010 Editor vs Hecate

010 Editor is a text and hex editor for working with text files and binary data on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Its Binary Templates represent files as hierarchical data structures, with variables connected to bytes that can be edited. The maker says templates can parse and edit more than 300 formats, including ZIP, BMP, and WAV. The text editor handles files larger than 50 GB and includes syntax highlighting, column mode, and unlimited undo. Tree-sitter provides real-time parsing for more than 45 syntaxes, including C/C++, Python, Rust, JavaScript, and JSON. Analysis tools include binary comparison, search and replace, data visualization, checksums and hashes, a histogram, and disassembly. C-like scripts can automate edits, run from the command line without a user interface, and use an integrated debugger. An online repository lets users download, install, and submit templates and scripts. The maker describes uses in digital forensics, malware analysis, memory and process analysis, and data recovery. Process editing is available only on Windows. A free 30-day trial and 60-day money-back guarantee are offered. New-user perpetual licenses cost $59.95 as a one-time purchase for home or academic use and $149.95, paid once for commercial use; each is for one user and includes one year of free support and upgrades.

Hecate is a free terminal hex editor for Linux, macOS, and Windows. It displays interpretations of byte values beneath their hexadecimal representations, including text, bit patterns, integers, and floating-point values. Users can move the cursor with Vim-like controls, edit data in place, and write changes to disk. The README also lists tabbed browsing, large-file support, full-file searches, and expressions for specifying file offsets. Interpretation options include toggling endianness and signedness, decoding dates, and configuring the date epoch. The project describes byte interpretation as useful for reverse-engineering work. Downloads are linked for Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows, and the README provides a Go command for compiling the editor from source. Hecate is licensed under MIT. The releases page lists version 0.0.1 as the latest release; the license states that the software is provided without warranty. The repository includes usage instructions and a help screen command, but does not state a support service.