Microsoft Sentinel Review (2026)
- Starting price
- $4.3/GB ingested (PAYG, East US)
- Free trial
- 31 days
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Best for
- Microsoft-centric orgs wanting a cloud-native SIEM with deep Entra/Defender integration
Verdict: 8.1/10
Microsoft Sentinel earns 8.1/10 in our review, weighted from 4.4/5 (~289 G2 reviews) and its feature/pricing profile. The default SIEM for Microsoft shops — elastic and deeply integrated, but watch ingestion costs as log volume grows. Best for microsoft-centric orgs wanting a cloud-native siem with deep entra/defender integration. Starting price: $4.3/GB ingested (PAYG, East US).
Based on aggregated third-party ratings (4.4/5 (~289 G2 reviews)) and Microsoft Sentinel's published feature and pricing data. Hands-on testing notes are added as we trial each tool — see how we test.
Pros
- Deep Microsoft ecosystem integration
- No infrastructure to manage
- Strong automation + hunting
Cons
- Per-GB ingestion costs scale fast
- Azure-centric (multi-cloud weaker)
- KQL learning curve
Features
- Cloud-native SIEM + SOAR
- Native Entra ID + Defender + M365 connectors
- KQL hunting + analytics rules
- UEBA + ML anomaly detection
- Automation playbooks (Logic Apps)
- Data lake tier for cold storage
How it compares
| Microsoft Sentinel | Blumira | Splunk Enterprise Security | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $4.3/GB ingested (PAYG, East US) | Free tier available | Custom quote |
| Pricing model | per gb | per user | quote |
| Free trial / tier | 31 days | Free tier + 14 days | 14 days |
| Best for | Microsoft-centric orgs wanting a cloud-native SIEM with deep Entra/Defender integration | Lean IT teams wanting easy SIEM + detection with a free tier | Large enterprises needing deep, mature SIEM with extensive integrations and log analytics |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud | Cloud + on-prem |
| G2 rating | 4.4/5 (289) | 4.6/5 (120) | 4.3/5 (222) |
| Capterra rating | — | — | — |
| Our score | 8.1 | 8.1 | 8.1 |
Affiliate link: Microsoft Sentinel may pay us a commission if you sign up through this link. It never affects our data-driven ranking.
Full review
Microsoft Sentinel review — 8.1/10
The default SIEM for Microsoft shops — elastic and deeply integrated, but watch ingestion costs as log volume grows. Our score weights 4.4/5 (~289 G2 reviews) against feature breadth and pricing value.
Core features
- Cloud-native SIEM + SOAR
- Native Entra ID + Defender + M365 connectors
- KQL hunting + analytics rules
- UEBA + ML anomaly detection
- Automation playbooks (Logic Apps)
- Data lake tier for cold storage
Pricing value
Microsoft Sentinel starts at $4.3/GB ingested (PAYG, East US) on a per gb model after a 31 days trial. See the full pricing breakdown.
Pros & cons
Pros: Deep Microsoft ecosystem integration; No infrastructure to manage; Strong automation + hunting.
Cons: Per-GB ingestion costs scale fast; Azure-centric (multi-cloud weaker); KQL learning curve.
Who should buy Microsoft Sentinel
Best for microsoft-centric orgs wanting a cloud-native siem with deep entra/defender integration. If that is not you, weigh the alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Microsoft Sentinel worth it?
- Microsoft Sentinel earns 8.1/10 in our review, weighted from 4.4/5 (~289 G2 reviews) and its feature/pricing profile. The default SIEM for Microsoft shops — elastic and deeply integrated, but watch ingestion costs as log volume grows. Best for microsoft-centric orgs wanting a cloud-native siem with deep entra/defender integration. Starting price: $4.3/GB ingested (PAYG, East US).
- What does Microsoft Sentinel cost?
- From $4.3/GB ingested (PAYG, East US) — see the pricing page.