SIFT Workstation vs The Sleuth Kit
SIFT Workstation
sans.orgThe Sleuth Kit
sleuthkit.orgSide by side
| Figure | SIFT Workstation | The Sleuth Kit |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Computer Forensics Software | 7.5 (#8) | 7.5 (#9) |
| Spec score · Digital Forensics Software | 7.5 (#19) | 7.6 (#16) |
| Download | The page offers a virtual machine appliance download in OVA format listed as 8.81 GB and last updated 24 Apr, 2026. | The download page lists version 4.14.0 dated April 15, 2025, with source code and Windows binaries. |
| File systems | Listed file system support includes NTFS, HFS+, FAT12/16/32, ext2/3/4, UFS1/2, ISO9660, swap, raw data, and memory data. | Listed file system support includes NTFS, FAT, ExFAT, APFS, UFS, EXT2FS, EXT3FS, Ext4, HFS, ISO 9660, and YAFFS2. |
| Purpose | SIFT Workstation is a collection of free and open-source incident response and forensic tools for detailed digital forensic examinations. | The Sleuth Kit is a C library and command-line tools for investigating disk images and analyzing volume and file system data. |
| Support | The page directs users to [email protected] for download problems and to the GitHub project page for bugs and feature requests. | The projects are maintained by volunteers, with user forums and email lists for community help and commercial support available from Sleuth Kit Labs. |
Plans
In their own words
SIFT Workstation
SIFT Workstation is a free, open-source collection for incident response and detailed digital forensic examinations. It supports analysis of file systems, network evidence, memory images, threat intelligence and indicators of compromise. Included software includes Plaso, Rekall, Volatility, ClamAV, SleuthKit and hundreds of additional tools. Evidence image formats listed are raw, AFF, EWF, split raw, split EWF, VMDK, VHD/VHDX and QCOW. Supported file systems include NTFS, HFS+, FAT12/16/32, ext2/3/4, UFS1/2, ISO9660, swap, raw data and memory data. SIFT runs on Linux and Windows and can be self-hosted. Users can download an OVA virtual machine appliance listed at 8.81 GB, install natively on Ubuntu 22.04 with the Cast installer, or use Ubuntu 22.04 through Windows Subsystem for Linux with WSL 1 or WSL 2. REMnux components can be added. SANS directs download issues to [email protected] and bugs or feature requests to the GitHub project.
The Sleuth Kit
The Sleuth Kit is a free, open-source C library and collection of command-line tools for investigating disk images and analysing volume and file-system data. Its tools can list allocated and deleted file names, inspect NTFS attributes, display metadata, and create file-activity timelines. They examine file systems without relying on the host operating system, allowing deleted and hidden content to be shown. Supported images include raw/dd, E01, VHD, VMDK, and AFF. Listed file systems include NTFS, FAT, ExFAT, APFS, UFS, EXT2FS, EXT3FS, Ext4, HFS, ISO 9660, and YAFFS2. Hashes can be checked against NIST NSRL, Hash Keeper, and custom databases. The C library can be embedded in larger forensic tools and powers Autopsy and other forensic products. Listed platforms include Linux, Mac OS X, Windows, Cygwin, OpenBSD, FreeBSD, and Solaris. Volunteers maintain the project, with forums and email lists for community help; commercial support is available from Sleuth Kit Labs. Version 4.14.0 is dated April 15, 2025.