# Volatility 3

Volatility 3 is a Digital Forensics product. It runs on-premises. Pricing is free.

A digital artifact extraction framework for extracting data from volatile memory (RAM) samples, providing visibility into the runtime state of a system.

Checked October 2026.

## What is Volatility 3?

Volatility 3 is a digital artifact extraction framework that extracts data from volatile memory (RAM) samples, providing visibility into the runtime state of a system. It's a rewritten version of Volatility, addressing technical and performance challenges, and is released under a custom license. The framework requires Python 3.7.0 or later and can be installed using pip or setup.py. It provides a range of plugins for analyzing memory samples, including support for Windows memory samples.

The framework is widely used for extracting digital artifacts from volatile memory samples and is intended to introduce people to the techniques and complexities associated with this area of research.

Volatility 3 is open-source and freely available on GitHub, with a growing community contributing to its development and maintenance.

Tags: Memory Forensics, Volatility

## Where it fits in your security program (NIST CSF 2.0)

- [Respond](https://cybersectools.com/guides/building-respond-program-small-team): helps you contain and handle incidents.

## Quick facts

- Category: [Security Operations](https://cybersectools.com/categories/security-operations) · [Digital Forensics](https://cybersectools.com/categories/digital-forensics)
- Deployment: On-Premises
- Company size fit: Mid-Market, Enterprise
- Pricing model: Free
- GitHub stars: 3,977
- Website: github.com

## Where it ranks

No shortlist covers this product's category yet. The closest is [Best MDR Solutions for Business](https://cybersectools.com/shortlists/best-mdr-solutions).

## Volatility 3 FAQ

### What is Volatility 3?

Volatility 3 is a product in the Digital Forensics category. It covers Memory Forensics and Volatility.

### What is the pricing for Volatility 3?

Volatility 3 is free. Download and setup instructions are at https://github.com/volatilityfoundation/volatility3/.

### What are alternatives to Volatility 3?

Alternatives to Volatility 3 listed on CybersecTools:

1. [WindowsSCOPE Cyber Forensics](https://cybersectools.com/tools/windowsscope-cyber-forensics) - GUI-based memory forensic capture tool for cyber forensics and cyber crime investigation. (Commercial)
2. [Magnet Forensics](https://cybersectools.com/tools/magnet-forensics) - Digital forensics platform for evidence acquisition, analysis, and DFIR. (Commercial)
3. [Cellebrite Digital Forensics Platform](https://cybersectools.com/tools/cellebrite-digital-forensics-platform) - Digital forensics platform for mobile & endpoint evidence extraction and analysis. (Commercial)
4. [DigiStor WiebeTech](https://cybersectools.com/tools/digistor-wiebetech) - Hardware write-blockers and forensic tools for secure evidence acquisition. (Commercial)

Compare all Volatility 3 alternatives at [https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/volatility-3](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/volatility-3)

### What deployment and organization size does Volatility 3 fit?

Volatility 3 is available as on-premises software. It is listed for mid-market companies and enterprises. It is free.

## Compare Volatility 3 with similar solutions

- [Volatility 3 vs WindowsSCOPE Cyber Forensics](https://cybersectools.com/compare/volatility-3-vs-windowsscope-cyber-forensics)
- [Volatility 3 vs Magnet Forensics](https://cybersectools.com/compare/magnet-forensics-vs-volatility-3)
- [Volatility 3 vs Cellebrite Digital Forensics Platform](https://cybersectools.com/compare/cellebrite-digital-forensics-platform-vs-volatility-3)

All alternatives to Volatility 3: [/alternatives/volatility-3](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/volatility-3)

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Source: https://cybersectools.com/tools/volatility-3

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