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Posted on • Originally published at plztell.me on

plztell.me vs Shell-GPT vs Mods: Terminal AI Tools Compared

#terminalai #shellgpt #mods #clitools

You're SSH'd into a production server. Something breaks. You need answers fast, but you can't open a browser. This is where terminal AI assistants shine — Shell-GPT , Mods by Charmbracelet, and plztell.me.

Which one should you use? It depends on your environment and how much setup you're willing to do.

The Problem All Three Tools Solve

AI chatbots are great for debugging and writing scripts — but they live in a browser. The copy-paste dance between terminal and browser kills your flow, especially on remote servers.

Terminal AI assistants eliminate this context-switching. Shell-GPT (sgpt), Mods by Charmbracelet, and plztell.me all solve this — but they take very different approaches.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature plztell.me Shell-GPT Mods
Installation None — just curl/wget Requires pip install shell-gpt Requires brew install, apt, or Go binary
Time to First Query ~5 seconds Minutes (install + API key setup) Minutes (install + API key or local model setup)
API Key Required No — handled for you Yes — your own OpenAI API key Yes — OpenAI, Cohere, Groq, or local model
Signup Required No — free tier works instantly Yes — OpenAI account required Yes — provider account or local model setup
Configuration Zero — works out of the box Config file + API key env variable Config file + API key env variable(s)
Dependencies Only curl or wget (pre-installed everywhere) Python 3.x + pip Single Go binary (no runtime deps)
Works on Restricted Servers Yes — the only tool that does No — requires package installation No — requires binary installation
AI Model (Free) Gemini 2.0 Flash — no cost at all N/A (requires paid API key) Free with local models via LocalAI
Billing Surprises None — pay-as-you-go, credits never expire Possible — usage-based OpenAI billing Possible — depends on provider billing
Privacy Queries never stored; not used for training Depends on OpenAI's policies Depends on chosen provider (local = full privacy)
Pricing Free forever (no signup) + optional pay-as-you-go (~1-5¢/query) Free tool, but requires paid API key Free & open source (MIT), but requires API key or local model

The Key Difference

Shell-GPT and Mods are powerful tools — but they both require you to install software, obtain API keys, and configure settings before you can ask your first question. plztell.me is the only tool that works instantly, everywhere, with zero setup. If curl or wget exists on the machine — and it does on virtually every Linux, macOS, and Windows system — you're ready to go.

When to Use plztell.me

Choose plztell.me if:

  • You can't install software — Locked-down server? No pip, no Go binary needed. If curl or wget exists, you have AI.
  • You don't want to manage API keys — No OpenAI signup, no config files, no billing surprises. The AI is handled server-side.
  • You need answers now — One command loads the plz function. You're asking questions in under 5 seconds.
  • You want predictable costs — Free tier with unlimited questions. Paid tier is ~1-5¢ per query with credits that never expire.

When to Use Shell-GPT

Choose Shell-GPT if:

  • You want deep shell integration — Hotkey support (Ctrl+L) puts AI completions directly into your terminal buffer, and it can execute generated commands directly.
  • You need function calling — Shell-GPT can execute custom functions autonomously based on AI decisions — powerful for automation.
  • You already have an OpenAI API key — If you're paying for GPT-4 access, Shell-GPT lets you use it from the terminal with REPL mode for interactive chat.

When to Use Mods

Choose Mods if:

  • You want multi-provider flexibility — Supports OpenAI, Cohere, Groq, Gemini, Azure OpenAI, and local models via LocalAI.
  • You build Unix pipelines — Designed for pipeline workflows. Pipe command output in, get formatted Markdown, JSON, or plain text out.
  • You want to run models locally — With LocalAI integration, Mods works entirely offline. No data leaves your machine.

Try plztell.me in 10 Seconds

No signup. No API key. No installation. Just copy and paste:

Linux / macOS 

eval "$(curl -sL plztell.me/setup)"

eval "$(wget -qO- plztell.me/setup)"
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Windows 

iex (iwr -useb plztell.me/setup/win).Content
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Then ask anything:

plz how do i find files larger than 1GB
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Or pipe in context for analysis:

cat /var/log/nginx/error.log | plz "why am i getting 502 errors?"
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Tip: Use quotes if your question contains shell special characters like ? ! & | ; ' " $ * < > etc.

That's it — you're using Gemini 2.0 Flash for free, no account needed. When you're ready for more:

Sign up — still free

Create a free account to unlock conversation history and session management across terminals. Takes seconds via plz login.

The Bottom Line

Most people just need a quick AI answer in their terminal — not multi-provider support or YAML config files. That's where plztell.me stands apart:

  • plztell.me — Zero installation, zero config, zero API keys. Works everywhere curl exists. Free, no signup.
  • Shell-GPT — Best for deep shell integration and function calling. Requires Python + OpenAI API key.
  • Mods — Best for pipeline workflows and local models. Requires installation + API key.

Try plztell.me — it takes 5 seconds and costs nothing. If you later need shell hotkeys or pipeline-native JSON, Shell-GPT and Mods will be there.

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