Best Terminal Emulators for Linux of 2025

Rio is a terminal application developed using Rust, WebGPU, and the Tokio runtime, aimed at delivering an exceptional frames-per-second experience while also providing the flexibility to minimize GPU usage. The terminal's rendering engine utilizes a Redux state machine, ensuring that unchanged lines are not redrawn, thereby prioritizing a minimal rendering process most of the time. Furthermore, Rio is crafted to be compatible with a WebAssembly runtime, paving the way for future enhancements such as customizable tab systems through WASM plugins written in various programming languages. Additionally, Rio employs WGPU, which serves as a WebGPU implementation designed for non-browser environments and acts as a backend for Firefox’s own WebGPU implementation, allowing for a more efficient utilization of modern GPUs compared to WebGL alternatives. This focus on performance and customization makes Rio a versatile choice for terminal users seeking both speed and adaptability.

WhippyTerm is a versatile terminal program designed with modern aesthetics and functionality, compatible with Windows and Linux platforms. It is tailored especially for embedded developers who require reliable communication with hardware devices through serial ports and network protocols like TCP/IP and UDP. The program supports several serial standards including RS232, RS485, RS422, and TTL UART, with additional protocol support such as I2C and SPI available via plugins. Among its notable features are bookmarks, integrated hex dumps, and the ability to extend its capabilities through plugins. WhippyTerm also excels in handling binary protocols, facilitating both serial stream and message block communication. Terminal emulations are customizable, with ANSI built-in and others like VT100 accessible through plugin installation. This flexibility makes it ideal for working with embedded systems and debugging communication layers. WhippyTerm combines ease of use with powerful protocol support to streamline device interactions.

PuTTY serves as a free software solution for SSH and Telnet on both Windows and Unix systems, also functioning as an xterm terminal emulator. This client application supports protocols including SSH, Telnet, Rlogin, and SUPDUP, which facilitate remote sessions on computers over a network. Essentially, it operates from the client side of these sessions, where users can view and interact with the remote system. For instance, if you launch PuTTY on a Windows device and establish a connection to a Unix server, a window will open for you. Any commands you enter in this window are transmitted directly to the Unix machine, and the responses from the server will appear in the same window. Consequently, it allows you to operate on the Unix system as if you were physically present at its terminal, even though you could be located in a different place entirely. Additionally, PuTTY permits users to save their configurations in named session profiles, while also giving them the option to modify the default settings that apply to new connections. This flexibility makes it a versatile tool for managing remote sessions effectively.

Muon offers a straightforward and enjoyable method for managing remote servers using SSH. This graphical SSH client includes an advanced SFTP file browser, an SSH terminal emulator, a remote resource and process manager, a server disk space analyzer, a remote text editor, a substantial remote log viewer, and numerous additional tools that facilitate remote server interactions. By functioning similarly to web-based control panels, Muon operates directly over SSH from a local machine, eliminating the need for any server-side installations. Compatible with both Linux and Windows, Muon has been verified with various Linux and UNIX servers, such as Ubuntu server, CentOS, RHEL, OpenSUSE, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, and HP-UX. Primarily aimed at web and backend developers who regularly deploy and debug their applications on remote servers while preferring to avoid complex command-line operations, this tool can also be beneficial for system administrators managing multiple remote servers. With its user-friendly interface and robust features, Muon enhances productivity by simplifying server management tasks.

Wave is a free, AI-native terminal that allows for seamless developer workflows. It features inline rendering, modern UI, and persistent sessions. Features Include: - Render anything with plugins, including audio/video, Markdown, images, and more. - Edit code fast with the same editor used by VSCode both locally and remotely. - Persistent Sessions, searchable Universal History, and workspaces between local and remote sessions. - Native integration of AI with ChatGPT. In the future, users will be able to bring their own AI with them (BYOLLM). - Packages are available for macOS and Linux, licensed under the Apache 2.0 License.

