regex101 Alternative
A simple regex101 alternative: Stax Regex Tester checks JavaScript regex in your browser with live match highlighting. For other engines, regex101 does more.
Last updated:
| Feature | regex101 | StaxFree |
|---|---|---|
| Live match highlighting | ✅ | ✅ |
| Capture group display | ✅ | ✅ |
| JavaScript engine | ✅ | ✅ |
| Other engines (PCRE2, Python, Go, Java, .NET, Rust, POSIX) | ✅ | ❌ |
| Token-by-token explanation | ✅ | ❌ |
| Debugger | ✅ | ❌ |
| Code generation | ✅ | ❌ |
| Quick reference | In the editor | Separate cheat sheet page |
| Save / share via URL | ✅ | ❌ |
| Ordinary matching runs in your browser | ✅ | ✅ |
| Saving or sharing sends your pattern and text to a server | Yes (when you save or share) | No (nothing is saved) |
| Free plan | Free and Pro plans | Free |
regex101 vs Stax Regex Tester
regex101 is the most capable regex tool most developers will meet: a token-by-token explanation panel, a debugger, a quick reference, code generation, pattern save and share via URL, and many engines (its documentation lists PCRE2, JavaScript, Python, Go, Java, .NET, Rust, two POSIX flavors and legacy PCRE). Its Free and Pro comparison page lists what each plan includes; for example the free plan has a 50-step PCRE2 debugger preview, while Pro adds longer traces, more than two test strings and all converter targets. Stax Regex Tester does much less on purpose: it tests JavaScript regular expressions with live match highlighting and a list of matches, with no account and nothing to save. This page is an independent comparison, last checked against regex101's documentation on 15 October 2026, and Stax is not affiliated with regex101.
How to choose between regex tools
Use regex101 when you are learning and want the explanation panel to show what each token means, when you need an engine other than JavaScript or PCRE2-specific features such as atomic groups, possessive quantifiers or recursion (see MDN's JavaScript regular expressions guide for exactly what the JS engine supports), when you want to step through a match in the debugger, or when you want to share a pattern and test string with a teammate by link. Use Stax Regex Tester for a quick JavaScript sanity check where you do not want an account, saved workspaces or anything to configure, with the regex cheat sheet one click away.
Privacy and data handling
Both tools run ordinary matching in your browser. regex101's privacy documentation says matching, replacement, debugging and benchmarks run locally and that test strings are not uploaded for those operations; only saving, publishing and API or MCP requests send data to its service, and anyone who receives a shared link can read its fields. Stax Regex Tester runs entirely in your browser and has no save or share feature, so there is nothing to send. Whichever tool you use, avoid saving or sharing real personal data. Read regex101's privacy and processing documentation, its supported engines and its Free and Pro feature comparison for the authoritative details.
Frequently asked questions
- How does Stax Regex Tester compare to regex101?
- regex101 is the more capable tool: it supports many engines (PCRE2, Python, Go, Java, .NET, Rust and more), explains every token, has a debugger and a quick reference, generates code and makes shareable links. Stax Regex Tester is deliberately simple: live match highlighting for JavaScript regular expressions, with no account and no saved state. Use regex101 for learning, other engines and sharing; use Stax when a quick JavaScript check is all you need.
- Which regex flavors does Stax support?
- Only JavaScript, using your browser's own RegExp engine, with the g, i, m and s flags. For features that are not in JavaScript, such as atomic groups or recursion, or to match another language's engine exactly, test in that engine, for example in regex101's flavor for that language.
- Is my test text sent to a server?
- Not for ordinary testing, in either tool. Stax runs the match in your browser. regex101 documents the same for its editor: matching, replacement and debugging run locally and test strings are not uploaded for those operations. On regex101, saving or sharing a workspace and API or MCP requests do send the pattern and test strings to its service, and anyone with a shared link can read them, so do not save real personal data. See regex101's privacy documentation for details.
- Does Stax save my regex patterns?
- No. Stax does not keep your pattern or test text, and reloading the page clears both. Copy any pattern you want to keep.
- Cheat sheet for regex syntax?
- Yes — see our full Regex Cheat Sheet for anchors, character classes, quantifiers, lookarounds, and ready-to-use patterns (email, URL, IP, UUID, GSTIN, PAN).
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