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IBM Security QRadar vs Microsoft Sentinel comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 8, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
4.9
Torq reduced alert handling time, increased efficiency and ROI, leading to customer satisfaction and renewal interest due to competitive pricing.
Sentiment score
6.3
IBM Security QRadar delivers cost-effective, rapid deployment, reducing incident response times and employee needs, enhancing organizational resilience.
Sentiment score
6.6
Microsoft Sentinel enhances ROI with automation, boosts productivity, lowers costs, and improves security through efficient integration and faster responses.
Since we started working with Torq, I am handling much fewer alerts. It is becoming really easy for me to handle an alert.
SOC Analyst at AppsFlyer
By the time we officially bought Torq, we already had two workflows that were very helpful to us.
CyberSecurity Engineer at a real estate/law firm with 10,001+ employees
It pretty much took until we got to our first renewal where we said that this is the value we see, this is the things we want more, but that is the first place where we said we are happy enough that we want to renew.
Information Technology Specialist at a media company with 201-500 employees
With SOAR, the workflow takes one minute or less to complete the analysis.
Cyber Security Architects at VaporVM
AWS gives the chance to implement a solution out of the box with use cases that are already in IBM Security QRadar.
Strategic Account Executive at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
Investing this amount was very much worth it for my organization.
Information Security Analyst at Banglalink
If a customer is already using Microsoft’s ecosystem, the ROI can be positive due to seamless integration.
senior cyber security at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Our MTTR, mean time to response, improved by forty to fifty percent. Earlier, medium-severity incidents took two to three hours to resolve. Now, after Microsoft Sentinel, it is forty to fifty-five minutes.
Cyber Security Consultant at ProTechmanize
We attribute our growth to Sentinel.
Chief Commercial Officer at defend
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.0
Torq's customer service is praised for quick, knowledgeable support, resolving issues effectively within 24 hours with minimal formal contact.
Sentiment score
6.0
IBM Security QRadar support quality varies, with inconsistent service; knowledgeable agents appreciated but response times and expertise are concerns.
Sentiment score
6.4
Microsoft Sentinel support is praised for quick, knowledgeable responses, with higher satisfaction in premium plans despite some documentation challenges.
The speed and quality of their answers have been pretty good, as I usually get a response within 24 hours, and they follow up well.
CyberSecurity Engineer at a real estate/law firm with 10,001+ employees
We can always get an answer, and the support team are experts in their own system.
Director Of Cyber Security at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees
Nine out of ten times, they give me a solution even if it is not the solution I wanted, and I still can get to the result.
Information Technology Specialist at a media company with 201-500 employees
They assist with advanced issues, such as hardware or other problems, that are not part of standard operations.
Network and Security Architect at Deutsche Telekom
Support needs to understand the issue first, then escalate it to the engineering team.
Cyber Security Architects at VaporVM
The support is really good; for instance, if a critical ticket is submitted, you will get paged right away as it gets logged, and their analyst will look into it, letting you know as soon as possible so you can work on it.
Cyber Security Intern at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
Microsoft invests significantly in support, which is crucial for companies.
Director de Microsoft y Transformación Digital at Compucad
I believe Microsoft could improve by keeping customer service within the US for Microsoft Sentinel customers who are within state and federal government sectors.
Infosec at a government with 10,001+ employees
Working with a Sentinel engineer helped us tune settings effectively.
Systems Emgineer at a non-profit with 1-10 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.4
Torq excels in scalability, supporting large teams and adapting efficiently, despite the no-code automation's inherent web interface limitations.
Sentiment score
7.3
IBM Security QRadar is highly scalable, easily integrates hardware, and efficiently manages extensive networks for cloud or on-premises deployments.
Sentiment score
7.6
Microsoft Sentinel offers scalable, cloud-based operations with seamless Azure integration, emphasizing elasticity and cost considerations for effective data management.
Our case management is super scalable.
CyberSecurity Engineer at a real estate/law firm with 10,001+ employees
