Best Incident Response Software in 2026
Updated
In short: DFIR-IRIS is ranked #1 of 21 as of 5 October 2026, ahead of Forensicator and GRR Rapid Response. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Forensicator. The lowest first paid tier on this page is LimaCharlie at $3/mo.
When teams need to investigate incidents and coordinate response work, the right comparison can start with case management, evidence tracking, and responder collaboration. Audit logs and API access offer additional details to weigh, while deployment options and on-call scheduling may matter to how a tool fits your response process. Check free-plan availability and paid-from pricing, too. Forensicator, GRR Rapid Response, and LimaCharlie are among the entries, with ORNA also listed. Consider which response activities your team needs software to support, then compare the available capabilities and deployment choices with those requirements.
21 incident response software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
6 of the 21 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DFIR-IRISWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 2 | ForensicatorWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 3 | GRR Rapid ResponseWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 4 | LimaCharlieWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | $3/mo | 6.6 | |
| 5 | ORNAWeb · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 6 | TraceLock CRMSelf-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 0 of 6 | Free | 6.2 | |
| 7 | Binalyze AIRWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.7 |
| 8 | ColanderWeb · Linux · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 9 | OpenText Universal Discovery and CMDBWeb · Windows · Linux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 10 | SandsBytesWeb · Linux · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 11 | AutopsyWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 12 | DFIReWeb · Linux | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 13 | ServiceNow Security Incident ResponseWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 14 | TheHiveWeb · Linux | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 15 | DagobertWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 16 | ForendiWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · API | Two bars | — | — | 4 of 6 | $199/mo | 5.2 |
| 17 | SIFT WorkstationWindows · Linux | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 18 | GrailNo platforms listed | No signal | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 19 | Cyber TriageWindows · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | $291.67/mo | 5.0 |
| 20 | CydarmWeb · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 21 | Belkasoft X ForensicWindows | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 4.8 |
Compare all 21 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Case management | Evidence tracking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DFIR-IRIS | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 2 | Forensicator | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 3 | GRR Rapid Response | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | — | — | — | Yes |
| 4 | LimaCharlie | 6.6 | Free plan | $3/mo | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 5 | ORNA | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 6 | TraceLock CRM | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| 7 | Binalyze AIR | 5.7 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 8 | Colander | 5.5 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 9 | OpenText Universal Discovery and CMDB | 5.5 | No | — | — | — | — | Yes |
| 10 | SandsBytes | 5.5 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 11 | Autopsy | 5.4 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 12 | DFIRe | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 13 | ServiceNow Security Incident Response | 5.3 | No | — | — | — | Yes | — |
| 14 | TheHive | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 15 | Dagobert | 5.2 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 16 | Forendi | 5.2 | No | $199/mo | No | — | Yes | Yes |
| 17 | SIFT Workstation | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 18 | Grail | 5.1 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 19 | Cyber Triage | 5.0 | No | $291.67/mo | No | — | Yes | Yes |
| 20 | Cydarm | 5.0 | No | — | No | — | Yes | Yes |
| 21 | Belkasoft X Forensic | 4.8 | No | — | No | — | — | Yes |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which incident response software is ranked first on Freedom251?
DFIR-IRIS is ranked #1 of 21 with a score of 6.6. Forensicator is second and GRR Rapid Response third.
How many of these have a free plan?
6 of the 21 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, LimaCharlie has the lowest first paid tier we found: $3/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.