRhythm’s NextGen SIEM solution. It’s particularly valuable for automating and streamlining security operations and compliance efforts, with easy-to-implement workflows that reduce manual tasks.

Best For: Organizations using LogRhythm’s SIEM, looking to simplify compliance and incident response.

12. FortiSOAR by Fortinet

FortiSOAR is Fortinet’s answer to complex security operations challenges. Known for its scalability and ease of integration with other Fortinet products, FortiSOAR provides centralized automation and case management. Its modular approach makes it a good choice for organizations looking to build tailored solutions that grow with their needs.

Best For: Teams heavily invested in Fortinet products needing a scalable and customizable SOAR solution.

Exploring Free and Open Source SOAR Platforms

For organizations seeking powerful automation capabilities without a large investment, free SOAR platforms are excellent options. These solutions offer flexible and customizable security orchestration tools that fit various budgets and resource levels. Open-source SOAR platforms, in particular, give organizations the freedom to tailor workflows and integrations to their unique security operations.

Some popular open-source SOAR platforms include TheHive and Shuffle, designed for teams experimenting with and implementing robust automation without heavy licensing costs. While free SOAR platforms might require more in-house setup and maintenance, they allow for high degrees of customization, making them well-suited to security teams with development expertise.

Choosing between a commercial and open-source SOAR platform depends on your organization’s needs, budget, and technical capabilities. A free SOAR platform could be an ideal starting point, giving your team powerful tools to automate repetitive tasks and streamline incident response without initial financial commitment.

When Do You Know You Need a SOAR Platform Vendor?

Here are a few indicators that it might be time for your team to bring in a SOAR solution:

• Alert Fatigue: If your team is bogged down by too many low-priority alerts, SOAR can filter and automate responses to free up analyst time.
• Repetitive Tasks: Automating simple but time-consuming tasks can significantly increase your team’s efficiency.
• Scalability Challenges: If your organization is expanding rapidly and hiring more analysts isn’t feasible, SOAR can help you handle the increased workload without adding headcount.
• Multi-Tool Ecosystem: For organizations managing a range of security tools, SOAR provides a unified platform, reducing the manual overhead of switching between solutions.

Final Word

Ready to get started with SOAR? Assess your needs carefully, and choose the solution that empowers your team to focus on high-value tasks while automating the rest. With SOAR, you’ll keep the threats at bay without burning out your security talent.