Alacritty is an advanced terminal emulator that operates across multiple platforms and utilizes OpenGL for enhanced GPU performance, offering both practical defaults and a wide range of configuration options. Instead of duplicating existing features, it works in harmony with various applications to furnish users with a customizable experience while maintaining high speed. Compatible with BSD, Linux, macOS, and Windows, Alacritty is currently in beta and continues to evolve, yet it is already favored by many as their primary terminal application. Among its notable functionalities are Vi Mode, which allows users to navigate and create selections using vi commands; a Search feature that enables users to look for text in the scrollback history; Regex Hints that highlight specific patterns for interaction via mouse or keyboard; and Multi-Window support that optimizes resource efficiency by operating within a single process. Additionally, the ongoing development promises to introduce even more features and improvements, ensuring that Alacritty remains a relevant choice for terminal users in the future.

Ghostty is a high-speed, feature-laden terminal emulator compatible with multiple platforms, utilizing native user interfaces and GPU acceleration to provide an unparalleled combination of speed and functionality. This terminal emulator adheres to full standards compliance by incorporating ECMA-48 and xterm conventions, ensuring it works seamlessly with existing shells and software. Its innovative multi-renderer design employs OpenGL, complete with ligature support, enabling it to maintain smooth rendering at up to 60 frames per second even during heavy usage, while a dedicated I/O thread minimizes jitter. Ghostty also supports advanced windowing features like multiple windows, tab management, and split views, all while integrating with native platform experiences through SwiftUI and GTK4. At its core, it is built on a shared library written in Zig, referred to as "libghostty," which can be embedded using a C API. Users are given the opportunity for basic customization options, including fonts, backgrounds, and color schemes, alongside an opt-in set of features tailored for interactive command-line tools, making its performance rival that of the top terminal emulators on the market today. Furthermore, Ghostty's design philosophy emphasizes user-friendliness, ensuring that both novice and experienced users can easily navigate its capabilities.

xterm serves as a terminal emulator tailored for the X Window System, initially developed to replicate DEC VT102 and Tektronix 4014 hardware while providing a windowed interface for applications that lack direct access to X. Each instance of xterm operates as an independent process, either locally or remotely, with keyboard and mouse inputs being shared, ensuring that only the active window responds to events. It supports ANSI/ISO color through a "new" color model for background erasure and is capable of recognizing the majority of VT220 control sequences, incorporating select features from VT320, VT420, and VT520 devices. Over the years, the terminal description of xterm has transitioned from VT102 (pre-1996) to VT220 (1996–2012), and since 2012, it has adapted to the VT420 standard, thereby maintaining compatibility with contemporary applications. Actively maintained, xterm remains extensible through companion utilities like luit for encoding assistance and the X Toolkit for resource configuration, solidifying its status as a comprehensive and standards-compliant emulator suitable for Unix-based systems. By continuously evolving, xterm ensures it meets the demands of modern users while retaining its historical roots.

Tmux serves as a versatile terminal multiplexer, allowing users to create, access, and manage multiple terminal sessions from a single interface. One of its key features is the ability to detach sessions, enabling them to run in the background, which can later be reattached just as they were left. Each window within tmux is operated as a distinct client process, and it supports color through ANSI/ISO standards via VT220 control sequences. Users can easily configure tmux using its example tmux.conf file and extensive man page. Built with minimal dependencies, it relies on libevent 2.x and ncurses, requiring only a C compiler, make, pkg-config, and Yacc for compilation. Its lightweight, single-screen design, combined with comprehensive documentation and cross-platform compatibility, makes tmux an efficient and standards-compliant choice for terminal workflow management. Additionally, its ability to handle multiple sessions seamlessly enhances productivity for users who rely on command-line interfaces.

