RegexPilot vs RegExr

RegexPilot is a Mac-native visual regular-expression builder with AI for composing, inspecting and testing patterns. Users assemble expressions from categorized drag-and-drop blocks, inspect them in a panel and follow a plain-English breakdown tree linked to the pattern. Sample text shows highlighted matches and capture groups, and replacements can be assembled from blocks. The product supports 21 regex flavors and routes patterns to the corresponding language engines. Users can provide API keys for listed AI providers or run AI offline with LM Studio, Ollama, llama.cpp or LocalAI. Its library includes 50 curated patterns and supports folders, tags and JSON import/export. A VS Code extension synchronizes changes between the app and regex literals in the editor. Users can export code for 21 languages, create SVG or PNG railroad diagrams and make browser-openable share links. The desktop app says it sends no usage statistics, telemetry or analytics to a server on its own; patterns and settings remain on-device unless a share link is created. It requires macOS 14 or newer. The free plan covers JavaScript and TypeScript engines; the one-time license costs 19.00 EUR.

RegExr is a free web tool for learning, building, and testing regular expressions. It supports JavaScript and PHP/PCRE expressions, with results that change as you type. Hovering over a match or expression reveals details, and the Explain tool describes an expression in plain English. Tests mode lets users assemble examples that an expression should match or reject. Replace and List produce custom outputs, while Details shows capture groups. Learning resources include a cheatsheet, reference, help pages, and examples. Users can search and rate Community Patterns, then save and share expressions. Signing in keeps favorites and patterns in My Patterns. A saved expression gets a public link, and a Community-shared copy cannot be edited or deleted. The listed RegExr plan costs nothing. The project README credits Grant Skinner and gskinner.com as creators and identifies this version as GPL v3 licensed. It directs issue and feature requests to GitHub and regular-expression questions to Stack Overflow.