Chainsaw vs The Sleuth Kit & Autopsy: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)
Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.
Chainsaw is a free digital forensics and incident response tool. The Sleuth Kit & Autopsy 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:
Incident response teams with heavy Windows environments need Chainsaw for its speed hunting through event logs and registry artifacts without shipping data to the cloud. The tool natively parses 40+ forensic artifact types and integrates Sigma rules directly into searches, letting analysts move from detection to triage in minutes instead of hours. Skip Chainsaw if your team relies on GUI-driven workflows; this is command-line only and demands operators who think in terms of artifact paths and detection logic.
Incident response teams and forensic investigators investigating endpoint compromises will get the most from Autopsy because its open architecture lets you write custom analysis modules for your specific artifacts and attack patterns rather than waiting for vendor updates. The tool is free and runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS, removing budget and deployment friction for teams that need deep disk and mobile analysis without licensing negotiations. Skip this if your team lacks forensic expertise or needs guided investigation workflows; Autopsy assumes you know what you're looking for and rewards investigators who can code or script.
