Microsoft Purview Audit vs Security Onion comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Microsoft and Security Onion Solutions, LLC are both solutions in the Log Management category. Microsoft is ranked #29 with an average rating of 8.5, while Security Onion Solutions, LLC is ranked #11 with an average rating of 8.5. Microsoft holds a 1.1% mindshare in Log Management, compared to Security Onion Solutions, LLC’s 1.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Security Onion Solutions, LLC users who would recommend it.

Microsoft Purview Audit

Read 4 Microsoft Purview Audit reviews

3,499 Views
2,554 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Security Onion

Read 8 Security Onion reviews

8,340 Views
6,255 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Microsoft Purview Audit

Security Onion

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 8, 2026

Microsoft Purview Audit and Security Onion are both contenders in enterprise security solutions. Microsoft Purview Audit offers an advantage with its integration within the Microsoft ecosystem, making it favorable for businesses already utilizing Microsoft's suite. Security Onion shines in network security with its extensive open-source capabilities.

Features: Microsoft Purview Audit provides comprehensive logging and auditing across Microsoft services, robust user activity insight, and security alert capabilities. Security Onion excels with threat detection, network-based intrusion detection, and a centralized environment combining tools like Suricata, Zeek, and Elastic Hunt.

Room for Improvement: Microsoft Purview Audit could enhance non-Microsoft service integrations, expand its dashboard capabilities, and reduce reliance on Microsoft licensing bundles. Security Onion could improve its user interface, simplify configuration for less technical users, and streamline updates and maintenance processes.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Purview Audit offers streamlined implementation for Microsoft-centric enterprises and benefits from dedicated Microsoft customer service. Security Onion, while powerful, requires technical knowledge for setup and relies on community support, which can be variable.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Purview Audit ties its costs to Microsoft service bundles, potentially offering better ROI for Microsoft clients. Security Onion, being open-source, has minimal initial costs but may see higher operational expenses due to expert setup and management needs.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Purview Audit vs. Security Onion Report (Updated: November 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Purview Audit vs. Security Onion

November 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Purview Audit

Ranking in Log Management

29th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

5.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Microsoft Security Suite (31st)

Security Onion

Ranking in Log Management

11th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Log Management category, the mindshare of Microsoft Purview Audit is 1.1%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Security Onion is 1.5%, down from 4.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Log Management Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Security Onion	1.5%
Microsoft Purview Audit	1.1%
Other	97.4%

Log Management

Featured Reviews

Oksana Kosukhina.

Cloud Solution Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees

Integrated auditing has strengthened data retention and improved incident investigations

I have seen areas for improvement, specifically in Microsoft Purview Audit or in general about Microsoft. I have had a situation with documentation. I had a customer who wanted to create alerts and they had Microsoft 365 Business Premium. In the documentation, it was noted that this license is enough for creating alerts. When we tried to make them, we noticed they cannot do it with Microsoft 365 E3 because the customer had limited features to manage alerts. The customer had to buy E3. We created Microsoft support requests, and they confirmed that the documentation displayed not the real situation and they have been going to update documentation. The same situation occurred now with implementing Microsoft Purview Audit in the last autumn. eDiscovery was combined with search and content search, and the documentation was not clear at the beginning. It was a little difficult to describe to customers that now it is a part of eDiscovery. Content search is a very simple functionality, while eDiscovery is a little difficult. I am not entirely sure why Microsoft is going in the way of combining these services because they are the same. However, for a customer who has never seen these services, it is difficult to understand quickly. The same situation occurs with litigation holds and some other holds. For any mail, I am trying to keep data. For example, emails are held for a year or two years, ten years, it does not matter. It is difficult to understand where to find this data and where these emails are being held. I need to use eDiscovery to find out all deleted data that was kept somewhere in some hidden folders of the mailbox. Regular customers and regular administrators know that on-premises Exchange, for example, allows them to find the data in some repository and review the list of kept data. However, with this hold, we do not have any functionality to review the list of kept data. It is difficult to understand for customers how to work with this. I had a case where I spent three or four hours working deeply with a customer to explain how to work with eDiscovery, why Content Search is not there when it was before, what is an eDiscovery case, and why we are talking about all of this just to review a list of kept emails. This is difficult.

