diff --git a/devel/py-stringzilla/Makefile b/devel/py-stringzilla/Makefile
index 69d679cfafde..9393b06bb1c0 100644
--- a/devel/py-stringzilla/Makefile
+++ b/devel/py-stringzilla/Makefile
@@ -1,41 +1,41 @@
 PORTNAME=	stringzilla
 DISTVERSIONPREFIX=	v
-DISTVERSION=	4.2.3
+DISTVERSION=	4.4.2
 CATEGORIES=	devel python
 #MASTER_SITES=	PYPI
 PKGNAMEPREFIX=	${PYTHON_PKGNAMEPREFIX}
 
 MAINTAINER=	yuri@FreeBSD.org
 COMMENT=	SIMD-accelerated string search/sort/hashes/fingerprints/edit distances
 WWW=		https://ashvardanian.com/posts/stringzilla/ \
 		https://github.com/ashvardanian/stringzilla
 
 LICENSE=	APACHE20
 LICENSE_FILE=	${WRKSRC}/LICENSE
 
 ONLY_FOR_ARCHS=	aarch64 amd64 i386
 
 BUILD_DEPENDS=	${PY_SETUPTOOLS} \
 		${PYTHON_PKGNAMEPREFIX}wheel>0:devel/py-wheel@${PY_FLAVOR}
 TEST_DEPENDS=	${PYTHON_PKGNAMEPREFIX}pyarrow>0:databases/py-pyarrow@${PY_FLAVOR} \
 		${PYTHON_PKGNAMEPREFIX}pytest-repeat>0:devel/py-pytest-repeat@${PY_FLAVOR}
 
 USES=		python
 USE_PYTHON=	pep517 autoplist pytest
 
 USE_GITHUB=	yes
 GH_ACCOUNT=	ashvardanian
 GH_PROJECT=	StringZilla
 
 TEST_ENV=	${MAKE_ENV} PYTHONPATH=${STAGEDIR}${PYTHONPREFIX_SITELIBDIR}
 
 post-install:
 	@${STRIP_CMD} ${STAGEDIR}${PYTHON_SITELIBDIR}/stringzilla${PYTHON_TAG}.so
 
 do-test:
 	@cd ${TEST_WRKSRC} && ${SETENV} ${TEST_ENV} pytest scripts/test.py
 
 # tests as of 3.11.2: 10195 passed in 30.47s
 # tests fail to run for 3.11.3, see https://github.com/ashvardanian/StringZilla/issues/210
 
 .include <bsd.port.mk>
diff --git a/devel/py-stringzilla/distinfo b/devel/py-stringzilla/distinfo
index 0b992f2eda4b..227da0554bc3 100644
--- a/devel/py-stringzilla/distinfo
+++ b/devel/py-stringzilla/distinfo
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
-TIMESTAMP = 1762935220
-SHA256 (ashvardanian-StringZilla-v4.2.3_GH0.tar.gz) = f3a0e1be4548ccbaa234a2fb8f1717836319d296bd8ded7e30a5d6a88a3b2ec1
-SIZE (ashvardanian-StringZilla-v4.2.3_GH0.tar.gz) = 608214
+TIMESTAMP = 1764922380
+SHA256 (ashvardanian-StringZilla-v4.4.2_GH0.tar.gz) = 5c49782bc7f5a7392c8b960248d3cc9ba87b3a9629b665f731a2d407fefe425b
+SIZE (ashvardanian-StringZilla-v4.4.2_GH0.tar.gz) = 729225
diff --git a/devel/stringzilla/Makefile b/devel/stringzilla/Makefile
index 9ddb1dfd87f0..059b3ffa0afa 100644
--- a/devel/stringzilla/Makefile
+++ b/devel/stringzilla/Makefile
@@ -1,39 +1,39 @@
 PORTNAME=	stringzilla
 DISTVERSIONPREFIX=	v
-DISTVERSION=	4.2.3
+DISTVERSION=	4.4.2
 CATEGORIES=	devel python
 PKGNAMEPREFIX=	${PYTHON_PKGNAMEPREFIX}
 
 MAINTAINER=	yuri@FreeBSD.org
 COMMENT=	SIMD-accelerated string search/sort/hashes/fingerprints/edit distances
 WWW=		https://ashvardanian.com/posts/stringzilla/ \
 		https://github.com/ashvardanian/stringzilla
 
