ConventionEngine vs Stairwell: 2026 Comparison
ConventionEngine is a free threat hunting tool. Stairwell is a commercial threat hunting tool by Stairwell. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best threat hunting fit for your security stack.
CST VerdictBased on our analysis of NIST CSF 2.0 coverage, core features, integrations, company size fit, here is our conclusion:
Threat hunters working with Windows malware samples will find ConventionEngine useful for fast-path filtering of PE files before deeper analysis; PDB path inspection catches lazy packers and stolen toolchains that slip past signature-based detection. The tool is free and maintained on GitHub with a clear rule set that requires no licensing overhead. Skip this if you need automated hunting at scale or integration with your EDR; ConventionEngine works best as a manual triage layer for analysts who already have samples in hand.
Mid-market and enterprise SOC teams who need to move fast on file-based indicators will find Stairwell's hash and IOC lookup engine faster than bouncing between five different threat intelligence feeds. The tool's integration with Cortex, Chronicle, and CrowdStrike means your analysts can pivot from detection to malware variant discovery without leaving their existing workflows, and the private YARA vault lets you test and store detection logic without exposing your methodology to external platforms. Skip this if your primary pain is endpoint visibility or compliance reporting; Stairwell is built for teams that hunt actively and need to confirm whether a file hash actually matters before escalating.
