Side by side
ImHex vs Refinery
Both stand on reverse engineering tools. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan LinuxMacWindows
ImHex combines byte editing with parsing, analysis, YARA scanning, and community extensions. Check the GPU and macOS requirements against your system before installing.
Visit ImHex Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+1
Refinery offers Rust projects migration tracking, transaction handling, and embedded or command-line execution. Plan for rollback by writing a new migration, and check driver support and version settings for your setup.
Visit RefineryThe facts
| ImHex | Refinery | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Linux, Mac, Windows | Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | imhex.werwolv.net | github.com |
| On reverse engineering tools | #22 of 73 | #26 of 73 |
ImHex: what it does well
- Pattern Language can parse and highlight defined structures.
- Includes YARA scanning with match navigation.
- Content Store provides community resources.
- Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- Software-rendered releases are available.
What to know first
- Generally requires a GPU supporting OpenGL 3.0.
- macOS release binaries require macOS 15 or higher.
- Older macOS versions require compiling from source.
Refinery: what it does well
- Free and MIT-licensed.
- Supports SQL files and Rust migration modules.
- Can embed migrations in a binary.
- Tracks versions and checks for divergent migrations.
- Default transactions isolate each migration.
What to know first
- Rollback requires writing a new migration.
- 64-bit versions require enabling a feature before database use.
- Additional drivers may be maintained in external repositories.
Alternatives to ImHex Alternatives to Refinery The whole list