Compare software

yash vs Elvish: catalog facts
yash	Elvish
Best for: Users who want a POSIX-compliant shell for portable scripting and daily use	Best for: People who want a shell with a real programming language for scripts
Free Free and open source.	Free Free and open source.
macOS, Linux, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
Close adherence to the POSIX shell standard Interactive line editing All 3 strengths for yash Close adherence to the POSIX shell standard Interactive line editing Useful for testing portable shell scripts	Readable scripts with lists, maps and functions Catches errors like undefined variables before running All 4 strengths for Elvish Readable scripts with lists, maps and functions Catches errors like undefined variables before running Failed commands abort execution by default Single static binary for Linux, BSDs, macOS and Windows
Smaller ecosystem of plugins and configurations than bash or zsh Not a terminal emulator; it runs inside one	Not POSIX compatible, so Bash scripts do not run unchanged Smaller ecosystem than Bash, Zsh or Fish
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License: BSD-2-Clause
No account needed	No account needed
Offline features available	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for yash github.com/magicant/yash Catalog checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Elvish elv.sh Catalog checked September 24, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.