WezTerm is a robust, cross-platform terminal emulator and multiplexer created in Rust, known for its GPU-accelerated rendering capabilities, which incorporate features such as ligatures, color emojis, true color support, dynamic color schemes, and hyperlinks, alongside advanced windowing controls like panes, tabs, and the ability to manage multiple windows on both local and remote systems. This terminal emulator utilizes a single-process multiplexer that allows for scrollback, searchable history, mouse integration, and a Quick Select mode designed for fast selections. Users can also take advantage of the Copy mode, shell integration, compatibility with the iTerm image protocol, SSH connectivity, and support for serial ports and Arduino devices, all while managing workspaces and sessions through customizable Lua scripts. Configuration is streamlined through a wezterm.lua file that supports hot-reloading, and a comprehensive command-line interface (wezterm cli) enables users to launch programs, manipulate tabs and panes, and configure domains seamlessly. Moreover, WezTerm complies with ECMA-48 and xterm standards for complete ANSI/ISO conformity, and it also integrates natively with the user interface by utilizing platform-specific APIs, ensuring a smooth and versatile experience for terminal users. Overall, WezTerm stands out as a powerful tool for both casual users and developers seeking a feature-rich terminal solution.

Zellij is a versatile workspace tailored for developers, operations experts, and terminal aficionados, built on the principle that one can achieve both simplicity and functionality without compromise, thus offering an exceptional out-of-the-box experience alongside sophisticated features. It caters to a diverse audience, from novices to seasoned professionals, by providing extensive customization options and personal automation capabilities through customizable layouts, true multiplayer collaboration, and distinctive user experience attributes like floating and stacked panes, complemented by an advanced resizing algorithm that smartly positions new panes for optimal efficiency. The inclusion of a plugin system allows users to create their own pane types in any language that compiles to WebAssembly, while an extensive command-line interface introduces Command Panes for executing and re-executing commands in dedicated spaces, as well as functions such as running, editing, and renaming panes. With its single-process architecture, Zellij guarantees quick and responsive performance, and its all-inclusive design equips users with a comprehensive terminal workspace that meets the demands of contemporary development practices. As a result, Zellij not only enhances productivity but also fosters a collaborative environment, making it an indispensable tool for both individual developers and teams alike.

The PowerTerm InterConnect Series includes a variety of powerful terminal emulation tools designed to meet the host access demands of both large and small enterprises. This suite enables companies to adopt a unified host access solution across their operations. The PowerTerm InterConnect applications ensure quick and dependable access to information stored on numerous host systems, including IBM Mainframe zSeries, IBM AS/400 iSeries, UNIX, OpenVMS, Tandem, and HP. Each product within the series facilitates terminal emulation through multiple communication methods. Additionally, PowerTerm InterConnect comes equipped with a versatile and comprehensive feature set aimed at optimizing user productivity while offering a multitude of options. With the integration of Power Script Language, users can streamline processes and enhance their operational efficiency. Furthermore, the compact design of PowerTerm InterConnect allows it to serve as a straightforward, rapid, and efficient solution for executing legacy applications, and its installation is quick and hassle-free on any personal computer. Overall, the series stands out for its ability to adapt to diverse user needs while maintaining high performance levels.

Kitty is crafted for users who prefer keyboard navigation, ensuring that all controls are operable via the keyboard while also accommodating mouse usage. Its configuration is streamlined into a single, human-readable file, which simplifies the process of maintaining and sharing settings, a practice I often utilize with version control systems. The architecture of kitty emphasizes simplicity, modularity, and ease of modification, comprising a combination of C for performance-critical components and Python to facilitate user interface enhancements. Instead of relying on bulky and intricate UI frameworks, kitty utilizes OpenGL for all rendering tasks, which keeps the application lightweight. Designed with modern terminal functionalities in mind, kitty supports features such as Unicode, true color, and various text styles, including bold and italic fonts, along with advanced text formatting options. Additionally, it enhances traditional text formatting escape codes to incorporate unique features like colored and styled curly underlines, setting it apart from other terminals. A significant aspect of kitty's design is its extensibility, allowing for the integration of new features as user needs evolve over time. This thoughtful architecture aims to keep kitty relevant and adaptable in the fast-paced world of technology.

SecureCRT, available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, offers reliable terminal emulation tailored for IT professionals, enhancing efficiency through sophisticated session management and various methods to automate tedious tasks. This robust application ensures secure remote access, file transfers, and data tunneling for all members of your team. Whether transitioning from Telnet or Terminal, or in search of a more versatile secure remote access solution, SecureCRT is a tool that can be used extensively throughout your day. With its dependable SSH security, comprehensive session management, and advanced scripting capabilities, SecureCRT is designed to significantly boost your productivity. Users can easily highlight specific words, phrases, or substrings within the session window, aiding in the identification of mistakes in log files or streaming outputs while also emphasizing prompts. Additionally, support for regular expressions simplifies the process of highlighting elements such as IP addresses, and various keyword display attributes like bold, reverse video, and color can be mixed and matched for enhanced visibility. Overall, this powerful tool stands out as an essential resource for professionals seeking to optimize their workflow.

