Compliance Monitoring Tools -- Splunk Alternatives
Compliance monitoring requires a SIEM that can collect, retain, and report on security events to satisfy regulatory requirements like PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOX, GDPR, and SOC 2. These Splunk alternatives provide pre-built compliance dashboards, automated reporting, long-term log retention, and audit-ready evidence collection to help organizations demonstrate compliance without the high cost and complexity of Splunk's compliance add-ons.
Map your compliance obligations (PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOX, GDPR, SOC 2, etc.) to specific log collection, retention, and monitoring requirements. Identify which systems, applications, and data flows fall within the compliance scope.
Deploy log collectors across all in-scope systems to capture required events. Configure retention policies that meet or exceed regulatory requirements (e.g., 1 year for PCI DSS, 6 years for SOX) with appropriate storage tiering for cost management.
Enable pre-built compliance dashboards and monitoring rules for your applicable frameworks. Configure alerts for compliance violations such as unauthorized access attempts, policy changes, and data exfiltration indicators.
Schedule automated compliance reports that demonstrate continuous monitoring and control effectiveness. Configure reports to capture evidence of access controls, change management, incident response, and log integrity verification.
Regularly validate that all in-scope systems are sending logs, retention policies are enforced, and compliance controls are functioning. Run periodic compliance gap assessments and update monitoring as regulations evolve or your environment changes.
From $800/month (100 EPS) / Enterprise custom
The most mature compliance reporting capabilities among Splunk alternatives, with pre-built compliance modules for PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOX, GDPR, and ISO 27001. Automated compliance dashboards and audit-ready reports reduce the manual effort of compliance evidence collection.
From $2.46/GB ingested (pay-as-you-go) / Commitment tiers available
Integrates with Microsoft Purview Compliance Manager for a unified compliance posture. Built-in workbooks for regulatory frameworks, combined with long-term data retention in Azure Monitor Logs, provide cost-effective compliance monitoring for Microsoft-centric environments.
Free (basic) / From $95/month (Cloud) / Enterprise custom
Offers flexible data retention with hot-warm-cold-frozen architecture that supports cost-effective long-term log storage for compliance. Custom dashboards and reporting can be built for any regulatory framework, with no per-GB retention costs.
Custom enterprise pricing (typically $30K-$200K+/year)
Pre-built compliance automation modules with audit-ready reports for major regulatory frameworks. Embedded case management provides evidence collection and chain-of-custody documentation that compliance auditors expect.
From $3.00/GB/day (Cloud Flex) / Enterprise custom
Cloud-native compliance monitoring with pre-built dashboards for PCI DSS, HIPAA, and SOC 2. Managed data retention and secure multi-tenant architecture simplify compliance in cloud environments without infrastructure management overhead.
AI-powered enterprise SIEM with automated threat detection and investigation
From $800/month (100 EPS) / Enterprise custom
Large enterprises needing an AI-augmented SIEM with strong compliance reporting and network flow analysis
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
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
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
Cloud-native SIEM and security analytics with automated threat detection
From $3.00/GB/day (Cloud Flex) / Enterprise custom
Organizations wanting a fully managed cloud SIEM with predictable pricing and no infrastructure to manage
IBM QRadar offers the most mature PCI DSS compliance modules with pre-built reports mapping to specific PCI requirements. LogRhythm also provides strong PCI compliance automation. Microsoft Sentinel integrates with Microsoft Purview for unified compliance management. All of these alternatives are significantly less expensive than Splunk for compliance-focused deployments, where long-term data retention can drive Splunk costs extremely high.
Data retention is where Splunk costs escalate most dramatically, as you pay per GB ingested regardless of retention period. Elastic Security offers hot-warm-cold-frozen storage tiers with no per-GB licensing. Microsoft Sentinel provides low-cost long-term retention via Azure Log Analytics archive tier at $0.023/GB/month. Sumo Logic charges based on active ingest, not retained data. Graylog and QRadar use fixed licensing that does not increase with retention volume.
Yes. All of these SIEM alternatives support GDPR compliance monitoring through audit logging of data access, breach detection and notification workflows, and data processing activity monitoring. Microsoft Sentinel offers the deepest GDPR integration through Microsoft Purview and Azure compliance tools. IBM QRadar has pre-built GDPR modules. For data subject access requests (DSARs), the SIEM's search capabilities help locate personal data across all indexed logs.
A SIEM handles the security monitoring and log management aspects of compliance, which represent a significant portion of most regulatory requirements. However, a SIEM alone may not cover all compliance needs. You may still need dedicated tools for vulnerability management, endpoint compliance checks, policy management, and risk assessment. The SIEM integrates with these tools to provide a comprehensive compliance posture.
AI-powered enterprise SIEM with automated threat detection and investigation
ComparisonCloud-native Azure SIEM with AI-powered detection and automated response
ComparisonOpen-source SIEM and security analytics built on the ELK Stack
CategoryCompare the best open source SIEM alternatives to Splunk in 2026. Elastic Security, Graylog and more — features, detection capabilities, and deployment compared.
CategoryCompare the best cloud SIEM alternatives to Splunk in 2026. Microsoft Sentinel, Sumo Logic, Datadog Security — pricing, cloud integration, and capabilities compared.
Use CaseCompare the best Splunk alternatives for SOC operations in 2026. Microsoft Sentinel, Elastic Security, Exabeam, IBM QRadar, LogRhythm — SOC features and workflows compared.
Use CaseCompare the best Splunk alternatives for threat detection in 2026. Exabeam, Elastic Security, Microsoft Sentinel, IBM QRadar, Datadog Security — detection capabilities compared.
Use CaseCompare the best Splunk alternatives for cloud security monitoring in 2026. Microsoft Sentinel, Datadog Security, Elastic Security, Sumo Logic — cloud security capabilities compared.