# hivex vs xmlstarlet: side-by-side comparison (2026)

[hivex](https://cybersectools.com/tools/hivex) is a free [digital forensics](https://cybersectools.com/categories/digital-forensics) solution. [xmlstarlet](https://cybersectools.com/tools/xmlstarlet) 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

| | hivex | xmlstarlet |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free | Free |
| Category | Digital Forensics | Incident Response |
| Verified | No | No |
| Deployment type | On-Premises | On-Premises |
| Company size fit | Startup, SMB, Mid-Market, Enterprise | Startup, SMB, Mid-Market, Enterprise |
| GitHub stars | 145 | – |
| Last commit | Jan 2026 | – |

### Use cases and capabilities

| | hivex | xmlstarlet |
|---|---|---|
| Registry | Yes | – |
| XML | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | – |

## Which one fits you

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

- [hivex](https://cybersectools.com/tools/hivex) fits if you want an open-source product.

## hivex vs xmlstarlet FAQ

Common questions when comparing hivex vs xmlstarlet for digital forensics.

### What is the difference between hivex and xmlstarlet?

**hivex**: A Windows Registry hive extraction library that provides C API access for reading and writing registry binary files with XML export capabilities.

**xmlstarlet**: XMLStarlet offers a suite of command line utilities for manipulating and querying XML documents.

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

### Is hivex a good alternative to xmlstarlet?

In part. hivex and xmlstarlet are not in the same category on CybersecTools. Both cover XML. Key differences: hivex is open-source. Use the table above to see where features, deployment and company size fit differ.

## Related comparisons

- [hivex vs ElcomSoft Advanced Office Password Recovery](https://cybersectools.com/compare/elcomsoft-advanced-office-password-recovery-vs-hivex)
- [hivex vs ElcomSoft Adv. Archive Password Recovery](https://cybersectools.com/compare/elcomsoft-adv-archive-password-recovery-vs-hivex)
- [hivex vs MailXaminer](https://cybersectools.com/compare/hivex-vs-mailxaminer)
- [xmlstarlet vs ElcomSoft Advanced Office Password Recovery](https://cybersectools.com/compare/elcomsoft-advanced-office-password-recovery-vs-xmlstarlet)
- [xmlstarlet vs ElcomSoft Adv. Archive Password Recovery](https://cybersectools.com/compare/elcomsoft-adv-archive-password-recovery-vs-xmlstarlet)
- [xmlstarlet vs MailXaminer](https://cybersectools.com/compare/mailxaminer-vs-xmlstarlet)

## Alternatives to each

- [See all hivex alternatives](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/hivex)
- [See all xmlstarlet alternatives](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/xmlstarlet)

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Source: https://cybersectools.com/compare/hivex-vs-xmlstarlet

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

More on hivex and xmlstarlet: 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