# RE2 vs regex (Python module)

| Attribute | RE2 | regex (Python module) |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 48.8 (26% (low)) | 68.7 (26% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 0 | 1 |
| adoption.github_stars | 9,785 | 596 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | - | 96,034,844 |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | - |
| description.long | RE2 is a C++ library providing a thread-safe alternative to traditional backtracking regex engines like PCRE and Perl, prioritizing predictable performance and security over feature completeness. | A Python module providing advanced regex capabilities including Unicode 17.0.0 support, nested character sets, full case-folding, and recursive patterns. It serves as an enhanced alternative to Python's built-in re module. |
| integrations.count | 1 | - |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"GitHub"}]` | - |
| language.primary | C++ | C |
| license.spdx | BSD-3-Clause | - |
| market.availability | `{"hqCountry":"US","primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | - |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` | - |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","summary":"Open source, free","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://github.com/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-19T21:07:02.645Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","summary":"Open source, freely available via pip","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://pypi.org/project/regex/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-19T21:08:13.244Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 30 | - |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/google/re2/releases/tag/2025-11-05","date":"2025-11-05T14:47:56Z","type":"stable","version":"2025-11-05"},{"url":"https://github.com/google/re2/releases/tag/2025-08-12","date":"2025-08-12T21:55:43Z","type":"stable","version":"2025-08-12"},{"url":"https://github.com/google/re2/releases/tag/2025-08-05","date":"2025-08-05T19:17:59Z","type":"stable","version":"2025-08-05"},{"url":"https://github.com/google/re2/releases/tag/2025-07-22","date":"2025-07-22T15:33:14Z","type":"stable","version":"2025-07-22"},{"url":"https://github.com/google/re2/releases/tag/2025-07-17","date":"2025-07-17T21:38:46Z","type":"stable","version":"2025-07-17"},{"url":"https://github.com/google/re2/releases/tag/2024-07-02","date":"2024-07-01T14:01:30Z","type":"stable","version":"2024-07-02"},{"url":"https://github.com/google/re2/releases/tag/2024-07-01","date":"2024-06-30T14:08:55Z","type":"stable","version":"2024-07-01"},{"url":"https://github.com/google/re2/releases/tag/2024-06-01","date":"2024-05-31T14:06:16Z","type":"stable","version":"2024-06-01"},{"url":"https://github.com/google/re2/releases/tag/2024-05-01","date":"2024-04-30T14:20:08Z","type":"stable","version":"2024-05-01"},{"url":"https://github.com/google/re2/releases/tag/2024-04-01","date":"2024-03-31T13:09:37Z","type":"stable","version":"2024-04-01"},{"url":"https://github.com/google/re2/releases/tag/2024-03-01","date":"2024-02-29T13:08:49Z","type":"stable","version":"2024-03-01"},{"url":"https://github.com/google/re2/releases/tag/2024-02-01","date":"2024-01-31T13:10:12Z","type":"stable","version":"2024-02-01"},{"url":"https://github.com/google/re2/releases/tag/2023-11-01","date":"2023-10-31T15:21:01Z","type":"stable","version":"2023-11-01"},{"url":"https://github.com/google/re2/releases/tag/2023-09-01","date":"2023-08-31T14:44:43Z","type":"stable","version":"2023-09-01"},{"url":"https://github.com/google/re2/releases/tag/2023-08-01","date":"2023-07-31T14:42:03Z","type":"stable","version":"2023-08-01"},{"url":"https://github.com/google/re2/releases/tag/2023-07-01","date":"2023-06-30T17:59:47Z","type":"stable","version":"2023-07-01"},{"url":"https://github.com/google/re2/releases/tag/2023-06-02","date":"2023-06-01T14:08:47Z","type":"stable","version":"2023-06-02"},{"url":"https://github.com/google/re2/releases/tag/2023-06-01","date":"2023-05-31T15:26:12Z","type":"stable","version":"2023-06-01"},{"url":"https://github.com/google/re2/releases/tag/2023-03-01","date":"2023-03-01T07:36:46Z","type":"stable","version":"2023-03-01"},{"url":"https://github.com/google/re2/releases/tag/2023-02-01","date":"2023-02-01T07:45:12Z","type":"stable","version":"2023-02-01"}]` | - |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | 6.3 | 4.9 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=google-re2&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | - |

## Capabilities (Regex Tools)

| Capability | RE2 | regex (Python module) |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Redos resistant | - | - |
| Lookaround support | - | - |
| Backreferences | - | - |
| Unicode property escapes | - | - |
| Named captures | - | - |
| Multi pattern matching | - | - |
| Interface type | - | - |
| Visualization | - | - |
| Code generation | - | - |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T14:54:37.764Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*