MDE-AuditCheck vs autoruns: 2026 Comparison
MDE-AuditCheck is a free endpoint detection and response tool. autoruns is a free endpoint detection and response tool. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best endpoint detection and response fit for your security stack.
CST VerdictBased on our analysis of available product data, here is our conclusion:
Windows security teams already running Microsoft Defender for Endpoint will save hours validating audit policy configurations with MDE-AuditCheck; the script eliminates manual GPO checking and catches misconfigurations that blind detection. A free tool that addresses a real operational gap,most EDR deployments fail silently when audit settings drift out of sync,and 100 GitHub stars suggest security ops teams have already validated the coverage. Skip this if your organization isn't deeply invested in MDE or if you need UI-driven auditing across heterogeneous endpoints; this is a targeted script for Windows shops, not a platform.
Windows incident responders and SOC analysts hunting for persistence mechanisms will find Autoruns invaluable for its speed; it surfaces every scheduled task, startup folder entry, and registry run key in seconds where manual inspection takes hours. The tool has been a NIST-aligned detection workhorse since Windows XP and requires zero agent deployment or licensing. Skip this if you need real-time monitoring or behavioral analysis of what those startup items actually do once they execute; Autoruns is forensic inventory, not behavioral EDR.
