NameQuick names files from what is inside them.
Advanced Renamer runs the methods you stack.
Advanced Renamer is a batch renamer for Windows and Mac: stack methods, pull EXIF, audio, video and GPS tags, write JavaScript, preview every name and undo whole batches. It is free for light personal use. NameQuick is the app that renames files based on their content, for Mac and Windows. This comparison is a first-party documentation audit, not an installer test.
Advanced Renamer is free for light personal use; frequent and work use need a license. NameQuick Self-Managed includes 30 renames with no card, on Windows and Mac.
NameQuick
AI reads your files and names them
Advanced Renamer
Method-based batch renamer for Windows and Mac
Advanced Renamer wins when the name can be built from rules, metadata tags and scripts you control, with copy and move modes and a Windows command line. NameQuick wins when the useful name is inside a document, scan or photo and has to be read first, such as the vendor, date and type of an invoice.
Choose NameQuick- when invoices, statements and scans must be read before they can be named, and you would rather review a proposed name than write a method for it.
- Choose Advanced Renamer
- when you want precise, repeatable methods, rich metadata tags and JavaScript on Windows or Mac, free for light personal use.
- Or use both
- Let NameQuick write a descriptive base name from the contents, then use Advanced Renamer to renumber, re-case or add metadata tags across the set. An integration between the two is not documented as of September 24, 2026.
At a glance
How they compare
| Feature | NameQuick | Advanced Renamer |
|---|---|---|
| Determine a name from content | Reads document text; the AI model reads scans, screenshots and photos from the image, then fills fields such as vendor, date or document type. | Tags expose metadata from images, audio, video and documents such as PDF, Word and PowerPoint, and the script method can read a file's text. OCR of scanned pages and AI-generated names are not documented as of September 24, 2026. |
| Exact pattern control | Presets use written instructions or a filename template of AI-read fields and fixed text; a missing field can skip the file, be left out or use your text. | Stronger here: Add, Remove, Replace, Remove pattern, New case, New name, Renumber, Swap, Trim, Move, List and List replace methods, stacked in one batch, with PCRE-like regular expressions and backreferences. |
| Scripting | No scripting: describe the naming in a preset's instructions or build a template. | The Script method runs your JavaScript per item, with access to file dates, media type and every metadata field the program knows. |
| Metadata and dates | Can put a date the AI reads from the content, such as an invoice date or a photo's date taken, into the name. | EXIF and XMP, audio, video and GPS tags, including city and country, plus ExifTool integration for more formats. The Timestamp method changes file dates, including from EXIF. |
| Review and undo | Preview with supporting evidence, History and undo where still possible. | Real-time preview of new names. The Undo batch window lists earlier batch jobs and rolls back renames, copies and moves; the vendor notes some operations may not be fully reversible. |
| Automation | Watched folders on Windows and Mac process new arrivals; Review lets you check names before they are applied. | The Windows command-line tool runs saved method lists in rename, copy or move mode. Since version 4.21, registered users can set a watch folder that adds new files to the list, filtered by pattern or regex. |
| Beyond naming | Rules can move and tag renamed files. On Windows, tags are written to file properties, and PDF, PNG and plain-text files are skipped. | Batch modes rename in place, copy to an output folder, or move to an output folder with new names. |
| AI and processing | Choose a local model (Ollama or LM Studio), your own cloud key, or the EU-routed Managed service. With a local model, analysis stays on your computer; with your own key, content goes directly to that provider. | A desktop app driven by the methods you configure. An AI naming step is not documented as of September 24, 2026. |
Choose NameQuick when…
- The vendor, date and document type are printed inside the PDF or scan, not in the filename or its metadata.
- You would rather review AI-proposed names than write methods or JavaScript for every document layout.
- New files should be named as they arrive in a watched folder, with Review before anything is applied.
- You want Managed or local AI with History and undo, on Windows and Mac.
Choose Advanced Renamer when…
- You want precise, repeatable methods and regular expressions over the name you already have.
- Your names come from EXIF, GPS, audio or video tags, or from your own JavaScript.
- You need copy and move batch modes or a Windows command line for scripted jobs.
- You rename occasionally at home and want a free tool on Windows or Mac.
Read with NameQuick. Standardize with Advanced Renamer.
Use NameQuick to derive a descriptive base name from the file, then Advanced Renamer to apply an exact sequence, case style or metadata suffix across the set.
Scan_0042.pdf2026-05-02_Acme_Invoice_4471.pdfAdvanced Renamer renumbers or re-cases the batch to your archive convention.IMG_8812.jpg2026-07-14_Harbor_Crane_Lift.jpgAdvanced Renamer appends a camera model or GPS city tag from the metadata.This is a sequential file workflow. An integration between the two applications is not documented as of September 24, 2026.
Common questions
Advanced Renamer facts and primary sources
First-party documentation audit of advancedrenamer.com, not an installer test. License prices were not captured, so this page does not state one. "Not documented" means the reviewed pages do not describe a capability, not that it is absent.
Try NameQuick on your messiest folder. 30 renames, no credit card.