ServiceNow Security OperationsvSplunk SOAR (Cisco)
ServiceNow Security Operations 4.90Splunk SOAR (Cisco) 6.68
ServiceNow Security Operations v Splunk SOAR (Cisco): the totals are 1.78 apart, outside the 0.25 band. Splunk SOAR (Cisco) leads on the total; the rows below say why. Rows won: ServiceNow Security Operations 2, Splunk SOAR (Cisco) 7, level 0.
The difference that decides ServiceNow Security Operations v Splunk SOAR (Cisco)
On playbook authoring, Splunk SOAR builds playbooks in a modern visual editor backed by Python, after removing the classic editor in 6.4.0 (score 8.0), while ServiceNow SecOps had no SecOps workflow tooling confirmed in the pages read (score 4.0). help.splunk.com, read 2026-11-03
Rows with the widest weighted gap: Playbook authoring model (Splunk SOAR (Cisco) ahead by 4.0), Integration count and depth documented (Splunk SOAR (Cisco) ahead by 3.0), Migration tooling and import or export formats (Splunk SOAR (Cisco) ahead by 3.0).
ServiceNow Security Operations v Splunk SOAR (Cisco): the nine rows side by side
Playbook authoring model
weight 14 of 100ServiceNow Security Operations
4.0
Not found in the pages read on 2026-11-03. Workflow tooling for SecOps was not confirmed.
servicenow.com, read 2026-11-03
Splunk SOAR (Cisco)
8.0Ahead
Release notes show the classic visual editor was removed in 6.4.0 (2025-02-20) and playbooks are now built in the modern editor with Python; classic playbooks must be converted to edit them visually.
help.splunk.com, read 2026-11-03
Integration count and depth documented
weight 14 of 100ServiceNow Security Operations
5.0
An AI-Powered Integration Builder, generally available in Q1 2026, drafts integrations from REST API docs for review. Microsoft Sentinel ingestion and sync continue to work in the Defender portal. No count.
servicenow.com, read 2026-11-03
Splunk SOAR (Cisco)
8.0Ahead
Splunk's blog states 300+ third-party tools and 2,800+ automated actions (vendor claim; read through a search summary, page not opened).
splunk.com, read 2026-11-03 (vendor claim) (search summary only)
Case management and collaboration
weight 8 of 100ServiceNow Security Operations
8.0Ahead
Q1 2026 release adds bulk linking of incidents to a parent, read-only sharing of incidents with external parties and MITRE D3FEND suggestions in the incident workspace.
servicenow.com, read 2026-11-03
Splunk SOAR (Cisco)
6.0
Microsoft's mapping table lists Splunk containers and cases as the incident and case objects. Collaboration features were not read on a Splunk page.
learn.microsoft.com, read 2026-11-03
Approvals and human-in-the-loop controls
weight 12 of 100ServiceNow Security Operations
4.0
Not found in the pages read on 2026-11-03.
servicenow.com, read 2026-11-03
Splunk SOAR (Cisco)
5.0Ahead
Approval before actions is documented per a third-party reading of Splunk pages; the Splunk documentation page was not opened.
splunk.com, read 2026-11-03 (search summary only)
Agentic or AI features that are documented
weight 12 of 100ServiceNow Security Operations
7.0
Vendor describes agentic incident response with a Tier 2 SOC AI specialist and natural-language work with agents; ServiceNow reports its own SOC handles incidents seven times faster (vendor claim, May 2026).
businesswire.com, read 2026-11-03 (vendor claim) (search summary only)
Splunk SOAR (Cisco)
8.0Ahead
Release notes: Automation Builder agent in 8.6.0 (understands playbooks, builds playbooks), Connector Builder Agent added in 8.7.0 (2026-09-02). Cloud only and needs Splunk Enterprise Security 8.6 or later. The agents build automation; they do not decide cases.
help.splunk.com, read 2026-11-03
Hosting and data residency options
weight 8 of 100ServiceNow Security Operations
4.0
Not found in the pages read on 2026-11-03.
servicenow.com, read 2026-11-03
Splunk SOAR (Cisco)
8.0Ahead
Cloud, on-prem and hybrid per Splunk material; 8.6.0 adds FIPS 140-3 for FedRAMP Cloud. Regions not read.
help.splunk.com, read 2026-11-03
Pricing model and transparency
weight 8 of 100ServiceNow Security Operations
3.0
Not found in the pages read on 2026-11-03.
servicenow.com, read 2026-11-03
Splunk SOAR (Cisco)
4.0Ahead
No price published. Splunk states a SOAR subscription is required in addition to Enterprise Security for orchestration inside ES, so the licence is separate.
