# Plaso vs Volatility 3

| Attribute | Plaso | Volatility 3 |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 43.3 (14% (low)) | 43.9 (31% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 6 | 11 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | - | 10 |
| adoption.github_stars | 2,140 | 4,357 |
| deployment.options | - | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A Python-based framework that automatically generates timelines from computer logs and files to help forensic investigators correlate digital evidence and reconstruct events. | An open-source framework for analyzing RAM samples and extracting digital artifacts independent of the operating system. Supports Windows, Mac, and Linux memory analysis and is used for incident response and malware investigation. |
| features.capabilities | - | `{"pricing_model":"open_source","deployment_model":"portable_cli","disk_imaging_file_carving":false,"cloud_saas_m365_extraction":false,"remote_endpoint_acquisition":false,"volatile_memory_ram_analysis":true,"mobile_ios_android_extraction":false}` |
| language.primary | Python | Python |
| license.spdx | Apache-2.0 | - |
| platform.support | - | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://plaso.readthedocs.io","retrievedAt":"2026-08-20T16:33:48.139Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://volatilityfoundation.org","retrievedAt":"2026-08-21T12:42:00.261Z"}` |
| pricing.model | open_source | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | - | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 87 | 126 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/log2timeline/plaso/releases/tag/20260720","date":"2026-07-20T07:57:02Z","type":"stable","version":"20260720"},{"url":"https://github.com/log2timeline/plaso/releases/tag/20260512","date":"2026-05-12T19:03:44Z","type":"stable","version":"20260512"},{"url":"https://github.com/log2timeline/plaso/releases/tag/20260119","date":"2026-01-24T08:52:16Z","type":"stable","version":"20260119"},{"url":"https://github.com/log2timeline/plaso/releases/tag/20250918","date":"2025-09-18T05:33:15Z","type":"stable","version":"20250918"},{"url":"https://github.com/log2timeline/plaso/releases/tag/20240826","date":"2024-08-27T05:06:47Z","type":"stable","version":"20240826"},{"url":"https://github.com/log2timeline/plaso/releases/tag/20240308","date":"2024-03-09T06:44:00Z","type":"stable","version":"20240308"},{"url":"https://github.com/log2timeline/plaso/releases/tag/20231224","date":"2023-12-24T06:49:42Z","type":"stable","version":"20231224"},{"url":"https://github.com/log2timeline/plaso/releases/tag/20230717","date":"2023-07-18T18:59:02Z","type":"stable","version":"20230717"},{"url":"https://github.com/log2timeline/plaso/releases/tag/20230311","date":"2023-03-12T10:44:11Z","type":"stable","version":"20230311"},{"url":"https://github.com/log2timeline/plaso/releases/tag/20230226","date":"2023-02-26T14:16:25Z","type":"stable","version":"20230226"},{"url":"https://github.com/log2timeline/plaso/releases/tag/20221229","date":"2022-12-29T05:15:06Z","type":"stable","version":"20221229"},{"url":"https://github.com/log2timeline/plaso/releases/tag/20220930","date":"2022-09-30T16:55:17Z","type":"stable","version":"20220930"},{"url":"https://github.com/log2timeline/plaso/releases/tag/20220724","date":"2022-07-24T18:41:31Z","type":"stable","version":"20220724"},{"url":"https://github.com/log2timeline/plaso/releases/tag/20220428","date":"2022-04-28T06:12:28Z","type":"stable","version":"20220428"},{"url":"https://github.com/log2timeline/plaso/releases/tag/20211229","date":"2021-12-29T16:55:15Z","type":"stable","version":"20211229"},{"url":"https://github.com/log2timeline/plaso/releases/tag/20211024","date":"2021-10-24T11:18:13Z","type":"stable","version":"20211024"},{"url":"https://github.com/log2timeline/plaso/releases/tag/20210606","date":"2021-06-06T18:51:47Z","type":"stable","version":"20210606"},{"url":"https://github.com/log2timeline/plaso/releases/tag/20210412","date":"2021-04-12T05:29:06Z","type":"stable","version":"20210412"},{"url":"https://github.com/log2timeline/plaso/releases/tag/20210213","date":"2021-02-13T17:42:39Z","type":"stable","version":"20210213"},{"url":"https://github.com/log2timeline/plaso/releases/tag/20201228","date":"2020-12-28T09:28:29Z","type":"stable","version":"20201228"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/volatilityfoundation/volatility3/releases/tag/v2.28.0","date":"2026-04-30T19:57:16Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.28.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/volatilityfoundation/volatility3/releases/tag/v2.27.0","date":"2026-01-29T21:51:57Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.27.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/volatilityfoundation/volatility3/releases/tag/v2.26.2","date":"2025-09-25T20:51:37Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.26.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/volatilityfoundation/volatility3/releases/tag/v2.26.0","date":"2025-05-16T13:24:53Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.26.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/volatilityfoundation/volatility3/releases/tag/v2.11.0","date":"2025-01-16T20:24:58Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.11.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/volatilityfoundation/volatility3/releases/tag/v2.8.0","date":"2024-10-09T22:28:48Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.8.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/volatilityfoundation/volatility3/releases/tag/v2.7.0","date":"2024-05-29T19:45:32Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.7.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/volatilityfoundation/volatility3/releases/tag/v2.5.2","date":"2024-01-31T21:35:24Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.5.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/volatilityfoundation/volatility3/releases/tag/v2.5.0","date":"2023-09-27T19:55:43Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.5.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/volatilityfoundation/volatility3/releases/tag/v2.4.1","date":"2023-04-12T19:33:00Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.4.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/volatilityfoundation/volatility3/releases/tag/v2.4.0","date":"2022-12-14T20:10:23Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.4.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/volatilityfoundation/volatility3/releases/tag/v2.0.1","date":"2022-03-17T20:37:48Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.0.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/volatilityfoundation/volatility3/releases/tag/v2.0.0","date":"2022-01-12T22:11:49Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/volatilityfoundation/volatility3/releases/tag/v1.0.1","date":"2021-02-01T19:47:56Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.0.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/volatilityfoundation/volatility3/releases/tag/v1.0.0","date":"2021-02-01T17:11:28Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/volatilityfoundation/volatility3/releases/tag/v1.0.0-beta.1","date":"2019-10-13T10:52:15Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.0.0-beta.1"}]` |
| security.scorecard | 5.8 | 4.6 |
| security.vulnerabilities | - | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=volatility3&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Digital Forensics)

| Capability | Plaso | Volatility 3 |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Deployment model | - | Portable CLI |
| Disk imaging file carving | - | ✗ |
| Volatile memory RAM analysis | - | ✓ |
| Mobile ios android extraction | - | ✗ |
| Remote endpoint acquisition | - | ✗ |
| Mac os apfs support | - | - |
| Cloud saas m365 extraction | - | ✗ |
| Court admissible hashing reporting | - | - |
| Automated artifact timelining | - | - |
| Malware triage yara scanning | - | - |
| Fips 140 2 certification | - | - |
| SOC2 type ii | - | - |
| Pricing model | - | Open source |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T16:45:35.654Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*