fish vs Oils: catalog facts
fish | Oils |
|
Best for: An interactive shell that is pleasant immediately, with nothing to configure |
Best for: Shell script authors who want a stricter bash or a more modern shell language |
|
Free Free and open source under the GPL. |
Free Free and open source. |
|
macOS, Linux, Command line |
macOS, Linux, Command line |
- Autosuggestions from history appear as you type with no plugins
- Syntax highlighting shows an invalid command before you run it
All 4 strengths for fish- Autosuggestions from history appear as you type with no plugins
- Syntax highlighting shows an invalid command before you run it
- Tab completions generated from man pages, so they cover real options
- Works well with no configuration file at all
|
- OSH runs existing bash scripts with stricter error checking
- YSH adds structured data and JSON support
All 4 strengths for Oils- OSH runs existing bash scripts with stricter error checking
- YSH adds structured data and JSON support
- Both shells in one small binary
- Detailed reference documentation
|
- Not POSIX-compatible, so bash snippets and scripts often need changing
- No official Windows build
All 4 limitations for fish- Not POSIX-compatible, so bash snippets and scripts often need changing
- No official Windows build
- A smaller plugin ecosystem than zsh
- Minimum supported macOS version is 10.12
|
- Still before a 1.0 release
- YSH is a new language to learn
|
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Downloadable app |
Downloadable app |
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Open source |
Open source |
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License: GPL-2.0 |
License not stated |
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No account needed |
No account needed |
|
Offline features available |
Offline features available |
Sources for fishCatalog checked September 21, 2026 |
Sources for OilsCatalog checked September 24, 2026 |
“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.
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