Dadroit JSON Viewer vs jless

Dadroit JSON Viewer displays JSON in a tree so users can browse and query structured data, including large files. The desktop viewer supports text and RegEx search with highlighted results and navigation, and it can read JSON-Lines and ndjson logs. Users can load JSON responses from a URL, authenticate when needed, combine multiple files into one searchable dataset, and export a selected node or the full dataset to CSV or XML. The viewer can monitor files and refresh the view automatically when they change. Desktop downloads are listed for Windows 64-bit, macOS, and Linux 64-bit; V Web runs in a browser. Dadroit says V Web processes JSON locally without sending or storing files, responses, or tokens on its servers. The Non-Commercial plan is free for personal, educational, and open-source use, with files up to 50 MB. Standard costs $98 a year, supports commercial use, and allows files up to 2 GB. Advanced costs $198 a year, supports files up to 1 TB, and includes file union. A free trial is not offered.

jless is a free command-line viewer for reading and exploring JSON and YAML on macOS and Linux. It formats JSON with indentation and syntax highlighting, and lets users open or close objects and arrays using vim-inspired commands. Search supports both full-text and regular-expression queries. jless reads files or standard input, including newline-delimited JSON; it can detect YAML from a file extension or read it with the --yaml flag. YAML comments and anchors are not shown. Users can copy values, keys, and paths to the system clipboard, or print them in the terminal, including a jq-style path for the focused node. It does not provide jq querying. Data mode gives a streamlined view, while line mode shows formatted JSON. Installation choices include Homebrew, MacPorts, Linux package managers, Cargo, downloadable binaries, and building from source with Rust. The project is MIT-licensed and available as a standalone binary. Its maker suggests it for exploring external APIs or debugging request payloads.