Terminator Terminal Emulator offers a user-friendly way to run and organize multiple GNOME terminal sessions within a single window. Initially created in 2007 by Chris Jones, this tool started as a simple Python script and has since grown into a robust terminal multiplexer inspired by popular terminal emulators like Iterm2 and Tilix. Users can easily split, rearrange, and customize terminal panes to fit their specific workflow preferences, especially useful for managing many remote sessions concurrently. Terminator supports both light and dark themes, along with various customizations to improve the command-line experience. It is designed for developers, system admins, and anyone who relies heavily on terminal work. The software enhances productivity by minimizing window clutter and enabling seamless multitasking. Terminator also offers integration with GNOME and supports various shell environments. Its flexibility makes it a preferred choice for advanced terminal users.

StayLinked allows you to move to the most advanced devices, measure and optimize productivity using cutting-edge business intelligence and interface with ground-breaking technologies such as automation, robotics and augmented reality. It is crucial to keep employees on the job. Traditional terminal emulator solutions can cause erratic performance and connectivity. End users spend more time attempting to fix problems with the help desk than they do performing critical application tasks. StayLinked ensures that applications and users run at their best by eliminating lost sessions, enabling central application configuration and management, as well as providing highly efficient help desk tools. StayLinked Terminal Emulation is the fastest TE solution for mobile devices. Traditional terminal emulators send all telnet/SSH traffic directly to the mobile device.

Flynet Viewer™, TE (Terminal Emulation), is a browser-based terminal emulator that allows you to access key business systems. Access Mainframe, iSeries and Unix systems from any device that has zero client software. The terminal emulator is installed on a server environment either on-premises or in the cloud and centrally managed by Flynet Viewer administration center. Flynet Viewer is compatible with all browsers and devices that do not require ActiveX or Java plugins. Flynet Viewer includes all the features that you would expect from an enterprise terminal emulator. These include file transfer, client and server-side macros, single sign-on and MFA, file transfer, file transfers, file transfer, single-sign-on, MFA, and keyboard remapping. Flynet Viewer Terminal Emulation offers the same functionality as a full fat desktop Terminal Emulation Client but is delivered over the internet and served up via browser. Flynet Viewer Terminal Emulation can be used on any device, regardless of the operating system or native browser.

HostAccess is a PC terminal emulator software. It provides a range of terminal emulator tools for Microsoft Windows users. This allows secure access on various platforms such as Linux, Unix and IBM. HostAccess' main purpose is to connect to PICK (multivalue), such as UniVerse and UniData, D3, ONware etc., and to use your own package of programs written using PICK Basic. These programs offer APIs for data exchange as well as extensive GUI capabilities. Quickly create reports and integrate data with Windows applications. Connect to multiple systems in one environment. HostAccess provides all the essential terminal emulator software features you require in one page. So, whether you're looking for asynchronous/synchronous connections, server-based administration, concurrent users, or multiple session access, HostAccess is an ideal solution for you.

The Terminal serves as a terminal emulator application that grants users access to a UNIX shell environment, allowing them to execute programs installed on their system. It incorporates escape sequences that manage cursor positions and color displays. Often referred to as the Command Line Interface (CLI), a terminal acts as a text input point on a computer. Various hardware terminals, such as the IBM 3270 and VT100, are no longer manufactured, leading to the necessity for terminal emulators to replicate their functionality. Every input made in the Terminal for execution is termed a command. Users can execute both command line and graphical user interface (GUI) applications directly from the terminal environment. If a program unexpectedly terminates without providing any warnings or errors, running it through the Terminal can be beneficial. This approach enables the program to display any error messages or debugging information in the Terminal window, which can be instrumental when submitting a bug report. Additionally, utilizing the Terminal can enhance user control and facilitate troubleshooting in a more efficient manner.