In terms of scalability, you can do as long as you can build it, and they can support it.
Director Of Cyber Security at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees
Regarding the ability of the solution to grow in your work environment, if it is scalable, if it fits your business requirements, and if there is room to scale up, the answer is yes, for sure.
Global IT Director at OpenWeb
For EPS license, if you increase or exceed the EPS license, you cannot receive events.
Cyber Security Architects at VaporVM
There is no need to add hardware or redesign infrastructure because it is cloud-native.
Cyber Security Consultant at ProTechmanize
As our organization uses Microsoft Azure and Defender, everything grows together, and we can integrate various features seamlessly.
Systems Emgineer at a non-profit with 1-10 employees
Being a SaaS solution, the scalability of Microsoft Sentinel is robust.
senior cyber security at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
5.4
Torq generally performs stably with minor bugs and glitches, but overall user satisfaction remains high without significant disruptions.
Sentiment score
7.5
IBM QRadar is seen as reliable, with stability dependent on proper configuration, version updates, and sufficient hardware resources.
Sentiment score
7.8
Microsoft Sentinel is reliable with 99.9% uptime, minor glitches, and minimal maintenance thanks to its managed service aspect.
Most of the time, the system is stable as long as the components that they integrate with are stable.
Director Of Cyber Security at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees
Regarding stability, I have noticed some lagging, crashing, and downtime, which is one of my largest gripes.
CyberSecurity Engineer at a real estate/law firm with 10,001+ employees
I would rate Torq's product stability at eight, acknowledging that there are bugs, glitches, and downtimes.
Senior Cyber Architect at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
On cloud, you don't see any disconnections or instability.
SOC Engineer at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees
I think QRadar is stable and currently satisfies my needs.
Architect of Cybersecurity at ASSIST - Software Services
The product has been stable so far.
Information Security Analyst at Banglalink
I have never experienced any downtime, crashes, or performance issues with Microsoft Sentinel because it is SOC as a Service, so it maintains 100% uptime and scaling.
Infosec at a government with 10,001+ employees
In the past two years, our team hasn't encountered any issues with the stability of Microsoft Sentinel from an operations perspective.
Project Executive at synergyc
I need to be aware of deprecated connectors as they may disconnect, but the data continues to be sent with a need for quick adaptation.
senior cyber security at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Torq requires improvements in AI features, error handling, data handling, and workflow navigation for enhanced usability and reliability.
IBM Security QRadar needs UI improvements, better integration, faster support, enhanced features, and competitive pricing to address user concerns.
Users seek better integration, documentation, user-friendliness, AI, automation, and transparency in Microsoft Sentinel for improved threat management.
It was able to capture data but was unable to differentiate between the agent hostname we are using and the hostname that resides on the back end of the Internet.
Senior Consultant at a university with 10,001+ employees
From an engineering perspective, I think more error messages and error handling information for our engineering team would be very helpful.
CyberSecurity Engineer at a real estate/law firm with 10,001+ employees
If a step is failing, the system could try to autocorrect it with AI or open a ticket from the workflow itself.
Director Of Cyber Security at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees
We receive logs from different types of devices and need a way to correlate them effectively.
Network and Security Architect at Deutsche Telekom
If AI-related support can suggest rules and integrate with existing security devices like MD, IPS, this SIM can create more relevant rules.
Information Security Analyst at Banglalink
IBM Security QRadar does not support Canvas, so we had to create custom scripts and workarounds to pull logs from Canvas.
Cyber Security Architects at VaporVM
Log ingestion and retention costs can grow quickly, and understanding which data source is driving cost is not always straightforward.
Cyber Security Consultant at ProTechmanize
We have some tools, such as our off-site Meraki firewalls, that have not fully integrated with Sentinel.
Systems Emgineer at a non-profit with 1-10 employees
There are complexities in calculating the right pricing tier for different customers, which makes it difficult for me as a consultant during upfront pricing.
senior cyber security at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
 

