Softwr

Cybersecurity · head to head

IBM QRadar vs iDenfy

IBM QRadar logo

IBM QRadar

Cybersecurity

Enterprise SIEM licensed by events per second, whose cloud business IBM sold to Palo Alto Networks in 2024.

From
On request
Rated
-
iDenfy logo

iDenfy

Cybersecurity

Identity verification and AML screening bundled into a single per-verification price

From
On request
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: IBM QRadar iBM sold the QRadar SaaS business to Palo Alto Networks in 2024 and those customers are being moved to Cortex XSIAM, so anyone buying today is choosing an on-premises product whose vendor has publicly moved the cloud future to a competitor, and the support horizon becomes a contract negotiation rather than an assumption.; iDenfy rates are quoted rather than published on an accessible page, so despite the marketing emphasis on transparency you still need a sales conversation to get a number.
  • They diverge on capability: IBM QRadar covers Offence model, iDenfy covers Document verification.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which IBM QRadar and iDenfy actually diverge.

Attributes where IBM QRadar and iDenfy differ
AttributeIBM QRadariDenfy
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer verification
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb, iOS, Android, API
Founded1911Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), 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 IBM QRadar

  • Offence model
  • Network flow analysis
  • Device Support Modules
  • Ariel query language
  • Rules and building blocks
  • Deployment topology
  • App Exchange
  • Use Case Manager

Only in iDenfy

  • Document verification
  • Human review on all cases
  • AML screening
  • Business verification
  • Proof of address
  • NFC chip reading

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

IBM QRadar

  • A regulated enterprise that must keep log data on premises or in a specific jurisdiction and cannot use a shared SaaS SIEMnot iDenfy
  • A SOC that wants log correlation and network flow analysis in one platform rather than buying an NDR product separatelynot iDenfy
  • An existing QRadar estate deciding whether to stay on premises or accept the migration path to a different vendor's platformnot iDenfy
  • Compliance-driven log retention and reporting where the audit requirement is specific about collection, retention and reportingnot iDenfy

iDenfy

  • A European fintech that needs KYC and AML screening and wants one price rather than four line itemsnot IBM QRadar
  • A gambling operator in a regulated EU market needing age and identity assurance with EU data processingnot IBM QRadar
  • A crypto platform with modest volume that cannot meet the minimum commitments larger vendors requirenot IBM QRadar
  • A marketplace wanting NFC passport chip reading for higher assurance without an enterprise contractnot IBM QRadar

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

IBM QRadar

  • IBM sold the QRadar SaaS business to Palo Alto Networks in 2024 and those customers are being moved to Cortex XSIAM, so anyone buying today is choosing an on-premises product whose vendor has publicly moved the cloud future to a competitor, and the support horizon becomes a contract negotiation rather than an assumption.
  • Licensing is by events per second and flows per minute, so every additional log source raises the cost directly and teams routinely exclude verbose sources such as DNS, proxy, endpoint and cloud audit logs to stay under the licence, which strips out exactly the data an investigation later needs.
  • It needs a dedicated operator: rule tuning, parser work and offence triage are continuous jobs, and an organisation that deploys QRadar without at least one named engineer accumulates thousands of unreviewed offences and a false sense of coverage.
  • A log source without a matching Device Support Module arrives unparsed, and writing a custom parser with regular expressions against an unfamiliar payload format is specialist work that can take days per source, which quietly determines which systems ever get monitored.
  • On-premises capacity is planned across consoles, processors, collectors and data nodes, so outgrowing the sizing means procuring and racking more appliances rather than changing a subscription tier, and growth becomes a purchasing cycle measured in months.

iDenfy

  • Rates are quoted rather than published on an accessible page, so despite the marketing emphasis on transparency you still need a sales conversation to get a number.
  • It is a smaller vendor than the market leaders, which makes it a harder sell through enterprise vendor-risk review even when the product performs well.
  • Human review on every case caps throughput in a way fully automated competitors are not constrained by, which shows up as latency during volume spikes.
  • Coverage and accuracy are strongest on European documents; performance on some Asian, African and Latin American document types trails specialists in those regions.
  • The bundled AML screening uses its chosen data sources, so institutions mandated to use a specific list provider such as Dow Jones cannot substitute it and end up paying twice.

