The best replacement for binary files is text files.

The best alternatives to binary files are rated as following:
★★★★★  text files
★  ascii files

Your alternative for binary files is not listed? Suggest!
Speaking about binary files, one probably shouldn't forget about git.

Other search terms related to binary files and their ratings are:
★★★★★ git
You have in mind a companion for binary files and it is not yet here? Propose!



Google Trends

Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of binary files in all years. Click on graph for more.
binary files
text files
ascii files