Security & Cybersecurity · head to head
IBM QRadar vs Microsoft Sentinel
IBM QRadar
Security & Cybersecurity
Intelligent security analytics for real-time visibility
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Microsoft Sentinel
Security & Cybersecurity
Cloud-native SIEM and SOAR solution
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Microsoft Sentinel has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: IBM QRadar listed on UK G-Cloud at £639 per unit, submitted directly by IBM United Kingdom Limited for IBM Security QRadar on Cloud SIEM (unit basis not further defined in the listing); 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: IBM QRadar covers AI-powered detection, Microsoft Sentinel covers AI-powered analytics.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which IBM QRadar and Microsoft Sentinel actually diverge.
| Attribute | IBM QRadar | Microsoft Sentinel |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | usage-based |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Founded | 1911 | 1975 |
Identical on both: platforms (Web, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Security & 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
- AI-powered detection
- User behavior analytics
- Network insights
- Offense management
- IBM X-Force threat intelligence
- Federated search
- Case management
- Compliance templates
Only in Microsoft Sentinel
- AI-powered analytics
- Fusion detection
- UEBA
- Automated response playbooks
- Threat intelligence
- Hunting queries
- Workbooks
- Incident management
Both cover
- AWS
- CrowdStrike
- ServiceNow
- Palo Alto
- Cisco
- SOC2
- ISO 27001
- FedRAMP
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
IBM QRadar
- Siemnot Microsoft Sentinel
- Security Analyticsnot Microsoft Sentinel
- Threat Intelligencenot Microsoft Sentinel
Microsoft Sentinel
- Cloud native SIEM collecting security logs across Azure, Microsoft 365 and third party sourcesnot IBM QRadar
- Threat detection, hunting and incident investigation over pooled log datanot IBM QRadar
- Automating incident response with playbooks built on Logic Appsnot IBM QRadar
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
IBM QRadar
- Listed on UK G-Cloud at £639 per unit, submitted directly by IBM United Kingdom Limited for IBM Security QRadar on Cloud SIEM (unit basis not further defined in the listing)
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
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
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 IBM QRadar if
- You need ai-powered detection.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want user behavior analytics.
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 IBM QRadar or Microsoft Sentinel better?
- Neither clearly leads. IBM QRadar starts at On request and Microsoft Sentinel at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, IBM QRadar or Microsoft Sentinel?
- Microsoft Sentinel has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for IBM QRadar and Free for Microsoft Sentinel.
- Does IBM QRadar or Microsoft Sentinel run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Microsoft Sentinel for free?
- Yes. Microsoft Sentinel has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. IBM QRadar starts at On request.
- What is IBM QRadar best used for?
- IBM QRadar is most often used for siem, security analytics, threat intelligence. Of those, siem and security analytics are not what Microsoft Sentinel is typically brought in for.
- What can IBM QRadar do that Microsoft Sentinel cannot?
- IBM QRadar covers AI-powered detection, User behavior analytics, Network insights, Offense management. Microsoft Sentinel covers AI-powered analytics, Fusion detection, UEBA, Automated response playbooks. Both handle AWS, CrowdStrike, ServiceNow, Palo Alto.