COMPARISON
An Autoruns alternative that watches, not just lists
Microsoft’s Autoruns is the reference for enumerating autostart entries. WinSight approaches the same problem as a monitored, evidence-graded workflow.
What Autoruns is designed to do
Autoruns, from Microsoft Sysinternals, shows programs configured to run during bootup or login. Microsoft describes it as having the most comprehensive knowledge of auto-starting locations of any startup monitor. It displays code signatures, integrates VirusTotal submission, and is free, portable and battle-tested. For point-in-time forensic enumeration it remains superb.
Why people look for an alternative
Autoruns answers “what is registered right now?” It does not tell you when a new entry appeared, which program created it, or alert you as it happens. It is also an expert tool: the raw list leaves the judgment entirely to you. The 25+ alternatives listed on AlternativeTo reflect that gap.
| Feature | WinSight | Autoruns (Sysinternals) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free (GPL-3.0) | Free (Sysinternals license) |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Autostart enumeration | 22 autostart families | Most comprehensive knowledge of auto-starting locations (Microsoft's description) |
| Code-signature display | Six-state verdict model; never fabricates Unsigned from an inconclusive check | Signer verification shown |
| VirusTotal integration | Optional, off by default, user-keyed, hash only | Built-in submission option |
| Live alert when a new startup item appears | Yes. Guardian tray alerts plus offline reconciliation | No |
| Names the program that wrote the entry | Yes, when running elevated | No |
Where Autoruns is stronger
- Breadth of enumeration: Microsoft’s own description (“most comprehensive knowledge of auto-starting locations”) deserves to be taken at face value.
- Single portable executable, no install, ubiquitous in IR toolkits.
- Can disable or delete entries in place (with expert care).
Where WinSight is different
- It watches: Guardian raises a tray alert the moment a new startup item appears and reconciles changes made while WinSight was off.
- It attributes: when elevated, write attribution names the program that created the entry, naming it “written by setup.exe (pid 4242)”, and says why it cannot when it is not.
- It never guesses: the six-state verdict model separates “file missing, signature not checked” from “verified unsigned” instead of leaving ambiguity. See the startup scanner in detail.
- It is open source: GPL-3.0, auditable end to end, with VirusTotal strictly opt-in and hash-only.
- The same install covers outbound firewalling, camera/mic monitoring, connections and DNS.
Using both
Nothing conflicts: both are read-only enumerators. A sensible setup is WinSight for continuous monitoring and triage, with Autoruns as a second opinion during deep manual investigations.
Honest limitations
- WinSight covers 22 autostart families; Autoruns’ enumeration breadth is larger by Microsoft’s description.
- WinSight inspects and alerts; it does not delete entries for you.
- Real-time blocking of new persistence would require a signed kernel driver, which is not shipped.
Sources: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/autoruns · learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/license-terms · docs/DETECTIONS.md#what-is-detected-today · README.md#what-it-does, checked 2026-07-24