 LICENSE=	APACHE20
 LICENSE_FILE=	${WRKSRC}/LICENSE
 
 ONLY_FOR_ARCHS=	aarch64 amd64
 
 USES=		cmake:testing
 USE_LDCONFIG=	yes
 
 USE_GITHUB=	yes
 GH_ACCOUNT=	ashvardanian
 GH_PROJECT=	StringZilla
 GH_TUPLE=	ashvardanian:ForkUnion:c613f50:fork_union/fork_union
 
 CMAKE_ON=	STRINGZILLA_INSTALL
 CMAKE_OFF=	STRINGZILLA_BUILD_TEST
 CMAKE_TESTING_ON=	STRINGZILLA_BUILD_TEST
 CMAKE_ARGS=	-DSTRINGZILLA_INCLUDE_INSTALL_DIR=include
 
 CXXFLAGS+=	-g
 LDFLAGS+=	-lpthread
 
 post-install:
 	# workaround for https://github.com/ashvardanian/StringZilla/issues/194
 	@${RM} -r ${STAGEDIR}/usr/src
 
 # some tests fail and hang, see https://github.com/ashvardanian/StringZilla/issues/281, https://github.com/ashvardanian/StringZilla/issues/282
 
 .include <bsd.port.mk>
diff --git a/devel/stringzilla/distinfo b/devel/stringzilla/distinfo
index a042f0729648..1b2581f446d5 100644
--- a/devel/stringzilla/distinfo
+++ b/devel/stringzilla/distinfo
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-TIMESTAMP = 1762897318
-SHA256 (ashvardanian-StringZilla-v4.2.3_GH0.tar.gz) = f3a0e1be4548ccbaa234a2fb8f1717836319d296bd8ded7e30a5d6a88a3b2ec1
-SIZE (ashvardanian-StringZilla-v4.2.3_GH0.tar.gz) = 608214
+TIMESTAMP = 1764921730
+SHA256 (ashvardanian-StringZilla-v4.4.2_GH0.tar.gz) = 5c49782bc7f5a7392c8b960248d3cc9ba87b3a9629b665f731a2d407fefe425b
+SIZE (ashvardanian-StringZilla-v4.4.2_GH0.tar.gz) = 729225
 SHA256 (ashvardanian-ForkUnion-c613f50_GH0.tar.gz) = 04875a3cfd40fd1c6d4350f8c4d9fc4d8a0b601084210e884fd2908129c40562
 SIZE (ashvardanian-ForkUnion-c613f50_GH0.tar.gz) = 110524
diff --git a/devel/stringzilla/pkg-plist b/devel/stringzilla/pkg-plist
index ad902ff3aa8a..1c8ddc209417 100644
--- a/devel/stringzilla/pkg-plist
+++ b/devel/stringzilla/pkg-plist
@@ -1,28 +1,30 @@
 include/stringzilla/compare.h
 include/stringzilla/find.h
 include/stringzilla/hash.h
 include/stringzilla/intersect.h
 include/stringzilla/memory.h
 include/stringzilla/module.modulemap
 include/stringzilla/small_string.h
 include/stringzilla/sort.h
 include/stringzilla/stringzilla.h
 include/stringzilla/stringzilla.hpp
 include/stringzilla/types.h
 include/stringzilla/types.hpp
+include/stringzilla/utf8.h
+include/stringzilla/utf8_case.h
 include/stringzillas/fingerprints.cuh
 include/stringzillas/fingerprints.hpp
 include/stringzillas/similarities.cuh
 include/stringzillas/similarities.hpp
 include/stringzillas/stringzillas.h
 include/stringzillas/types.cuh
 include/stringzillas/types.hpp
 lib/libstringzilla_bare.so
 lib/libstringzilla_bare.so.1
-lib/libstringzilla_bare.so.4.2.3
+lib/libstringzilla_bare.so.4.4.2
 lib/libstringzilla_shared.so
 lib/libstringzilla_shared.so.1
-lib/libstringzilla_shared.so.4.2.3
+lib/libstringzilla_shared.so.4.4.2
 lib/libstringzillas_cpus_shared.so
 lib/libstringzillas_cpus_shared.so.1
-lib/libstringzillas_cpus_shared.so.4.2.3
+lib/libstringzillas_cpus_shared.so.4.4.2