Cybersecurity · head to head
ExpressVPN vs Microsoft Sentinel
ExpressVPN
Cybersecurity
Consumer VPN registered in the British Virgin Islands, owned by Kape Technologies since 2021, with repeated third-party audits.
- From
- $6.67/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Microsoft Sentinel has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: ExpressVPN ownership passed in 2021 to Kape Technologies, formerly Crossrider, whose earlier browser extension platform was widely used to distribute adware, and Kape also owns VPN review publications, so nominally independent rankings a buyer consults may originate inside the same corporate group.; Microsoft Sentinel billing is driven by the volume of log data ingested per day, so cost scales with log noise rather than with users or protected assets
- They diverge on capability: ExpressVPN covers TrustedServer, Microsoft Sentinel covers AI-powered analytics.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which ExpressVPN and Microsoft Sentinel actually diverge.
| Attribute | ExpressVPN | Microsoft Sentinel |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $6.67/month | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | usage-based |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, Desktop, Mobile, Api | Web, Api |
| Founded | 2009 | 1975 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cybersecurity).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in ExpressVPN
- TrustedServer
- Lightway protocol
- Repeated external audits
- Network Lock
- Split tunnelling
- Aircove router
- Threat Manager
- Private DNS
Only in Microsoft Sentinel
- AI-powered analytics
- Fusion detection
- UEBA
- Automated response playbooks
- Threat intelligence
- Hunting queries
- Workbooks
- Incident management
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
ExpressVPN
- A buyer who wants the largest available body of published third-party audit evidence behind a no-logging claimnot Microsoft Sentinel
- Households wanting whole-network coverage through a router without configuring firmware by handnot Microsoft Sentinel
- Frequent travellers who need connections that survive switching between mobile data and hotel Wi-Fi without droppingnot Microsoft Sentinel
- Non-technical users who want the kill switch and DNS handled correctly by default rather than configurednot Microsoft Sentinel
Microsoft Sentinel
- Cloud-based security information and event management (SIEM)not ExpressVPN
- Extended detection and response (XDR) across enterprise infrastructurenot ExpressVPN
- Data ingestion and long-term security analyticsnot ExpressVPN
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
ExpressVPN
- Ownership passed in 2021 to Kape Technologies, formerly Crossrider, whose earlier browser extension platform was widely used to distribute adware, and Kape also owns VPN review publications, so nominally independent rankings a buyer consults may originate inside the same corporate group.
- In 2021 the company's then chief information officer was named in a United States Department of Justice deferred prosecution agreement over work for a foreign government's offensive cyber programme and remained in post, which is a governance fact that sits uncomfortably alongside a product sold entirely on trust.
- Audits are point-in-time engagements against an agreed scope, so they establish that specified servers and code matched the stated policy when examined, not that the infrastructure behaves the same way today or under different ownership.
- Several country locations are virtual, meaning the hardware physically sits elsewhere, and after India's 2022 directive requiring VPN providers to retain subscriber data ExpressVPN withdrew its Indian servers, so an Indian connection is routed through hardware in another country, which matters if you need genuine in-country routing.
- There is no port forwarding and no dedicated IP option, so seeding torrents, hosting a service behind the tunnel and any inbound connection do not work, and users who need those capabilities have to use a different provider.
Microsoft Sentinel
- Billing is driven by the volume of log data ingested per day, so cost scales with log noise rather than with users or protected assets
- Commitment tier discounts require reserving daily ingestion capacity in advance, and a tier cannot be downgraded until 31 days have passed
- Commitment tiers start at 100 GB per day, above what smaller estates ingest
- Charges for Log Analytics, Logic Apps and Machine Learning are billed separately on top of Sentinel itself
- The free allowance is only up to 5 MB per user per day for selected Microsoft 365 security logs
- Promotional commitment pricing is time limited and locks in only until a stated end date
Pricing, plan by plan
ExpressVPN
$6.67/month- 1 Month$12.95/month
- 8 devices
- 94 countries
- Unlimited bandwidth
- 12 Months$6.67/month
- All features
- 3 months free
- Best value
- 6 Months$9.99/month
- All features
- 30-day guarantee
Microsoft Sentinel
Free- Pay-As-You-Go$2.46/day
- Per GB ingested
- 90-day retention
- First 31 days free for new workspaces
- Commitment TiersFree
- 100GB to 50TB tiers
- Up to 65% discount
- Predictable billing
- Microsoft 365 E5Free
- Free data ingestion for M365 logs
- Bundled with E5 license
Which should you pick?
