Cybersecurity · head to head
Microsoft Sentinel vs NEOGOV
Microsoft Sentinel
Cybersecurity
Cloud-native SIEM and SOAR solution
- From
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
NEOGOV
Government
Public sector HR suite covering civil service recruiting, onboarding, training and policy management
- From
- On request
- Free plan
- No
The short version
- Only Microsoft Sentinel has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: 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; NEOGOV each module is shallower than the specialist product it competes with, so agencies buying the full suite for coherence accept weaker performance management and learning than they would get separately.
- They diverge on capability: Microsoft Sentinel covers AI-powered analytics, NEOGOV covers Civil service recruiting.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Microsoft Sentinel and NEOGOV actually diverge.
| Attribute | Microsoft Sentinel | NEOGOV |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | usage-based | quote |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, Api | Web, iOS, Android |
| Category | Cybersecurity | Government |
| Founded | 1975 | Unknown |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).
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 Microsoft Sentinel
- AI-powered analytics
- Fusion detection
- UEBA
- Automated response playbooks
- Threat intelligence
- Hunting queries
- Workbooks
- Incident management
Only in NEOGOV
- Civil service recruiting
- Veterans preference handling
- GovernmentJobs.com posting
- Onboarding workflows
- Learning and training records
- Policy management
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Microsoft Sentinel
- Cloud-based security information and event management (SIEM)not NEOGOV
- Extended detection and response (XDR) across enterprise infrastructurenot NEOGOV
- Data ingestion and long-term security analyticsnot NEOGOV
NEOGOV
- A city or county HR department that must run scored examinations and ranked eligibility listsnot Microsoft Sentinel
- A public safety agency needing policy acknowledgement records that stand up in litigationnot Microsoft Sentinel
- An agency replacing a commercial applicant tracking system that cannot handle veterans preferencenot Microsoft Sentinel
- A school district or university consolidating recruiting, onboarding and mandated training recordsnot Microsoft Sentinel
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
NEOGOV
- Each module is shallower than the specialist product it competes with, so agencies buying the full suite for coherence accept weaker performance management and learning than they would get separately.
- Policy management arrived through the PowerDMS acquisition rather than being built in, and the join between it and the rest of the suite still reads as two products.
- Implementation is long and configuration heavy because the civil service rules that make the product valuable have to be encoded for your jurisdiction, and that work is billed.
- Pricing is not published and scales with headcount, so a large agency can pay several times what a comparable one pays without knowing it unless someone reads the public contracts.
- Private equity ownership since the Warburg Pincus investment has coincided with an acquisition led strategy, and buyers should expect further products bolted on rather than deeper integration of the existing ones.
Pricing, plan by plan
Microsoft Sentinel
Free- Pay-As-You-Go$2.46/day
- Per GB ingested
- 90-day retention
- First 31 days free for new workspaces
- Commitment TiersFree
- 100GB to 50TB tiers
- Up to 65% discount
- Predictable billing
- Microsoft 365 E5Free
- Free data ingestion for M365 logs
- Bundled with E5 license
NEOGOV
On request- NEOGOV Suite$undefined/year
- Quoted per module and scaled by employee headcount
- Implementation and data migration priced separately from the subscription
- Available through cooperative purchasing and state term contracts
Which should you pick?
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.
Choose NEOGOV if
- You need civil service recruiting.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want veterans preference handling.
Questions people ask
- Is Microsoft Sentinel or NEOGOV better?
- Neither clearly leads. Microsoft Sentinel starts at Free and NEOGOV at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Microsoft Sentinel or NEOGOV?
- Microsoft Sentinel has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Microsoft Sentinel and On request for NEOGOV.
- Does Microsoft Sentinel or NEOGOV run on more platforms?
- Microsoft Sentinel runs on Web, Api. NEOGOV runs on Web, iOS, Android.
- Can I use Microsoft Sentinel for free?
- Yes. Microsoft Sentinel has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. NEOGOV starts at On request.
- What is Microsoft Sentinel best used for?
- Microsoft Sentinel is most often used for cloud-based security information and event management (siem), extended detection and response (xdr) across enterprise infrastructure, data ingestion and long-term security analytics. Of those, cloud-based security information and event management (siem) and extended detection and response (xdr) across enterprise infrastructure are not what NEOGOV is typically brought in for.
- What can Microsoft Sentinel do that NEOGOV cannot?
- Microsoft Sentinel covers AI-powered analytics, Fusion detection, UEBA, Automated response playbooks. NEOGOV covers Civil service recruiting, Veterans preference handling, GovernmentJobs.com posting, Onboarding workflows.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
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/
SourceNEOGOV: Why not use a commercial applicant tracking system?
Because civil service rules such as ranked eligibility lists, rule of three certification and veterans preference are not expressible in commercial products, so the statutory steps end up in spreadsheets.
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/
SourceNEOGOV: Can I find out what other agencies pay?
Yes. These are public procurements, so executed contract values appear in council agenda packets and state term contract listings. Read several before negotiating.
NEOGOV: What did NEOGOV acquire?
PowerDMS, a policy management and accreditation product, in 2021, which is now sold as the policy module of the suite.
NEOGOV: Is it only for the United States?
Effectively yes. The value is in encoding US civil service and public safety requirements.
Related pages
More on Microsoft Sentinel
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