Comparison

RegExp vs Regex Tester Pattern Editor

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ€” with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

RegExp

This tool allows developers to test and explore regular expression patterns across various programming language syntaxes. It offers advanced configuration options and synchronization across devices, making it ideal for learning and building complex patterns.

Highlights
  • Multiple regex engine support
  • Advanced Swift regex engine
  • Save and organize regex patterns
  • iCloud sync across devices
  • Supports Swift, Objective-C, ECMAScript, and Go regex flavors
Features
Read full description

RegExp is a regular expression tester for developers, on Mac, iPhone and iPad. Write a pattern, paste your text, and see every match and capture group as you type, with the same engine your code uses. Six flavors, real engines: โ€ข Swift Regex โ€ข NSRegularExpression (Objective-C and Swift) โ€ข JavaScript (ECMAScript) โ€ข PCRE2, the engine of PHP โ€ข Go and Go (POSIX) Write and understand patterns: โ€ข Matches and capture groups highlighted in the test string, with their names โ€ข Errors marked right in the pattern, unbalanced brackets too โ€ข Substitution with each engine's replacement syntax, and a list mode that extracts one line per match โ€ข A quick reference of each flavor's syntax: select an item to insert it โ€ข Copy the pattern as ready-to-use Swift, Objective-C, JavaScript, Go or PHP code โ€ข Jump between matches; slow patterns time out instead of freezing the app Keep your patterns: โ€ข Sessions and folders, your own regex notebook, synced with iCloud across your devices โ€ข Search, duplicate, export and import sessions, or open one in its own window โ€ข Shortcuts actions, Spotlight search, and a Services menu item on the Mac for selected text Most of RegExp is free. RegExp Pro, a one-time purchase that works with Family Sharing, adds: โ€ข Explain: what every part of a pattern does, in plain language, and what the selected flavor doesn't support โ€ข Test cases: strings a pattern must or must not match, checked on every run โ€ข Apple Intelligence: write a pattern from a description, or get a summary of one (on supported devices) โ€ข The advanced options of every flavor RegExp speaks English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Ukrainian, Russian, Japanese and Chinese. Made by an independent developer. Questions or ideas? Write to support@loshadki.app.

About

Regex Tester Pattern Editor

Features
Read full description

Test a regular expression on your iPhone and see every match light up the moment you type it. Paste your text, write your pattern, and watch matches highlight character by character โ€” no desktop, no compile step, no guessing. Most regex help on a phone is a static article you read. Regex Tester is a working engine: it runs your pattern with Foundation's NSRegularExpression (the same ICU syntax iOS itself uses), so what you see here is exactly what your app, script, or config will do. Invalid pattern? You get a plain-English reason instead of a cryptic engine dump. WHAT YOU GET - See every match highlighted inside your own test text, updating live as you type - Know exactly what each capture group grabbed โ€” numbered and named, with character ranges - Preview a find-and-replace before you commit it, using $1 / $2 templates on your real text - Flip case-insensitive, multiline, dot-all and ignore-whitespace modes with one tap and watch results change - Start from 19 ready-made patterns for email, URL, IPv4, phone, hex color, ISO date, UUID, JWT and more โ€” searchable and filtered by Validation, Extraction, Web and Format - Look up any token without leaving the app: character classes, anchors, quantifiers, groups, lookaround and replacement templates in a built-in cheatsheet - Bookmark the patterns you keep reusing with their test text and flags, and reload any of them in one tap PERFECT FOR - Developers who need to sanity-check a pattern away from their machine - Data and log wranglers pulling IDs, dates or fields out of messy text - Students and self-taught coders learning regex by seeing it behave, not by reading about it - Anyone writing validation rules for forms, imports or search filters WHY NOT JUST USE A WEBSITE? Online regex testers need a connection, and they want you to paste your text into someone else's server โ€” a hard no when that text is a customer export, a log dump, or anything under NDA. This runs entirely on-device, works on a plane or in a basement, and keeps a keyboard-friendly phone layout instead of a desktop page squeezed onto a small screen. PRIVACY Every pattern, test string and result is processed on your device and stored on your device. No account, no ads, no tracking, no upload โ€” there is no server to send anything to. FULL ACCESS Live matching, the pattern library and the basics of the syntax reference are free to use. Full Access unlocks capture-group inspection with ranges, the live replace-with-template preview, the complete cheatsheet (quantifiers, groups, lookaround, replacement templates and engine notes), and saved patterns. Choose the plan that fits: weekly, yearly, or a one-time lifetime unlock that never renews. Open the Test tab, paste the text that is giving you trouble, and write the pattern that fixes it. Terms of Use (EULA): https://web-levi.web.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://web-levi.web.app/privacy-policy Questions? tphuc.work@gmail.com

Screenshots

RegExp4 screens
Regex Tester Pattern Editor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Regex Tester Pattern Editor at every 3 weeks against RegExp's every 6 months. RegExp's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. RegExp sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Regex Tester Pattern Editor sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RegExp ships an update every 6 months, Regex Tester Pattern Editor every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 6 level
RegExp versus Regex Tester Pattern Editor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRegExpRegex Tester Pattern Editor
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews100.0% of reviewsโ€”
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 3 weeks โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesโ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.117.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size10 MB5 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperLoshadki, LLCPhuc Pham

In-app purchases

1 purchases

RegExp

One-time1
  • Pro Features$2.99
3 purchases

Regex Tester Pattern Editor

Subscriptions2
  • Syntax Cheatsheet Weekly$2.997 Days
  • Replace Preview Yearly$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Expression Validator Forever$29.99

Questions

Is RegExp free?
RegExp is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Regex Tester Pattern Editor free?
Regex Tester Pattern Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do RegExp or Regex Tester Pattern Editor have ads?
Neither RegExp nor Regex Tester Pattern Editor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RegExp or Regex Tester Pattern Editor?
RegExp ships an update every 6 months, and Regex Tester Pattern Editor every 3 weeks. Most recently, RegExp was updated on October 10, 2026 and Regex Tester Pattern Editor on October 8, 2026.

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