goenv vs mise
goenv
github.commise
mise.jdx.devSide by side
| Figure | goenv | mise |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Runtime Version Managers | 7.7 (#10) | 7.7 (#12) |
| Spec score · Development Environment Managers | 7.6 (#29) | 7.6 (#31) |
| License | The repository identifies its license as MIT. | The project is open source and MIT licensed. |
| Purpose | goenv manages Go versions using a model similar to pyenv and rbenv. | mise manages development tools, environment variables, and project tasks through a project configuration file. |
Plans
In their own words
goenv
goenv manages Go versions on Linux and macOS using a model similar to pyenv and rbenv. It supports global selections, per-project versions, and environment-variable overrides. Shim executables placed in PATH route Go commands to the selected installation, enabling automatic switching and project version pinning. The installation guide says goenv downloads prebuilt Go binaries provided by Google, while new Go versions are added automatically on a daily cron schedule. The project identifies v3 as its current stable version and recommends it for new installations; it says v3 is fully backward compatible with v2. Version 2 receives security patches and critical bug fixes, with support ending on or before December 31, 2028. Setup documentation covers Bash and Zsh, including a .bashrc note for Ubuntu. Installation options include Homebrew and ZPlug for Zsh, and the README includes AWS CodeBuild guidance. goenv is free under the MIT license.
mise
mise is a free, MIT-licensed open-source tool for managing development runtimes, command-line tools, environment variables, and project tasks from a configuration file. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows and lists a registry of more than 1,000 tools. Projects can pin tool versions and share those choices with teams and continuous-integration systems. Configuration can load variables from dotenv files, secrets, and shell commands. Tasks can define build, test, lint, and other commands with dependencies and arguments, with task graphs, affected-build handling, and remote caching listed. The bootstrap command can declare packages, dotfiles, repositories, and services for machine setup. Shell hooks cover bash, zsh, fish, nushell, PowerShell, and other shells. Documentation describes GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, and Xcode Cloud use. Community plugins are listed for Emacs, IntelliJ, Neovim, and VSCode, with support depending on editor, extension, and language. Security controls include trust settings, safe and paranoid modes, checksums, signatures, provenance, and artifact attestations.