# Pacer and zsh-autosuggestions

zsh-autosuggestions completes the line from your history in gray text; Pacer shows a list of what can come next, with descriptions.

## In short

zsh-autosuggestions shows one suggestion in gray after your cursor: a command from your history that starts with what you typed. Pacer opens a list next to the cursor of what can come next, such as subcommands, options, branches, and files, each with a description. They do different jobs.

## Where they differ

- **Source**: zsh-autosuggestions uses your history only. Pacer uses completion specs for more than 700 tools, the tools' own `--help`, git, and your history for ranking.
- **New commands**: zsh-autosuggestions can only suggest what you ran before. Pacer also helps with commands you have never typed.
- **Choice**: zsh-autosuggestions shows one suggestion. Pacer shows several, so you can compare them before you pick.
- **Where it runs**: zsh-autosuggestions works in any terminal that runs zsh. Pacer needs Ghostty, iTerm2, or Terminal on an Apple silicon Mac.

## Which to choose

Use zsh-autosuggestions to repeat what you already run. Use Pacer to find options, branches, and files, and to learn tools you use less often.