010 Editor vs Hex Fiend

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.

Hex Fiend is a free, open-source hex editor for macOS that can insert, delete, rearrange, and overwrite binary data. It can search large files and compare them while accounting for insertions and deletions. The editor does not keep files in memory or require a full file to be loaded. Its smart saving avoids rewriting unchanged portions and does not require temporary disk space. The maker says it can handle files as large as users can create and reports testing files up to 118 GB. A data inspector interprets values as signed or unsigned integers and floating-point numbers in big- or little-endian formats. Scripted binary templates visualize file structure, and an embeddable framework provides hex and data views under a permissive BSD-style license. The official site lists version 2.18.1 and requires macOS 10.14.6 or later. The Mac App Store distribution collects no data and makes no network requests; the direct-download distribution checks for updates without collecting or storing user data. Hex Fiend is notarized for macOS 10.14 and later.