Compare software

XMLStarlet vs yq: catalog facts
XMLStarlet	yq
Free Free and open source under the MIT licence.	Free Free and open source under the MIT licence.
Windows, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
Handles many XML tasks from a single command-line tool Easy to use in shell scripts	jq-like syntax across YAML, JSON, XML, CSV and TOML Preserves comments and key order when editing YAML in place
Command line only, with no graphical interface Maintenance has changed hands, so development pace may vary	Shares a name with an unrelated Python wrapper, which causes confusion Expression syntax differs from jq in places that trip people up
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: MIT	License: MIT
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026

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