diff --git a/src/utils/flexver.rs b/src/utils/flexver.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7290776
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/utils/flexver.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,326 @@
+// FlexVer - Flexible Version Comparison
+//
+// This implementation is based on the original implementation of the
+// `flexver-rs` crate, which no longer appears to be maintained.
+//
+// See:
+//  <https://git.sleeping.town/exa/FlexVer/src/branch/trunk/rust/src/lib.rs>
+//
+// This implementation provides semver-like version comparison with support for:
+//
+// - Flexible version string parsing (not strict semver)
+// - Pre-release handling (parts starting with `-`)
+// - Build metadata stripping (parts after `+`)
+// - Numerical vs lexical comparison
+
+use std::{
+  cmp::Ordering::{self, Equal, Greater, Less},
+  collections::VecDeque,
+};
+
+/// Type of version component for sorting purposes
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq)]
+enum SortingType {
+  /// A numeric component with both i64 value and string representation
+  Numerical(i64, String),
+
+  /// A lexical string component
+  Lexical(String),
+
+  /// A semver pre-release component (starting with `-`)
+  SemverPrerelease(String),
+}
+
+impl SortingType {
+  fn into_string(self) -> String {
+    match self {
+      Self::Numerical(_, s) | Self::Lexical(s) | Self::SemverPrerelease(s) => s,
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+fn is_semver_prerelease(s: &str) -> bool {
+  s.len() > 1 && s.starts_with('-')
+}
+
+/// Decompose a version string into its component parts
+fn decompose(str_in: &str) -> VecDeque<SortingType> {
+  if str_in.is_empty() {
+    return VecDeque::new();
+  }
+
+  // Strip build metadata (after `+`)
+  let s = if let Some((left, _)) = str_in.split_once('+') {
+    left
+  } else {
+    str_in
+  };
+
+  let mut out: VecDeque<SortingType> = VecDeque::new();
+  let mut current = String::new();
+
+  let mut currently_numeric = s.starts_with(|c: char| c.is_ascii_digit());
+  let mut skip = s.starts_with('-');
+
+  fn handle_split(
+    current: &str,
+    c: Option<&char>,
+    currently_numeric: bool,
+  ) -> Option<SortingType> {
+    let numeric = if let Some(c) = c {
+      c.is_ascii_digit()
+    } else {
+      false
+    };
+
+    use SortingType::*;
+
+    if currently_numeric {
+      if numeric {
+        return None;
+      } else {
+        return Some(Numerical(
+          current.parse::<i64>().unwrap(),
+          current.to_owned(),
+        ));
+      }
+    }
+
+    if !(numeric || c == Some(&'-') || c.is_none()) {
+      return None;
+    }
+
+    if is_semver_prerelease(current) {
+      if c == Some(&'-') {
+        // Pre-releases can have multiple dashes
+        None
+      } else {
+        Some(SemverPrerelease(current.to_owned()))
+      }
+    } else {
+      Some(Lexical(current.to_owned()))
+    }
+  }
+
+  for c in s.chars() {
+    if let Some(part) = handle_split(&current, Some(&c), currently_numeric) {
+      if skip {
+        skip = false;
+      } else {
+        out.push_back(part);
+        current.clear();
+        currently_numeric = c.is_ascii_digit();
+      }
+    }
+    current.push(c);
+  }
+
+  if let Some(part) = handle_split(&current, None, currently_numeric) {
+    out.push_back(part);
+  }
+
+  out
+}
+
+/// Compare two version strings using FlexVer rules.
+///
+/// Returns:
+/// - `Ordering::Less` if `a` < `b`
+/// - `Ordering::Equal` if `a` == `b`
+/// - `Ordering::Greater` if `a` > `b`
+///
+/// This matches the behavior of flexver-java:
+/// - "1.0.0" > "1.0.0-beta" (release > pre-release)
+/// - "1.0.0-beta" < "1.0.0+build123" (pre-release < build metadata)
+pub fn compare(left: &str, right: &str) -> Ordering {
+  let iter = VersionComparisonIterator {
+    left:  decompose(left),
+    right: decompose(right),
+  };
+
+  for next in iter {
+    use SortingType::*;
+
+    let current = match next {
+      // Left ran out first
+      (Some(l), None) => {
+        if let SemverPrerelease(_) = l {
+          Less
+        } else {
+          Greater
+        }
+      },
+      // Right ran out first
+      (None, Some(r)) => {
+        if let SemverPrerelease(_) = r {
+          Greater
+        } else {
+          Less
+        }
+      },
+      // Both have components
+      (Some(l), Some(r)) => {
+        match (l, r) {
+          (Numerical(l, _), Numerical(r, _)) => l.cmp(&r),
+          (l, r) => l.into_string().cmp(&r.into_string()),
+        }
+      },
+      (None, None) => unreachable!(),
+    };
+
+    if current != Equal {
+      return current;
+    }
+  }
+
+  Equal
+}
+
+/// Version comparison iterator that yields pairs of components
