Blumira
8.1/10
MSP Compared score
- Starting price
- Free tier available
- Reviews
- 4.6/5 (~120 G2 reviews)
- Free trial
- Free tier + 14 days
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Best for
- Lean IT teams wanting easy SIEM + detection with a free tier
Best SIEM Software · 2026
Blumira vs 
Expel Blumira vs Expel: on our data-weighted scoring, Blumira edges ahead (8.1 vs 7.5/10). Blumira starts at Free tier available and is best for lean IT teams wanting easy SIEM + detection with a free tier; Expel starts at Custom quote and is best for mid-market/enterprise wanting transparent MDR across their existing tools. Choose Blumira for the stronger overall track record; consider Expel if its pricing model or fit matches your environment better. Side-by-side table below.
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Expel
7.5/10
MSP Compared score
- Starting price
- Custom quote
- Reviews
- 4.7/5 (~90 G2 reviews)
- Free trial
- —
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Best for
- Mid-market/enterprise wanting transparent MDR across their existing tools
Strengths at a glance
Six criteria, each scored 0–10 on the same scale from real review data, public pricing and feature coverage. See our methodology →
| Criterion | Blumira | Expel |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial | 8.1 | 7.5 |
| User reviews | 9.2 | 9.4 |
| Adoption | 5.5 | 5.2 |
| Affordability | 9.5 | 5.0 |
| Feature breadth | 5.0 | 4.0 |
| Ease of trial | 10.0 | 3.0 |
Blumira vs Expel: head-to-head
| Blumira | Expel | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free tier available | Custom quote |
| Pricing model | per user | quote |
| Free trial / tier | Free tier + 14 days | — |
| Best for | Lean IT teams wanting easy SIEM + detection with a free tier | Mid-market/enterprise wanting transparent MDR across their existing tools |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |
| G2 rating | 4.6/5 (120) | 4.7/5 (90) |
| Capterra rating | — | — |
| Our score | 8.1 | 7.5 |
Choose Blumira if…
You need lean it teams wanting easy siem + detection with a free tier.
✓ Pros
- Genuinely easy SIEM
- Free M365 tier
- Fast deployment
✕ Cons
- Lighter than enterprise SIEM
- Paid tiers quote-based
- Smaller integration set
Choose Expel if…
You need mid-market/enterprise wanting transparent mdr across their existing tools.
✓ Pros
- Vendor-agnostic
- Transparent investigations
- Strong cloud coverage
✕ Cons
- Premium pricing
- Quote-only
- Enterprise focus
In depth
Pricing
| Aspect | Blumira | Expel |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Per-user | Custom quote |
| Free tier | Yes (Microsoft 365 + 3 cloud connectors) | No |
| Free trial | 14 days | Not specified |
| Entry cost | $0–quote | Quote only |
| Best for budget | Startups, lean teams | Mid-market/enterprise |
Blumira’s free SIEM tier is genuinely useful for small teams testing cloud-native detection. Expel requires enterprise-level commitment and budgets.
Features & Deployment
Both operate as cloud services. Blumira emphasizes simplicity: automated detections, playbooks, 24/7 support, and honeypots in a single cloud SIEM. Expel is a managed detection and response (MDR) platform that sits across your existing cloud, endpoint, and SIEM tools—vendor-agnostic and built on a “transparent workbench” for investigators to see findings in context.
| Feature | Blumira | Expel |
|---|---|---|
| SIEM | ✓ | ✗ (orchestrates external tools) |
| MDR | ✗ | ✓ |
| Vendor-agnostic | Limited integrations | ✓ |
| Automation & playbooks | ✓ | ✓ |
| 24/7 support | ✓ | Likely ✓ |
Deployment advantage: Blumira wins on speed—it’s plug-and-play for Microsoft 365 and cloud apps. Expel requires deeper integration with your existing security stack but offers broader coverage if you already own tools.
Ratings & Verdict
| Rating source | Blumira | Expel |
|---|---|---|
| G2 score | 4.6/5 (120 reviews) | 4.7/5 (90 reviews) |
| Our score | 8.1 | 7.5 |
Choose Blumira if you’re a lean team, startup, or MSP wanting a free, easy-to-deploy SIEM with built-in detections. The 14-day trial and free tier let you validate quickly.
Choose Expel if you’re mid-market/enterprise with existing security tools (Okta, AWS, CrowdStrike, etc.) and want a transparent MDR vendor to investigate and automate responses across them—vendor lock-in isn’t a concern, and budget exists.
Frequently asked questions
- Blumira vs Expel: which is better?
- Blumira vs Expel: on our data-weighted scoring, Blumira edges ahead (8.1 vs 7.5/10). Blumira starts at Free tier available and is best for lean IT teams wanting easy SIEM + detection with a free tier; Expel starts at Custom quote and is best for mid-market/enterprise wanting transparent MDR across their existing tools.
- Is Blumira cheaper than Expel?
- Blumira starts at Free tier available and Expel starts at Custom quote (see the pricing rows for models and limits).
Data as of September 17, 2026. Sources: blumira.com, expel.com. Figures are pulled from public vendor and security data and refreshed automatically.