Dev tools · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Cowsay Command for 2021

🐮 cowsay is reborn. Neo Cowsay has written in Go. Contribute to Code-Hex/Neo-cowsay development by creating an account on GitHub.

Cowsay Command for 2021 is a life and fun tool launched on GitHub that brings the classic cowsay utility to modern systems. It displays ASCII art of a cow that repeats text provided by the user, turning ordinary… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Cowsay Command for 2021 launched in 2021; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   Cowsay ASCII Generator▲80

   Speak through a cow or many other ASCII characters

   2016 · its alternatives →

2. 2AA
   ASCII Animals in Your Terminal▲62

   2012 · ivolo.me · its alternatives →

3. 3
   A Simple terminal-based video chat – renders in ASCII and has audio▲375

   A point to point color terminal video chat. Contribute to mofarrell/p2pvc development by creating an account on GitHub.

   2015 · github.com · its alternatives →

4. 4
   MRRArt Pro▲568

   Create beautiful text charts (ascii) from your data

   2023 · mrrartpro.com · its alternatives →

5. 5
   I wrote a BASIC interpreter in Go▲144

   A BASIC interpreter written in golang. Contribute to skx/gobasic development by creating an account on GitHub.

   2018 · github.com · its alternatives →

6. 6
   Cowser▲1

   Greet people with ASCII-art animals - a fun.

   Aug 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

7. 7
   Catsay – a cowsay clone with a cat▲6

   A program that generates pictures of a cat holding a sign with a message. - GitHub - muhammadmuzzammil1998/catsay: A program that generates pictures of a cat holding a sign with a message.

   2018 · github.com · its alternatives →

8. 8
   Loading Indicator Innovation▲14

   ASCII animals in your terminal, for any occasion. - GitHub - ivolo/animals: ASCII animals in your terminal, for any occasion.

   2012 · github.com · its alternatives →

9. 9
   My GitHub Readme Is Interactive▲237

   An experimental interactive README experience! Contribute to veggiedefender/typing development by creating an account on GitHub.

   2020 · github.com · its alternatives →

10. 10
    GitSummarize▲212

    Create beautiful internal documentation from any GitHub repo

    2025 · gitsummarize.com · its alternatives →

11. 11
    diny▲175

    Hi everyone, I built a CLI tool called *diny* that generates Git commit messages directly from your staged changes. - It runs `git diff` and filters out noise like lockfiles, build artifacts, and binaries. - From the cleaned diff it suggests a clear commit message. - You can confirm or refine the message before committing. Key points: - No setup or API keys required. - Lightweight, local-first workflow. - Supports different lengths and styles (short, normal, long; conventional or simple). - Built in Go with Cobra for a familiar CLI experience. Repo:…

    2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

12. 12
    Serverless 2020 in ASCII▲20

    Make your own 2020 ASCII art. Contribute to alexellis/2020 development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2020 · github.com · its alternatives →

13. 13
    The Unix Magic poster, annotated (updated)▲74

    This is a site that maps the references on Gary Overacre's 1980s UNIX Magic poster to short write-ups with sources. I posted an earlier version about a year ago [1]. Since then I rewrote some of the annotations, added deep-linking to individual markers and a frame/sidebar view, gave the site a terminal-style redesign, and fixed historical inaccuracies (daemon etymology, nroff origin, B language vs. Multics, etc.). Contributions and comments welcome; each marker is a GitHub issue. site: https://unixmagic.net [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43019136

    Apr 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

14. 14CP
    Choose Photo. Make Ascii▲116

    2012 · dchang.mit.edu · its alternatives →

15. 15
    Cattle▲87

    Platform to run and share code

    2022 · cattle.sh · its alternatives →

16. 16RC
    Replify – Create a REPL for any command▲112

    GitHub Gist: instantly share code, notes, and snippets.

    2016 · gist.github.com · its alternatives →

17. 17
    git-peek – git repo to local editor instantly▲114

    git repo to local editor instantly. Contribute to Jarred-Sumner/git-peek development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2021 · github.com · its alternatives →

18. 18
    pix2pix▲117

    Turn your terrible doodles into cats and other things ✏️😸

    2017 · affinelayer.com · its alternatives →

19. 19
    Terminal Gif Maker▲97

    Creating code samples in simple terminal interface

    2022 · terminalgif.com · its alternatives →

20. 20
    A little eye-candy for the terminal (in Go)▲56

    Print your name in style. Contribute to arsham/figurine development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2018 · github.com · its alternatives →

21. 21
    Mapping the Unix Magic Poster – An Interactive Annotation Project▲77

    Hi HN, We've discussed the Unix Magic poster before (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27029196). Like many of you, I love this poster and all the Unix references hidden in it. I built this as a static site that lets us annotate the Unix Magic poster by placing markers on references and adding descriptions to explain them. I've added a few so far, but there's much more to document. What I love about this approach is that contributions happen not just on the site itself but also through PRs, where we can discuss and refine the details of each reference. Feel free to send a…

    2025 · drio.github.io · its alternatives →

22. 22
    Anitar▲64

    Animal avatars placeholders for fun web development

    2021 · its alternatives →

23. 23GF
    Github for recipes▲134

    2013 · forkingrecipes.com · its alternatives →

24. 24
    ASCII line chart with console, HTML and image outputs, written in PHP▲74

    Nice looking versatile ASCII linegraph written in PHP - noximo/PHP-colored-ascii-linechart

    2018 · github.com · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →