AWS IR vs SIFT: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)
Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.
AWS IR is a free digital forensics and incident response tool. SIFT is a free digital forensics and incident response tool. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best digital forensics and incident response fit for your security stack.
CST VerdictBased on our analysis of available product data, here is our conclusion:
Teams managing AWS environments who need fast automated response to compromised instances and exposed credentials will get the most from AWS IR. It's free, written in Python for easy customization, and handles the specific playbooks most AWS shops actually run,isolating instances, revoking keys, pulling forensic data,without waiting for a commercial vendor's release cycle. Skip this if you need SIEM integration, multi-cloud support, or a UI; AWS IR is CLI-only and AWS-native by design.
Forensic investigators and incident responders who need to build repeatable Ubuntu-based investigation environments should choose SIFT for its task automation and image building capabilities, which eliminate manual toolkit setup between cases. The 516 GitHub stars and active maintenance reflect trusted adoption by practitioners doing high-stakes evidence collection where reproducibility matters. Skip SIFT if your team works primarily on Windows systems or needs GUI-driven case management; this is a command-line toolkit for analysts comfortable building their own workflows.
