Compare software

xq vs yq: catalog facts
xq	yq
Free Free and open source under the MIT licence.	Free Free and open source under the MIT licence.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
Syntax highlighting and automatic indentation Extracts node content for scripting	jq-like syntax across YAML, JSON, XML, CSV and TOML Preserves comments and key order when editing YAML in place
Command line only Limited to XML and HTML	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 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026

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