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Chigozie Paschal

Security Operation Center Analyst at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees

Improved threat detection and incident response has revealed training and usability gaps

What I would like to add is that if the interface or if there is less to work on technical knowledge. For example, people with no technical knowledge cannot use this, so they need to have at least a deep or substantial level of technical knowledge to be able to use these tools. If there is a way there can be an optimization to accommodate those with no technical knowledge in the process using tools compared to tools such as Sentinel and Splunk, which also doesn't require much technical knowledge to be able to use. That would also help. I think Security Onion could be improved by making the user interface more intuitive for new users and simplifying the initial setup and configuration process. Security Onion needs to be simplified so that those with less technical knowledge can be able to come in and use it. Guidance on prioritizing alerts will also be helpful, especially in an environment where security analysts deal with a high volume of security events. I also would like to mention that it needs to be more straightforward integration with other security tools. There needs to be a handshake between Security Onion and other same tools to help in endpoint detection and protection against threats. Another improvement that could also enhance is the reporting and visualization of the key metrics such as detection time, the incident, the overall interface of the analysis, and the false rate, which will also give Security Onion a better view for security analysts to be able to use and understand it. I would like to see the interface to be more simplified. I also would like to see the visualization to be more improved. I also would like to see the support features to be something that junior analysts or those coming in to start up their careers can be able to use without needing deep technical knowledge.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We're easily saving at least one hour per day using this solution."

"The overall user experience with Microsoft Purview Audit is of higher quality than when it was branded as Compliance Center, and Microsoft consistently updates and evolves functionalities and the overall experience."

"The main Microsoft feature is that it offers common integration of services, of data, of identity, meaning user accounts, user access, and privileged access."

"The platform has significantly enhanced our operational insight into the overall Microsoft 365 environment."

"Security Onion brings these tools together in one platform, making it easier to investigate security events and understand what's happening across the network."

"Security Onion is the most mature solution in the market."

"Tools such as Suricata and Zeek help identify suspicious network activity and provide detailed information for investigating and analyzing the potential threat which is coming to any organization."

"We use Security Onion for internal vulnerability assessment."

"Security Onion has positively impacted my organization by enabling students to analyze logs, understand network traffic, comprehend intrusion detection, and utilize threat hunting and incident response skills in a practical environment, which are best practices we have implemented with the students."

"What I appreciate most about Security Onion is that it combines multiple security monitoring tools into one platform."

"Security Onion is reliable and is a good product, having no glitches or latency problems."

"The most valuable feature of Security Onion for security monitoring is its ability to find infected ports."

Cons

"I had a case where I spent three or four hours working deeply with a customer to explain how to work with eDiscovery, why Content Search is not there when it was before, what is an eDiscovery case, and why we are talking about all of this just to review a list of kept emails."

"We are still in the early stages of leveraging Microsoft Purview Audit. Currently, it's primarily used for the audit function."

"Areas for product improvement include enhancing customization options and integrating more comprehensive compliance features."

"We do have a Denial of Access happening."

"One of the improvements for Security Onion could be to address the issue of many logs and false positive alerts by reducing the number of false positives, as storage management is very hard sometimes due to a lack of storage space for logs, and they could implement methods to expand storage."

"Security Onion's user interface could be improved."

"Security Onion also has an enterprise version and support available; sometimes the community version is not capable enough to solve the purpose, so the enterprise edition can help."

"The product is not easy to learn."

"One way Security Onion could improve is by making the initial setup and configuration easier, especially for new users."

"The biggest challenges I have experienced with Security Onion are the learning curve and resource requirements, as it is not necessarily something you can install and immediately understand without networking and Linux knowledge."

"What I would like to add is that if the interface or if there is less to work on technical knowledge."

"The initial setup of the solution is a little bit difficult."

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"It is an open-source solution."

"Security Onion is an open-source solution."

"Security Onion is a free solution."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

12%

Computer Software Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Construction Company

Comms Service Provider

12%

University

11%

Government

10%

Construction Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	8

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Purview Audit?

It is not so expensive in comparison with other products, but I can tell you about an example.

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What needs improvement with Microsoft Purview Audit?

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What is your primary use case for Microsoft Purview Audit?

I work with Defender for IoT by chance because I see that we have enough reviews for Defender for Office 365 today, and we need reviews for some Azure products. I work with Azure products such as L...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Security Onion?

I have not had a problem with pricing, setup cost, and licensing because my experience with Security Onion's pricing has been positive. Security Onion is open-source, so I was able to use its c...

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What needs improvement with Security Onion?

One way Security Onion could improve is by making the initial setup and configuration easier, especially for new users. When I first started working with it, I experienced challenges configuring ne...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Security Onion?

I would give Security Onion a rating of 10 out of 10. I have used other platforms, and I can tell that Security Onion provides powerful security monitoring and investigation tools in one platform, ...

