Best Regular Expression Testers in 2026
Updated
In short: RegexPilot is ranked #1 of 23 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of regex101 and RegexCraft. The best-ranked option with a free plan is regex101. The lowest first paid tier on this page is regex101 at €4.99/mo.
A regex tester can help you check a pattern against text and inspect what happens when it matches—or fails to. The ranking starts with regex101, RegexPilot, and RegexCraft, followed by Debuggex and RegexStudio. Compare supported regex flavors and whether a tool offers pattern explanation or a step-through debugger. Saved patterns and code generation may matter when you want to reuse results. Available platforms, free-plan details, and paid-from pricing add practical context. Consider which combination of testing, debugging, and reuse features suits your work, especially if you need to account for different regex flavors or keep patterns accessible.
23 regular expression testers ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
#1 RegexPilot Top pick · 7.7 Free plan · Free
#2 regex101 Runner-up · 7.6 Free plan · €4.99/mo
#3 RegexCraft Also great · 7.2 Free plan · Free
- 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 planFree trialPlatforms - 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 planFree trialPlatforms€4.99/mofirst paid tier About regex101Visit site - 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 planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Regex flavors
- JavaScript, Python, PCRE
- Pattern explanation
- Yes
- Step-through debugger
- Yes
- Code generation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$5/mofirst paid tier About DebuggexVisit site - Free plan LinuxWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Regex flavors
- Perl-compatible
- Pattern explanation
- Yes
- Step-through debugger
- Yes
- Code generation
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Regex flavors
- JavaScript RegExp
- Pattern explanation
- Yes
- Step-through debugger
- Yes
- Code generation
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - 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 planFree trialPlatforms - 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 planFree trialPlatforms - WebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Regex flavors
- .NET
- Code generation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - WindowsmacOSLinux
- Regex flavors
- Java
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - 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 planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Regex flavors
- JavaScript/ECMAScript
- Pattern explanation
- No
- Step-through debugger
- No
- Code generation
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Regex flavors
- JavaScript, PCRE (PHP), Python, Go
- Pattern explanation
- Yes
- Step-through debugger
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Regex flavors
- JavaScript (native RegExp engine)
- Pattern explanation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Regex flavors
- JavaScript, PHP/PCRE
- Pattern explanation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Regex flavors
- JavaScript
- Pattern explanation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Regex flavors
- .NET, Node.js, Python, Java
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms -
- Free plan
- Yes
- Regex flavors
- JavaScript, Python, Go, Java, PCRE, .NET
- Pattern explanation
- Yes
- Code generation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Windows
- Regex flavors
- Boost, Scintilla, POSIX, STD Regex, Perl, SED
- Pattern explanation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - 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 planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Regex flavors
- JavaScript
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - LinuxRecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
Is your platform 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 The Geeks Club?
RegexPilot is ranked #1 of 23 with a score of 7.7. regex101 is second and RegexCraft 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 how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on. Paid placements never change a rank.