dhex vs Hextor

dhex is a free hex editor for inspecting binary files and comparing two of them in diff mode. It uses a terminal interface built on ncurses and is listed for Linux and macOS; the maker also says it is known to run on HP-UX, FreeBSD, NetBSD, MacOS X, IRIX, and Solaris. Search logs can help track changes between file iterations, and the editor supports themes that users can download or submit to the maker. Command-line search can find single words and quoted strings. The .dhexrc configuration file can set header colors, while a base-address option can help when loading partial memory dumps. A correlator introduced in version 0.64 can help match an object file to an executable for comparison. The maker provides downloads including version 0.69, listed as the latest update for the 0.6x branch and dated 19 January 2019. The maker warns that version 0.64 crashes at startup on some systems. dhex is free, with no free trial.

Hextor is a free Windows hexadecimal editor and toolkit for analyzing binary data. It can present content as text, hexadecimal, integer, or floating-point values, and can interpret or edit data through C-like structure descriptions. Search and replace supports text, hex, Unicode, wildcards, and value searches. Binary comparison detects inserted and deleted data. Hextor can view and edit logical volumes, physical disks, and process memory. Analysis features include bitmap viewing, MD, SHA, and CRC hash calculation, plus a disassembler using the Zydis library. Scripting works through IActiveScript. Version 0.15 adds partial, view-only Intel HEX support and searches involving an unknown half-byte. The Freeware plan costs nothing and allows personal and commercial use. Source code is available only for review. The project advises caution and backups for valuable data, provides no warranty, and disclaims liability for damage from use.