Regex Hero vs Regex Shuttle
Regex Hero
regexhero.netRegex Shuttle
regex.shuttlelab.orgSide by side
| Figure | Regex Hero | Regex Shuttle |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Regular Expression Testers | 8.9 (#3) | 7.4 (#12) |
| Real-time testing | The tester lets users write and test regular expressions in real time. | It highlights matches as you type and shows match details, groups, and indices. |
| Support | Support is offered through a forum for ideas and bug reports, email to Steve Wortham, and the creator's Stack Overflow activity. | The site lists [email protected] for questions, feedback, and support. |
Plans
Regex Hero
- Regex Hero ProfessionalFree
- Regex Hero paid version (historical)$15, paid once
In their own words
Regex Hero
Regex Hero is a.NET regular expression tester for writing patterns and checking their behavior in.NET applications. The web tester runs in real time and highlights matches as users type. Its editor includes regex syntax highlighting and code completion, and the site provides a.NET regular expression reference. Users can generate C# and VB.NET code from patterns. A community library lists 179 regular expressions in categories such as email, validation, CSV, and password. Regex Hero is available on the web and Windows, and its tester page links to a Microsoft Store download. The home page says a Mac version is not yet available. The product is free: the Regex Hero Professional plan costs nothing, with no exact current plan limits stated. The news page announced that Professional became free in July 2017. BucketSoft, LLC is the maker; its about page says Steve Wortham founded the company in March 2009. Wortham provides support by email and through a forum for ideas and bug reports. The privacy policy says collected information may include names, email addresses, and browser information for analytics. It also says submitted ratings, reviews, and feedback may be displayed, reused, and distributed.
Regex Shuttle
Regex Shuttle is a free browser-based tool for testing, explaining, and learning regular expressions. As users type, it highlights matches and displays match details, groups, and indices. Its explainer separates expressions into tokens and gives plain-English descriptions, while a library provides ready-to-use patterns to copy or open in the tester. A cheat sheet covers regex characters, quantifiers, anchors, groups, and flags. The tool can preview find-and-replace results in real time, including capture-group references such as $1 and $2. It uses JavaScript's built-in RegExp engine, so its behavior follows JavaScript regex behavior in browsers and Node.js. The maker says it supports capturing groups, lookahead and lookbehind assertions, named groups, and Unicode patterns. Regex processing occurs locally in the browser; patterns and test strings are not uploaded, collected, or shared with third parties. The maker says it continues working offline after its first load. No signup or email is required, and the interface is available in English and Chinese. The Free plan is free, with no limits or ads.