Best Best Homebrew CLI Tools 2026
Ranked by Nerq Trust Score. Last updated 2026-03-30.
Top 50 Best Homebrew CLI Tools by Trust Score
| # | Name | Trust | Grade | Stars | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | gemini-cli | 64 | C+ | 128.5k | Interact with Google Gemini AI models from the command-line |
| 2 | awscli | 64 | C+ | 229.9k | Official Amazon AWS command-line interface |
| 3 | libx11 | 64 | C+ | 155.4k | X.Org: Core X11 protocol client library |
| 4 | gh | 62 | C+ | 360.2k | GitHub command-line tool |
| 5 | himalaya | 62 | C+ | 33.4k | CLI email client written in Rust |
| 6 | cloudflared | 62 | C+ | 25.0k | Cloudflare Tunnel client (formerly Argo Tunnel) |
| 7 | usage | 62 | C+ | 28.5k | Tool for working with usage-spec CLIs |
| 8 | mint | 62 | C+ | 21.7k | Dependency manager that installs and runs Swift command-line tool packages |
| 9 | mongosh | 62 | C+ | 13.2k | MongoDB Shell to connect, configure, query, and work with your MongoDB database |
| 10 | xsel | 62 | C+ | 11.8k | Command-line program for getting and setting the contents of the X selection |
| 11 | glab | 62 | C+ | 24.9k | Open-source GitLab command-line tool |
| 12 | jq | 62 | C+ | 67.8k | Lightweight and flexible command-line JSON processor |
| 13 | fzf | 62 | C+ | 65.3k | Command-line fuzzy finder written in Go |
| 14 | kubernetes-cli | 62 | C+ | 61.2k | Kubernetes command-line interface |
| 15 | yq | 62 | C+ | 49.0k | Process YAML, JSON, XML, CSV and properties documents from the CLI |
| 16 | lazygit | 62 | C+ | 25.9k | Simple terminal UI for git commands |
| 17 | opencode | 62 | C+ | 20.2k | AI coding agent, built for the terminal |
| 18 | libxscrnsaver | 62 | C+ | 19.0k | X.Org: X11 Screen Saver extension client library |
| 19 | zoxide | 62 | C+ | 17.1k | Shell extension to navigate your filesystem faster |
| 20 | mas | 62 | C+ | 16.6k | Mac App Store command-line interface |
| 21 | libxtst | 62 | C+ | 16.5k | X.Org: Client API for the XTEST & RECORD extensions |
| 22 | flyctl | 62 | C+ | 16.0k | Command-line tools for fly.io services |
| 23 | starship | 62 | C+ | 15.5k | Cross-shell prompt for astronauts |
| 24 | atuin | 62 | C+ | 15.2k | Improved shell history for zsh, bash, fish and nushell |
| 25 | libice | 62 | C+ | 13.1k | X.Org: Inter-Client Exchange Library |
| 26 | k9s | 62 | C+ | 13.1k | Kubernetes CLI To Manage Your Clusters In Style! |
| 27 | powershell | 62 | C+ | 13.0k | Command-line shell and scripting language |
| 28 | zsh | 62 | C+ | 12.3k | UNIX shell (command interpreter) |
| 29 | wangle | 62 | C+ | 11.9k | Modular, composable client/server abstractions framework |
| 30 | readline | 62 | C+ | 314.4k | Library for command-line editing |
| 31 | sqlite | 62 | C+ | 402.5k | Command-line interface for SQLite |
| 32 | azure-cli | 60 | C+ | 28.9k | Microsoft Azure CLI 2.0 |
| 33 | block-goose-cli | 60 | C+ | 4.1k | Open source, extensible AI agent that goes beyond code suggestions |
| 34 | apache-serf | 60 | C+ | 4.0k | High-performance asynchronous HTTP client library |
| 35 | cabal-install | 60 | C+ | 5.2k | Command-line interface for Cabal and Hackage |
| 36 | terminal-notifier | 60 | C+ | 8.6k | Send macOS User Notifications from the command-line |
| 37 | create-dmg | 60 | C+ | 1.8k | Shell script to build fancy DMGs |
| 38 | gitlab-ci-local | 60 | C+ | 1.7k | Run gitlab pipelines locally as shell executor or docker executor |
| 39 | mprocs | 60 | C+ | 1.6k | Run multiple commands in parallel |
| 40 | dua-cli | 60 | C+ | 1.4k | View disk space usage and delete unwanted data, fast |
| 41 | jira-cli | 60 | C+ | 1.4k | Feature-rich interactive Jira CLI |
| 42 | mask | 60 | C+ | 1.3k | CLI task runner defined by a simple markdown file |
| 43 | switchaudio-osx | 60 | C+ | 1.1k | Change macOS audio source from the command-line |
| 44 | hf | 60 | C+ | 3.1k | Client library for huggingface.co hub |
| 45 | watchexec | 60 | C+ | 2.2k | Execute commands when watched files change |
| 46 | entr | 60 | C+ | 1.7k | Run arbitrary commands when files change |
| 47 | cxxopts | 60 | C+ | 9.6k | Lightweight C++ command-line option parser |
| 48 | libmagic | 60 | C+ | 9.3k | Implementation of the file(1) command |
| 49 | gflags | 60 | C+ | 8.7k | Library for processing command-line flags |
| 50 | yazi | 60 | C+ | 8.3k | Blazing fast terminal file manager written in Rust, based on async I/O |
How We Rank Best Homebrew CLI Tools
These best homebrew cli tools are ranked by Nerq Trust Score, which evaluates security, maintenance, community adoption, and transparency across multiple data points. Only entities with a trust score of 30 or above are included. Scores are updated continuously as new data becomes available.
FAQ
What are the best best homebrew cli tools in 2026?
Based on Nerq Trust Scores, the top-ranked best homebrew cli tools are listed above, scored on security, activity, documentation, and community metrics.
How are best homebrew cli tools ranked?
Nerq ranks tools using Trust Score v2, which combines security analysis, maintenance activity, documentation quality, and community adoption signals.
Are these best homebrew cli tools safe to use?
Each tool has an individual safety report. Click any tool name to see its detailed trust analysis.
What does a Nerq Trust Score of A mean?
An A grade (80-89) means the entity has strong signals across security, maintenance, documentation, and community adoption. A+ (90-100) is the highest possible rating.
How does Nerq evaluate best homebrew cli tools?
Nerq analyzes best homebrew cli tools across multiple dimensions including security vulnerabilities, license compliance, maintenance activity, documentation quality, and community adoption. Each dimension is scored independently and combined into an overall Trust Score (0-100).