Advanced Renamer vs Hazel (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Advanced Renamer grades higher than Hazel: 2.8 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Advanced Renamer grades higher on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms. They get the same grade on ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Advanced Renamer
Batch file and folder renamer for Windows and Mac
Hazel
Rule-based automatic file organization for the Mac
Which one is for you
Pick Advanced Renamer if
- Fits if you sort photo or music libraries using embedded dates and tags
- Works for one-off personal batches that fit inside 10,000 files
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if the renaming is for work or school, since that needs the Commercial licence at $50 per user
- Tight if you chain more than 5 methods or go past 10,000 files on the free version
- Watch out: a licence covers 3.xx and 4.xx, and a later major version's price isn't stated
- Skip it if you use Linux, as only Windows and Mac are offered
Pick Hazel if
- Fits if your Downloads and Desktop fill up with files you never sort
- Works for people who scan bills and statements and want them filed by the text inside
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're on Windows or Linux, as it's macOS only, and Hazel 6 needs macOS 13.0 or later
- Tight if you're not paying, because Demo mode is one folder, two active rules and no import or export
- Not for you if you want every future version included, since a license covers one major version and the upgrade to 6 is $20
- Watch out: rule sync works per folder and overwrites a second Mac's rules instead of merging them
- Not for you if you want filing to work out of the box, since you write every rule yourself first
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAAdvanced RenamerGood | 2.0GPAHazelFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree for light personal use, and the personal licence is $16 one-time, well under a year of this category's typical subscription. | B$42 once for a single-user licence, with free upgrades inside version 6, and the Family Pack is $65 for up to 5 people at home. That's more than a year of this category's middle subscription, though well under two, and an upgrade from an earlier version is $20. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree with 10,000 files and 5 methods a batch, which is plenty for one person. Personal use only: any work use, schools included, needs a licence. | CNo free plan. You get 14 days of Evaluation mode with every feature except rule export. After that an unlicensed copy falls back to Demo mode, which is 1 folder and 2 active rules. |
| Features | B13 methods, regex, JavaScript, preview, undo, metadata names and a command line runner. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job. | CFiling folders is one job, and Hazel covers it: rules on name, date, type, source website and the text inside PDFs and images, then move, rename, tag, archive, upload or run a script, plus Trash clearing and App Sweep. Rule sync is the weak spot, overwriting a second Mac's rules rather than merging. |
| Ease of use | CChaining methods and writing regex or scripts takes some learning. No store rating is on record. | CNo rating is on record, and nothing happens until you've written rules. They work much like Apple Mail's, which helps, but you're still picking attributes and building name patterns yourself before a single file moves. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWindows (64-bit) and Mac, computers only. No Linux, phone or web version. | DMac only, one operating system, and Hazel 6 needs macOS 13.0 Ventura or later. It hooks into Apple Shortcuts, AppleScript, Automator, Photos and Music, and uploads to FTP, SFTP or WebDAV servers. |
| Best for | batch renaming from photo and music tags | automatic filing of the folders on your Mac |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Advanced Renamer and Hazel. How we grade
Where they differ
- Hazel also covers disk cleanup.
At a glance
| Advanced Renamer | Hazel | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $16 one-time, personal license (VAT included) | $42 one-time purchase (single-user license) |
| Free plan | Free for light personal use, limited to 10,000 files per batch and 5 renaming methods per batch. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day Evaluation mode with every feature except rule export, then Demo mode: 1 folder and 2 active rules |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | Hulubulu Software | Noodlesoft, LLC |
| Price read from | advancedrenamer.com | store.noodlesoft.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Advanced Renamer
- The free version caps each batch at 10,000 files and 5 renaming methods.
- Any work use, including schools and non-profits, needs the Commercial license.
- A license is valid for the 3.xx and 4.xx versions; the site does not say what a later major version would cost.
- The Mac version needs macOS 11 or later; the Windows version is 64-bit only.
Hazel
- macOS only; Hazel 6 requires macOS 13.0 (Ventura) or later.
- After the 14-day evaluation, an unlicensed copy drops to Demo mode: one monitored folder, two active rules and no import or export.
- A license covers one major version. Moving from any earlier version to Hazel 6 is a $20 paid upgrade.
- Rule sync works per folder and cannot merge rule sets: a second Mac's existing rules for that folder are overwritten.
Key features
Advanced Renamer
- Chained renaming methods
- Combine 13 methods in one batch: add, remove, replace, change case, new name from tags, and set timestamps.
- Live preview and undo
- New names are previewed before anything is applied, and a completed batch can be undone as a whole.
- Metadata-based names
- Use EXIF and XMP photo data, MP3 and ID3 tags, video properties and GPS-derived city names in file names.
- Rename, copy or move
- Batches can rename in place or copy and move files into new locations based on information in the files.
- Regex, wildcards and JavaScript
- Pattern matching with regular expressions and wildcards, and names generated from JavaScript.
- Command line batch runner
- Saved renaming jobs can be run from the command line to automate recurring renames.
Hazel
- Folder rules
- Hazel monitors the folders you pick and applies rules, much like those in Apple Mail, that match items by name, size, date, type, source website and other attributes.
- File actions
- A matching item can be moved, copied, renamed, sorted into subfolders, tagged, commented, archived or synced, with patterns that build names and tags from its attributes.
- Reading file contents
- Hazel 6 uses on-the-fly text recognition to read text in PDFs without OCR and in image files, and reads encrypted PDFs when you supply a password.
- Trash management and App Sweep
- Deletes items from the Trash by age or when it grows too large. App Sweep notices a discarded application and offers to remove its support files as well.
- Scripts, Shortcuts and uploads
- Rules can run Shortcuts, AppleScript or JavaScript, Automator workflows and shell scripts, and can upload files to FTP, SFTP or WebDAV servers.
- Revert and rule sync
- Revert returns a file to its original place and name, with its tags and comments. A folder's rules can sync through a shared file to other Macs or user accounts.
Plans
Advanced Renamer
Free$0
For occasional personal use. Batches are capped at 10,000 files and 5 renaming methods.
Personal$16
one-time, VAT included
For private use at home. No file or method limits per batch; valid for all 3.xx and 4.xx versions.
Commercial$50
one-time per user, VAT not included
Required for any work use, including schools and non-profits. No batch limits, and priority support.
Hazel
Hazel 6$42
one-time purchase, single-user license
Includes free upgrades within version 6. The license keeps unlocking the version you bought after a new major version ships.
Hazel 6 Family Pack$65
one-time purchase, up to 5 household members
One license for up to 5 members of your household. For private households only.
Ways to pay less
Advanced Renamer
No public discounts listed.
Hazel
- Other savings
$20 upgrade from any previous version
Owners of any earlier Hazel version can upgrade to Hazel 6 for $20. The price is the same for single-user and family pack licenses.
- Other savings
Volume pricing on request
The store page asks buyers interested in volume pricing or with other special pricing needs to contact Noodlesoft.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Advanced Renamer or Hazel?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Advanced Renamer starts at $16 one-time, personal license (VAT included), and Hazel starts at $42 one-time purchase (single-user license).
Which has a free plan, Advanced Renamer or Hazel?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Advanced Renamer has a free plan. Hazel does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Advanced Renamer and Hazel run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Advanced Renamer lists a Windows app. Both list a macOS app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.