Let me set expectations before you go tool-shopping: for editing Borderlands 2 or the Pre-Sequel on PC with a normal window-and-buttons interface, Gibbed is still the best thing going, and nothing has really replaced it. The alternatives below aren't "better Gibbeds" — they're for specific situations: you live in a terminal, you need the profile file Gibbed won't touch, you're on console, or you're playing a different game entirely. Here's the honest map.
- BL2/TPS on PC, GUI: just use Gibbed. Still the gold standard.
- Terminal / automation: apocalyptech's command-line editor.
- WillowTree is really the old Borderlands 1 tool — not the pick for BL2.
Gibbed is still the pick (for BL2 on PC)
I'm not going to pad this page by pretending there's a hot new editor dethroning Gibbed. There isn't. For the common case — Borderlands 2 or Pre-Sequel, on PC, with a graphical editor — Gibbed remains the community standard, and everything else here is a complement or a niche fit. If that's your situation, the guide is where you want to be, not this page.
The command-line route
If you're comfortable in a terminal — or you want to script edits, batch-process saves, or just unlock backpack space faster than clicking through a GUI — the Python command-line tools are genuinely nice:
apocalyptech CLI
The gold-standard command-line editor for BL2 and TPS. Quick for things like unlocking backpack slots. Terminal-only.
pclifford/borderlands2
Python read/write for BL2 saves — the original that apocalyptech forked. Can export items in a Gibbed-compatible format.
loot-midget fork
A 2023 cleanup of apocalyptech's CLI that can generate hand-editable JSON. Handy for tinkerers.
These pair well with Gibbed, too — e.g. export an item list with the Python tool, paste codes back through Gibbed's GUI.
WillowTree, honestly
You'll see WillowTree (WillowTree#) recommended around the web, so let me be straight about what it actually is. WillowTree is an older graphical save editor, and historically it's the Borderlands 1 tool — that's the game people still reach for it on. For Borderlands 2 its support is shaky and long-neglected, and the community moved to Gibbed years ago for good reason.
If you're editing the original Borderlands, WillowTree is reasonable. For Borderlands 2, don't fight with it — Gibbed is more reliable and actually maintained-as-final. Treat "use WillowTree for BL2" advice as dated.
Companion tools (not replacements)
These don't replace Gibbed — they cover the things it deliberately doesn't:
- B2Profile — edits profile.bin (Badass Rank, golden keys), which Gibbed leaves alone. Details in the Badass Rank page.
- Bruteforce Save Data / Save Wizard / Horizon — decrypt and re-sign console saves so Gibbed can edit them. See the platform guides.
If you're here because it's not Borderlands 2
Gibbed didn't make a finished editor for every game. The community did:
- Borderlands 3 → FromDarkHell's BL3SaveEditor (there's no Gibbed BL3 editor — here's why).
- Tiny Tina's Wonderlands → ttwl-cli-saveedit, a command-line tool.
- Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep (standalone) → the xcier TTAoDK fork; the BL2 DLC version uses the normal editor.
- The Pre-Sequel → that one is Gibbed; see the Pre-Sequel guide.
Bottom line
BL2 on PC with a GUI: Gibbed. Terminal or scripting: apocalyptech's CLI. Badass Rank and keys: B2Profile. Console saves: the platform-specific decrypt tool plus Gibbed. WillowTree: for Borderlands 1, not 2. That's the whole toolbox.
Quick answers
Is there anything better than Gibbed for BL2?
Does WillowTree work for Borderlands 2?
Can I use a CLI tool and Gibbed together?
apocalyptech's tools page, pclifford/borderlands2, the loot-midget and ttwl-cli forks, and community discussion on WillowTree vs Gibbed for BL2. Checked June 2026.