# Exigence vs Incident Response Investigation System (IRIS): side-by-side comparison (2026)

[Exigence](https://cybersectools.com/tools/exigence) is a commercial [incident response](https://cybersectools.com/categories/dfir) solution by [Exigence](https://cybersectools.com/companies/exigence). [Incident Response Investigation System (IRIS)](https://cybersectools.com/tools/incident-response-investigation-system-iris) is a free [incident response](https://cybersectools.com/categories/dfir) solution. Features, integrations, deployment and the company behind each one, side by side.

## Side-by-side comparison

| | Exigence | Incident Response Investigation System (IRIS) |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Commercial | Free |
| Category | Incident Response | Incident Response |
| Verified | No | No |
| Deployment type | Cloud | On-Premises |
| Company size fit | Mid-Market, Enterprise | SMB, Mid-Market, Enterprise |
| GitHub stars | – | 1,444 |
| Last commit | – | Feb 2025 |
| Company | Exigence | – |
| Headquarters | – | – |

### Use cases and capabilities

| | Exigence | Incident Response Investigation System (IRIS) |
|---|---|---|
| Playbooks | Yes | – |
| Tabletop Exercises | Yes | – |
| Workflow | Yes | – |
| Case Management | Yes | – |
| Security Orchestration | Yes | – |
| Alerting | Yes | – |
| Outsourced Security | Yes | – |
| Multi Tenancy | Yes | – |
| Evidence Collection | – | Yes |
| Memory Forensics | – | Yes |

### Core features

**Exigence**

6 features listed. Sign in on the page to see them.

**Incident Response Investigation System (IRIS)**

No features listed.

## Which one fits you

Based on what each listing shows: deployment, company size, price and open source.

- [Exigence](https://cybersectools.com/tools/exigence) fits if you want a cloud product.
- [Incident Response Investigation System (IRIS)](https://cybersectools.com/tools/incident-response-investigation-system-iris) fits if you need to run it on your own servers, you are a small business, you need a free product and you want an open-source product.

## Exigence vs Incident Response Investigation System (IRIS) FAQ

Common questions when comparing Exigence vs Incident Response Investigation System (IRIS) for incident response.

### What is the difference between Exigence and Incident Response Investigation System (IRIS)?

**Exigence**: Critical incident planning & response platform for IT, security & IR teams. Built by Exigence.

**Incident Response Investigation System (IRIS)**: A web collaborative platform for incident responders to share technical details during investigations, shipped in Docker containers for easy installation and upgrades.

The table above shows where their features, integrations, deployment and company size fit differ.

### Who makes Exigence and Incident Response Investigation System (IRIS)?

**Exigence** is made by Exigence. **Incident Response Investigation System (IRIS)** is open-source with 1,444 GitHub stars. The vendor behind a product decides its roadmap, support, and longevity, so check each company's profile before you commit.

### Is Exigence a good alternative to Incident Response Investigation System (IRIS)?

Often, yes. Exigence and Incident Response Investigation System (IRIS) are both Incident Response products. Key differences: Exigence is Commercial while Incident Response Investigation System (IRIS) is Free, Incident Response Investigation System (IRIS) is open-source. Use the table above to see where features, deployment and company size fit differ.

## Related comparisons

- [Exigence vs CYGNVS Incident Response](https://cybersectools.com/compare/exigence-vs-cygnvs-incident-response)
- [Exigence vs Spacewalk AI](https://cybersectools.com/compare/exigence-vs-spacewalk-ai)
- [Exigence vs Adversarial Incidents](https://cybersectools.com/compare/adversarial-incidents-vs-exigence)
- [Incident Response Investigation System (IRIS) vs CYGNVS Incident Response](https://cybersectools.com/compare/cygnvs-incident-response-vs-incident-response-investigation-system-iris)
- [Incident Response Investigation System (IRIS) vs Spacewalk AI](https://cybersectools.com/compare/incident-response-investigation-system-iris-vs-spacewalk-ai)
- [Incident Response Investigation System (IRIS) vs Adversarial Incidents](https://cybersectools.com/compare/adversarial-incidents-vs-incident-response-investigation-system-iris)

## Alternatives to each

- [See all Exigence alternatives](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/exigence)
- [See all Incident Response Investigation System (IRIS) alternatives](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/incident-response-investigation-system-iris)

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Source: https://cybersectools.com/compare/exigence-vs-incident-response-investigation-system-iris

For AI agents: each product above has its own Markdown page (add .md to its URL, for example https://cybersectools.com/tools/exigence.md). Every CybersecTools shortlist is listed at https://cybersectools.com/shortlists.md.

More on Exigence and Incident Response Investigation System (IRIS): funding, momentum, hiring and news, plus the full product and company record, are available through the Mandos MCP Server (paid plans), which connects to AI assistants: https://mandos.io/mcp?utm_source=cybersectools.com&utm_medium=compare-md
