Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

RegExr VS i Hate Regex

Compare RegExr VS i Hate Regex and see what are their differences

RegExr logo RegExr

RegExr.com is an online tool to learn, build, and test Regular Expressions.

i Hate Regex logo i Hate Regex

regex cheatsheet for the haters
  • RegExr Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-28
  • i Hate Regex Landing page
    Landing page //
    2020-02-03

RegExr features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    RegExr offers an intuitive and visually appealing interface that makes it easy for users to write, test, and understand regular expressions.
  • Real-time Feedback
    Changes to the regular expression and input text are reflected immediately, allowing users to see the effects of their adjustments in real-time.
  • Built-in Cheatsheet
    RegExr includes a handy cheatsheet that provides quick access to common regex patterns and syntax, making it easier for users to learn and reference rules.
  • Community Examples
    Users can explore and share community-generated regex patterns, which can serve as valuable examples or starting points for creating their own regex.
  • Detailed Explanation
    Each part of the regex pattern can be hovered over to display detailed tooltips explaining its function, aiding in the understanding of complex expressions.
  • Cross-Platform Accessibility
    As a web-based tool, RegExr can be accessed from any modern browser without the need for installation, making it convenient to use on multiple devices.

Possible disadvantages of RegExr

  • Limited Offline Use
    Since RegExr is a web-based application, it requires an internet connection, limiting its utility for users who need to work offline.
  • Learning Curve
    While the tool is user-friendly, users still need to have a foundational understanding of regular expressions to use RegExr effectively.
  • Performance Issues
    For extremely large inputs or very complex regular expressions, the tool may experience performance lags or slowdowns.
  • Limited Advanced Features
    RegExr may lack some advanced features found in more specialized or professional regex tools, such as integration with development environments or extensive scripting capabilities.
  • Privacy Concerns
    Users inputting sensitive data need to be cautious, as the web-based nature of the tool could raise privacy or data security concerns.

i Hate Regex features and specs

  • Comprehensive Library
    i Hate Regex provides a wide range of commonly used regex patterns, saving time and reducing the effort required to write complex regex from scratch.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The platform offers an intuitive and easy-to-use interface, making it accessible for developers of all skill levels.
  • Interactive Examples
    Each regex pattern comes with interactive examples that allow users to see how the regex works in real-time, which is useful for learning and testing.
  • Free of Cost
    The tool is available for free, providing a valuable resource without any financial burden.
  • Extensive Documentation
    Offers detailed documentation and descriptions for each regex, enhancing understanding and usability.

Possible disadvantages of i Hate Regex

  • Limited Customization
    While it offers many pre-built regex patterns, the platform may not always suit very specific or unique use cases that require custom regex.
  • No Code Integration
    The tool does not offer a direct way to integrate with code editors or development environments, requiring users to copy and paste regex manually.
  • Learning Dependency
    Users may become reliant on pre-built regex patterns and not fully learn regex construction, potentially limiting their deeper understanding.
  • Limited Language Support
    Primarily focuses on JavaScript regex, which may not fully cover the syntax and nuances of regex in other programming languages like Python or PHP.
  • Performance Limitations
    Large or complex regex patterns may not perform well when tested on the platform, which can be a drawback for developers working with extensive data sets.

Analysis of RegExr

Overall verdict

  • RegExr is widely regarded as an excellent tool for working with regular expressions due to its comprehensive feature set and ease of use.

Why this product is good

  • RegExr is considered a good tool for learning, creating, testing, and sharing regular expressions (regex). It offers a user-friendly interface, extensive documentation, real-time regex parsing, highlighting, and explanations, making it accessible for both beginners and experienced users. The platform provides a library of community-contributed patterns and a robust set of tools that helps users understand and construct regex patterns effectively.

Recommended for

  • Beginners learning regular expressions.
  • Developers needing to test and refine regex patterns.
  • Educators teaching regex concepts.
  • Anyone requiring an intuitive interface to work with regular expressions.

Analysis of i Hate Regex

Overall verdict

  • i Hate Regex is considered a good tool for both beginners and experienced users who need to work with regular expressions. Its intuitive approach to visualizing and testing regex patterns can streamline the development process and help users avoid common pitfalls.

Why this product is good

  • i Hate Regex (ihateregex.io) is a tool designed to simplify the process of writing and understanding regular expressions. It provides visual explanations and test cases for regex patterns, making it user-friendly even for those who are not experts in regex. The tool allows users to test and experiment with regex patterns in an interactive environment, enhancing learning and practical application.

Recommended for

    This tool is recommended for software developers, data analysts, and anyone who regularly works with text processing, parsing, or data validation tasks. It is particularly useful for beginners who are looking to improve their understanding of regex syntax and behavior.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to RegExr and i Hate Regex)
Programming Tools
90 90%
10% 10
Regular Expressions
84 84%
16% 16
Productivity
87 87%
13% 13
Development
78 78%
22% 22

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, RegExr seems to be a lot more popular than i Hate Regex. While we know about 368 links to RegExr, we've tracked only 7 mentions of i Hate Regex. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

RegExr mentions (368)

  • Learning Perl - Regular Expressions
    Use Online Tools: There are many online regex testers and visualizers that can help you see how your patterns match against sample text. These tools often provide explanations for each part of the regex. I personally use https://regexr.com/. - Source: dev.to / 10 days ago
  • The importance of the environment in Regex pattern matching
    However - here it becomes weird - when testing the original regex rule (the first one, without the \u00A0 part) on the same string in an interactive visualiser (https://regexr.com/ for instance), there is a match:. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • Ask HN: How did you learn Regex?
    Learned regex in the 90's from the Perl documentation, or possibly one of the oreilly perl references. That was a time where printed language references were more convenient than searching the internet. Perl still includes a shell component for accessing it's documentation, that was invaluable in those ancient times. Perl's regex documentation is rather fantastic. `perldoc perlre` from your terminal. Or... - Source: Hacker News / 10 months ago
  • Ask HN: How did you learn Regex?
    I read a lot on https://www.regular-expressions.info and experimented on https://rubular.com since I was also learning Ruby at the time. https://regexr.com is another good tool that breaks down your regex and matches. One of the things I remember being difficult at the beginning was the subtle differences between implementations, like `^` meaning "beginning of line" in Ruby (and others) but meaning "beginning of... - Source: Hacker News / 10 months ago
  • Ask HN: How did you learn Regex?
    Mostly building things that needed complex RegEx, and debugging my regular expressions with https://regexr.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 10 months ago
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i Hate Regex mentions (7)

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What are some alternatives?

When comparing RegExr and i Hate Regex, you can also consider the following products

regular expressions 101 - Extensive regex tester and debugger with highlighting for PHP, PCRE, Python and JavaScript.

Expresso - The award-winning Expresso editor is equally suitable as a teaching tool for the beginning user of regular expressions or as a full-featured development environment for the experienced programmer with an extensive knowledge of regular expressions.

rubular - A ruby based regular expression editor

RegEx Generator - RegEx Generator is a simple-to-use application that comes with the brilliance of intuitive regex and is also helping you out to test the regex.

Regex Crossword - Welcome to the fantastic world of nerdy regex fun!

RegexPlanet Ruby - RegexPlanet offers a free-to-use Regular Expression Test Page to help you check RegEx in Ruby free-of-cost.