diff --git a/ext/unicode/unicode.go b/ext/unicode/unicode.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..113fc23
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ext/unicode/unicode.go
@@ -0,0 +1,168 @@
+// Package unicode provides a replacement for the SQLite ICU extension.
+//
+// Provides Unicode aware:
+//   - upper and lower functions,
+//   - LIKE and REGEX operators,
+//   - collation sequences.
+package unicode
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"regexp"
+	"strings"
+	"unicode/utf8"
+
+	"github.com/ncruces/go-sqlite3"
+	"github.com/ncruces/go-sqlite3/internal/util"
+	"golang.org/x/text/cases"
+	"golang.org/x/text/collate"
+	"golang.org/x/text/language"
+)
+
+// Register registers Unicode aware functions for a database connection.
+func Register(db sqlite3.Conn) {
+	flags := sqlite3.DETERMINISTIC | sqlite3.INNOCUOUS
+
+	db.CreateFunction("like", 2, flags, like)
+	db.CreateFunction("like", 3, flags, like)
+	db.CreateFunction("upper", 1, flags, upper)
+	db.CreateFunction("upper", 2, flags, upper)
+	db.CreateFunction("lower", 1, flags, lower)
+	db.CreateFunction("lower", 2, flags, lower)
+	db.CreateFunction("regexp", 2, flags, regex)
+	db.CreateFunction("icu_load_collation", 2, sqlite3.DIRECTONLY,
+		func(ctx sqlite3.Context, arg ...sqlite3.Value) {
+			name := arg[1].Text()
+			if name == "" {
+				return
+			}
+
+			tag, err := language.Parse(arg[0].Text())
+			if err != nil {
+				ctx.ResultError(err)
+				return
+			}
+
+			err = db.CreateCollation(name, collate.New(tag).Compare)
+			if err != nil {
+				ctx.ResultError(err)
+				return
+			}
+		})
+}
+
+func upper(ctx sqlite3.Context, arg ...sqlite3.Value) {
+	if len(arg) == 1 {
+		ctx.ResultBlob(bytes.ToUpper(arg[0].RawBlob()))
+		return
+	}
+	cs, ok := ctx.GetAuxData(1).(cases.Caser)
+	if !ok {
+		t, err := language.Parse(arg[0].Text())
+		if err != nil {
+			ctx.ResultError(err)
+			return
+		}
+		c := cases.Upper(t)
+		ctx.SetAuxData(1, c)
+		cs = c
+	}
+	ctx.ResultBlob(cs.Bytes(arg[0].RawBlob()))
+}
+
+func lower(ctx sqlite3.Context, arg ...sqlite3.Value) {
+	if len(arg) == 1 {
+		ctx.ResultBlob(bytes.ToLower(arg[0].RawBlob()))
+		return
+	}
+	cs, ok := ctx.GetAuxData(1).(cases.Caser)
+	if !ok {
+		t, err := language.Parse(arg[0].Text())
+		if err != nil {
+			ctx.ResultError(err)
+			return
+		}
+		c := cases.Lower(t)
+		ctx.SetAuxData(1, c)
+		cs = c
+	}
+	ctx.ResultBlob(cs.Bytes(arg[0].RawBlob()))
+}
+
+func regex(ctx sqlite3.Context, arg ...sqlite3.Value) {
+	re, ok := ctx.GetAuxData(0).(*regexp.Regexp)
+	if !ok {
+		r, err := regexp.Compile(arg[0].Text())
+		if err != nil {
+			ctx.ResultError(err)
+			return
+		}
+		re = r
+		ctx.SetAuxData(0, re)
+	}
+	ctx.ResultBool(re.Match(arg[1].RawBlob()))
+}
+
+func like(ctx sqlite3.Context, arg ...sqlite3.Value) {
+	escape := rune(-1)
+	if len(arg) == 3 {
+		var size int
+		b := arg[2].RawBlob()
+		escape, size = utf8.DecodeRune(b)
+		if size != len(b) {
+			ctx.ResultError(util.ErrorString("ESCAPE expression must be a single character"))
+			return
+		}
+	}
+
+	type likeData struct {
+		*regexp.Regexp
+		escape rune
+	}
+
+	re, ok := ctx.GetAuxData(0).(likeData)
+	if !ok || re.escape != escape {
+		r, err := regexp.Compile(like2regex(arg[0].Text(), escape))
+		if err != nil {
+			ctx.ResultError(err)
+			return
+		}
+		re = likeData{r, escape}
+		ctx.SetAuxData(0, re)
+	}
+	ctx.ResultBool(re.Match(arg[1].RawBlob()))
+}
+
+func like2regex(pattern string, escape rune) string {
+	var re strings.Builder
+	start := 0
+	literal := false
+	re.WriteString(`(?is)`) // case insensitive, . matches any character
+	for i, r := range pattern {
+		if start < 0 {
+			start = i
+		}
+		if literal {
+			literal = false
+			continue
+		}
+		var symbol string
+		switch r {
+		case '_':
+			symbol = `.`
+		case '%':
+			symbol = `.*`
+		case escape:
+			literal = true
+		default:
+			continue
+		}
+		re.WriteString(regexp.QuoteMeta(pattern[start:i]))
+		re.WriteString(symbol)
+		start = -1
+	}
+	if start >= 0 {
+		re.WriteString(regexp.QuoteMeta(pattern[start:]))
+	}
+	return re.String()
+}
diff --git a/ext/unicode/unicode_test.go b/ext/unicode/unicode_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1679c80
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ext/unicode/unicode_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+package unicode
+
+import "testing"
+
+func Test_like2regex(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		pattern string
+		escape  rune
+		want    string
+	}{
+		{`a`, -1, `(?is)a`},
+		{`a.`, -1, `(?is)a\.`},
+		{`a%`, -1, `(?is)a.*`},
+		{`a\`, -1, `(?is)a\\`},
+		{`a_b`, -1, `(?is)a.b`},
+		{`a|b`, '|', `(?is)ab`},
+		{`a|_`, '|', `(?is)a_`},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.pattern, func(t *testing.T) {
+			if got := like2regex(tt.pattern, tt.escape); got != tt.want {
+				t.Errorf("like2regex() = %v, want %v", got, tt.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
diff --git a/func_test.go b/func_test.go
index e9f6489..4778b46 100644
--- a/func_test.go
+++ b/func_test.go
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ func ExampleContext_SetAuxData() {
 			ctx.SetAuxData(0, r)
 			re = r
 		}
-		ctx.ResultBool(re.Match(arg[1].RawText()))
+		ctx.ResultBool(re.Match(arg[1].RawBlob()))
 	})
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Fatal(err)
diff --git a/func_win_test.go b/func_win_test.go
index 87c28e2..ef23bff 100644
--- a/func_win_test.go
+++ b/func_win_test.go
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ func (f *countASCII) isASCII(arg sqlite3.Value) bool {
 	if arg.Type() != sqlite3.TEXT {
 		return false
 	}
-	for _, c := range arg.RawText() {
+	for _, c := range arg.RawBlob() {
 		if c > unicode.MaxASCII {
 			return false
 		}