RegEx+ vs ShaderMania
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
RegEx+
This tool helps developers master regular expressions on macOS and iOS. It offers a comprehensive cheatsheet and cloud synchronization across devices to decode and construct complex text patterns.
- Master regular expressions
- Comprehensive cheatsheet
- Cloud synchronization
- Cross-device support (macOS, iOS)
- Decode complex patterns
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Visualize, test, and master regular expressions with RegEx+. RegEx+ is a focused regex toolkit for developers on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Build and test patterns live, then instantly see how they work with interactive flow diagrams — a visual breakdown of every part of your regex. KEY FEATURES • Flow Diagrams — See your regex as a diagram. Instantly understand how each token, group, and quantifier connects. • Live Matching — Results update as you type. Match, capture, and replace in real time. • Cheat Sheet — A comprehensive reference for metacharacters, anchors, groups, and operators. Always one tap away. • Pattern Library — Save and organize your patterns, or start faster with 33 built-in templates. Sync across all your devices via CloudKit. • Multi-language Support — Available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Polish, Chinese, Danish, Finnish, and Norwegian. Whether you're debugging a complex pattern or learning regex from scratch, RegEx+ gives you the tools to understand what your expression actually does. Download RegEx+ and start writing better regex today.
ShaderMania
Create, edit, and share Metal shaders with a live coding environment and real-time preview. Explore a database of public and tutorial shaders, connect nodes to build complex effects, and export your creations. A physical keyboard is recommended for optimal use.
- Live coding of Metal fragment shaders
- Real-time preview and playback
- Node-based shader creation
- Public shader database
- Tutorial shaders with video links
- Export shader output to PNG
- Syntax checking and error display
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Create, edit, render, share, and learn Metal shaders with ShaderMania for iPad. ShaderMania is a visual Metal shader editor for iPadOS. Write fragment shaders with realtime preview and playback, organize shaders and images as nodes, connect shader inputs, expose parameters as sliders, and export rendered images. ShaderMania also includes a public shader library with examples and tutorial shaders, including links to explanation videos where available. ShaderMania is free to use. Optional tips are available if you want to support development. A physical keyboard is recommended for coding shaders on iPad. Features • Live Metal fragment shader editing with realtime preview and playback. • Visual node graph for shader and image nodes. • Connect shader nodes to build reusable shader chains. • Named shader input slots declared directly in shader source code. • Parameter annotations for sliders and live UI controls. • Realtime syntax checking, compiler errors, and warnings. • Render to custom resolutions and export PNG images. • Undo and redo for common node graph edits. Shader Library • Browse public shader examples and tutorial shaders. • Add shaders from the library to your own projects. • Upload useful, inspectable shader work to the public library.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: ShaderMania at 100% against RegEx+'s 50%. ShaderMania also leads on price (Free vs $1.99) and iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.0). RegEx+'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 16 months). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
ShaderMania is free to download; RegEx+ costs $1.99 up front. ShaderMania sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. RegEx+ asks for nothing beyond the download.
RegEx+ ships an update every 4 weeks, ShaderMania every 16 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | RegEx+ | ShaderMania |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.2 (5 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks — better | Every 16 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #106 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 17.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 24 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 圣罡 汤 | Markus Moenig |
Customer experience
RegEx+
ShaderMania
In-app purchases
RegEx+
No in-app purchases
ShaderMania
- Small Tip$1.99
- Medium Tip$4.99
- Large Tip$9.99