Pricing, plan by plan

IBM QRadar

On request
  • QRadar SIEMFree
    • Event and flow processing
    • Offense management
    • Threat intelligence
  • QRadar CloudFree
    • Cloud-native deployment
    • Elastic scaling
    • Managed infrastructure
  • QRadar SuiteFree
    • SIEM + SOAR + XDR
    • Unified analyst experience
    • Federated search

iDenfy

On request
  • iDenfy Verification$undefined/verification
    • Volume-tiered per-verification rates quoted on request
    • AML screening bundled rather than charged per check
    • No monthly minimum advertised

Which should you pick?

Choose IBM QRadar if

  • You need offence model.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want network flow analysis.

Choose iDenfy if

  • You need document verification.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
  • You also want human review on all cases.

Questions people ask

Is IBM QRadar or iDenfy better?
Neither clearly leads. IBM QRadar starts at On request and iDenfy at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, IBM QRadar or iDenfy?
IBM QRadar starts at On request and iDenfy at On request.
Does IBM QRadar or iDenfy run on more platforms?
IBM QRadar runs on Web, Api. iDenfy runs on Web, iOS, Android, API.
What is IBM QRadar best used for?
IBM QRadar is most often used for a regulated enterprise that must keep log data on premises or in a specific jurisdiction and cannot use a shared saas siem, a soc that wants log correlation and network flow analysis in one platform rather than buying an ndr product separately, an existing qradar estate deciding whether to stay on premises or accept the migration path to a different vendor's platform, compliance-driven log retention and reporting where the audit requirement is specific about collection, retention and reporting. Of those, a regulated enterprise that must keep log data on premises or in a specific jurisdiction and cannot use a shared saas siem and a soc that wants log correlation and network flow analysis in one platform rather than buying an ndr product separately are not what iDenfy is typically brought in for.
What can IBM QRadar do that iDenfy cannot?
IBM QRadar covers Offence model, Network flow analysis, Device Support Modules, Ariel query language. iDenfy covers Document verification, Human review on all cases, AML screening, Business verification.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

IBM QRadar: Who owns QRadar now?

It is split. IBM sold the QRadar SaaS assets to Palo Alto Networks in a deal announced in May 2024 and closed that September, and those customers are being migrated to Cortex XSIAM. IBM retains and supports the on-premises product.

iDenfy: Is AML screening included in the verification price?

That is the pitch, screening bundled rather than sold as a per-check add-on. Confirm which sanctions and PEP data sources are behind it before you rely on it.

IBM QRadar: Is QRadar being discontinued?

IBM has committed to continuing support for on-premises customers, including security updates, while offering migration assistance. The cloud product's future belongs to Palo Alto. If you are signing a multi-year term, get the support horizon written into the contract.

iDenfy: Is there a monthly minimum?

iDenfy markets itself as having no monthly minimum, in contrast to competitors charging $49 to $299 a month. Get that in writing in the contract.

IBM QRadar: How is it licensed?

By events per second for logs and flows per minute for network data, with the software or appliance sized to that rate. Add-on modules in the suite are licensed separately.

iDenfy: Where is data processed?

iDenfy is established in Lithuania and processes in the EU, which simplifies GDPR transfer assessments compared with United States-headquartered vendors.

IBM QRadar: What is an offence?

QRadar's term for a correlated case. Rules group related events and flows against a common indicator such as a host or user, so an analyst reviews one offence rather than the hundreds of events behind it.

IBM QRadar: Do I need a full-time engineer?

In practice yes for anything beyond a small deployment. Parser development, rule tuning and offence triage do not stop, and the most common failure mode is a well-installed QRadar that nobody has tuned since go-live.

Share

Related pages

Other head to heads