What is the difference between Magnet Forensics vs nightHawk Response?

**Magnet Forensics**: Digital forensics platform for evidence acquisition, analysis, and DFIR. built by Magnet Forensics. Core capabilities include Digital evidence acquisition from endpoints and mobile devices, Cloud evidence collection, Mobile device forensics for iOS and Android.. **nightHawk Response**: Custom built application for asynchronous forensic data presentation on an Elasticsearch backend, with upcoming features like Docker-based installation and new UI rewrite in React.. Both serve the Digital Forensics and Incident Response market but differ in approach, feature depth, and target audience.

Who makes Magnet Forensics vs nightHawk Response?

**Magnet Forensics** is developed by Magnet Forensics. **nightHawk Response** is open-source with 612 GitHub stars. Vendor maturity, funding stage, and team size can be important factors when evaluating long-term viability and support quality.

Is Magnet Forensics a good alternative to nightHawk Response?

Magnet Forensics and nightHawk Response serve similar Digital Forensics and Incident Response use cases: both are Digital Forensics and Incident Response tools, both cover Evidence Collection, Memory Forensics. Key differences: Magnet Forensics is Commercial while nightHawk Response is Free, nightHawk Response is open-source. Review the feature comparison above to determine which fits your requirements.

Magnet Forensics vs nightHawk Response: 2026 Comparison Guide | CybersecTools

Magnet Forensics vs nightHawk Response: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)

Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.

Magnet Forensics is a commercial digital forensics and incident response tool by Magnet Forensics. nightHawk Response 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 Verdict

Based on our analysis of core features, here is our conclusion:

nightHawk Response

Incident response teams managing high-volume forensic data will find nightHawk Response invaluable for asynchronous investigation workflows that don't require real-time alerting. The free, Elasticsearch-backed architecture means you can ingest and correlate forensic artifacts at your own pace without licensing friction, and the 612 GitHub stars suggest active community validation of the approach. Skip this if you need pre-built connectors to commercial SOAR platforms or managed hunt-and-respond services; nightHawk assumes you're comfortable operating open-source tooling and building your own integration layer.

Data verified May 2026

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