How Much Does Cisco Umbrella Cost?
Cisco Umbrella costs less than $2 per user per month according to some reseller sites, but this price only applies if subscribe to a feature-limited plan for more than a thousand users and you are willing to pay for three years’ service in advance. If you want a higher level of protection, have a smaller user base, or want to subscribe for less than three years, expect to pay three or four times as much.
The Internet is a great place to find answers to questions unless you are looking for an accurate and up-to-date answer to the question how much does Cisco Umbrella cost. Very few websites mention Cisco Umbrella pricing; and, of those that do, some claim prices are available on request, some quote prices from several years ago, and others rely on hearsay.
The tell-tale sign that some sources may have accurate and up-to-date information about Cisco Umbrella pricing is that they acknowledge there is more than one Cisco Umbrella plan. There are currently four Cisco Umbrella tiers, ranging from the feature-limited DNS Essentials tier to the SIG Advantage tier – which is an advanced secure access service edge (SASE) solution.
There is no single correct answer to the question how much does Cisco Umbrella cost. Instead, it depends on the level of protection a business subscribes to under one of the following plans. Please note, the table below only provides a snapshot of each plan´s features and capabilities. For the full feature list, you need to download the Cisco Umbrella Package Comparison.
As well as there being four plans to choose from, Cisco Umbrella pricing varies according to the number of users, the number of years a business is willing to subscribe to a plan, whether the business pays for the subscription all up front – or pays monthly, quarterly, or annually – AND what discount the business is able to extract from Cisco or a reseller via negotiation.
While it might be possible to produce a Cisco Umbrella price list that calculates the cost of Cisco Umbrella based on fixed factors such as the number of users, the length of the subscription, and the payment frequency, it is impossible to find out how much does Cisco Umbrella cost because of the variable factor of how much discount you can get via negotiation.
Cisco Umbrella Price Conditioning
Price conditioning is a factor in most popular sales strategies. A vendor discovers what challenges a customer has, explains how their product can resolve the challenges, and asks how much the product will save them. The vendor then has a figure they can work with to maximize the profit between the cost of the product and what the customer is prepared to pay.
The failure to produce a Cisco Umbrella price list implies that Cisco and its resellers also play this game. It is noticeable that if you register for the free trial of Cisco Umbrella or a demo, you are given access to (or shown) the full SIG Advantage SASE solution. This enables Cisco´s salesperson to come down tiers of plans to reduce cost, rather than offer discounts.
If the cost of Cisco Umbrella remains an objection, the salesperson will likely negotiate over price. However, be alert to “introductory prices” which may increase substantially when a subscription is due for renewal. While renewal costs can also be negotiated, if you are unable to achieve the discount you want, it will likely cost time and money to switch your custom to another vendor.
How Much Does Cisco Umbrella Cost (Please Read Caveat)
While researching multiple sources in the preparation of this article, a source was found that had published prices for the two DNS plans. The Cisco Umbrella SIG Essentials pricing was “on request”, and there was no indication that any Cisco Umbrella SIG Advantage pricing was available. This could imply that the price list is pre-2022, or that the reseller was not qualified to sell SIG Advantage.
The caveat to this example of how much does Cisco Umbrella cost is that this source is offering an automatic discount of 25% at checkout on all orders prior to any discount for payment frequency. The following table has been adjusted to reflect the cost of the two Cisco Umbrella DNS plans at checkout before any further discounts due to prepayment or negotiation are applied.
| Cisco Umbrella | DNS Essentials / user / year | DNS Advantage / user / year | ||
| Nº of Users | 1 Year | 3 Years | 1 Year | 3 Years |
| 1 to 99 | $44.55 | $40.23 | $66.82 | $60.20 |
| 100 to 499 | $37.90 | $34.05 | $56.82 | $51.08 |
| 500 to 999 | $28.11 | $25.24 | $42.07 | $37.92 |
| 1,000 to 4,999 | $25.83 | $23.26 | $38.80 | $34.85 |
| 5,000 to 9,999 | $22.27 | $20.10 | $33.48 | $30.10 |
| 10,000 to 24,999 | $21.38 | $19.21 | $32.07 | $28.89 |
| 25,000+ | $20.10 | $18.01 | $30.06 | $27.03 |
It is important to be aware these prices do not appear to include the cost of Cisco AnyConnect – the tool that enables users to connect devices to the corporate network when they are working remotely. If you choose to add this option, you may also need to add the Network Visibility Module, Cisco Identity Services Engine, and Cisco Umbrella Roaming – all at an additional cost.
