How WRL Compares
A factual comparison of WRL with other web archiving and evidence tools. Each cell reflects publicly documented capabilities as of March 2026. If something has changed, open an issue.
| Tool | Cryptographic Signing | Independent Timestamps | Public Verification | API Access | Standard Format | eIDAS Qualified | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WRL | Ed25519 (every capture) | RFC 3161 (DigiCert TSA) | Yes (no account needed) | REST API, MCP | WACZ | Optional | PolyForm Shield |
| Wayback Machine | No | Crawl timestamps only | Public access (no crypto) | Yes (rate-limited) | WARC | No | Partial (some tools) |
| PageFreezer | SHA-256 signing | Stratum-1 clock (not RFC 3161) | No (platform-only) | Partner API | No | No | |
| Hanzo | Not documented | Not documented | No | No | WARC | No | No |
| Page Vault | SHA-256 hashing | Internal timestamps | Expert witness service | No | Proprietary / PDF | No | No |
| MirrorWeb | SHA-1 per docs | Timestamped (not RFC 3161) | No (platform-only) | Limited API | WARC | No | No |
| Stillio | No | Metadata only | No | Basic API | PNG / JPEG | No | No |
| Archive-It | Checksums only | Crawl timestamps | Public access (no crypto) | Yes (WASAPI) | WARC | No | No |
| Webrecorder | WACZ-Auth spec (not default) | RFC 3161 in spec (not default) | Validator tools exist | Browsertrix API | WACZ + WARC | No | Yes |
| Manual Screenshots + Notarization | Notary attestation | Notary timestamp | Via notary records | No | N/A | Separate framework | N/A |
Notes
Wayback Machine
Massive scale (850B+ pages archived) and institutional credibility accepted by some courts. Captures have no cryptographic signatures -- integrity relies on trust in the Internet Archive as an institution. Rate-limited public API (15 req/min). The de facto reference for "what did this page look like" but not designed as an evidence tool.
PageFreezer
Enterprise-grade compliance platform (FedRAMP authorized, SOC 2). SHA-256 digital signatures with their own timestamping infrastructure (Stratum-1 atomic clock, ESIGN Act compliant). Timestamps are not from an independent third-party TSA per RFC 3161. Strong in social media archiving (Teams, Workplace) which WRL does not offer. Verification is internal to their platform.
Hanzo
Focused on dynamic content capture (SPAs, interactive elements) and eDiscovery workflows. SOC 2 Type 2 certified. No public API (confirmed by multiple review sources). Integrity approach is proprietary and not publicly documented. Note: Hanzo (hanzo.co) the web archiving company is distinct from Hanzo AI (hanzo.ai).
Page Vault
Purpose-built for US litigation. Provides expert witness testimony and affidavit services for court admissibility under FRE 901(b)(9) and FRE 902(13)/902(14). SHA-256 hashing with internal timestamps. No API -- browser extension and managed capture service. WRL provides machine-verifiable proof; Page Vault provides human-verifiable expert testimony.
MirrorWeb
Financial services compliance focus (SEC 17a-4, FINRA 2210, FCA COBS 4). Documentation references SHA-1 digital signatures, though this may have been updated (SHA-1 is cryptographically deprecated). SOC 2 certified. Multi-channel archiving including social media and SMS.
Stillio
Screenshot scheduling service, not an evidence tool. No integrity proofs, no cryptographic signing. Useful for visual monitoring and brand tracking. Including Stillio illustrates the gap between screenshot services and evidence services.
Archive-It
Internet Archive's subscription archiving service for institutions. WARC format with MD5 and SHA-1 checksums via WASAPI (data integrity, not cryptographic authenticity). Strong in academic, government, and cultural heritage sectors. Public access to archives but no cryptographic verification.
Webrecorder
Created the WACZ format and authored the WACZ-Auth specification that defines signing for WACZ files. WRL implements signing as a default on every capture; Webrecorder provides the specification and tooling. Browsertrix (hosted service) does not appear to sign WACZ files by default. Open source, self-hostable via Kubernetes. Different primary use case: site-wide preservation vs. WRL's point-in-time evidence.
Manual Screenshots + Notarization
Legally established with centuries of precedent. Entirely manual, no automation possible. Notary attestation is broadly accepted by courts. Cost scales linearly with volume. WRL is faster, scalable, and cheaper but has less legal track record.
Methodology
All claims are based on publicly available documentation, product pages, and review platforms as of March 2026. Where a capability could not be confirmed from public sources, the cell reads "Not documented" rather than "No". We do not have accounts with every listed service -- claims reflect what each service publicly represents, not hands-on testing of every feature. If any information is outdated or incorrect, please open an issue.
See also the summary comparison on our landing page.