Free and open first
Best Hex Editors in 2026
Hex editors give you a way to examine and change data directly at the byte level. Compared on binary comparison, binary templates, and disk editing, the options also differ in plugin support, scripting support, and the platforms they support. Free-plan availability and the listed paid starting price add practical access considerations. BinEd, ImHex, and REHex are among the entries shown, alongside wxHexEditor and Hex Fiend. Consider whether your work centers on comparing binary data, interpreting it with templates, editing disks, or extending an editor with plugins or scripts.
- 32 apps
- Research read 23 Sept 2026
- How the order is worked out
- 1
Avidemux
Free plan Open source LinuxMacWeb+1 - 2
Bedrock Viz
Free plan LinuxMacWeb+1Bedrock Viz combines map exploration with image and movie output for Bedrock Edition worlds.
- 3
BinEd
Free plan AndroidLinuxMac+2BinEd provides binary and hex viewing and editing in several environments, with search, editing modes, and listed integrations.
- 4
Bless
Free plan LinuxWindowsBless offers byte-level editing, raw disk support and plugin extensibility at no charge.
- 5
HexEd.it
Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+4Choose HexEd.it for free browser-based binary inspection and editing, especially if offline use, format identification, or hash lookup matters.
- 6
dhex
Free plan LinuxMacdhex offers binary comparison and change tracking in a free, ncurses-based editor. Check the available versions and avoid version 0.64, which the maker says crashes on some systems.
- 7
Hecate
Free plan LinuxMacWindowsHecate combines byte editing with several ways to interpret data, plus search and tabbed browsing. Its latest listed release is 0.0.1, and the license provides no warranty.
- 8
CombineZP
Free plan WindowsChoose CombineZP if you use Windows for close-up or macro focus stacking and want alignment options, batch processing, and adjustable memory use.
- 9
Dataescher HexEditor
Free plan WindowsHexEditor focuses on firmware-oriented binary work, with region-based editing, format support and CRC tools.
- 10
Frhed
Free plan WindowsFrhed is a free, Windows-only option focused on hex and binary file editing. Its public repository includes documentation and an issue-reporting channel.
- 11
GNU hexedit
Free plan LinuxGNU hexedit provides file and device inspection alongside byte-level editing and search in a keyboard-driven terminal interface.
- 12
ImHex
Free plan LinuxMacWindowsImHex combines byte editing with parsing, analysis, YARA scanning, and community extensions. Check the GPU and macOS requirements against your system before installing.
- 13
Hex Editor Neo
Free plan WindowsHex Editor Neo provides a broad set of binary editing, search, replacement, and patching tools for Windows.
- 14
REHex
Free plan LinuxMacWindowsREHex combines binary inspection, editing, comparison, and annotation tools in a free cross-platform editor.
- 15
GHex
Free plan LinuxMacGHex offers focused binary editing with dual hexadecimal and ASCII views, clipboard support, and searchable data.
- 16
Hex Fiend
Free plan MacHex Fiend combines binary editing, search and comparison with tools for interpreting values and visualizing file structures.
- 17
Hextor
Free plan WindowsHextor brings binary editing, comparison, low-level access, and analysis tools together in a free Windows application. Use caution and back up valuable data before working with it.
- 18
wxHexEditor
Free plan LinuxMacWindowswxHexEditor combines large-file handling with disk-sector editing and a range of binary analysis tools.
- 19
wxMEdit
Free plan LinuxMacWindowswxMEdit provides text and hex editing, broad encoding support, and language syntax highlighting across three desktop platforms. It is free and open source under GPL-3.0.
- 20
Hiew
Free plan WindowsChoose Hiew if you need a Windows console program with text, hex, and disassembler views, broad executable-format support, and file editing.
- 21
HxD
Free plan WindowsHxD offers a broad set of hex-editing tools at no cost for private or commercial use. Check its Windows and disk-privilege requirements before relying on it for drive edits.
- 22
Q22
Free plan LinuxWindowsChoose Q22 if you need a free binary editor with PE and ELF structure views, disassembly, and several data formats on Linux or Windows.
- 23
Okteta
Free plan LinuxOkteta provides file-level byte viewing and editing with multiple numerical and character encodings, customizable views, and structure definitions.
- 24
010 Editor
by 010 EditorFree trial LinuxMacWindows010 Editor combines large-file text editing, binary templates, analysis tools, and automation scripting.
- 25
hexer
Free plan LinuxHexer offers a free, source-based option for multi-buffer binary editing in a vi/ex-like interface. Its POSIX build requirements and limited current test coverage are important considerations.
#1Places #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 on this list can be bought by the makers of the software on it. See the price
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