Setup Cost

Enterprise buyers find Torq's pricing high but worthwhile due to its modernization, automation, and strategic investment value.
IBM QRadar is costly but efficient, flexible in licensing, negotiable, and ideal for large enterprises over smaller ones.
Microsoft Sentinel's pricing is flexible yet costly, requiring optimization and integration to maximize cost-effectiveness for data management.
When they bring more and more value into the platform, it makes more sense to pay that price, but still, it is expensive.
Senior Cyber Architect at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Before deciding to implement Torq, I considered that compared to our old case management platform, Torq was a much better price and had a lot better value for what you get out of the platform, which was a key consideration for the company.
CyberSecurity Engineer at a real estate/law firm with 10,001+ employees
It is an expensive solution, not an inexpensive solution, but we get through the flexibility.
Director Of Cyber Security at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees
Splunk is more expensive than IBM Security QRadar.
Cyber Security Architects at VaporVM
It was costly mainly because of the value you can get right now compared to other solutions.
CTO at Sabyk
It depends on how much you want to spend.
Strategic Account Executive at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
It has been beneficial that Microsoft Sentinel is included as part of the Microsoft package, making it more cost-effective.
Senior System Administrator at a university with 5,001-10,000 employees
Microsoft Sentinel is not a low-cost SIEM.
Cyber Security Consultant at ProTechmanize
Microsoft Sentinel is provided at no cost, so we didn't have any issues with the cost.
Vice President, Sales, Cybersecurity at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
 

Valuable Features

Torq enhances productivity by streamlining workflows, integrating systems, and utilizing AI for efficient SecOps and API management.
IBM Security QRadar is scalable and user-friendly, excelling in threat detection, event analysis, and third-party integration for large operations.
Microsoft Sentinel excels in integration, AI, scalability, automation, and user experience, with powerful threat detection and response features.
Torq's unified platform approach to AI SOC automation and case management has significantly benefited us by integrating the case management platform with the automation, which saves time compared to managing multiple point solutions across our security stack.
CyberSecurity Engineer at a real estate/law firm with 10,001+ employees
The fact that I can build whatever I want within my own imagination and skills without relying on code is the best thing about Torq.
Director Of Cyber Security at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees
You can copy and paste a cURL command. If you have documentation or APIs, you usually have an example on the side. You basically have all the information on how the API call should be. You can just copy that and paste it into a step, and it will just build the step for you.
Global IT Director at OpenWeb
Recently, I faced an incident, a cyber incident, and it was detected in real time.
Information Security Analyst at Banglalink
IBM Security QRadar gives the opportunity to improve the time to market of the releases with a great evaluation of cybersecurity breaches.
Strategic Account Executive at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
Compared to ArcSight, Splunk, or any other SIEM tools where you need their processing language such as structured query language, SPL, and in Sentinel there is KQL query languages, IBM Security QRadar doesn't require reliance on query languages.
SOC Engineer at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees
Microsoft Sentinel's ability to correlate data from multiple sources and its detection capabilities are essential.
Cost Engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Microsoft Sentinel has improved cost efficiency, which is one of the key areas we're able to win business against the ability to have threat intelligence.
Chief Commercial Officer at defend
Microsoft Sentinel's ability to correlate data from multiple sources enhances our threat detection capabilities beyond what is a simple data lake solution by filtering out the noise and consolidating the signal down to a meaningful level that is easier to investigate and see.
Solutions Architect at a tech vendor with 201-500 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Torq
Sponsored
Ranking in Security Orchestration Automation and Response (SOAR)
5th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
AI-SOC (3rd), AI-Powered Security Automation (2nd)
IBM Security QRadar
Ranking in Security Orchestration Automation and Response (SOAR)
4th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
217
Ranking in other categories
Log Management (7th), Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) (3rd), User Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) (2nd), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) (16th), Managed Detection and Response (MDR) (6th), Extended Detection and Response (XDR) (11th)
Microsoft Sentinel
Ranking in Security Orchestration Automation and Response (SOAR)
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
107
Ranking in other categories
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) (4th), Microsoft Security Suite (6th), AI-Powered Cybersecurity Platforms (5th)
 

