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ripgrep vs ack: catalog facts
ripgrep	ack
Free Free and open source, dual licensed under the Unlicense or the MIT licence.	Free Free and open source.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
Several times faster than grep and git grep on a large tree Respects gitignore, so results are relevant by default	Built for searching source code rather than general text Full Perl regular expressions
Command line only The gitignore defaults surprise people until they learn the -u flags	Needs a Perl interpreter Newer tools such as ripgrep are typically faster on very large trees
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: Unlicense OR MIT	License: Artistic-2.0
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.