The Add-Ons Can Add Up
In additional to the add-ons mentioned above that businesses may have to consider if subscribing to the AnyConnect service, there is also a mandatory charge for onboarding and technical support, and a further charge for phone support and the services of a Technical Account Manager. These charges apply to all plans whether you need assistance with onboarding or not.
There are further add-ons businesses may consider necessary if they wish to block connections that bypass the DNS filter (i.e., Command and Control Callbacks), create policies and view reports via AD integration, or take advantage of Cisco´s Talos Incident Response service that provides threat intelligence to help businesses better prepare for, respond to, and recover from a security incident.
Finally, the Talos Incident Response service will more likely be required by subscribers to the DNS Essentials plan, as this plan does not include SSL decryption and inspection. More than 80% of websites use SSL encryption, and as the basic Cisco Umbrella plan is incapable of reading encrypted traffic, it is less than 20% effective at filtering the Internet or preventing a security incident.
FAQs
What is a DNS-based web filter?
A DNS-based web filter is an Internet security solution that is used to block Internet-based threats and control the content that can be accessed by end users. The solution works at the DNS lookup stage of a web request. When the DNS server locates the IP address of a website, a connection will only be made if the requested URL passes a variety of checks and controls set by the system administrator.
What does Cisco Umbrella protect against?
Cisco Umbrella is a secure Internet gateway that provides protection for employees on the Internet using corporate-owned devices and personal devices used under BYOD. The solution provides full visibility into Internet access across all locations and devices and blocks malware and ransomware downloads, the web-based component of phishing attacks, and other threats over any port or protocol.
How does Cisco Umbrella compare to other web filtering solutions?
Cisco Umbrella is an accomplished web security solution with a price to match. There are several solution providers that offer more extensive features than the DNS Security Essentials package at a lower price. It pays to shop around to find the best solution for your business at the best price.
What are the main Cisco Umbrella competitors?
There are many alternatives to Cisco Umbrella that provide DNS-based web security. Some of the main competitor solutions are WebTitan Web Security, DNSFilter, Forcepoint Web Security, iBoss, Zscaler Internet Access, and McAfee Web Protection.
Is web filtering necessary in healthcare?
Web filtering is an important cybersecurity measure for blocking malware, ransomware, and phishing attacks and is an essential component of a ‘defense in depth’ cybersecurity strategy. A web filter can block cyberattacks that bypass other cybersecurity measures and is especially important in the healthcare industry, where phishing and malware attacks are commonplace.
What is the monthly cost of Cisco Umbrella for 250 users?
Assuming you subscribe to the DNS Advantage plan (for the reasons given above), commit to a one year subscription, and pay for the subscription monthly, the cost of Cisco Umbrella for 250 users is $1,183.75 per month (~$4.73 per user per month) – assuming the prices published above are accurate and up to date (please read caveat) and provided you do not subscribe to further add-ons.
How are the prices for the add-ons calculated?
In most cases (according to the Cisco website), the prices for the add-ons are calculated in the same way as plan subscriptions – i.e., dependent on the number of users, the length of the subscription, and the frequency of payment. Exceptions include the Talos Incident Response service (paid for in 4-hour blocks) and the Investigation Integration API (licensed per analyst).
Is the Cisco Umbrella pricing model illegal?
No. Although some businesses may consider the pricing model unfair, it does not break any laws. It is also worth considering that, by not publishing a Cisco Umbrella price list, the company avoids the scenario in which a reseller or Managed Service Provider appears to be charging less than Cisco for the same service because they have not updated their website.
Why do some sources claim the cost of Cisco Umbrella is around $2 per user per month?
The price of $2 per user per month may be achievable if you subscribe to the feature-limited DNS Essentials plan, have more than a thousand users, subscribe for more than one year, pay the cost all upfront, and/or negotiate a good price with Cisco directly. However, it is more likely these sources claim the cost of Cisco Umbrella is “from” $2 per user per month.
Why doesn´t Cisco build the cost of add-ons into the cost of the packages?
This is because not all businesses will have a use for all the add-ons. If, for example, the cost of the Talos Incident Response service was built into the price, but a business already had access to a similar service through a different security product, the business would be paying for something it would not use. In this respect, the Cisco Umbrella pricing model has some advantages.
