gron vs JSON Editor
gron
github.comJSON Editor
github.comSide by side
| Figure | gron | JSON Editor |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · JSON Tools | 8.0 (#11) | 7.5 (#18) |
| License | The repository lists the MIT license. | The project is released under the MIT License, which permits use, modification, distribution, and sale subject to its terms. |
| Purpose | gron transforms JSON into discrete assignments so users can grep for values and see their paths. | JSON Editor generates an HTML form from a JSON Schema. |
Plans
In their own words
gron
gron is a free, open-source command-line utility that turns JSON into separate assignments with visible paths. This representation helps users grep values in large or deeply nested JSON, including responses from poorly documented APIs. Input can come from a file, URL, or standard input. The --ungron option converts assignments back into JSON, while --json emits a JSON stream. Other options provide value-only output, colored or monochrome display, line-by-line streaming, insecure certificate handling, and sorting control. The output is valid JavaScript, and the project demonstrates comparing JSON files by diffing their gron output. If array entries are missing, ungron inserts null values to preserve keys. gron has no runtime dependencies. Installation instructions cover binary downloads, Homebrew, and Go install. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows; plan information also lists FreeBSD binaries. The repository uses the MIT license.
JSON Editor
JSON Editor is a free JavaScript library that generates an HTML form from a JSON Schema. It supports JSON Schema versions 3 and 4, plus some hyper-schema features, and provides validation for the current form value or another supplied value. Themes include HTML, Bootstrap 3, Bootstrap 4, Bootstrap 5, Spectre, Tailwind, and barebones. Optional integrations cover JavaScript template engines, CSS frameworks, icon libraries, and editors such as Ace, SimpleMDE, and SCEditor. You can install the library with npm, load it from a CDN, or download it for local use. It has no dependencies and requires a modern browser; Chrome and Firefox are listed as tested browsers. External schema references are supported, although cross-origin requests need suitable headers or supplied references. The project is in maintenance mode, with active development moved to Jedison. Maintainers continue reviewing community pull requests and handling critical bugs and security issues. The MIT License permits use, modification, distribution, and sale under its terms.