Choosing a Shell - Fish, Zsh, and Bash Compared

A shell is the “translator” that sends text commands entered in the terminal to the operating system. It sits between the terminal window and the OS kernel, interprets commands, and returns the results.

There are several shells, and each has different strengths. This page explains the differences between Fish, Zsh, and Bash, which are widely used in 2026, and how to choose the right one for your situation.

The Relationship Between CLI and Shell

CLI (Command Line Interface): the terminal screen itself, where you operate the computer with text
Shell: the translator program that sends commands entered in the CLI to the OS

You can switch shells even within the same terminal app.

Comparing Fish, Zsh, and Bash

Shell	Pros	Cons
Bash	Highly compatible and stable. Built into almost every server and CI environment	Auto-completion and syntax highlighting must be configured manually
Zsh	POSIX-compatible and highly customizable with oh-my-zsh	Too many plugins can slow startup
Fish	Built-in autosuggestions and syntax highlighting. Comfortable right away	Not POSIX-compliant, so some Bash scripts may not be compatible

Notes:

Bash is widely used by default in Linux, WSL, and CI environments.
Zsh is the default shell on macOS Catalina and later.
Fish uses its own syntax, but it offers one of the best interactive experiences.

Default Shells in 2026

macOS

Zsh is the default shell for new users on macOS Catalina and later
Older Bash still works, but Zsh is recommended for interactive work

Windows 11

Windows Terminal is included as the standard terminal host
The initial prompt is PowerShell
On WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux), each Linux distribution defaults to Bash

Recommended Shell by Skill Level

Beginner

Start by getting used to your operating system’s default shell.

macOS -> Zsh, using the default setup
Windows -> PowerShell or Bash in WSL

Once you are comfortable with the default shell, it is worth trying Fish. Its completion and suggestion features can help you learn faster.

Intermediate

Customize Zsh to improve the experience.

Install the oh-my-zsh framework
Add zsh-autosuggestions for history-based suggestions
Add zsh-syntax-highlighting for syntax highlighting

Advanced

Use different shells depending on the task.

Interactive work -> Fish
Script development and CI -> Bash / Zsh

Recommended Shell by Development Style

Development Style	Recommended Shell	Reason
Solo development	Fish or Zsh	Choose based on preference. Fish prioritizes comfort, while Zsh prioritizes compatibility
Team development	Bash or Zsh	Easier to standardize across members, and common settings can be managed in the repository
Organization / CI	Bash (sh)	Matches the standard environment used by servers, Docker, and CI

Integration with VS Code

You can choose which shell VS Code uses in the integrated terminal.

Open VS Code settings (Cmd + , on macOS or Ctrl + , on Windows)
Type terminal integrated default in the search box
Or edit settings.json directly:

{
  "terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.osx": "zsh"
}

For Windows:

{
  "terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.windows": "PowerShell"
}

Notes and Best Practices

Shebang settings

The first line of a script, called the shebang, should match the shell you want to use.

#!/usr/bin/env bash   # For Bash scripts
#!/usr/bin/env zsh    # For Zsh scripts
#!/usr/bin/env fish   # For Fish scripts

Plugin management

If you add too many plugins to Zsh, the terminal can start slowly. Consider removing plugins you do not use often.

Managing config files with Git

It is a good idea to manage shell configuration files with Git in a dotfiles repository.

Zsh: ~/.zshrc
Bash: ~/.bashrc or ~/.bash_profile
Fish: ~/.config/fish/config.fish

Summary

macOS defaults to Zsh, and Windows defaults to PowerShell
Beginners should first get used to the default shell
Intermediate users can customize Zsh with oh-my-zsh
Advanced users should choose based on the task: interactive use or scripting
For scripts and CI, prefer Bash compatibility

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can Fish fail to run shell scripts I find on the internet?

A: Yes. Because Fish is not POSIX-compliant, Bash-oriented scripts (.sh files or scripts that start with #!/bin/bash) will not run directly in Fish. In that case, run them explicitly with Bash, for example bash script.sh, or switch to Bash for the command.

Q: Should I install oh-my-zsh?

A: It makes it easy to manage plugins and themes, but it is not required. First get used to plain Zsh, then install it only if you need it. Keeping the number of plugins small helps startup speed stay stable.

Q: Does changing shells erase my old settings?

A: No. Changing shells does not delete the configuration files on disk. However, each shell reads a different config file, so you need to add your settings to the new shell’s config file.