+#[derive(Debug)]
+struct VersionComparisonIterator {
+  left:  VecDeque<SortingType>,
+  right: VecDeque<SortingType>,
+}
+
+impl Iterator for VersionComparisonIterator {
+  type Item = (Option<SortingType>, Option<SortingType>);
+
+  fn next(&mut self) -> Option<Self::Item> {
+    let item = (self.left.pop_front(), self.right.pop_front());
+    if let (None, None) = item {
+      None
+    } else {
+      Some(item)
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+/// FlexVer type for use with standard library traits
+#[derive(Debug, Copy, Clone)]
+pub struct FlexVer<'a>(pub &'a str);
+
+impl PartialEq for FlexVer<'_> {
+  fn eq(&self, other: &Self) -> bool {
+    compare(self.0, other.0) == Equal
+  }
+}
+
+impl Eq for FlexVer<'_> {}
+
+impl PartialOrd for FlexVer<'_> {
+  fn partial_cmp(&self, other: &Self) -> Option<Ordering> {
+    Some(self.cmp(other))
+  }
+}
+
+impl Ord for FlexVer<'_> {
+  fn cmp(&self, other: &Self) -> Ordering {
+    compare(self.0, other.0)
+  }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+  use std::cmp::Ordering;
+
+  use super::*;
+
+  fn cmp(a: &str, b: &str) -> Ordering {
+    compare(a, b)
+  }
+
+  #[test]
+  fn test_basic_release_comparison() {
+    assert_eq!(cmp("1.0.0", "1.0.0"), Ordering::Equal);
+    assert_eq!(cmp("1.0.0", "1.0.1"), Ordering::Less);
+    assert_eq!(cmp("1.0.1", "1.0.0"), Ordering::Greater);
+    assert_eq!(cmp("1.0.0", "1.1.0"), Ordering::Less);
+    assert_eq!(cmp("1.1.0", "1.0.0"), Ordering::Greater);
+    assert_eq!(cmp("2.0.0", "1.9.9"), Ordering::Greater);
+  }
+
+  #[test]
+  fn test_prerelease_comparison() {
+    // Release > pre-release
+    assert_eq!(cmp("1.0.0", "1.0.0-beta"), Ordering::Greater);
+    assert_eq!(cmp("1.0.0-beta", "1.0.0"), Ordering::Less);
+
+    // Pre-release with tilde
+    assert_eq!(cmp("1.0.0~1", "1.0.0~2"), Ordering::Less);
+    assert_eq!(cmp("1.0.0~2", "1.0.0~1"), Ordering::Greater);
+    assert_eq!(cmp("1.0.0~1", "1.0.0~1"), Ordering::Equal);
+  }
+
+  #[test]
+  fn test_prerelease_with_tilde_vs_alpha() {
+    // In FlexVer, "~" is not treated as a pre-release marker
+    // Only "-" followed by text marks a pre-release
+    // So "1.0.0~1" is compared lexicographically vs "1.0.0-beta"
+    // Since '~' (ASCII 126) > '-' (ASCII 45), "~1" > "-beta"
+    assert_eq!(cmp("1.0.0~1", "1.0.0-beta"), Ordering::Greater);
+    assert_eq!(cmp("1.0.0-beta", "1.0.0~1"), Ordering::Less);
+  }
+
+  #[test]
+  fn test_build_metadata() {
+    // Build metadata with + is stripped for comparison
+    assert_eq!(cmp("1.0.0+build", "1.0.0"), Ordering::Equal);
+    assert_eq!(cmp("1.0.0+build", "1.0.0-alpha"), Ordering::Greater);
+  }
+
+  #[test]
+  fn test_with_file_extensions() {
+    // File extensions should be handled by string comparison
+    assert_eq!(cmp("mod-1.0.0.jar", "mod-1.0.0.jar"), Ordering::Equal);
+    assert!(cmp("mod-1.0.0.jar", "mod-1.0.1.jar").is_lt());
+    assert!(cmp("mod-1.0.1.jar", "mod-1.0.0.jar").is_gt());
+  }
+
+  #[test]
+  fn test_complex_versions() {
+    // Simple version comparison
+    assert!(cmp("sodium-1.0.0", "sodium-1.0.1").is_lt());
+    assert!(cmp("sodium-1.0.1", "sodium-1.0.0").is_gt());
+
+    // File extensions are NOT stripped - they're part of the version string
+    // "sodium-1.0.0.jar" < "sodium-1.0.0~1.jar" because '.' (48) < '~' (126)
+    assert!(cmp("sodium-1.0.0.jar", "sodium-1.0.0~1.jar").is_lt());
+    assert!(cmp("sodium-1.0.0~1.jar", "sodium-1.0.0.jar").is_gt());
+
+    assert!(cmp("fabric-0.15.0.1", "fabric-0.15.0.2").is_lt());
+  }
+
+  #[test]
+  fn test_min_max() {
+    assert_eq!(FlexVer("1.0.0").min(FlexVer("1.0.0")), FlexVer("1.0.0"));
+    assert_eq!(FlexVer("a1.2.6").min(FlexVer("b1.7.3")), FlexVer("a1.2.6"));
+    assert_eq!(FlexVer("b1.7.3").max(FlexVer("a1.2.6")), FlexVer("b1.7.3"));
+  }
+
+  #[test]
+  fn test_commutative() {
+    // If a > b, then b < a
+    let pairs = vec![
+      ("1.0.0", "1.0.1"),
+      ("1.0.0-beta", "1.0.0"),
+      ("1.0.0~1", "1.0.0~2"),
+    ];
+
+    for (a, b) in pairs {
+      let ordering = compare(a, b);
+      let inverse = match ordering {
+        Ordering::Less => Ordering::Greater,
+        Ordering::Greater => Ordering::Less,
+        Ordering::Equal => Ordering::Equal,
+      };
+      assert_eq!(
+        compare(b, a),
+        inverse,
+        "Commutativity violation: {} vs {}",
+        a,
+        b
+      );
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/utils/mod.rs b/src/utils/mod.rs
index 86947cb..5d52a4a 100644
--- a/src/utils/mod.rs
+++ b/src/utils/mod.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
+pub mod flexver;
 pub mod hash;
 pub mod id;
 
+pub use flexver::FlexVer;
 pub use hash::verify_hash;
 pub use id::generate_pakku_id;