Tool comparison
UltraEdit by IDM Computer Solutions is a veteran commercial text editor that also includes a full hex-editing mode, letting users switch between text and byte views of the same file. It handles very large files, offers powerful search-and-replace including regular expressions, column editing, and scripting/macros for automating repetitive changes. In tuning and firmware contexts it is used to view and edit binary reads in hex, search for byte or ASCII signatures such as ECU identifiers and software numbers, and script bulk edits across files. While not a dedicated reverse-engineering suite, its blend of robust text tooling and a capable hex mode makes it a practical everyday editor for people who work across scripts, logs, and binaries. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
010 Editor by SweetScape Software is a professional hex and text editor best known for its Binary Templates: small scripts written in a C-like language that parse a binary file into named, typed fields you can read and edit as a structured tree. This makes it powerful for reverse engineering firmware, container formats, and calibration data where offsets and record layouts repeat. It handles very large files, offers a scriptable engine for repetitive edits, file comparison, and a wide range of checksum/hash functions. ECU researchers use templates to lay maps, headers, and identifiers over a raw dump so edits become field-level rather than blind byte pokes. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux and is popular across the wider RE community.
UltraEdit (Hex Editor / Reverse Engineering, IDM Computer Solutions) and 010 Editor (Hex Editor / Reverse Engineering, SweetScape Software) compete in the same space, so the choice comes down to coverage, workflow and price for your specific ECUs. Text and hex editor with a column-mode hex view for binary files Template-driven binary editor for parsing and editing structured firmware
Whichever you flash with, Softechpro Solutions auto-applies DPF/EGR/AdBlue/DTC-off modules and Stage patterns with automatic checksum correction across ~1,400 firmwares on Windows & macOS — the fast way to get the actual file edits done.
See SoftechproMore on UltraEdit