Featured Reviews

Nimrod Vardi - PeerSpot reviewer
Global IT Director at OpenWeb
Automation workflows have transformed our IT, enabling secure just-in-time access control
We work with them quite often, so we have a direct line regarding areas in Torq that have room for improvement. If we have a feature request, we can request it. I do not have anything in mind at the moment. We were a design partner for a short while, so we feel that they listen and that users of the system have an impact on the way the system is designed for the better. They have a new community, which is something that I personally suggested years ago. There are many people like me in different places and they might have already built the workflow that I need. Having the option to share workflows or to jump on a thread and say I have this need, did anyone ever build a workflow for it, is amazing. Someone would jump in and say yes, sure, here, take this workflow. I think this is an amazing thing and I really hope that the community will come alive because I think this is really powerful. This is something that I already suggested and it did happen eventually, and I am quite happy with it. I do not have any specific feature in mind that I have a need for at the moment.
HarshBhardiya - PeerSpot reviewer
SOC Engineer at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees
Have managed daily asset and alert monitoring effectively but have encountered limitations with manual processes and interface usability
It's still very manual and doesn't work on its own. It's still in an early stage and not on par where we can consider it a really successful detection system. The accuracy is not there. The UI could be better when compared to Sentinels where we can use flags and tagging. It could be much more user-friendly. IBM Security QRadar has all features and is fully competitive with other SIEM tools, but when it comes to user-friendliness, a new user takes time to get used to it. More intuitive, user-friendly interfaces and more helpful documentation would be beneficial. The query searching and data fetching could be faster. In large to very large organizations with around 5,000 or 6,000 assets or beyond, even with proper configurations and RAM and hardware backing up, the query is fairly slow.
Kallamuddin Ansari - PeerSpot reviewer
Cyber Security Consultant at ProTechmanize
Centralized monitoring has improved threat response but cost control still needs refinement
Based on real operations used in our corporate IT environment, the key features include log correlation and incident view. Microsoft Sentinel's biggest strength is how it correlates multiple related alerts into a single incident. This significantly reduces alert noise and helps the SOC focus on real threats instead of isolated events. Another valuable feature is KQL-based threat hunting with Kusto Query Language. The flexibility of this language allows us to build custom hunting queries based on our environment's behavior. This is extremely useful for detecting low and slow threats or hidden threats that default rules may miss. Cloud-native scalability and stability is another important feature. Being cloud-native, Microsoft Sentinel scales well for medium to large corporate environments without infrastructure management. Stability has been solid in day-to-day production. SOAR automation using playbooks is a feature we highly recommend. Microsoft Sentinel's SOAR functionality helps automate repetitive SOC tasks like alert enrichment and notification. This saves analyst time and improves response consistency.
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884,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Comparison Review

VS
Manager, Enterprise Risk Consulting at a tech company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Jun 28, 2015
Qradar vs. ArcSight
Continuing with the SIEM posts we have done at Infosecnirvana, this post is a Head to head comparison of the two Industry leading SIEM products in the market – HP ArcSight and IBM QRadar Both the products have consistently been in the Gartner Leaders Quadrant. Both HP and IBM took over niche SIEM…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Outsourcing Company
6%
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
6%
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise4
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business91
Midsize Enterprise39
Large Enterprise105
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business41
Midsize Enterprise22
Large Enterprise46
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Torq?
We do not utilize the AI features that much. When it comes to general AI features of Torq, we are just slowly startin...
What is your primary use case for Torq?
Torq markets itself as a security tool, and we do use them for security, but not in the traditional sense they market...
What advice do you have for others considering Torq?
I would rate Torq an eight overall. I feel that Torq is as good as the effort you put into it. The limitations are ve...
What are the biggest differences between Securonix UEBA, Exabeam, and IBM QRadar?
It mostly depends on your use-cases and environment. Exabeam and Securonix have a stronger UEBA feature set, friendli...
What SOC product do you recommend?
For tools I’d recommend: -SIEM- LogRhythm -SOAR- Palo Alto XSOAR Doing commercial w/o both (or at least an XDR) is a...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Security QRadar?
Pricing and the license of EPS were managed by the governance team. I was not responsible for managing those. I was s...
Is there a common threat intelligence tool that aggregates multiple threat intelligence sources?
Yes, Azure Sentinel is a SIEM on the Cloud. Multiple data sources can be uploaded and analyzed with Azure Sentinel an...
What is a better choice, Splunk or Azure Sentinel?
It would really depend on (1) which logs you need to ingest and (2) what are your use cases Splunk is easy for ingest...
Which is better - Azure Sentinel or AWS Security Hub?
We like that Azure Sentinel does not require as much maintenance as legacy SIEMs that are on-premises. Azure Sentinel...
 

Also Known As

No data available
IBM QRadar, QRadar SIEM, QRadar UBA, QRadar on Cloud, IBM QRadar Advisor with Watson
Azure Sentinel
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Clients across multiple industries, such as energy, financial, retail, healthcare, government, communications, and education use QRadar.
Microsoft Sentinel is trusted by companies of all sizes including ABM, ASOS, Uniper, First West Credit Union, Avanade, and more.
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Security QRadar vs. Microsoft Sentinel and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
884,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.