# CaseScan vs PacketQ: side-by-side comparison (2026)

[CaseScan](https://cybersectools.com/tools/casescan) is a commercial [digital forensics](https://cybersectools.com/categories/digital-forensics) solution by [Netspark](https://cybersectools.com/companies/netspark). [PacketQ](https://cybersectools.com/tools/packetq) is a free [digital forensics](https://cybersectools.com/categories/digital-forensics) solution. Features, integrations, deployment and the company behind each one, side by side.

## Side-by-side comparison

| | CaseScan | PacketQ |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Commercial | Free |
| Category | Digital Forensics | Digital Forensics |
| Verified | No | No |
| Deployment type | Hybrid | On-Premises |
| Company size fit | Mid-Market, Enterprise | SMB, Mid-Market, Enterprise |
| GitHub stars | – | 396 |
| Last commit | – | Feb 2026 |
| Company | Netspark | – |
| Headquarters | – | – |

### Use cases and capabilities

| | CaseScan | PacketQ |
|---|---|---|
| Content Filtering | Yes | – |
| Investigation | Yes | – |
| Triage | Yes | – |
| File Analysis | Yes | – |
| Evidence Collection | Yes | – |
| Content Authenticity | Yes | – |
| Specialized Security | Yes | – |
| Content Security Policy | Yes | – |
| Packet Analysis | – | Yes |
| PCAP | – | Yes |
| SQL | – | Yes |
| Network Forensic Analysis | – | Yes |

### Core features

**CaseScan**

8 features listed. Sign in on the page to see them.

**PacketQ**

No features listed.

### Integrations

**CaseScan**

1 integration listed. Sign in on the page to see them.

**PacketQ**

No integrations listed.

## Which one fits you

Based on what each listing shows: deployment, company size, price and open source.

- [CaseScan](https://cybersectools.com/tools/casescan) fits if you need both cloud and on-premises options.
- [PacketQ](https://cybersectools.com/tools/packetq) fits if you need to run it on your own servers, you are a small business, you need a free product and you want an open-source product.

## CaseScan vs PacketQ FAQ

Common questions when comparing CaseScan vs PacketQ for digital forensics.

### What is the difference between CaseScan and PacketQ?

**CaseScan**: Finds known and new child abuse material for police and online platforms. Built by Netspark.

**PacketQ**: A command-line tool that allows SQL queries to be executed directly on PCAP files for network traffic analysis with support for multiple output formats.

The table above shows where their features, integrations, deployment and company size fit differ.

### Who makes CaseScan and PacketQ?

**CaseScan** is made by Netspark founded in 2008-01-01T00:00:00.000Z. **PacketQ** is open-source with 396 GitHub stars. The vendor behind a product decides its roadmap, support, and longevity, so check each company's profile before you commit.

### Is CaseScan a good alternative to PacketQ?

Often, yes. CaseScan and PacketQ are both Digital Forensics products. Key differences: CaseScan is Commercial while PacketQ is Free, PacketQ is open-source. Use the table above to see where features, deployment and company size fit differ.

## Related comparisons

- [CaseScan vs Cyacomb](https://cybersectools.com/compare/casescan-vs-cyacomb)
- [CaseScan vs Cellebrite Digital Forensics Platform](https://cybersectools.com/compare/casescan-vs-cellebrite-digital-forensics-platform)
- [CaseScan vs ExtraHop Packet Forensics](https://cybersectools.com/compare/casescan-vs-extrahop-packet-forensics)
- [PacketQ vs Cyacomb](https://cybersectools.com/compare/cyacomb-vs-packetq)
- [PacketQ vs Cellebrite Digital Forensics Platform](https://cybersectools.com/compare/cellebrite-digital-forensics-platform-vs-packetq)
- [PacketQ vs ExtraHop Packet Forensics](https://cybersectools.com/compare/extrahop-packet-forensics-vs-packetq)

## Alternatives to each

- [See all CaseScan alternatives](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/casescan)
- [See all PacketQ alternatives](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/packetq)

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Source: https://cybersectools.com/compare/casescan-vs-packetq

For AI agents: each product above has its own Markdown page (add .md to its URL, for example https://cybersectools.com/tools/casescan.md). Every CybersecTools shortlist is listed at https://cybersectools.com/shortlists.md.

More on CaseScan and PacketQ: funding, momentum, hiring and news, plus the full product and company record, are available through the Mandos MCP Server (paid plans), which connects to AI assistants: https://mandos.io/mcp?utm_source=cybersectools.com&utm_medium=compare-md