Choose ExpressVPN if
- You need trustedserver.
- You work on Web, Desktop, Mobile, Api.
- You also want lightway protocol.
Choose Microsoft Sentinel if
- You need ai-powered analytics.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want fusion detection.
Questions people ask
- Is ExpressVPN or Microsoft Sentinel better?
- Neither clearly leads. ExpressVPN starts at $6.67/month and Microsoft Sentinel at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, ExpressVPN or Microsoft Sentinel?
- Microsoft Sentinel has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $6.67/month for ExpressVPN and Free for Microsoft Sentinel.
- Does ExpressVPN or Microsoft Sentinel run on more platforms?
- ExpressVPN runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile, Api. Microsoft Sentinel runs on Web, Api.
- Can I use Microsoft Sentinel for free?
- Yes. Microsoft Sentinel has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. ExpressVPN starts at $6.67/month.
- What is ExpressVPN best used for?
- ExpressVPN is most often used for a buyer who wants the largest available body of published third-party audit evidence behind a no-logging claim, households wanting whole-network coverage through a router without configuring firmware by hand, frequent travellers who need connections that survive switching between mobile data and hotel wi-fi without dropping, non-technical users who want the kill switch and dns handled correctly by default rather than configured. Of those, a buyer who wants the largest available body of published third-party audit evidence behind a no-logging claim and households wanting whole-network coverage through a router without configuring firmware by hand are not what Microsoft Sentinel is typically brought in for.
- What can ExpressVPN do that Microsoft Sentinel cannot?
- ExpressVPN covers TrustedServer, Lightway protocol, Repeated external audits, Network Lock. Microsoft Sentinel covers AI-powered analytics, Fusion detection, UEBA, Automated response playbooks.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
ExpressVPN: Who owns ExpressVPN?
Kape Technologies, which acquired it in 2021. Kape was previously named Crossrider and also owns CyberGhost, Private Internet Access and Zenmate, along with the review sites vpnMentor and Wizcase.
Microsoft Sentinel: How is Microsoft Sentinel pricing calculated?
Microsoft Sentinel uses a pay-as-you-go usage-based model where you pay only for data ingested, stored, and consumed. Flexible commitment tiers are available to reduce total cost of ownership, with specific rates not published on the public pricing page. Source: https://www.microsoft.com/security/business/siem-and-xdr/microsoft-sentinel/
SourceExpressVPN: Is the British Virgin Islands jurisdiction actually useful?
It has no mandatory data retention law and is outside the Five, Nine and Fourteen Eyes arrangements, which is the reason it was chosen. It also means limited practical legal recourse for a subscriber, so the jurisdiction protects the company's ability to hold no data rather than protecting you against the company.
Microsoft Sentinel: Does Microsoft Sentinel require an Azure subscription?
Yes, Microsoft Sentinel requires a Microsoft Azure subscription to operate. Pricing is handled through Azure and varies based on data consumption and the commitment tier you select. Source: https://www.microsoft.com/security/business/siem-and-xdr/microsoft-sentinel/
SourceExpressVPN: Has the no-logs claim been audited?
Yes, repeatedly. PwC and KPMG have examined the no-logging claims and the TrustedServer architecture, and Cure53 has reviewed the applications, extension and protocol. The reports are published.
ExpressVPN: Can I torrent with it?
Yes, peer-to-peer traffic is permitted on the network, but there is no port forwarding, so you can download but you cannot accept inbound connections and seeding performance suffers as a result.
ExpressVPN: Does it work in China or similar networks?
Sometimes, using obfuscated connection modes, but no provider can guarantee this and availability changes without warning. Treat it as best effort and have a fallback.
Related pages
More on Microsoft Sentinel
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