Best Regular Expression Testers in 2026

In short: RegexCraft is ranked #1 of 23 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of regex101 and RegexPilot. The best-ranked option with a free plan is regex101. The lowest first paid tier on this page is regex101 at €4.99/mo.

When you need to check a pattern against sample text, a regex tester can help you see what it matches and inspect how it behaves. Compare the supported regex flavors, pattern explanations, and step-through debugging, then consider whether code generation or saved patterns would be useful in your work. Available platforms, free plans, and paid starting prices add practical context. The ranking begins with regex101, RegexPilot, and RegexCraft, with Debuggex and RegexStudio also among the early entries. Look across the criteria to find a fit for the languages you work with and the way you want to test or reuse patterns.

23 regular expression testers ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.

23ranked
6free plans on this page
€4.99/molowest paid tier
4 Oct 2026last checked
#1 RegexCraft Top pick · 7.1 Free plan · Free #2 regex101 Runner-up · 6.9 Free plan · €4.99/mo #3 RegexPilot Also great · 6.9 Free plan · Free
  1. Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Regex flavors
    .NET, PCRE2, JavaScript, TypeScript, PHP, Python, Java, Ruby, Go, Rust, Perl, Kotlin, Swift
    Pattern explanation
    Yes
    Step-through debugger
    Yes
    Code generation
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
  2. 2 6.9
    Free planFree trial apiLinuxself-hostedWeb
    Free plan
    Yes
    Regex flavors
    PCRE2 (PHP), JavaScript, Python, Golang, Java, .NET, Rust, POSIX ERE, POSIX BRE, PCRE (Legacy)
    Pattern explanation
    Yes
    Step-through debugger
    Yes
    Code generation
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
    €4.99/mofirst paid tier About regex101Visit site
  3. Free planFree trial extensionmacOSWeb
    Free plan
    Yes
    Regex flavors
    JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Java, C#, PHP, Ruby, Go, Perl, Rust, Scala, Kotlin, Groovy, Clojure, Elixir, R, Dart, Swift, MySQL, PostgreSQL, POSIX shell
    Pattern explanation
    Yes
    Step-through debugger
    No
    Code generation
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
  4. Free plan LinuxWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Regex flavors
    Perl-compatible
    Pattern explanation
    Yes
    Step-through debugger
    Yes
    Code generation
    No
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
  5. 5 6.8
    Free plan Web
    Free plan
    Yes
    Regex flavors
    JavaScript, Python, PCRE
    Pattern explanation
    Yes
    Step-through debugger
    Yes
    Code generation
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
    $5/mofirst paid tier About DebuggexVisit site
  6. Free plan Web
    Free plan
    Yes
    Regex flavors
    JavaScript RegExp
    Pattern explanation
    Yes
    Step-through debugger
    Yes
    Code generation
    No
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
  7. LinuxWindows
    Free plan
    No
    Regex flavors
    94 flavors, including PCRE, PCRE2, .NET, JavaScript, Java, Perl, PHP, Python, Ruby, Boost, RE2, ICU, and POSIX BRE/ERE
    Pattern explanation
    Yes
    Step-through debugger
    Yes
    Code generation
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
  8. Web
    Free plan
    Yes
    Regex flavors
    JavaScript, PCRE, Python, Java, Go, .NET, Rust, Ruby
    Pattern explanation
    Yes
    Step-through debugger
    Yes
    Code generation
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
  9. 9 5.7
    WebWindows
    Free plan
    Yes
    Regex flavors
    .NET
    Code generation
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
  10. 10 5.7
    WindowsmacOSLinux
    Regex flavors
    Java
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
  11. 11 5.7
    Web
    Free plan
    Yes
    Regex flavors
    JavaScript RegExp, Python re, PHP PCRE2, Java Pattern/Matcher, .NET Regex, Perl
    Pattern explanation
    Yes
    Code generation
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
  12. 12 5.7
    Web
    Regex flavors
    JavaScript/ECMAScript
    Pattern explanation
    No
    Step-through debugger
    No
    Code generation
    No
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
  13. Web
    Free plan
    Yes
    Regex flavors
    JavaScript, PCRE (PHP), Python, Go
    Pattern explanation
    Yes
    Step-through debugger
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
  14. 14 5.6
    Web
    Free plan
    Yes
    Regex flavors
    JavaScript (native RegExp engine)
    Pattern explanation
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
  15. 15 5.6
    Web
    Free plan
    Yes
    Regex flavors
    JavaScript, PHP/PCRE
    Pattern explanation
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
  16. Web
    Free plan
    Yes
    Regex flavors
    JavaScript
    Pattern explanation
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
  17. 17 5.5
    Web
    Free plan
    Yes
    Regex flavors
    .NET, Node.js, Python, Java
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
  18. Free plan
    Yes
    Regex flavors
    JavaScript, Python, Go, Java, PCRE, .NET
    Pattern explanation
    Yes
    Code generation
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
  19. 19 5.5
    Windows
    Regex flavors
    Boost, Scintilla, POSIX, STD Regex, Perl, SED
    Pattern explanation
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
  20. 20 5.5
    Web
    Free plan
    Yes
    Regex flavors
    Your Browser, Bun, Deno, Erlang, Go, Haskell, Java, MySQL, .NET, Node.js, Perl, PHP, PostgreSQL, Python, Ruby, Rust, Swift, Tcl, XRegExp
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
  21. Web
    Free plan
    Yes
    Regex flavors
    JavaScript
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
  22. Web
    Free plan
    Yes
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
  23. 23 5.2
    Linux
    RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms

Is your app on this list?

Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.

Questions about this list

Which regular expression tester is ranked first on Everything Xiaomi?

RegexCraft is ranked #1 of 23 with a score of 7.1. regex101 is second and RegexPilot third.

How many of these have a free plan?

6 of the 23 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.

Which is the cheapest paid option?

On this page, regex101 has the lowest first paid tier we found: €4.99/mo.

How is this list ranked?

Ranked on what each maker publishes: documentation depth, a free tier and the platforms it runs on. Paid placements never change a rank.

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