15 Best Forensic Tools and Software in 2023

Forensic tools will help you to find digital evidence and extract important documents and documentation in computer evidence.

These cyber security forensic tools will make it very easy and simple for you to find legal stuff this forensic tool comes with a variety of different features.

There is a variety of different cyber security forensic tools out there and here I have gathered the 15 best computer forensic tools for you.

1. ProDiscover Forensic

ProDiscover Forensic is the best forensic tool that makes it easy for you to locate all your data on a computer disk.

Computer forensic tools are very useful when it comes to protecting evidence and help you to create reports for the use of legal procedures.

The best part about this computer forensic software is that it helps you to extract EXIF(Exchangeable Image File Format) related information from JPEG files.

ProDiscover Forensic Features:

• Easy to locate
• Easy to use
• Protect evidence
• Create reports
• Use as legal procedures
• You can extract EXIF files from JPEG files
• best for computer forensic analyst
• Add comments

Price: Free to use

2. Sleuth Kit

Sleuth Kit is considered the most popular computer forensics toolkit and is windows based and used to create forensic analysis.

This computer forensic tool makes it easy for you to examine your smartphone and hard drive and you can easily identify activity.

Here it lets you group files and their type to find all important documents or images in one place and you can analyze for emails.

Sleuth Kit Features:

• Windows-based
• Easy to use
• Examine smartphone and hard drive
• Group files
• Analysis for emails
• Flag files
• Shows thumbnail images

Price: Free

3. CAINE

If you are looking for an open-source forensic tool that offers you a forensic environment then, CAINE is for you.

The forensic software offers you a great graphical interface and it can also integrate into some existing software with ease as a module.

Here it extracts timeline RAM and supports digital investigators for four phases of digital investigation.

CAINE Features:

• Open source forensic tool
• Great graphical interface
• Integrate with existing software
• Digital investigator
• Customize features
• User freindly tools
• User-friendly interface

Price: Free

4. PALADIN

PALADIN is the most versatile forensic toolkit out there that offers you a variety of different forensic tools to use.

The computer forensic tool is completely Ubuntu based makes it easy for you to do a range of forensic tasks and provides both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.

It offers you more than 100 useful tools to investigate any malicious material and through this, you can easily simplify your forensic tools.

PALADIN Features:

• Versatile features
• Comes with both 64-bit and 32-bit versions
• More than 100 useful tools
• Easy to use
• USB thumb drive
• Open source
• 33 categories

Price: Free

5. EnCase

If you are looking for a tool that helps you to recover evidence from the hard drive then, EnCase is the best computer forensic tool for you.

By using this tool you can go to the in-depth investigation and collect a variety of different proofs like documents, pictures, etc.

The best part about this computer forensic software is that here you maintain evidence integrity and produce complete reports.

EnCase Features:

• Recover evidence from the hard drive
• Easy to use
• In-depth investigation
• Evidence Integrity
• Quickly search
• Acquire data from different devices
• Maintain evidence integrity

Price: Free

6.  SIFT Workstation

SIFT Workstation is also Ubuntu based open source forensic tool out there that offers you tools to investigate digital threads.

Here it provides you with different things like incident response examination facility and digital forensics software that makes it different from others.

The tool can work very efficiently with the 64-bit operating system and users can easily utilize their memory in a better way.

SIFT Workstation Features:

• Ubuntu-based
• 64-bit operation system
• Users can easily utilize memory
• Incident response examination facility
• Digital forensic tool
• SIFT-CLI (Command-Line Interface) installer
• Automatically update packages

Price: Free

7.  FTK Imager

FTK Imager is the best forensic tools kit that is developed by AccessData to help user to get the evidence digitally.

The unique thing about this forensic tools kit is that it can create copies of data without making any changes to the original evidence.

Here it allows you to prefer the size to data so there will be no irrelevant data like pixel size, file size, and data type.

 FTK Imager Features:

• You can access evidence digitally
• It can create copies of data
• You can prefer the size of the data
• Wizard driven approach
• Offers visualization
• Death cybercrime
• Recover password

Price: Free

8. Magnet RAM capture

If you are looking for an imaging tool that helps you to capture the physical memory of the suspect’s computer then,  Magnet RAM capture is for you.

