A good CLI setup compounds. Five extra seconds saved per command becomes hours per week, and the difference between a fast and slow terminal is often a dozen well-chosen tools, not a fancy shell.
This list is the 12 worth installing today, ranked by how much time they will actually save you.
What changed in 2026
The CLI tooling landscape kept improving in three quiet ways.
- Rust-built tools dominate. Most replacements for legacy Unix tools are now Rust binaries with single-command installs.
- Homebrew and mise handle most installs. No more compiling from source for common tools.
- AI shells came and mostly went. Native tools plus an AI assistant in a separate window beats embedded experiments.
How we picked
Five short bullets.
- Replaces something you already use.
- Single binary install.
- Fast enough that you stop noticing it.
- Cross-platform (macOS, Linux, ideally Windows).
- Active maintenance in the last six months.
1. ripgrep — best for searching code
The grep replacement that respects gitignore by default and is faster than ag and ack on every benchmark that matters. Install with brew install ripgrep and alias rg if you want shorter. After a week you will not go back.
The trade-off is gitignore-by-default occasionally hides files you want. Use rg --no-ignore when needed.
2. fd — best for finding files
find syntax is one of the worst things in Unix. fd is a sane replacement: fd config finds anything matching "config", recursively, with reasonable defaults. Color output, gitignore-aware, fast.
3. fzf — best for fuzzy finding everything
The single most productive CLI tool you can install. Wraps any list of things — files, branches, history, processes — and lets you fuzzy-search with one keystroke. Combine with ripgrep for instant code navigation. Set up Ctrl+R for shell history search and your life changes.
4. bat — best replacement for cat
cat with syntax highlighting and line numbers. Pages automatically when output is long. Reads gitignore for sane defaults.
5. lazygit — best git TUI
Terminal git client that turns staging, committing, and rebasing into one-key actions. Better than the git CLI for any operation more complex than commit and push.
6. jq — best for JSON wrangling
Old but still essential. Filter, transform, and reshape JSON from the command line. Worth learning the basics: jq '.users[] | .email' is a starter pattern that covers half of API debugging.
7. delta — best diff viewer
Drop-in git diff replacement with syntax highlighting and side-by-side view. Set in gitconfig once, never go back.
8. mise — best version manager
Replaces nvm, pyenv, rbenv, and a half dozen others with one tool. Manages Node, Python, Go, Ruby, and more from a single .mise.toml per project.
Comparison: top picks in April 2026
| Tool |
Replaces |
Install |
Standout feature |
| ripgrep |
grep |
brew install ripgrep |
Respects gitignore by default |
| fd |
find |
brew install fd |
Sane syntax |
| fzf |
nothing |
brew install fzf |
Fuzzy any input source |
| bat |
cat |
brew install bat |
Syntax highlighting |
| lazygit |
git CLI |
brew install lazygit |
One-key git operations |
| jq |
nothing |
brew install jq |
JSON filtering |
Common mistakes to avoid
Installing all 12 the same day. You will not learn any of them. Add one a week, build the muscle.
Aliasing cat to bat. Breaks scripts. Leave originals alone, use new names.
Ignoring fzf integrations. The shell history search and file picker are the real value. Install both.
FAQ
Are these mac-only?
No. All twelve work on Linux. Most work on Windows via WSL or native binaries.
Do I need a fancy shell?
No. Bash or zsh with these tools is enough. Fish and Nushell are nice but not required.
Should I install via Homebrew or cargo?
Homebrew if you do not already have Rust installed. Otherwise cargo install works for most of these.
Where to go next
For related guides see Best terminal emulators in 2026, Best git GUI clients in 2026, and How to build a portfolio website in 2026.