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GNU Grepripgrep
Free

Free software from the GNU Project with no paid tier.

 Free

Free and open source, dual licensed under the Unlicense or the MIT licence.

Linux, Command line Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
  • Installed by default on most Linux systems
  • Thorough documentation via man, info and online manual
  • Several times faster than grep and git grep on a large tree
  • Respects gitignore, so results are relevant by default
  • Slower on large codebases than tools like ripgrep or ugrep
  • Does not skip ignored files or directories by default
  • Command line only
  • The gitignore defaults surprise people until they learn the -u flags
Downloadable app Downloadable app
Open source Open source
License: GPL-3.0-or-later License: Unlicense OR MIT
No account needed No account needed
Works offline Works offline

Checked October 1, 2026

Checked September 21, 2026

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