Compare software

fff vs ripgrep: catalog facts
fff	ripgrep
Best for: Developers and AI agents searching very large codebases	Best for: Finding a string anywhere in a codebase, instantly
Free Free to use under the MIT licence.	Free Free and open source, dual licensed under the Unlicense or the MIT licence.
Windows	Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
Searches file names and contents without building an index Shown working on repositories of tens of millions of lines All 3 strengths for fff Searches file names and contents without building an index Shown working on repositories of tens of millions of lines Integrations aimed at AI agents, Neovim, Rust, C and Node.js	Several times faster than grep and git grep on a large tree Respects gitignore, so results are relevant by default All 4 strengths for ripgrep Several times faster than grep and git grep on a large tree Respects gitignore, so results are relevant by default Full Unicode support without losing the speed Single binary with official builds for Windows, macOS and Linux
Little documentation on its homepage Aimed at developers rather than general desktop file search	Command line only The gitignore defaults surprise people until they learn the -u flags All 4 limitations for ripgrep Command line only The gitignore defaults surprise people until they learn the -u flags Regular expression syntax differs slightly from grep's Not installed by default, unlike grep
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: MIT	License: Unlicense OR MIT
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for fff fff.dmtrkovalenko.dev Catalog checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for ripgrep github.com/BurntSushi/ripgrep Catalog checked September 21, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.