EMP Intake vs Kaseware: workstation vs investigative platform
Kaseware is an enterprise investigative platform for agencies and fusion centers. EMP is a focused local Windows case workspace for an individual or shared workstation: originals preserved, hashed at intake, exported as a package reviewers can check without EMP installed.
Kaseware is an all-in-one investigative case-management platform: case management, evidence with chain of custody, records, OSINT, link analysis, and geospatial mapping in one system. It's strong in law enforcement and public safety, founded by former FBI Special Agents who built Sentinel.
EMP Intake is narrower: the local evidence integrity and case workspace layer that runs on your own Windows machine.
Use Kaseware when you need an enterprise investigative platform for agencies, fusion centers, and large multi-user operations. Use EMP when you need a focused local Windows evidence workstation and structured case workspace that preserves originals, records SHA-256 at intake, and exports a verifier-ready package reviewers can check without EMP installed.
Related: EMP for corporate security investigations, the evidence workstation buyer's guide, and EMP vs Ontic, plus real pricing from public records.
How they compare
| Criteria | EMP Intake | Kaseware |
|---|---|---|
| Scope & breadth | ||
| Investigative breadth | Evidence + case workspace | Full platform, broad |
| OSINT collection and police records management | Not included | Available; confirm product and subscription scope |
| Mapping and spatial analysis | Incident Maps in Standard; plan overlays and Global Heat Map in Professional | Mapping and geospatial analysis; confirm subscription scope |
| Link analysis | Professional: within and across related cases | Platform-wide, strong |
| AI assistance | No built-in AI assistant claimed | AI Services (OCR, vision, transcription) |
| Pedigree & scale | ||
| Public-safety pedigree | Independent vendor | Ex-FBI, built Sentinel |
| Multi-agency scale | Solo to small teams | Agencies, fusion centers |
| Security assurance and compliance | NIST design target, not certified | CJIS adherence; SOC 2 Type II; ISO 27001/27701 certification; TX-RAMP certification; DPF participation |
| Deployment & data | ||
| Deployment | Local-first Windows | Managed cloud; private and self-managed options for Enterprise |
| Where evidence lives | Your workstation | Vendor-managed or self-managed, per deployment |
| Integrity & handoff | ||
| SHA-256 at intake | Automatic, originals preserved | Chain of custody, audit logs |
| Verifier-ready export | Yes, no upload, no EMP needed | Case-data and PDF/Excel/CSV exports; an equivalent recipient hash-manifest workflow was not established in the linked sources |
| Pricing & fit | ||
| Pricing transparency | $29 / $49 / $99 monthly, public | $102+/user/mo public, 20-user minimum |
| Time to first value | 14-day self-serve trial | Demo, then onboarding |
EMP features vary by tier. Core includes package exports. Standard adds Chain of Custody, Incident Maps and Audit Timeline; Professional adds Timeline Recon, Link Analysis, Global Heat Map and plan overlays. Package contents depend on selection; enable Manifest for checksums and the verifier.
Updated 2026-08-23. The highlighted column is EMP Intake.
Sources checked
Official Kaseware materials reviewed on 2026-08-23:
Vendor capabilities may depend on edition, configuration, or contract; confirm details with Kaseware.
Where each one wins
Where EMP wins
- You need local evidence integrity on your own Windows machine, running entirely on hardware you already control with no platform dependency.
- You need a verifier-ready export package recipients can check with the included verifier when Manifest is enabled, without installing EMP.
- You want transparent, published pricing and a 14-day self-serve trial instead of a demo-first sales motion.
- You want incident-map playback and several logs on one timeline, corrected for time offsets and lined up against exported CCTV footage.
- You are a solo investigator or small team that needs to start building a defensible case today, not after a procurement cycle.
Where they win
- You need enterprise investigative breadth in one platform: OSINT, records management, geospatial mapping, and analyst-grade link analysis.
- Compliance certifications matter for procurement. Kaseware lists CJIS adherence, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 27701, TX-RAMP, and Data Privacy Framework participation.
- You want deployment choice at the platform tier: Kaseware offers managed commercial and government clouds, with private and self-managed hosting options for Enterprise.
- You need law-enforcement and public-safety pedigree. Kaseware was founded by former FBI Special Agents who built Sentinel, and states it serves fusion centers and agencies across all 50 states.
- You operate at multi-agency or large-team scale where an established investigative platform is the right tool.
What EMP is not
- Not an enterprise investigative platform for agencies and fusion centers. EMP is the local evidence integrity and case workspace layer.
- Not a managed cloud service. EMP is local-first and self-hosted.
- Not certified. NIST SP 800-86 is a design target, not a certification, and admissibility is the court's call.
- Not an OSINT, records-management, or dispatch system. EMP organizes and preserves the evidence you already collected.
Competitor details here are drawn from public sources such as vendor websites and documentation, and can change. Verify current capabilities with the vendor. This comparison covers EMP Intake WS. Features vary by tier. Teams has a separate deployment model and pilot scope.
Frequently asked questions
Is EMP a Kaseware alternative?
For one job, yes: local evidence integrity and a verifiable handoff. EMP is not a full investigative platform like Kaseware. If you need OSINT, records management, geospatial analysis, and multi-agency case management in one system, Kaseware is the right category. If you need a focused local evidence workstation that preserves originals, reconstructs the incident, and exports a verifier-ready package, EMP fits.
Does EMP do OSINT or link analysis like Kaseware?
Link analysis, yes: EMP maps the connections between the people, places, and evidence in a case, and it can expand across related cases and investigations. OSINT, no. EMP does not collect open-source or dark-web intelligence; Kaseware does, and it merged with OSINT Combine to deepen that capability, with scope depending on the selected product and subscription. EMP organizes and preserves what you already have.
Why does Kaseware list more certifications than EMP?
Kaseware is an investigative platform serving agencies, offered as managed commercial and government clouds with private and self-managed hosting options for Enterprise, so it publishes security assurance and compliance information including CJIS adherence, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 27701, TX-RAMP, and Data Privacy Framework participation that procurement teams require. EMP is local-first on your own machine, so your evidence never reaches us. NIST SP 800-86 is a design target for EMP, not a certification.
Can EMP and Kaseware coexist?
An agency could run Kaseware as its investigative platform and use EMP on a workstation when it needs a clean, local, verifier-ready export package for a specific handoff. EMP exports standard JSON that downstream systems can consume.
See the difference for yourself
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About this comparison: it is based on publicly available materials as of August 2026, and products change. If anything here is out of date, email hello@falcrex.com and we will correct it. All third-party product and company names are trademarks of their respective owners. Falcrex Systems Inc is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by any of them.