By using this forensic tools kit you can easily record the memory of a suspected computer and allows the investigator to recover and analyze it.

Here you can easily extract memory data from the suspect computer and upload it to analyze tools like magnet IEF and AXIOM.

 Magnet RAM Capture Features:

• Imaging tools
• Capture physical memory
• Easy to use
• memory forensic tool
• Easily record memory
• You can upload it to analysis tools
• Minimize data overwritten
• Support a vast range of Windows

Price: Free

9. X-Ways Forensics

If you are looking for a tool that helps you to provide a work environment for forensic examiners then, X-Ways Forensics is for you.

The tools make it easy for you to collaborate with other people who are using this tool as you can both can do an investigation.

The computer forensic tool has the ability to read the .dd image files and you can easily access disks, and RAIDs((Redundant array of independent disks).

X-Ways Forensics Features:

• Provide your work environment
• Ideal for forensic examiners
• Easy to use
• You can collaborate
• Read. dd images
• Access disks
• Detect NTFS

Price: $18,589

10. Wireshark

Wireshark is the most popular network forensic tool that uses for packet capture and you can easily analyze packets using it.

The tools can be preferred for so many different kinds of stuff like you can do troubleshooting and network testing.

It also lets you know the different traffic that is going through your computer and provides you with rich VoIP.

Wireshark Features:

• Network forensic tool
• Uses as packet capture
• You can do troubleshooting
• Network testing
• Lets you know different traffic that is running by your computer
• Rich VoIP
• Capture files compressed

Price: Free

11. Registry Recon

If you are looking for a registry analysis tool that helps you to analyze only readily accessible Windows Registries then, Registry Recon is for you.

By using this tool you can easily extract, analyze, and recover registry data from Windows OS with ease.

The best part about this tool is that it will easily recover NTFS data and it can integrate with Microsoft Disk manager.

Registry Recon Features:

• Ideal as analyze tool
• Ideal for windows users
• You can easily extract, analyze, and recover registry data
• Recover NTFS data
• Supports Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10
• Rebuild registry

Price: $599

12. Volatility Framework

If you are looking for memory forensic tools that help you to investigate the runtime state of the device then,  Volatility Framework is for you.

The forensic tools kit used the system information that is found in the volatile memory of RAM and it allows you to collaborate with your team.

The forensic tool kit provides you with an API through which you can lookup for the PTE flags quickly and it supports KASLR.

Volatility Framework Features:

• Investigate runtime states of the device
• Allows you to collaborate with the team
• Offers you API
• memory forensic tool
• Supports KASLR
• Numerous plugins
• Automatically runs failure command when service needed
• Check mac file operation

Price: Free

13. Xplico

Xplico is another open-source forensic tool through which you can do digital investigation for free and also contribute to it.

The forensic tool kits support IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol), HTTP( Hypertext Transfer Protocol), and many more.

Here the tools support output data in MySQL database or SQLite database so you can easily access your output data.

Xplico Features:

• Open source
• Free to use
• forensic tools kit
• Supports IMAP, HTTP, and many more
• Uses MySQL database
• Real-time collaboration
• No size limit
• Easily create any kind of dispatcher

Price: Free

14. Oxygen Forensic Detective

If you are looking for mobile forensic tools through which you can investigate mobile devices then, Oxygen Forensic Detective is for you.

The mobile forensic tool kit is primarily focused on mobile devices but you can also use it to extract data from other different platforms.

The platforms that support by this tool are IoT, cloud services, drones, backups, desktop platforms, and media cards.

Oxygen Forensic Detective Features:

• Support Mobile devices
• mobile forensic tools
• You can also use it for different platforms
• Extract data
• Bypass device security
• Collect authentication data
• USB dongle

Price: Contact the company

15. NMAP

Last but not least if you are looking forensic tool that is open source then,  NMAP is the best choice for you.

The tool name is Network mapper in short NMAP helps you to detect network threads like scanning and auditing.

The best part about his software another then it is open source that supports almost every platform including Windows, Linux, Mac, and many more.

NMAP Features:

• Open source
• Free to use
• Detect network threads
• Scan and auditing are preferred by this tool
• Supports all the platforms
• It also supports platforms like Solaris and HP-UX

Price: Free