Cybersecurity · head to head
Microsoft Sentinel vs VMware Carbon Black
V
VMware Carbon Black
Cybersecurity
Cloud-delivered endpoint protection and EDR, now owned by Broadcom and positioned alongside Symantec.
- 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; VMware Carbon Black broadcom's enterprise model concentrates direct sales and support on its largest accounts and moves everyone else to resellers, so a mid-size customer can lose named support contacts and face a substantially repriced renewal with limited notice.
- They diverge on capability: Microsoft Sentinel covers AI-powered analytics, VMware Carbon Black covers Endpoint Standard.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Microsoft Sentinel and VMware Carbon Black actually diverge.
| Attribute | Microsoft Sentinel | VMware Carbon Black |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | usage-based | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, Api | Desktop, Api |
| Founded | 1975 | 2002 |
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 VMware Carbon Black
- Endpoint Standard
- Enterprise EDR
- Audit and Remediation
- Single sensor
- Live Response
- Workload protection
- Container security
- Watchlists and feeds
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 VMware Carbon Black
- Extended detection and response (XDR) across enterprise infrastructurenot VMware Carbon Black
- Data ingestion and long-term security analyticsnot VMware Carbon Black
VMware Carbon Black
- A SOC that wants unfiltered endpoint telemetry to hunt over rather than only vendor-generated alertsnot Microsoft Sentinel
- A vSphere estate that wants workload protection deployed through the hypervisor instead of installing an agent in every guestnot Microsoft Sentinel
- Replacing signature antivirus after an incident where the incumbent product had no record of what the attacker didnot Microsoft Sentinel
- An organisation already inside a Broadcom or Symantec enterprise agreement that can consolidate endpoint onto an existing contractnot 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
VMware Carbon Black
- Broadcom's enterprise model concentrates direct sales and support on its largest accounts and moves everyone else to resellers, so a mid-size customer can lose named support contacts and face a substantially repriced renewal with limited notice.
- Continuous EDR recording is retained for a defined window and longer retention is a paid tier, so the investigation you most need is often the one whose telemetry has already aged out, and that is discovered during the incident rather than before it.
- The product assumes an operator: watchlists, policy tuning and alert triage are ongoing work, and organisations without a dedicated analyst or an MDR contract typically leave policies in monitor mode and pay for telemetry that is never reviewed.
- The sensor operates in the same kernel and file-filter territory as other endpoint agents, so running it alongside an incumbent antivirus, DLP or backup agent commonly produces performance complaints and requires maintained exclusion lists on both sides.
- Linux sensor support is tied to specific distribution and kernel versions, so a routine operating system upgrade can leave hosts without a supported sensor until a matching build ships, and anything outside the supported list gets no coverage at all.
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
VMware Carbon Black
On request- CB Endpoint StandardFree
- NGAV
- Behavioral EDR
- Device control
- CB Endpoint AdvancedFree
- All Standard features
- Threat hunting
- Audit and remediation
- CB Endpoint EnterpriseFree
- All Advanced features
- Advanced threat hunting
- Live response
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 VMware Carbon Black if
- You need endpoint standard.
- You work on Desktop, Api.
- You also want enterprise edr.
Questions people ask
- Is Microsoft Sentinel or VMware Carbon Black better?
- Neither clearly leads. Microsoft Sentinel starts at Free and VMware Carbon Black at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Microsoft Sentinel or VMware Carbon Black?
- Microsoft Sentinel has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Microsoft Sentinel and On request for VMware Carbon Black.
- Does Microsoft Sentinel or VMware Carbon Black run on more platforms?
- Microsoft Sentinel runs on Web, Api. VMware Carbon Black runs on Desktop, Api.
- Can I use Microsoft Sentinel for free?
- Yes. Microsoft Sentinel has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. VMware Carbon Black 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 VMware Carbon Black is typically brought in for.
- What can Microsoft Sentinel do that VMware Carbon Black cannot?
- Microsoft Sentinel covers AI-powered analytics, Fusion detection, UEBA, Automated response playbooks. VMware Carbon Black covers Endpoint Standard, Enterprise EDR, Audit and Remediation, Single sensor.
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/
SourceVMware Carbon Black: Who owns Carbon Black now?
Broadcom. It acquired VMware in November 2023, and Carbon Black now sits in Broadcom's enterprise security business alongside Symantec. VMware branding is being phased out.
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/
SourceVMware Carbon Black: Why do the docs use names I do not recognise?
The product has been renamed repeatedly. CB Defense is now Endpoint Standard, CB ThreatHunter is Enterprise EDR and CB LiveOps is Audit and Remediation. Older community answers and runbooks still use the previous names.
VMware Carbon Black: Does it replace my existing antivirus?
Yes on supported Windows, macOS and Linux versions, and running it alongside another antivirus is not recommended because the two agents contend for the same hooks. Check your compliance requirements, as some auditors still ask for a named antivirus product.
VMware Carbon Black: Do I need a full-time analyst to run it?
To get value from Enterprise EDR, effectively yes. The prevention tier can run with part-time attention, but the hunting and recording capability is only worth its cost if somebody is querying it, which is why many customers buy it through an MDR provider.
VMware Carbon Black: How is it licensed?
Per endpoint, per year, with the capability tier determining the rate and workload and container protection priced separately. Extended EDR data retention is an additional line item.
Related pages
More on Microsoft Sentinel
More on VMware Carbon Black
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