Maltego is known for visual link analysis. An investigator starts with an entity such as a domain name, email address, or company, then runs transforms that pull related data from sources like DNS records, social media, breach databases, and corporate registries. The results appear as a graph that shows how things connect, which makes patterns easier to see than in a list.
The tool is widely used in cybersecurity and open-source intelligence work. Threat analysts trace infrastructure behind attacks, fraud teams look for networks of related accounts, and journalists and researchers map ownership and connections. A marketplace of data integrations extends what the graph can query, and collaboration features let teams share findings.
Maltego has a free community edition with limits and paid plans for professional and enterprise use, and some data sources cost extra. Using it requires care with privacy and legal limits. Alternatives include SpiderFoot, Recon-ng, Shodan, Palantir for large organizations, and Kumu for general relationship mapping. Maltego suits analysts mapping connections in investigations.