Cybersecurity · head to head
Microsoft Sentinel vs Unit21
Unit21
Cybersecurity
No-code fraud and AML risk operations platform for fintechs and neobanks
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
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; Unit21 it is built for fintech scale rather than card issuer scale, so organisations reaching very high transaction volumes generally re-evaluate against heavier platforms and face a migration.
- They diverge on capability: Microsoft Sentinel covers AI-powered analytics, Unit21 covers No-code rule builder.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Microsoft Sentinel and Unit21 actually diverge.
| Attribute | Microsoft Sentinel | Unit21 |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | usage-based | quote |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, Api | Web |
| Founded | 1975 | Unknown |
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 Microsoft Sentinel
- AI-powered analytics
- Fusion detection
- UEBA
- Automated response playbooks
- Threat intelligence
- Hunting queries
- Workbooks
- Incident management
Only in Unit21
- No-code rule builder
- Case management
- SAR filing
- Backtesting
- Identity and device signals
- Data ingestion API
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 Unit21
- Extended detection and response (XDR) across enterprise infrastructurenot Unit21
- Data ingestion and long-term security analyticsnot Unit21
Unit21
- A neobank whose sponsor bank requires a documented monitoring programme before it will keep the BIN sponsorshipnot Microsoft Sentinel
- A crypto exchange needing SAR filing and case management without building an internal compliance engineering teamnot Microsoft Sentinel
- A payments startup where the fraud lead needs to ship a new rule the same day a new attack pattern appearsnot Microsoft Sentinel
- A lender consolidating fraud alerts from three point tools into one investigator queue with a single audit trailnot 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
Unit21
- It is built for fintech scale rather than card issuer scale, so organisations reaching very high transaction volumes generally re-evaluate against heavier platforms and face a migration.
- No-code rule authoring shifts power to the risk team, which is the point, but without governance it produces rule sprawl that nobody can explain to an examiner two years later.
- Detection quality depends on the signals you feed it, so a thin integration produces thin results and the platform cannot compensate with proprietary consortium data the way larger vendors do.
- Pricing is quoted by volume with an annual commitment, so a fintech whose growth stalls pays for headroom it did not use.
- SAR filing coverage is oriented to United States FinCEN reporting, so firms filing in the United Kingdom, European Union or Asia handle those submissions outside the tool.
Pricing, plan by plan
Microsoft Sentinel
Free- Pay-As-You-Go$2.46/day
- Per GB ingested
- 90-day retention
- First 31 days free for new workspaces
- Commitment TiersFree
- 100GB to 50TB tiers
- Up to 65% discount
- Predictable billing
- Microsoft 365 E5Free
- Free data ingestion for M365 logs
- Bundled with E5 license
Unit21
On request- Unit21 Platform$undefined/year
- Priced by monitored volume and modules, annual contract
- Fraud, AML and case management packaged separately
- Implementation and historical data backfill quoted with the subscription
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.
Questions people ask
- Is Microsoft Sentinel or Unit21 better?
- Neither clearly leads. Microsoft Sentinel starts at Free and Unit21 at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Microsoft Sentinel or Unit21?
- Microsoft Sentinel has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Microsoft Sentinel and On request for Unit21.
- Does Microsoft Sentinel or Unit21 run on more platforms?
- Microsoft Sentinel runs on Web, Api. Unit21 runs on Web.
- Can I use Microsoft Sentinel for free?
- Yes. Microsoft Sentinel has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Unit21 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 Unit21 is typically brought in for.
- What can Microsoft Sentinel do that Unit21 cannot?
- Microsoft Sentinel covers AI-powered analytics, Fusion detection, UEBA, Automated response playbooks. Unit21 covers No-code rule builder, Case management, SAR filing, Backtesting.
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/
SourceUnit21: Do we need engineers to run it?
Only for the initial data integration. After that the design intent is that risk and compliance staff author and deploy rules themselves.
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/
SourceUnit21: Does it file SARs?
Yes, it generates and electronically files suspicious activity reports to FinCEN. Non-US regimes are not covered to the same depth.
Unit21: Can we test a rule before it goes live?
Yes. Backtesting against historical data to see projected alert volume is one of the more useful parts of the product, because alert volume is the real cost.
Related pages
More on Microsoft Sentinel
Other head to heads
- Microsoft Sentinel vs Bitdefender Total Security
- Microsoft Sentinel vs Norton 360
- Microsoft Sentinel vs 1Password
- Microsoft Sentinel vs LastPass
- Microsoft Sentinel vs LogRhythm SIEM
- Microsoft Sentinel vs IBM QRadar
- Microsoft Sentinel vs CrowdStrike Falcon
- Microsoft Sentinel vs Splunk Enterprise Security
- Microsoft Sentinel vs SentinelOne Singularity
- Microsoft Sentinel vs Legit Security
- Microsoft Sentinel vs Sysdig
- Microsoft Sentinel vs Endor Labs
- Microsoft Sentinel vs Proton Mail
- Microsoft Sentinel vs Veriff
- Microsoft Sentinel vs Brave Browser
- Microsoft Sentinel vs March Networks
- Microsoft Sentinel vs Salient CompleteView
- Microsoft Sentinel vs Sumsub
- Microsoft Sentinel vs Feedzai
- Microsoft Sentinel vs ThetaRay
- Microsoft Sentinel vs Sardine
- Microsoft Sentinel vs NICE Actimize
- Microsoft Sentinel vs Featurespace ARIC Risk Hub
- Microsoft Sentinel vs Socure
- Microsoft Sentinel vs Quantexa
- Microsoft Sentinel vs Fenergo
- Microsoft Sentinel vs Transmit Security
- Microsoft Sentinel vs Jumio
- Microsoft Sentinel vs Silent Eight
- Microsoft Sentinel vs IDnow
- Microsoft Sentinel vs Kaspersky Total Security
- Microsoft Sentinel vs LogicManager
- Microsoft Sentinel vs Mullvad VPN
- Microsoft Sentinel vs Private Internet Access
- Unit21 vs Bitdefender Total Security
- Unit21 vs Norton 360
- Unit21 vs 1Password
- Unit21 vs LastPass
- Unit21 vs LogRhythm SIEM
- Unit21 vs IBM QRadar
- Unit21 vs CrowdStrike Falcon
- Unit21 vs Splunk Enterprise Security
- Unit21 vs SentinelOne Singularity
- Unit21 vs Legit Security
- Unit21 vs Sysdig
- Unit21 vs Endor Labs
- Unit21 vs Proton Mail
- Unit21 vs Veriff
- Unit21 vs Brave Browser
- Unit21 vs March Networks
- Unit21 vs Salient CompleteView
- Unit21 vs Sumsub
- Unit21 vs Feedzai
- Unit21 vs ThetaRay
- Unit21 vs Sardine
- Unit21 vs NICE Actimize
- Unit21 vs Featurespace ARIC Risk Hub
- Unit21 vs Socure
- Unit21 vs Quantexa
- Unit21 vs Fenergo
- Unit21 vs Transmit Security
- Unit21 vs Jumio
- Unit21 vs Silent Eight
- Unit21 vs IDnow
- Unit21 vs Kaspersky Total Security
- Unit21 vs LogicManager
- Unit21 vs Mullvad VPN
- Unit21 vs Private Internet Access