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TrID vs Magika: catalog facts
TrID	Magika

Best for: Identifying unknown or misnamed files during recovery or forensic work	Best for: Security analysts and developers who need reliable file type identification
Free Free download; listed as shareware in the Scoop catalog, so check the site for commercial use terms.	Free Free and open source under the Apache-2.0 licence.
Windows, Linux, Command line	Windows, Web, Command line
Identifies files by content, not extension Large, frequently updated definitions database Can be trained to recognise new formats Builds for Windows, Linux and DOS	Detects over 200 content types with high reported accuracy Small model that runs quickly on a CPU Browser demo processes files locally Used in production at Google and VirusTotal
Definitions must be downloaded separately Command line only Not open source	Classification can still be wrong on unusual or crafted files Command-line focus with no desktop interface
Downloadable app	Downloadable app, Web application
Not open source	Open source
License: Shareware	License: Apache-2.0
No account needed	No account needed
Offline features available	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for TrID mark0.net/soft-trid-e.html Catalog checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Magika securityresearch.google/magika Catalog checked October 2, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.