tldr Alternatives
tldr alternatives: cheat for editable cheatsheets, navi for runnable fuzzy-searched snippets, eg for paged example files.
Updated
short verdict
Pick cheat if you want to write and edit your own cheatsheets, with per-project `.cheat` directories. Pick navi if you want to search snippets with fzf or skim and run them with argument suggestions. Pick eg if you only want a lightweight, pager-based examples viewer you can customize.
tldr gives you community-written example pages for commands, queried with `tldr tar`. The alternatives differ in who writes the content and what you do with it. cheat stores plain-text sheets you edit yourself, navi turns snippets into an interactive menu that executes commands, and eg shows markdown example files through a pager.
this page is for
- Developers who want personal or project-specific command notes
- Users who would rather pick and run a command than copy it
- Readers who want a small examples viewer with a configurable pager
Unlike tldr's fixed community pages, cheat stores editable plain-text sheets in cheatpaths you control, using `cheat -e tar` to change them.
best for
- Keeping personal notes next to community sheets
- Project-specific cheatsheets in a repository
strengths
- Read-only community cheatpaths alongside writable personal ones
- `.cheat` directories are found in the current directory or its ancestors, like git
- Search by text or regex, and by tag with `cheat -l -t networking`
- Completions for bash, zsh, fish and PowerShell, including sheet names and tags
weaknesses
- Sheets are not a single curated database, so you assemble your own cheatpaths
- Prints sheets only; it does not run commands or suggest argument values
Where tldr prints examples for you to copy, navi lists snippets in an fzf or skim menu and executes the one you pick.
best for
- Complex one-liners with variable arguments
- Shell-widget use similar to Ctrl-R history search
strengths
- Suggests argument values dynamically, populated by running commands
- Works as a shell widget, a Tmux widget for SSH sessions, or in scripts
- Imports cheatsheet repositories from Git and downloads community sheets
- Integrates with tldr and cheat.sh content
weaknesses
- Needs fzf or skim for the interactive menu
- Snippets use its own `.cheat` file syntax, which you must learn to write your own
eg is closest to tldr in purpose: `eg find` shows example-focused markdown for a command, but through your pager and with user-editable files.
best for
- Quick examples for find, tar and grep
- Users who want to tune colors and pager behavior
strengths
- Examples are markdown files named per command, such as `find.md`
- Respects `PAGER` and supports custom pager commands
- Configurable color schemes, regex-based output transformations and output squeezing
- Supports custom example directories beside the defaults
weaknesses
- Installed with `pip` or Homebrew only; no Rust or Node.js client as tldr has
- Smaller collection and no documented translation support compared with tldr
Why look beyond tldr
- tldr pages are community-maintained, so you cannot easily add private notes to them.
- It only displays examples; it does not run a command or fill in arguments.
- Pages live in a central database, with no per-project sheets like cheat's `.cheat` directories.
- Client choice (Python, Rust, Node.js) adds setup decisions that a single-binary tool avoids.
Stay with tldr if
- You want the broadest community coverage of Unix, Linux, macOS and Windows commands.
- You need pages in languages other than English through community translations.
- You want an official client in Python, Rust or Node.js, or a web interface in the browser.
When not to use these
- You need complete flag references; use the man pages, since all of these tools focus on examples.
- You need documentation for a tool nobody has written a sheet for and do not want to write one.
FAQ
- What is the closest tldr alternative?
- eg. Running `eg find` shows practical examples from a markdown file for that command, displayed through your pager. Unlike tldr, you can add your own example directories.
- Can I write my own pages instead of using a community database?
- Yes. cheat stores plain-text sheets in writable cheatpaths and edits them with `cheat -e`. navi reads custom `.cheat` files, and eg supports custom example directories.
- Can any of these run the command for me?
- navi can. It shows a fuzzy-searchable menu via fzf or skim, suggests argument values, and executes the selected command. It also works as a shell widget.
- Does navi replace tldr completely?
- Not necessarily. navi integrates with tldr and cheat.sh, so you can use it as an interactive front end while keeping tldr content.