Bulk Rename Utility vs Renamer (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Bulk Rename Utility grades higher than Renamer: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Bulk Rename Utility grades higher on the free plan. Renamer grades higher on value for money and platforms. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Bulk Rename Utility
Windows file renamer with many criteria, free for home use
Renamer
Batch file renamer for macOS and Windows with reusable workflows
Which one is for you
Pick Bulk Rename Utility if
- Fits if you rename photos or files in bulk on a Windows PC at home
- Works for people who want to preview every change before it happens
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you use a Mac or Linux, as it is Windows only
- Pricey if you use it at work, at $92.95 per computer, one for each machine
- Watch out: yearly maintenance with updates and priority support is an add-on from $29.95
- Watch out: any business, company or government use needs a commercial licence on every computer
Pick Renamer if
- Fits if you repeat the same renaming jobs and want to save them as workflows
- Works for photo and music libraries named from tags
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to try before buying, as the pages we read state no trial
- Not for you if your Mac is older than macOS 15, because Renamer 7 won't run
- Pricey if you're upgrading: it needs a valid licence for the previous version
- Watch out: the $26 price comes from the page's structured data, not its visible text
How we grade them
| 2.4GPABulk Rename UtilityFair | 2.2GPARenamerFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BFree for home use, $24.95 once for a Home or Academic licence, but $92.95 per computer for business, against a utilities one-time middle of $21.99. | A$26 one-time for Renamer 7, under a year of this category's typical subscription. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree of charge for personal, private use at home; business use needs a licence. | FThe pages we read show no free plan and no trial. |
| Features | BRule-based renaming, previews, photo and media metadata, folders and timestamps; the listing names no gap in the core job. | BReusable workflows, chains, live preview, Smart Undo, photo and music tags and a local AI Assist. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Many rename rules have to be learned before the preview looks right. | CWorkflows and chains have to be built before the power is there. No store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | DWindows only, with no Mac or Linux version. | CMac and Windows, computers only. Renamer 7 needs macOS 15 or later or Windows 10. |
| Best for | renaming many files at once on Windows | reusable rename workflows on Mac and Windows |
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: Bulk Rename Utility and Renamer. How we grade
Where they differ
- Renamer can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Renamer also covers workflow automation.
At a glance
| Bulk Rename Utility | Renamer | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $24.95 per user for a Home / Academic license, $92.95 for a commercial license | $26 one-time, Renamer 7 license |
| Free plan | Free of charge for personal, private use at home. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | TGRMN Software | Mapache Softworks GmbH |
| Price read from | bulkrenameutility.co.uk | renamer.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Bulk Rename Utility
- Runs on Windows only, with no Mac or Linux version.
- Business and commercial use needs a paid license for each computer where it is installed.
- Yearly maintenance with updates and priority support is an add-on, starting at $29.95 for one item.
- The vendor's prices can be shown in other currencies at checkout; the figures here are the US dollar ones.
Renamer
- Renamer 7 needs macOS 15 or later, or Windows 10 or later; Renamer 6 does not work on macOS Tahoe.
- Upgrading from older versions needs a valid license for the previous version.
- The $26 price comes from the vendor page's structured data, as the buy step does not show it in page text.
- The pages we read do not state whether the download works as a trial before buying.
Key features
Bulk Rename Utility
- Flexible renaming rules
- Adds, replaces and inserts text, converts case, adds auto-numbers and removes or changes extensions.
- Preview before renaming
- Shows a detailed preview of the new names before any file is changed.
- Photo and media metadata
- Renames photos from EXIF data, MP3s from ID3 tags and other files from Windows file properties.
- Folders and sub-folders
- Processes whole folders and their sub-folders, not just a single list of files.
- Timestamp changes
- Changes files' creation and modification times.
- JavaScript renaming
- Scripted renaming is unlocked by a home/academic or commercial license.
Renamer
- Reusable workflows
- Save any setup as a Renamerlet and start from dozens of built-in workflows for common renaming jobs.
- Chains for complex jobs
- Assemble several rules into a chain to handle renames that a single find-and-replace cannot.
- Live preview and Smart Undo
- See how each file will be renamed before applying, and undo with a file backup if a result is wrong.
- Photo and music tags
- Add EXIF dates and GPS tags to photo names, and insert artist, album, title and track numbers from ID3 tags.
- AI Assist on your computer
- Suggests rename rules from a prompt using a local model of about 1.8 GB, downloaded once on opt-in; nothing is sent to a cloud service.
- Rule library
- Number files, find and replace, change case, use regular expressions, insert or remove text by position, and rename from a CSV file.
Plans
Bulk Rename Utility
Home use$0
Free for personal, private use at home; a business, company or commercial use needs a commercial license.
Home / Academic license$24.95
per user, one-time
Unlocks all features, including JavaScript renaming, for home or school and university use. $22.95 each for 2 to 5 users and $19.95 each for 6 or more.
Commercial license$92.95
per computer, one-time
Required for each computer in a business, company, government or commercial use. $63.95 each for 2 to 5 computers and $49.95 each for 6 or more.
Renamer
Renamer 7$26
one-time, per license
License for Renamer 7 on macOS and Windows, AI Assist included. Upgrade discounts apply to owners of Renamer 6 or earlier.
Ways to pay less
Bulk Rename Utility
No public discounts listed.
Renamer
- Other savings
Upgrade discount for Renamer 6 owners
Owners of a Renamer 6 license can upgrade to Renamer 7 for a discount, per the support page.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Bulk Rename Utility or Renamer?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Bulk Rename Utility starts at $24.95 per user for a Home / Academic license, $92.95 for a commercial license, and Renamer starts at $26 one-time, Renamer 7 license.
Which has a free plan, Bulk Rename Utility or Renamer?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Bulk Rename Utility has a free plan. Renamer does not.
Which platforms do Bulk Rename Utility and Renamer run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Renamer lists a macOS app. Both list a Windows 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.