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Zsh vs Xonsh: catalog facts
Zsh	Xonsh
Best for: Interactive shell with powerful completion, globbing and prompt theming	Best for: Python users who want to script and work at the command line in one language
Free The open-source application is available without a license fee.	Free Free to use, with optional sponsorship through GitHub Sponsors.
macOS, Linux, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, Command line
Completion system that knows the options of individual commands Recursive globbing and qualifiers that replace many find invocations	Python code and shell commands mix in one language Access to the full Python library ecosystem from the prompt All 4 strengths for Xonsh Python code and shell commands mix in one language Access to the full Python library ecosystem from the prompt Runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD and Android Extensible through xontrib plugins
Startup configuration grows complicated quickly, which is why frameworks exist Scripts written for Zsh are not portable to plain POSIX shells	Syntax differs from POSIX shells, so existing Bash scripts need changes Most useful to people who already know Python
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: MIT	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Zsh zsh.org Catalog checked September 22, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Xonsh xon.sh Catalog checked September 24, 2026

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