ExtraHop Packet Forensics is a commercial digital forensics solution by ExtraHop. PacketQ is a free digital forensics solution. Features, integrations, deployment and the company behind each one, side by side.
Continuous full packet capture and forensics for network investigations
A command-line tool that allows SQL queries to be executed directly on PCAP files for network traffic analysis with support for multiple output formats.
See more solutions in this category, or build a security stack from your picks.
Based on what each listing shows: deployment, company size, price and open source.
ExtraHop Packet Forensics fits if you need both cloud and on-premises options.
PacketQ 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.
Common questions when comparing ExtraHop Packet Forensics vs PacketQ for digital forensics.
ExtraHop Packet Forensics: Continuous full packet capture and forensics for network investigations. Built by ExtraHop.
PacketQ: A command-line tool that allows SQL queries to be executed directly on PCAP files for network traffic analysis with support for multiple output formats.
The table above shows where their features, integrations, deployment and company size fit differ.
ExtraHop Packet Forensics is made by ExtraHop. PacketQ is open-source with 396 GitHub stars. The vendor behind a product decides its roadmap, support, and longevity, so check each company's profile before you commit.
Often, yes. ExtraHop Packet Forensics and PacketQ are both Digital Forensics products, and both cover PCAP, Network Forensic Analysis. Key differences: ExtraHop Packet Forensics is Commercial while PacketQ is Free, PacketQ is open-source. Use the table above to see where features, deployment and company size fit differ.
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Updated 2026-11-02
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