Fish Shell vs Starship: Pricing and Ratings Compared (2026)
Entry prices and free plans as read on each vendor's pricing page, and user ratings as published on review sites, for Fish Shell and Starship side by side. This page compares data; it is not a hands-on review.
On the data: On the data below the two are close or not directly comparable, so we do not name a winner for this pair.
Short on time? Here's the quick answer
Based on published vendor pricing and features and on public review data, here's who should pick what:
Fish Shell
A smart and user-friendly command line shell for Linux, macOS, and more.
Best for you if:
- • You want user-friendly and intuitive for beginners
Starship
The minimal, blazing-fast, and infinitely customizable prompt for any shell!
Best for you if:
- • You want fast and customizable prompt
| At a Glance | Fish Shell | Starship |
|---|---|---|
Starts at | Free 100% free | Free 100% free |
Category | Terminal Tools Developer Tools | Terminal Tools Developer Tools |
Rating | n/a | n/a |
Free plan | Yes | Yes |
Watch out for | No mandatory integrations or add-ons | No overage fees or seat minimums. |
Choose Fish Shell or Starship?
Choose Fish Shell if
- You want user-friendly and intuitive for beginners
- You want powerful features work out of the box
Choose Starship if
- You want fast and customizable prompt
- You want works with any shell
In-Depth Analysis
Fish Shell
A smart and user-friendly command line shell for Linux, macOS, and more.
Fish Shell offers an incredibly generous pricing model, as it is entirely free.
Watch out
No mandatory integrations or add-ons
Strengths
- Pro: User-friendly and intuitive for beginners
- Pro: Powerful features work out of the box
- Pro: Clean and consistent scripting syntax
- Pro: Modern terminal features like true color support
- Pro: Web-based configuration for ease of use
Weaknesses
- Con: Syntax is different from Bash/Zsh, requiring a learning curve for existing users
- Con: May require some effort to migrate existing shell scripts
Key features
Starship
The minimal, blazing-fast, and infinitely customizable prompt for any shell!
Starship's pricing is exceptionally fair and generous, as it is entirely free.
Watch out
No overage fees or seat minimums.
Strengths
- Pro: Fast and customizable prompt
- Pro: Works with any shell
- Pro: Git status, language versions shown
- Pro: Minimal configuration
- Pro: Beautiful defaults
Weaknesses
- Con: Requires nerd font for icons
- Con: Configuration learning curve
- Con: Some features slow on large repos
- Con: Can conflict with other prompts
- Con: TOML config not intuitive
Key features
Plans and prices: Fish Shell vs Starship
| Tool | Plans and prices | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fish Shell |
| fishshell.com read Oct 3, 2026 |
| Starship |
| starship.rs read Oct 2, 2026 |
Prices as read on each vendor's own pricing page on the date shown. Plans are listed per tool and are not matched against the other tool's plans: a plan name or price in one column says nothing about the same row in the other. Details on Fish Shell pricing and Starship pricing.
Key Takeaways
Fish Shell
- Choose if you want a smart and user-friendly command line shell for Linux, macOS, and more
Starship
- Choose if you want the minimal, blazing-fast, and infinitely customizable prompt for any shell!
What the data shows
On the data below the two are close or not directly comparable, so we do not name a winner for this pair.
- Both have a free plan.
Criteria: user rating (only above 20 reviews on both sides, gap of 0.2 or more), entry price (only on the same billing basis), free plan. How we rate
Frequently Asked Questions
How do Fish Shell and Starship compare in 2026?
On the data below the two are close or not directly comparable, so we do not name a winner for this pair. Both have a free plan.
What are Fish Shell and Starship used for?
Fish Shell: A smart and user-friendly command line shell for Linux, macOS, and more. Starship: The minimal, blazing-fast, and infinitely customizable prompt for any shell.
What does Fish Shell cost vs Starship?
Fish Shell is free. Starship is free. Prices read on the vendors' pricing pages, latest check Oct 3, 2026.
What's the main difference between Fish Shell and Starship?
Fish Shell's main strength: user-friendly and intuitive for beginners. Starship's main strength: fast and customizable prompt.