Process Revealer Free Edition vs Pro: What You Get for FreeProcess Revealer is a lightweight Windows utility that helps you inspect running processes, find which DLLs or files they’ve opened, and identify suspicious activity. This article compares the Free Edition to the Pro (paid) version, explaining what features are included at no cost, where the Pro edition adds value, and when the free build is sufficient.
What Process Revealer does (quick overview)
Process Revealer lists active processes and shows file, registry, and DLL handles they have open. It’s most useful for troubleshooting, malware analysis, and discovering which process is locking a file or folder. Both Free and Pro editions perform the core task of enumerating processes and their handles.
Core features included in the Free Edition
- Process enumeration: View a list of running processes with PID and basic metadata.
- Open handle listing: See files, directories, registry keys, and DLLs that a process has opened.
- Search/filter: Filter processes and open handles by name or type to quickly find relevant entries.
- Export basic lists: Save a simple text or CSV of open handles for offline review.
- Lightweight and portable: Free Edition is typically portable (no installation required) and has minimal memory/CPU impact.
- Basic UI for navigation: A straightforward interface to expand processes and inspect handles without steep learning curve.
Pro edition: paid additions and advanced capabilities
The Pro edition builds on the free core with features targeted at power users, IT pros, and security analysts. Typical Pro-only features are:
- Detailed context and metadata: Extended information about handles, including timestamps, access rights, and full device paths.
- Deep scanning modes: More aggressive enumeration that can reveal handles hidden from basic enumeration or those held by system processes.
- Live monitoring and alerts: Watch specific processes or files and receive notifications when handles are opened/closed.
- Advanced export and reporting: Richer reports (HTML/PDF), customizable fields, and automated scheduled exports.
- Batch operations and remediation: Ability to forcibly close handles, terminate processes, or release file locks from within the app.
- Integration and scripting APIs: Command-line interface or scripts for automation and integration with SIEM/endpoint tools.
- Priority support and updates: Faster vendor support, frequent updates, and access to beta features.
Feature comparison table
| Feature | Free Edition | Pro Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Process enumeration | Yes | Yes |
| Open handle listing | Yes | Yes |
| Search/filter | Yes | Yes |
| Export basic lists (text/CSV) | Yes | Yes (plus advanced formats) |
| Portable / lightweight | Yes | Typically yes |
| Detailed metadata (timestamps, rights) | No | Yes |
| Deep scanning | No | Yes |
| Live monitoring & alerts | No | Yes |
| Forcible handle closure / remediation | No | Yes |
| Scripting/API integration | No | Yes |
| Advanced reporting (HTML/PDF) | No | Yes |
| Priority support & updates | No | Yes |
When the Free Edition is enough
Use the Free Edition if you need a lightweight tool to:
- Find which process is locking a file so you can close it or reboot.
- Quickly view open DLLs or handles during troubleshooting.
- Do occasional manual inspections without automation.
- Use a portable tool on multiple machines without installing software.
The Free Edition covers most common admin and troubleshooting tasks and is a quick first step in incident triage.
When upgrading to Pro makes sense
Consider Pro if you:
- Need to automate monitoring across many endpoints or integrate with other security tools.
- Require safe, in-app remediation like closing handles or terminating processes.
- Perform frequent forensic analysis and need richer metadata and reporting.
- Want scheduled exports, alerts, or priority vendor support for enterprise use.
Practical examples
- Troubleshooting: Free Edition lets you find and identify a handle that prevents deleting a log file.
- Incident response: Pro’s live monitoring and detailed metadata helps trace which process created suspicious file locks and when.
- Automation: Pro scripting/API lets you automatically collect handle snapshots from dozens of endpoints during a scan.
Security and safety notes
Forcibly closing handles or terminating system processes can destabilize Windows. If using Pro features that close handles or kill processes, test on non-production systems first and ensure you have backups or system restore points.
Conclusion
The Free Edition of Process Revealer provides the essential, portable tools for inspecting processes and open handles—sufficient for everyday troubleshooting and light incident triage. The Pro edition adds automation, advanced metadata, remediation, and reporting features that matter for enterprise environments, frequent forensic work, or integration with monitoring/SIEM systems.
If you want, I can tailor this article for a blog post with screenshots and step-by-step examples, or produce a shorter FAQ-style version.
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