Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Aba Search and Replace VS dnGREP

Compare Aba Search and Replace VS dnGREP and see what are their differences

Aba Search and Replace logo Aba Search and Replace

Aba Search and Replace is a tool for replacing text in multiple files.

dnGREP logo dnGREP

dnGrep allows you to search across files with easy-to-read results.
  • Aba Search and Replace
    Image date //
    2025-05-15
  • Aba Search and Replace
    Image date //
    2025-05-15
  • Aba Search and Replace
    Image date //
    2025-05-15
  • Aba Search and Replace
    Image date //
    2025-05-15
  • Aba Search and Replace
    Image date //
    2025-05-15

Aba is a tool for replacing text in multiple files. With Aba, you can quickly correct errors on your web pages, replace banners and copyright notices, change method names, and perform other text-processing tasks. Features: search-as-you-type interface, multi-line search and replace, regular expression support, Unicode support, search history, favorites, undo for any replacement, and command-line interface. The recent version adds converting Unix/JavaScript timestamps to dates and vice versa; encoding and decoding Base64, URL encoding, and HTML entities.

  • dnGREP Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-04-23

Aba Search and Replace

$ Details
paid Free Trial $30.0 / One-off
Platforms
Windows
Release Date
2007 October
Startup details
Country
Czech Republic
Founder(s)
Peter Kankowski

dnGREP

Pricing URL
-
$ Details
Platforms
-
Release Date
-

Aba Search and Replace features and specs

  • Regular expressions
    Regular expression support including lookaround, non-greedy matching, and other advanced features.
  • Dark mode
    Dark mode support
  • Scripting language
    Complex replacements including converting the matching text to lowercase, inserting the file name, or adding width/height attributes to <img> tags.
  • Conversions
    Converting Unix/JavaScript timestamps to dates, encoding and decoding Base64, URL encoding, and HTML entities.
  • Syntax highlight
    Syntax highlight for regular expressions, HTML, CSS, JS, PHP, Python, Java, C#, Go, Scala, SQL, Pascal, and C/C++ files.

dnGREP features and specs

  • Open Source
    dnGREP is open-source software, which means it is free to use and its source code is publicly available for inspection, modification, and enhancement.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    dnGREP offers a graphical user interface that makes it easier for users to perform complex search and replace operations without needing to remember command-line syntax.
  • Powerful Search Capabilities
    The tool supports a variety of search options, including regular expressions, XPath, and phonetic search, providing powerful and flexible search functionality.
  • Advanced Features
    It includes advanced features like file encoding support, search inside archives and support for multiple file types, making it a versatile tool for different use cases.
  • Integration with Plugins
    dnGREP can integrate with various plugins, enhancing its functionality and allowing for greater customization based on user needs.

Possible disadvantages of dnGREP

  • Limited Platform Support
    dnGREP is primarily designed for Windows environments, which can be limiting for users who work on other operating systems like macOS or Linux.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While the basic functions are user-friendly, leveraging its advanced features such as regular expressions and XPath searches can require a steep learning curve for beginners.
  • Performance Issues with Large Files
    Users may experience performance issues, such as slow search times, when working with very large files or extensive directories.
  • Limited Community Support
    As a smaller open-source project, dnGREP might not have as large a community or as extensive documentation compared to more widely-used alternatives.
  • Dependency on .NET Framework
    The tool requires the .NET framework to run, which could be an additional overhead for users who do not already have this installed.

Analysis of dnGREP

Overall verdict

  • Yes, dnGREP is a highly effective tool for text searching and manipulation, especially suited for users who require advanced features like regular expressions. Its user-friendly interface and integration with Windows Explorer enhance its functionality, making it a good choice for both casual users and professionals.

Why this product is good

  • dnGREP is a powerful tool for searching and replacing text across multiple files. It supports regular expressions and allows for advanced search options, such as proximity search and exclusion search. The tool integrates seamlessly with Windows Explorer for easy access and provides a user-friendly GUI for managing complex search tasks. Additionally, dnGREP offers features like syntax highlighting, search result export, and search history tracking, making it an efficient choice for users needing robust text search capabilities.

Recommended for

  • Software developers and programmers who need to conduct complex search and replace tasks across codebases.
  • Data analysts and researchers who require effective text searching tools for processing large datasets.
  • IT professionals and system administrators looking for a reliable tool to manage and search configuration files.
  • Writers and editors who want to streamline their workflow by quickly locating and modifying text within documents.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Aba Search and Replace and dnGREP)
Clipboard Manager
18 18%
82% 82
File Manager
11 11%
89% 89
Note Taking
12 12%
88% 88
Development
100 100%
0% 0

Questions and Answers

As answered by people managing Aba Search and Replace and dnGREP.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

Aba Search and Replace's answer

It's faster than competitors. Other tools require confirmation for each replacement, while Aba shows the list of replacements in context. You can review the list and confirm the changes at once.

How would you describe your primary audience?

Aba Search and Replace's answer

Web developers and software developers in general

User comments

Share your experience with using Aba Search and Replace and dnGREP. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, dnGREP seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 9 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Aba Search and Replace mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Aba Search and Replace yet. Tracking of Aba Search and Replace recommendations started around Mar 2021.

dnGREP mentions (9)

  • IrfanView
    Chipping in dnGrep. Allows to grep inside XLSX and Word files. http://dngrep.github.io/. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Research aid, multiple text file searching.
    You can try Recoll (https://www.lesbonscomptes.com/recoll/pages/index-recoll.html - instant result when searching, but needs indexing first and you might want to donate a little for windows version) or dnGrep (https://dngrep.github.io/ - slower but free and do not need much setup). Source: over 2 years ago
  • What are the best apps you've been using for a long time on Windows?
    DnGrep - TL;DR : grep with less headaches, a gui, and less features. Source: over 2 years ago
  • IT Pro Tuesday #192 - Windows Search, Fiber How-To, Autopsy Tutorial & More
    DnGrep is a Windows tool that allows you to search text, Word, Excel, PDF and archive files using text, regular expression, XPath and phonetic queries. Features include search/replace, whole-file preview, right-click search in File Explorer and more. Kindly suggested by majkinetor. Source: about 3 years ago
  • What tool(program or cli) did you wish you knew about earlier
    - dnGrep – Powerful search for Windows - https://dngrep.github.io/. Source: over 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Aba Search and Replace and dnGREP, you can also consider the following products

TextCrawler - Find and replace across multiple files

grepWin - grepWin is a simple search and replace tool which can use PCRE regular expressions to search for...

DocFetcher - DocFetcher is a portable German/English open source desktop search application.

Funduc Search and Replace - Search and Replace for Windows is a fast, easy to use grep utility for search and replace in multiple files, directories and archives. Supports grep style Regular Expressions. Script language for webmasters and programmers.

Agent Ransack - Agent Ransack is a tool for finding files and information on your hard drive fast and efficiently.

FileSeek - FileSeek is an easy-to-use file search app that includes advanced functionality for power users!