Microsoft Sentinel
Microsoft Sentinel: A security-focused SIEM for correlating alerts and automating incident response. Ranked #28 of 36 in Alert Management Software by our editors (6.5/10); pricing: 31-day trial; best for security teams managing correlated incidents.
At a glance
- Editor score6.5 / 10
- Pricing31-day trial
- Best forSecurity teams managing correlated incidents
- Free planNo
- Alert deduplicationYes
- Facts checked19 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Groups alerts into incidents using entities, time windows, and custom details
- Automates triage and response with rules and Azure Logic Apps playbooks
- Enriches investigations with threat intelligence and correlated evidence
Where it doesn't
- Usage-based pricing depends on ingestion, analytics, retention, and Azure services
- No permanent free plan; the no-charge period is a 31-day trial
- Its security-operations focus is less suited to general-purpose alert management
Our verdict on Microsoft Sentinel
Microsoft Sentinel is a cloud-native security information and event management platform for security operations teams. It collects security data from Microsoft services, cloud environments, on-premises systems, and third-party sources, then applies analytics, machine learning, threat intelligence, and entity correlation to detect threats. Teams can investigate incidents, group alerts, automate triage and response, and enrich investigations with external data. Its strongest fit is a security team that needs to work across correlated incidents rather than manage general-purpose operational alerts.
Alert handling goes beyond simple deduplication: teams can group alerts into incidents by time window, entities, alert details, or custom details, and map accounts, hosts, IP addresses, URLs, files, processes, and other entities. Analytics rules cover scheduled, near-real-time, anomaly, threat-intelligence, and Microsoft security scenarios. Automation rules can handle triage, assignment, tagging, status changes, and suppression; Azure Logic Apps playbooks support automated response workflows. Investigation graphs and correlated evidence help connect activity during an incident. Threat-intelligence ingestion includes indicator deduplication and enrichment, giving security teams several related investigation and response capabilities in one environment.
Sentinel integrates with Azure Log Analytics and Azure Logic Apps, as well as Microsoft Defender XDR, Defender for Endpoint, Entra ID, ServiceNow, Teams, Slack, and VirusTotal. It operates through Microsoft cloud portals, so its Azure and Microsoft ecosystem connections are central to its fit. Pricing is usage-based and depends on data ingestion, analytics, retention, and related Azure services. The 31-day no-charge period is a trial, not a permanent free plan; analytics retention is configurable by tier and table, with 90 days as the documented default. Teams comfortable with usage-based cloud security operations should consider it; organizations seeking a simple general alert manager or a permanent free plan should look elsewhere.
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Microsoft Sentinel pricing
Microsoft Sentinel fact sheet
| Free plan | No |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Not verified |
| Alert deduplication | Yes |
| Routing rules | Yes |
| Alert enrichment | Yes |
| Suppression rules | Yes |
| Included alert volume | Not verified |
| Alert retention | 90 days |
| Free trial | 31 days |
| Deployment | Cloud |
| Platforms | Web |
| Integrations | 9 integrations: Azure Log Analytics, Azure Logic Apps, Microsoft Defender XDR, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Entra ID, ServiceNow … |
| Pricing | 31-day trial (source) |
| Website | microsoft.com |
| Facts checked | 19 Sep 2026 |
Microsoft Sentinel integrations
Microsoft Sentinel lists 9 integrations on its own site.
- Azure Log Analytics
- Azure Logic Apps
- Microsoft Defender XDR
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
- Microsoft Entra ID
- ServiceNow
- Microsoft Teams
- Slack
- VirusTotal
Alternatives to Microsoft Sentinel
- TrueWatch Event ManagementA broad event-management toolkit for teams that need alert context, routing, and suppression.9.4
- ServiceNow Event ManagementA broad event-to-response workflow for organizations running ServiceNow ITOM.9.3
- Splunk IT Service IntelligenceCorrelates and enriches alerts to help teams investigate service-impacting events.9.2
See all Microsoft Sentinel alternatives →
Also Ranked In
Microsoft Sentinel is ranked in 2 of our directories.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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