dtSearch vs X1 Search (2026): which should you pick?

Pick dtSearch if

• Fits if you search very large piles of documents and email on Windows
• Works for legal and records teams, which the forensics edition targets

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you are one person: $249, and the forensics license is $1,225 a year
• Not for you if you use a Mac, as Desktop and Network need Windows
• Skip it if you want a known renewal cost, because the page does not say what it is
• Watch out: all prices are marked subject to change, with a currency selector on the store page

Pick X1 Search if

• Fits if your work is spread across Outlook, Teams, Slack and cloud drives
• Works for people on Windows who want one place to look for old messages

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you use a Mac or an Arm Windows PC, as neither is supported
• Pricey if you want one year only: it is $79 a year with no one-time purchase
• Skip it if you want to know trial terms first, as the pages read give no length
• Watch out: 50 or more licenses go through sales, and the eDiscovery platform is by quote

dtSearch

• The Desktop and Network editions require Windows.
• Support and updates are included for a minimum of one year; the page does not say what renewal costs.
• The forensics license is priced per year and is much higher than the single-user license.
• All prices are marked as subject to change, with a currency selector on the store page.

X1 Search

• Windows 10 and 11 only; Macs and Snapdragon ARM Windows PCs are not supported.
• Sold by the term, not as a one-time purchase: 1 year or 3 years.
• Purchases of 50 or more licenses go through sales.
• A separate X1 Enterprise platform for eDiscovery is sold on a quote basis.

dtSearch

Terabyte indexer

A single index can span over a terabyte of text across folders, email and online data.

25+ search options

Includes phrase, boolean, fuzzy and other search types, plus forensics-oriented options.

Many data types

Reads PDF, Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, email with nested attachments and more through its own document filters.

Spider

The built-in Spider can add local and remote web content to a search.

Network edition

Lets many users search an organization's shared indexes at once.

Developer products

An Engine SDK for Windows, Linux and macOS and a Web edition are sold separately.

X1 Search

One search across sources

Covers email, local files, Microsoft 365 (Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Exchange, Outlook), Google Drive, Box, Dropbox and Slack.

Mail connectors

Gmail, Outlook mail and Yahoo are supported; the Gmail connector is API-based.

In-place indexing

Indexes data where it sits instead of moving it.

Claude MCP connector

Version 12 and later purchases include an MCP connector so Claude can search the X1 index.

Chat search

Searches Teams chats and channels and Slack conversations alongside email and documents.

dtSearch

• Desktop, single user$249

  per license; includes support and updates for a minimum of one year

  One person may use it on up to two computers.

• Desktop, annual investigative$1,225

  per year, for one individual

  For forensics and e-discovery use; can be moved between machines and includes a personal-use single-user license.

• Network, multi-user$200

  per seat, for 5 to 24 seats

  Price per seat falls with volume, to $175 for 25 to 99 seats and lower beyond that.

X1 Search

• 1 Year Term$79

  per license, for 1 year of support and updates

  Bought online by credit card; the license is for one person.

• 3 Year Term$189

  per license, for 3 years of support and updates

  Listed as normally $237; the page shows the $189 price with no end date.