splunk.com, read 2026-11-03 (search summary only)
Migration tooling and import or export formats
weight 14 of 100ServiceNow Security Operations
3.0
Not found in the pages read on 2026-11-03.
servicenow.com, read 2026-11-03
Splunk SOAR (Cisco)
6.0Ahead
Splunk's help pages, read 2026-11-03, name the formats: a playbook downloads as a JSON file and imports as a .tgz archive, the on-prem to Cloud path says to convert playbooks to Python 3 first, and no export to another SOAR is documented, though Microsoft publishes a concept map from Splunk SOAR to Sentinel.
help.splunk.com, read 2026-11-03; learn.microsoft.com, read 2026-11-03
Ownership stability
weight 10 of 100ServiceNow Security Operations
7.0Ahead
Public parent; SecOps is sold inside the ServiceNow platform, so the buyer needs it. No SecOps end-of-sale notice found.
businesswire.com, read 2026-11-03 (search summary only)
Splunk SOAR (Cisco)
6.0
Owned by Cisco since the Splunk deal (closing date 2024-03-18 per D3, a competitor). Splunk now describes SOAR as a native capability within Enterprise Security but licensed separately. No end-of-sale notice found. Python 3.9 support ends with the September 2026 release.
splunk.com, read 2026-11-03 (vendor claim) (search summary only); help.splunk.com, read 2026-11-03 (vendor claim) (search summary only)
The verdict for ServiceNow Security Operations v Splunk SOAR (Cisco), by buyer type
- Microsoft shop
- ServiceNow SecOps fits better, because it keeps Microsoft Sentinel ingestion and sync working in the Defender portal, per its Q1 2026 release notes; Splunk SOAR documents nothing for this buyer type on the pages read.
- Splunk shop
- Splunk SOAR fits better, because it is native inside Splunk Enterprise Security, with a separate SOAR subscription required; ServiceNow SecOps documents nothing for this buyer type on the pages read.
- regulated or air-gapped
- Splunk SOAR fits better, because it deploys to cloud, on-prem or hybrid, with FIPS 140-3 for FedRAMP Cloud added in 8.6.0; ServiceNow SecOps documents nothing for this buyer type on the pages read.
When to pick each
Pick ServiceNow Security Operations when
Pick ServiceNow SecOps when you are a Microsoft shop and you want a tool that keeps Microsoft Sentinel ingestion and sync working in the Defender portal, per its Q1 2026 release notes.
Pick Splunk SOAR (Cisco) when
Pick Splunk SOAR when you are a Splunk shop and you want a tool that is native inside Splunk Enterprise Security, with a separate SOAR subscription required.
Moving playbooks between ServiceNow Security Operations and Splunk SOAR (Cisco)
The portability matrix records seven playbook types for each direction it covers. Verdicts are documentation findings, not test results. How the matrix is built.
| Playbook type | Verdict | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Enrichment lookups | rebuild from scratch | ServiceNow Security Operations documents update set XML (third-party guide only), but no importer for it or migration guide was found for Splunk SOAR, so no documented path on 2026-11-03. servicenow.com, read 2026-11-03 |
| Phishing triage | rebuild from scratch | ServiceNow Security Operations documents update set XML (third-party guide only), but no importer for it or migration guide was found for Splunk SOAR, so no documented path on 2026-11-03. servicenow.com, read 2026-11-03 |
| Endpoint containment | rebuild from scratch | ServiceNow Security Operations documents update set XML (third-party guide only), but no importer for it or migration guide was found for Splunk SOAR, so no documented path on 2026-11-03. servicenow.com, read 2026-11-03 |
| Identity actions | rebuild from scratch | ServiceNow Security Operations documents update set XML (third-party guide only), but no importer for it or migration guide was found for Splunk SOAR, so no documented path on 2026-11-03. servicenow.com, read 2026-11-03 |
| Ticketing and case sync | rebuild from scratch | ServiceNow Security Operations documents update set XML (third-party guide only), but no importer for it or migration guide was found for Splunk SOAR, so no documented path on 2026-11-03. servicenow.com, read 2026-11-03 |
| Custom scripted logic | rebuild from scratch | ServiceNow Security Operations custom logic is no scripting language named on the page read, but Splunk SOAR documents no importer for it, so no documented path on 2026-11-03. servicenow.com, read 2026-11-03 |
| Scheduled or batch jobs | rebuild from scratch | ServiceNow Security Operations documents update set XML (third-party guide only), but no importer for it or migration guide was found for Splunk SOAR, so no documented path on 2026-11-03. servicenow.com, read 2026-11-03 |
Profiles
ServiceNow Security Operations. Splunk SOAR (Cisco). Alternatives: instead of ServiceNow Security Operations, instead of Splunk SOAR (Cisco).