dpkt vs Xplot: 2026 Comparison
dpkt is a free digital forensics and incident response tool. Xplot 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:
Security engineers and incident responders who need to automate packet analysis at scale should reach for dpkt; it parses raw network captures 10x faster than manual inspection and strips away the learning curve of libpcap. With 1,151 GitHub stars and active use in SOC automation pipelines, dpkt proves itself in production environments where speed matters more than GUI hand-holding. Skip it if your team lacks Python skills or needs pre-built alerting rules; dpkt is a parsing library, not a detection platform.
Incident response teams with large packet capture backlogs will find Xplot's speed advantage worth the free price; color-coded TCP analysis cuts analysis time on network forensics work that would otherwise require manual trace parsing or expensive commercial alternatives. The tool handles gigabyte-scale pcap files without the overhead of full-stack DFIR platforms, making it particularly useful for lean teams doing ad-hoc packet investigation rather than automated response. Skip Xplot if you need threat hunting across multiple data sources or NIST Respond capabilities like automated remediation; this is a single-function parsing tool, not a platform.
