Microsoft's cloud-native SIEM/SOAR with deep Microsoft 365 and Azure telemetry, KQL hunting and pay-as-you-go ingestion pricing.
Microsoft Sentinel is one of 11 SIEM & Security Monitoring tools we track and compare on this site. Our editors currently rate it 4.5 out of 5, versus a 4.4/5 average across the category.
Microsoft Sentinel is rated 4.5/5 by our editors, above the 4.4/5 average across the 11 SIEM & Security Monitoring tools we track. Pricing starts at Usage-based — see Azure pricing on a usage model, with no free tier currently offered.
If Microsoft Sentinel isn't quite the right fit, these are the other SIEM & Security Monitoring tools we rate highest:
Splunk Enterprise Security (rated 4.6/5) — Analytics-driven SIEM built on the Splunk platform — correlation, risk-based alerting, threat intelligence and SOAR integration for large SOCs. Priced from See site for pricing, versus Usage-based — see Azure pricing for Microsoft Sentinel. Rated slightly higher than Microsoft Sentinel by our editors.
IBM QRadar (rated 4.3/5) — Long-standing enterprise SIEM with flow analysis, UEBA and threat intelligence, deployed on-prem, SaaS or hybrid. Priced from See site for pricing, versus Usage-based — see Azure pricing for Microsoft Sentinel. Rated slightly lower than Microsoft Sentinel by our editors.
Elastic Security (rated 4.4/5) — SIEM and endpoint security built on Elasticsearch — free and open tiers available, detection rules, ML anomaly jobs and timeline investigation. Priced from Free tier available, versus Usage-based — see Azure pricing for Microsoft Sentinel. Rated slightly lower than Microsoft Sentinel by our editors.
CrowdStrike Falcon (rated 4.7/5) — Cloud-native endpoint and identity protection with Falcon LogScale next-gen SIEM — consistently top-ranked in EDR evaluations. Priced from See site for pricing, versus Usage-based — see Azure pricing for Microsoft Sentinel. Rated slightly higher than Microsoft Sentinel by our editors.
Rapid7 InsightIDR (rated 4.3/5) — Cloud SIEM combining log analytics, user behaviour analytics and endpoint detection with guided response playbooks. Priced from See site for pricing, versus Usage-based — see Azure pricing for Microsoft Sentinel. Rated slightly lower than Microsoft Sentinel by our editors.
Sumo Logic Cloud SIEM (rated 4.2/5) — SaaS log management and cloud SIEM with automated insight correlation, popular with cloud-first and DevSecOps teams. Priced from Free tier available, versus Usage-based — see Azure pricing for Microsoft Sentinel. Rated slightly lower than Microsoft Sentinel by our editors.
Exabeam (rated 4.2/5) — New-Scale security operations platform known for user and entity behaviour analytics, timelines and automated investigation. Priced from See site for pricing, versus Usage-based — see Azure pricing for Microsoft Sentinel. Rated slightly lower than Microsoft Sentinel by our editors.
Wazuh (rated 4.3/5) — Open source security platform combining SIEM and XDR — log analysis, file integrity, vulnerability detection — free self-hosted with paid cloud option. Priced from Free & open source, versus Usage-based — see Azure pricing for Microsoft Sentinel. Rated slightly lower than Microsoft Sentinel by our editors.
Graylog Security (rated 4.1/5) — Log management platform with a security edition adding anomaly detection and investigations — open and enterprise tiers. Priced from Free tier available, versus Usage-based — see Azure pricing for Microsoft Sentinel. Rated slightly lower than Microsoft Sentinel by our editors.
LunarCyber — Cybersecurity monitoring and threat detection service
Does Microsoft Sentinel offer a free tier?
Microsoft Sentinel does not currently offer a permanent free tier.
How much does Microsoft Sentinel cost?
Plans start at Usage-based — see Azure pricing on a usage pricing model.
What's a good Microsoft Sentinel alternative?
For most buyers we'd point first to Splunk Enterprise Security — see the full comparison above for how it stacks up on price and features.
Microsoft Sentinel is worth considering if you're evaluating SIEM & Security Monitoring tools. It's one of the higher-rated options we track in this category, so it's a reasonable starting point for a shortlist.Read the pros and cons above, and check the alternatives if you want a wider comparison before deciding.
If you're comparing more than one option in this space, it helps to write down the two or three requirements that actually matter for your team before you start reading reviews, since pricing pages and marketing copy tend to make every tool sound like the right fit on paper. Ask each vendor directly about contract length, cancellation terms, and what happens to your data if you switch providers later, and weigh that alongside the feature comparison above rather than the headline price alone. It's also worth checking recent user discussions on forums or review sites for anything that's changed since a vendor last updated their own marketing pages, since pricing, limits, and supported integrations can shift between major updates. A short trial period, where one is offered, is usually the fastest way to confirm a tool actually fits your workflow before you commit to a longer contract. It's also fine to start with whichever tool has the best free trial or lowest-commitment plan, use it for real work for a week or two, and only then decide whether to negotiate a longer contract — that's usually a better test than anything a comparison page, including this one, can tell you in advance.
