How Much Does a SIEM Cost in 2026?
The independent, vendor-neutral guide to Security Information and Event Management pricing. Compare Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, IBM QRadar, and Elastic Security side-by-side with our free multi-vendor calculator. Real pricing data, no sales pitches.
These ranges include licensing, infrastructure, storage, and staffing costs. The wide variance reflects different vendors, pricing models, deployment choices, and retention requirements. Use our calculator below to get a personalised estimate for your specific environment.
Multi-Vendor SIEM Cost Calculator
Input your environment details to get side-by-side cost estimates across all major SIEM vendors.
Splunk
Per-GB ingested
IBM QRadar
Per-EPS
Elastic Security
Resource-based
Microsoft Sentinel
Per-GB analysed
Estimates based on published vendor pricing as of April 2026. Actual costs vary based on negotiated discounts, specific features, and deployment complexity.
SIEM Vendor Pricing Overview
Quick-reference comparison of the four major SIEM platforms. Click any vendor for a detailed pricing deep-dive.
| Vendor | Pricing Model | Typical Range | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Splunk | Per-GB ingested | $15-25K/yr per 100GB | High-volume enterprise, complex environments |
| Microsoft Sentinel | Per-GB analysed | $2-3.5K/mo per 100GB | Microsoft-heavy environments, Azure shops |
| IBM QRadar | Per-EPS | $10K-280K/yr by EPS tier | Compliance-driven, traditional enterprise |
| Elastic Security | Per-user / resource | $95-175/user/mo (cloud) | Engineering-led teams, flexible deployments |
What Makes Up SIEM Total Cost of Ownership?
Licensing is just the beginning. These six cost categories determine your true annual SIEM spend. See the full breakdown →
Licensing
30-40%Software licensing or subscription fees
Storage
15-25%Log storage, retention, and archive tiers
Integration
10-20%Log source connectors and custom parsers
Staffing
25-40%SOC analysts, engineers, and administrators
Tuning
5-10%Rule development, false-positive reduction
Threat Intel
3-8%Commercial threat intelligence feeds
Which SIEM Is Right for You?
The best SIEM depends on your environment, team, and budget. Here are five common scenarios with our recommendations. See full size-based guide →
Microsoft Shop
Already on M365 E5 with Azure infrastructure. Free Microsoft data ingestion makes Sentinel the clear winner.
High-Volume Enterprise
500+ GB/day with complex multi-cloud environments. Need advanced correlation and flexible analytics.
Budget-Conscious SMB
Under 50 employees, limited security staff. Need managed monitoring more than raw SIEM capability.
Cloud-Native Startup
Born in the cloud, engineering-first culture. Prefer open standards and API-driven tooling.
Compliance-Driven Org
PCI-DSS, HIPAA, or SOX requirements mandate specific log retention and audit trails.
Frequently Asked Questions About SIEM Costs
How much does a SIEM cost per year?
SIEM costs vary dramatically by organization size. Small businesses (under 100 employees) typically spend $30,000 to $150,000 per year including licensing, storage, and at least one dedicated analyst. Mid-market organizations (100-1,000 employees) should budget $150,000 to $500,000 annually. Enterprise deployments (1,000+ employees) routinely exceed $500,000 and can reach $2 million or more when staffing, threat intelligence feeds, and compliance requirements are factored into total cost of ownership.
Which SIEM is the cheapest in 2026?
The cheapest SIEM depends entirely on your environment. Microsoft Sentinel is typically the most affordable option for organizations already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, since Microsoft 365 E5 log ingestion is free. For organizations with strong engineering teams, open-source options like Wazuh or the ELK Stack have zero licensing costs but require significant staffing investment. Blumira and Sumo Logic offer competitive flat-rate pricing for SMBs ingesting under 50GB per day.
What hidden costs come with a SIEM?
Licensing typically represents only 30-40% of year-one SIEM costs. The six major hidden cost categories are: data storage and retention ($18,000-$180,000 per year), log source integration ($75,000-$300,000 in year one), detection rule tuning ($50,000-$120,000 initially), staffing ($170,000-$900,000 annually for 1-6 analysts), threat intelligence feeds ($10,000-$80,000 per year), and training and certification ($15,000-$25,000). A realistic year-one TCO for a 100GB/day enterprise deployment ranges from $742,000 to $1.73 million.
Is a SIEM worth the cost?
For organizations subject to compliance requirements like PCI-DSS, HIPAA, or SOX, a SIEM is essentially mandatory and the ROI question is moot. For others, the calculation compares SIEM annual cost against expected breach losses. The average cost of a data breach in the US reached $10.22 million in 2025 according to IBM. Even a modest 30% reduction in breach probability from SIEM deployment can yield positive return on security investment. However, organizations with fewer than 50 employees and no compliance mandates may find that MDR or XDR services provide better value.
How do SIEM pricing models differ between vendors?
The four main SIEM pricing models are per-GB ingested (used by Splunk and Microsoft Sentinel, charging $5-25 per GB of log data ingested daily), per-EPS or events per second (used by IBM QRadar, starting at $10,000 per year for 100 EPS), per-user or per-endpoint (used by Elastic Security and some cloud SIEMs at $5-175 per user per month), and flat-rate tiers (used by Sumo Logic and Blumira with fixed monthly pricing). Each model favours different environments, making direct comparison difficult without calculating costs for your specific log volume and user count.
Explore the Complete SIEM Cost Guide
Splunk Pricing Deep-Dive
Per-GB costs, Cloud vs Enterprise, cost optimization, and real-world scenarios for every org size
Microsoft Sentinel Pricing
PAYG rates, commitment tiers, free data sources, and Azure-specific cost optimization strategies
IBM QRadar Pricing
EPS-based tiers, Community Edition, on-prem hardware costs, and QRadar Cloud pricing
Elastic Security Pricing
Open-source vs commercial, Elastic Cloud resource pricing, and self-managed infrastructure costs
SIEM Pricing Models Explained
Per-GB vs Per-EPS vs Per-User vs Flat Rate: which model works best for your environment
Cloud vs On-Premise SIEM
Full TCO comparison with 5-year projections, hardware costs, and deployment recommendations
Managed SIEM Pricing
MSSP pricing tiers, what is included, and in-house vs managed cost comparison
Hidden SIEM Costs
The 6 budget items beyond licensing that can double your true total cost of ownership
Implementation Cost Guide
Phase-by-phase timeline and budget for cloud, on-premise, and hybrid deployments
SIEM vs XDR vs SOAR
Cost comparison and decision framework for when you need SIEM, XDR, SOAR, or all three
Open-Source SIEM Costs
True cost analysis of Wazuh, ELK Stack, and other free SIEM platforms
SIEM ROI Calculator
Build the business case with breach cost data, ROSI formulas, and board-ready frameworks
Cost by Organization Size
Clear pricing bands from startup to large enterprise with vendor recommendations per tier
Building a Full Security Stack?
SIEM is one component of a modern security operations centre. Explore costs for complementary technologies across our portfolio.