pkt2flow vs Joy: 2026 Comparison
pkt2flow is a free network detection and response tool. Joy is a free network detection and response tool. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best network detection and response fit for your security stack.
CST VerdictBased on our analysis of available product data, here is our conclusion:
Network engineers and threat hunters who need to pivot raw packet captures into actionable flow data fast will find pkt2flow indispensable; it does one thing,4-tuple classification without payload inspection,and does it at scale with minimal overhead. At 177 GitHub stars and zero licensing friction, it's already embedded in dozens of open-source detection pipelines where commercial flow tools cost six figures annually. Skip this if your team needs flow enrichment, DNS sinkhole correlation, or GeoIP tagging baked in; pkt2flow is deliberately minimal and expects you to bolt on your own context layer.
Security teams with network visibility gaps who lack budget for commercial NDR will find Joy's free flow analysis genuinely useful for baseline threat hunting and anomaly detection. The 1,356 GitHub stars and active open-source community signal real production use, particularly among smaller shops and resource-constrained security groups. Skip this if you need managed threat hunting, automated response playbooks, or vendor support; Joy is a capture-and-analyze tool that demands internal expertise to operationalize effectively.
