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zsh-history-substring-search vs hishtory: catalog facts
zsh-history-substring-search	hishtory
Best for: Zsh users who want fish-style history search	Best for: Developers who want to search their command history across several machines
Free Free to download and use.	Free Free and open source.
Command line	macOS, Linux, Command line
Matches any part of a previous command Fish-style search without switching shells All 3 strengths for zsh-history-substring-search Matches any part of a previous command Fish-style search without switching shells Small plugin that adds to an existing Zsh setup	Records directory, exit status and duration for each command End-to-end encrypted sync across machines All 3 strengths for hishtory Records directory, exit status and duration for each command End-to-end encrypted sync across machines Queryable history instead of a flat text file
Works only with Zsh Needs setup in your shell configuration	Sync relies on a backend service unless you run your own Another hook in your shell startup to install and maintain
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Not open source	Open source
License not stated	License: MIT
No account needed	No account needed
Offline features available	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for zsh-history-substring-search github.com/zsh-users/zsh-history-substring-search Catalog checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for hishtory github.com/ddworken/hishtory Catalog checked October 1, 2026

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