autoruns vs ProcFilter: 2026 Comparison
autoruns is a free endpoint detection and response tool. ProcFilter is a free endpoint detection and response tool. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best endpoint detection and response fit for your security stack.
CST VerdictBased on our analysis of available product data, here is our conclusion:
Windows incident responders and SOC analysts hunting for persistence mechanisms will find Autoruns invaluable for its speed; it surfaces every scheduled task, startup folder entry, and registry run key in seconds where manual inspection takes hours. The tool has been a NIST-aligned detection workhorse since Windows XP and requires zero agent deployment or licensing. Skip this if you need real-time monitoring or behavioral analysis of what those startup items actually do once they execute; Autoruns is forensic inventory, not behavioral EDR.
Malware analysts and defensive teams with Windows-heavy environments should use ProcFilter for its native YARA integration, which lets you operationalize your signature library directly at process execution without custom parsing or middleware. The tool is free and maintains active GitHub development (397 stars), removing budget friction for smaller security shops testing process-level detection. Skip this if you need agent-based endpoint telemetry across mixed OS environments or hunting capabilities beyond process filtering; ProcFilter is deliberately narrow and won't replace a traditional EDR.
