IBM QRadar vs Elastic Security Pricing (2026)

IBM QRadar vs Elastic Security

SIEM pricing comparison · 2026

IBM QRadar pricing ranges from $5000–$250000/annual enterprise, while Elastic Security ranges from $95–$175/month per resource. Elastic Security is typically 100% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.

SIEM

IBM QRadar

$5000–$250000
/annual enterprise
4 plans
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
SIEM

Elastic Security

$95–$175
/month per resource
4 plans
Full pricing breakdown →

IBM QRadar and Elastic Security both operate in the siem category. This page compares their list pricing.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan IBM QRadar Elastic Security
Events per Second (EPS) Model Custom $95 /per month
Flows per Minute (FPM) Model Custom $109 /per month
Managed Virtual Servers (MVS) Custom $125 /per month
Enterprise Deployment Custom $175 /per month

Cost at Scale

Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.

IBM QRadar

3 scenarios
$15,000
Small Enterprise (500 EPS)
$30,000/year for licensing + $25,000-$50,000 implementation
$75,000
Mid-Size Enterprise (5,000 EPS or 100 MVS)
$150,000/year for licensing + $75,000-$150,000 implementation and services
$250,000
Large Global Enterprise (Custom)
$500,000+/year with TAM, professional services, and premium support

Elastic Security

4 scenarios
$95/month
Startup Security (Standard tier)
per resource for Standard tier with basic security features
$375/month ($125 × 3 resources)
Mid-Size SOC (Platinum tier, 3 resources)
for Platinum tier with EDR and threat hunting
$1,750
Enterprise Security (Enterprise tier, 10+ resources)
+/month ($175 × 10+ resources) with dedicated support and SLA guarantees
See all 4 scenarios →

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

IBM QRadar 4 hidden costs

high
High Hardware and Infrastructure Requirements 20-35% of license costs
critical
Significant Staffing Requirements $150,000-$300,000
high
Custom Log Source Integration Costs 10-25% of license costs
medium
Support Limitations and Troubleshooting Delays 5-15% of license costs
See all IBM QRadar hidden costs →

Elastic Security 2 hidden costs

high
Platinum License Per-Node Pricing Complexity $120,000/year difference between on-prem and cloud for equivalent deployment
critical
Cloud Deployment Premium $120,000/year premium for cloud vs on-prem
See all Elastic Security hidden costs →