Dshell vs PcapXray: 2026 Comparison
Dshell is a free digital forensics and incident response tool. PcapXray 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 responders and forensics teams who need to hunt through pcap files without vendor lock-in should reach for Dshell; its plugin architecture lets you write custom decoders for proprietary protocols in hours instead of waiting for vendor updates. The 5,487 GitHub stars and active community mean someone has likely already built the decoder you need, or the foundation to extend it yourself. Skip this if your team lacks Python skills or needs a GUI; Dshell is command-line native and assumes you're comfortable reading packet structures, not clicking through wizards.
Incident responders and forensic analysts who need to move fast through packet captures should reach for PcapXray; it converts raw pcap files into network diagrams that surface relationships and flows in minutes instead of hours of manual parsing. The tool is free and sits on GitHub with 1,847 stars, meaning you get community validation without licensing friction. Skip this if you need automated threat hunting or real-time network monitoring; PcapXray is forensics-focused and works best as a post-incident analysis tool, not a detection layer.
