Best Of 2026
Best UEBA Tools for a SOC That Uses Splunk
User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) adds AI-powered anomaly detection to your Splunk-based SOC. We evaluated UEBA solutions specifically for their Splunk integration quality, detection accuracy, and ability to enhance existing Splunk deployments.
Last updated
How We Evaluated
Splunk Integration
Quality of native Splunk integration including data ingestion, alert forwarding, dashboard embedding, and bi-directional workflow support.
Behavioral Analytics Quality
Sophistication of machine learning models for detecting anomalous user and entity behavior, including baseline accuracy and adaptation speed.
Insider Threat Detection
Effectiveness at detecting insider threats including data exfiltration, privilege escalation, credential misuse, and lateral movement.
Investigation Workflow
Quality of investigation tools including user timelines, peer group analysis, risk scoring, and integration with SOC ticketing systems.
Time to Value
How quickly the UEBA solution provides accurate baselines and actionable detections after deployment with Splunk data.
Top Recommendations
Custom enterprise pricing (subscription-based)
Exabeam's behavioral analytics platform was purpose-built for UEBA and integrates seamlessly with Splunk via the Exabeam Splunk App. Its Smart Timelines automatically stitch together related user and entity activities, dramatically reducing investigation time for SOC analysts.
From $2.46/GB ingested (pay-as-you-go) / Commitment tiers available
Microsoft Sentinel's built-in UEBA capabilities leverage Azure AD and M365 signals that Splunk can't natively access. Running Sentinel alongside Splunk for UEBA provides unique identity-centric detection while maintaining Splunk as the primary SIEM.
Free (basic) / From $95/month (Cloud) / Enterprise custom
Elastic Security's anomaly detection jobs provide UEBA capabilities built on machine learning. Its open data model makes it easy to enrich Splunk data or run as a complementary analytics layer alongside existing Splunk deployments.
Custom enterprise pricing (typically $30K-$200K+/year)
LogRhythm's UEBA module excels at insider threat detection with pre-built scenarios for data exfiltration, account misuse, and privilege abuse. Its TrueIdentity technology maps user activity across multiple accounts and systems.
From $0.20/GB analyzed (Cloud SIEM) / Custom enterprise
Datadog Cloud SIEM with its behavioral detection capabilities complements Splunk SOCs that need better cloud infrastructure visibility. Its threat detection rules and anomaly detection focus on cloud-native attack patterns.
Detailed Tool Profiles
Behavioral analytics SIEM with automated investigation and response
Custom enterprise pricing (subscription-based)
Security teams focused on insider threat detection and automated investigation with behavioral analytics
- +Strong behavioral analytics (UEBA)
- +Automated investigation dramatically reduces analyst time
- +Smart Timelines provide clear incident visualization
- –Smaller market presence than Splunk or Microsoft
- –Advanced features require significant tuning
- –Integration ecosystem still maturing
Cloud-native Azure SIEM with AI-powered detection and automated response
From $2.46/GB ingested (pay-as-you-go) / Commitment tiers available
Microsoft-centric organizations wanting a cloud-native SIEM with deep M365 and Azure integration
- +Deep native integration with Microsoft ecosystem
- +Cloud-native with no infrastructure to manage
- +Free data ingestion for Microsoft 365 and Azure logs
- –Per-GB costs can spike with non-Microsoft data sources
- –KQL learning curve for teams used to other query languages
- –Best value requires heavy Microsoft investment
Open-source SIEM and security analytics built on the ELK Stack
Free (basic) / From $95/month (Cloud) / Enterprise custom
Teams wanting open-source flexibility with enterprise SIEM capabilities and no per-GB ingest pricing
- +Open-source core with no ingest-based pricing
- +Scales massively with Elasticsearch
- +Unified SIEM, EDR, and cloud security
- –Complex cluster management at scale
- –Advanced features require paid subscription
- –Steeper operational overhead than SaaS alternatives
Unified SIEM platform with threat lifecycle management and built-in SOAR
Custom enterprise pricing (typically $30K-$200K+/year)
Mid-to-large enterprises wanting an all-in-one SIEM with built-in SOAR and simplified threat lifecycle management
- +All-in-one platform with SIEM, SOAR, UEBA, and NDR
- +Strong out-of-the-box content and use cases
- +Prescriptive analytics guide analyst workflows
- –Smaller market share and community than Splunk
- –Limited cloud-native capabilities
- –Modernization pace slower than cloud-native competitors
Unified security and observability platform with cloud SIEM and posture management
From $0.20/GB analyzed (Cloud SIEM) / Custom enterprise
DevSecOps teams that want unified security and observability with deep cloud-native visibility
- +Seamless integration of security and observability
- +Strong cloud-native and container security
- +Fast deployment with existing Datadog agents
- –SIEM capabilities less mature than dedicated solutions
- –Costs compound across multiple security modules
- –Limited on-premises support
Best UEBA Tools for SOC Using Splunk FAQ
Does Splunk have built-in UEBA?
Splunk UBA was a separate product that Splunk sunsetted in favor of behavioral detection within Splunk Enterprise Security. While Splunk ES includes some behavioral analytics, dedicated UEBA tools like Exabeam provide significantly deeper user and entity behavior analysis.
Can I run UEBA alongside Splunk without duplicating data?
Yes. Most UEBA tools can ingest data directly from Splunk via APIs or forwarders, avoiding duplicate log collection costs. Exabeam and Elastic Security are particularly efficient at working with existing Splunk data.
What's the typical ROI of adding UEBA to a Splunk SOC?
Organizations typically see 40-60% reduction in investigation time per incident and improved detection of insider threats and compromised accounts that rule-based SIEM detections miss. The ROI usually justifies the additional spend within 6-12 months.
Sources & References
- Gartner Magic Quadrant for SIEM 2024[Analyst Report]
- Forrester Wave: Security Analytics Platforms, Q4 2024[Analyst Report]
- IDC MarketScape: Worldwide SIEM 2024[Analyst Report]
- MITRE ATT&CK Evaluations[Industry Evaluation]
- SANS Institute: Best Practices for SIEM Deployment[Industry Research]
- Gartner Peer Insights: SIEM[Peer Reviews]
- Exabeam — Official Website[Vendor]
- Exabeam Reviews on G2[User Reviews]
- Exabeam Reviews on TrustRadius[User Reviews]
- Microsoft Sentinel — Official Website[Vendor]
- Microsoft Sentinel Reviews on G2[User Reviews]
- Microsoft Sentinel Reviews on TrustRadius[User Reviews]
- Elastic Security — Official Website[Vendor]
- Elastic Security Reviews on G2[User Reviews]
- Elastic Security Reviews on TrustRadius[User Reviews]
- LogRhythm — Official Website[Vendor]
- LogRhythm Reviews on G2[User Reviews]
- LogRhythm Reviews on TrustRadius[User Reviews]
- Datadog Security — Official Website[Vendor]
- Datadog Security Reviews on G2[User Reviews]
- Datadog Security Reviews on TrustRadius[User Reviews]
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