Install hex-fiend with Homebrew Cask

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• hexf

Project history

Hex Fiend is an open-source macOS hex editor developed as both a desktop application and a reusable framework. The project uses a permissive two-clause BSD license and maintains its source and release history in the HexFiend organization on GitHub.

Adoption history

Hex Fiend has become an established open-source macOS hex editor. Its official distribution includes standalone releases, while the supplied package metadata records its availability through Homebrew Cask.

How it is used

Users open binary files to inspect hexadecimal and textual representations, insert or remove bytes, search data, compare files, interpret numeric values, and apply Tcl-based templates that expose file structures.

Why package nerds care

Hex Fiend is valued as a focused native tool that can inspect very large binary files without keeping the entire file in memory. Binary diffing, structured templates, a data inspector, smart saving, and an embeddable framework make it useful beyond basic byte editing.

Timeline

• Early development: Hex Fiend was established as an open-source macOS application and embeddable framework.
• Ongoing: The project added binary templates, binary comparison, a data inspector, and large-file-oriented editing.
• 2026: Official releases remain available from the project's GitHub repository.

Related projects

• HexFiend.framework exposes the project's hex and data views for use in other macOS applications.
• The bundled template system uses Tcl scripts to describe and inspect structured binary formats.

Sources

• https://github.com/HexFiend/HexFiend
• https://github.com/HexFiend/HexFiend/releases
• https://hexfiend.com/
• source_facts.package-manager