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Comparisons

Cisco Secure Email and Web Manager vs Microsoft Purview Audit

Compared 10% of the time

SentinelOne Singularity Data Lake vs Microsoft Purview Audit

Compared 7% of the time

Splunk Enterprise Security vs Microsoft Purview Audit

Compared 6% of the time

Microsoft Sentinel vs Microsoft Purview Audit

Compared 6% of the time

Microsoft Purview eDiscovery vs Microsoft Purview Audit

Compared 3% of the time

More Microsoft Purview Audit Competitors

Wazuh vs Security Onion

Compared 21% of the time

Elastic Stack vs Security Onion

Compared 7% of the time

Splunk Enterprise Security vs Security Onion

Compared 5% of the time

LogRhythm SIEM vs Security Onion

Compared 4% of the time

Amazon OpenSearch Service vs Security Onion

Compared 2% of the time

More Security Onion Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Purview Audit

October 2026

Download Microsoft Purview Audit product report

Buyer's Guide

Security Onion

October 2026

Download Security Onion product report

Overview

Microsoft Purview Audit offers streamlined, user-friendly solutions for managing Microsoft 365 environments. It excels in security incident log management, privileged access control, and simplifying data access adjustments with integration between AD and Azure AD.

Key functionalities of Microsoft Purview Audit include capabilities tailored to monitor environment health, compliance, and security management within Active Directory and Microsoft ecosystems. Users can efficiently manage roles, access controls, and data retention protocols, making it a valuable resource for strategically-driven organizations with legal requirements. While the integration with Dataverse enhances its utility, user challenges arise due to complexity in certain aspects such as litigation holds and accessing hidden folder data. Additionally, users have reported issues with the precision of customization and compliance documentation, particularly when handling alerts and eDiscovery functions. Despite these challenges, Purview Audit remains a leading tool within the Microsoft suite for managing log retrieval and security oversight.

What are the key features of Microsoft Purview Audit?

User-friendly Dashboards: Easily track the health of Microsoft 365 environments.
Privileged Access Management: Efficiently manage and secure access to critical resources.
Log Management: Gain insights into security incidents through comprehensive log management.
Rules-based Access Control: Implement strict access protocols tailored to organizational frameworks.
Role-based Delegation: Streamline role delegation while adhering to security policies.
Zero Trust Security: Enhance security with a zero trust model for data protection.

What benefits should users look for?

Data Retention: Meet legal and compliance needs efficiently.
Easy Configuration: Simplify setup processes for quick implementation.
Seamless AD to Azure AD Migration: Transition effortlessly between directory services.
Detailed Audit Capabilities: Understand, monitor, and review security actions easily.

In industries with stringent data governance and compliance mandates, Microsoft Purview Audit is utilized to ensure a robust security posture. Users engage it for monitoring compliance within financial services, healthcare, and other sectors where data privacy is paramount. With its SaaS-based integration in Microsoft environments, organizations access refined log data leveraging platforms like Power Platform Admin Center, ensuring comprehensive oversight and operational efficiency.

Microsoft

Security Onion is an open-source Linux distribution for intrusion detection, network security monitoring, and log management. It offers comprehensive solutions for enterprises seeking to enhance their cybersecurity infrastructure.

Security Onion provides a full suite of tools to detect and respond to cybersecurity threats efficiently. As a robust and versatile distribution, it includes capabilities for real-time analysis, network visibility, and threat detection, making it indispensable for security operations centers. Users value this tool for its integration of open-source software with advanced analytics, affording professionals a detailed overview of network traffic and potential intrusions.

What are Security Onion’s most important features?

Intrusion Detection: Utilizes Suricata or Zeek for effective threat monitoring.
Network Security Monitoring: Offers powerful visualization tools for network analysis.
Log Management: Centralizes log collection and analysis.
Comprehensive Dashboards: Provides integrated dashboards for threat visibility.

What benefits or ROI should you look for in reviews?

Cost Efficiency: Reduced cybersecurity costs due to its open-source nature.
Improved Threat Detection: Enhanced ability to identify and respond to threats quickly.
Integration Capability: Seamless integration with existing security infrastructures.
Scalability: Support for scaling network security operations as needed.

Security Onion finds extensive application in industries such as finance, healthcare, and government sectors, where robust network monitoring is critical. Its ability to integrate with existing security tools makes it a preferred choice for organizations looking to strengthen their cybersecurity posture.

Security Onion Solutions, LLC

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Purview Audit vs. Security Onion

November 2026

Free Report: Microsoft Purview Audit vs. Security Onion

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