Detection Content Repository vs Stairwell: 2026 Comparison
Detection Content Repository 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 hunting teams with limited detection engineering resources should use Detection Content Repository to accelerate rule development without rebuilding from scratch. The free, open-source model with 72 GitHub stars means you get community-vetted detection patterns across multiple rule formats, cutting weeks off content authoring. Skip this if your team needs a managed SaaS platform with threat intelligence integration and automated tuning; this is a self-service library that demands you know what you're hunting for.
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.
