Side by side

Exterro FTK Imager vs Guymager

Both stand on digital forensics software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

Exterro FTK Imager

Free plan WebWindows

FTK Imager provides imaging, preview, validation, and live memory capture for digital investigations. Its Windows-only installation and lack of direct mobile collection are important limits to consider.

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Guymager

Free plan Linux

Choose Guymager if you need a free Linux tool for acquiring or cloning media into dd, EWF/E01, or AFF images. Its configurable dialogs and disk protections support careful acquisition workflows. Look elsewhere if you need a command-line version, based on the author's 2018 statement.

Visit Guymager

The facts

	Exterro FTK Imager	Guymager
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Open source	Not published	Not published
Runs on	Web, Windows	Linux
Lowest paid plan	FTK Imager Pro: $499 per user a year	Free or on request
Plans published	2	1
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	exterro.com	guymager.sourceforge.io
On digital forensics software	#5 of 30	#9 of 30

Exterro FTK Imager: what it does well

Creates disk images and validates them with MD5 or SHA-1.
Previews files and folders before full acquisition.
Captures volatile RAM and registry data from live devices.
Base FTK Imager plan is listed as free.

What to know first

Runs on Windows only, though it can image Linux devices.
Does not collect directly from phones or mobile devices.
Pricing for the product is listed as on request.

Guymager: what it does well

Creates dd, EWF/E01, and AFF images.
Supports disk cloning.
Can calculate hashes for generated image files.
Configured local disk serial numbers can prevent acquisition.
Acquisition and cloning dialogs are customizable.

What to know first

Available for Linux only.
The author stated in a 2018 wiki discussion that there was no command-line version then.

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