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Head-to-head · Linters

ShellCheck vs Credo

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score ShellCheck #3 in Linters 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 4 features Visit ShellCheck
Credo #7 in Linters 8.5/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 4 features Visit Credo

ShellCheck leads on 1 check, Credo on 0, and 5 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 6 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreShellCheck · 9.0/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresCredo · 3 of 4

ShellCheck scores higher on our rubric for linters: 9.0 against 8.5 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #7.

ShellCheck leads on languages supported: 4 versus 1. On ide support, Credo gives you Ide where ShellCheck offers Editor.

ShellCheck is the better fit for shell-script quality and portability checks. Credo is the better fit for elixir teams checking style and complexity.

  • ShellCheck fits best

    Shell-script quality and portability checks

  • Credo fits best

    Elixir teams checking style and complexity

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Side by side

Feature ShellCheck 9.0/10 Visit ↗ Credo 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.0 8.5
Ranking #3 in Linters #7 in Linters
Best for Shell-script quality and portability checks Elixir teams checking style and complexity
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Self-hosted
Support Community, Docs Docs
Integrations 9 integrations 7 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features ShellCheck 2/4 · Credo 3/4
Autofix ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Custom rules Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Security rules Not checked yet ✓ (best)
CI support ✓ ✓
Specs
Languages supported 4 (best) 1
IDE support Editor Ide
Our review
Pros
  • Checks sh, bash, dash, ksh and BusyBox shell dialects
  • Fits editors, CI pipelines and build or test workflows
  • Provides machine-readable output and unified-diff fix suggestions
  • Covers mistakes, style, refactoring, and complexity findings
  • Supports strict mode, explanations, JSON, and SARIF output
  • Offers custom checks, plugins, and broad editor integrations
Cons
  • Does not support custom rules
  • Focused specifically on shell scripts rather than multiple languages
  • Configuration relies on inline directives and shellcheckrc
  • Supports Elixir rather than multiple programming languages
  • Installation and use center on Mix and the command line
  • Teams may need another tool for broader language coverage
Our verdict

ShellCheck is an open-source static analysis and linting tool for shell scripts. It is suited to developers and teams maintaining sh, bash, dash, ksh or BusyBox shell code who want feedback on syntax, semantic, robustness, portability and…

Read the review →

Credo is an open-source static code analysis tool for Elixir projects. It is aimed at developers and teams that want consistent style, maintainable code, and earlier feedback on common mistakes. Its checks cover naming, coding style,…

Read the review →
  1. ShellCheckLinters 9.0Free plan
  2. CredoLinters 8.5Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • ShellCheck — where it wins

    • Checks sh, bash, dash, ksh and BusyBox shell dialects
    • Fits editors, CI pipelines and build or test workflows
    • Provides machine-readable output and unified-diff fix suggestions

    Where it doesn't

    • Does not support custom rules
    • Focused specifically on shell scripts rather than multiple languages
    • Configuration relies on inline directives and shellcheckrc

  • Credo — where it wins

    • Covers mistakes, style, refactoring, and complexity findings
    • Supports strict mode, explanations, JSON, and SARIF output
    • Offers custom checks, plugins, and broad editor integrations

    Where it doesn't

    • Supports Elixir rather than multiple programming languages
    • Installation and use center on Mix and the command line
    • Teams may need another tool for broader language coverage

More comparisons

All linters comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update