Yakuake is a versatile drop-down terminal emulator that utilizes KDE Konsole technology, smoothly descending from the top of your display. It features a tabbed interface with customizable dimensions and animation speed, along with a skinnable design and an advanced D-Bus interface. Once Yakuake is launched, you can easily configure it by clicking the Open Menu button located at the bottom right corner and selecting Configure Shortcuts to modify the default hotkey, which is F12, for dropping or retracting the terminal. While many settings can be adjusted through the Yakuake graphical interface, certain options require direct editing of the configuration file. Yakuake can also be controlled dynamically during runtime by sending D-Bus messages, allowing it to be initiated in a personalized session. Furthermore, users can create and name tabs, execute specific commands within any open tab, or toggle the visibility of the Yakuake window as needed. This makes Yakuake not only a powerful tool for command-line tasks but also highly adaptable to individual workflows.

You can configure sessions with hotspots and keyboard mapping. Web frameworks built around mainframe applications. You can centrally install and deploy applications for instant availability. Users automatically download the latest version of your updates when they connect to your server. Connect to any major GDS. To generate tickets, baggage tags, boarding passes, and tickets using the Airlines Printer component, Connect to host systems to make IBM, UNIX and Unisys data instantly available to browsers from any location, without the need to use Java. End users can access the mainframe and other applications using the new Reflection for the Web Launcher. This removes the need for Oracle Java. Allow users to work in the way they prefer by allowing them to access terminal sessions, file transfer, and printing.

FlexTerm is developed entirely in C# .NET, offering a long-awaited modern user interface for the terminal emulation community. This interface features an innovative ribbon command bar that organizes the program's functionalities into a series of tabs located at the top of the window. By enhancing the discoverability of features and functions, it facilitates a quicker learning curve for users and fosters a sense of control over their interaction with the software. The ribbon not only replaces the conventional menu bar and toolbars but is also fully customizable, enabling users to design their own custom tabs and tab groups to suit their preferences. Additionally, a FlexTerm workspace can encompass a single session or multiple sessions, which can be docked and arranged as tabs or allowed to float independently. Users can effortlessly rearrange sessions within a workspace using intuitive drag-and-drop functionality, making it easier to tailor their workspace to their needs. This flexibility ensures that users can organize their terminal environment in a way that enhances their productivity and efficiency.

Picture yourself engaged in your preferred text editor, ready to run commands such as executing unit tests, checking manual pages, or modifying configuration files—all while keeping your hands firmly on the keyboard. With a simple press of your designated "Show Guake" hotkey, you can swiftly execute your desired command and then press it again to hide the terminal, effortlessly returning to your workflow. Guake is designed to work seamlessly in a multimonitor environment, allowing you to open it on the screen where your cursor is or in a separate dedicated display. You can utilize multiple named tabs, with names automatically generated based on the command you are running, or you can customize them to your liking. Additionally, you have the option to have Guake launch automatically upon logging in and can set up a script to run at startup, enabling you to configure your Guake tabs according to your specific needs. This level of integration makes it a powerful tool for anyone looking to streamline their coding process.

You can quickly provide browser-based access from one central location without having to manage Java runtime environments. You must know who has access to your mainframe and make sure that only authorized users can get to the login screen. To move from a potentially insecure eight-character password to a one-time pass ticket, leverage enterprise credentials. Why reinvent the wheel? Through the corporate user directory, you can provision terminal emulation just like other corporate resources. Securely deploy browser-based sessions that are customized with quick keys, macros, and supporting keyboards. Access HTML5 to 3270, 5250 VT, Unisys, VT, Unisys, and Airline host applications from a central place - without the need for managing workstation dependencies or Java runtime environments.

Turbosoft's terminal emulation program supports more than 80 emulations of systems such as IBM and HP, OpenVMS (Unix), HP NonStop (Unix), Unisys, Wyse, and many more. TTerm Connect is our web-based HTML5 offering. TTerm Connect, our web-based terminal emulator, offers powerful, flexible terminal emulation using only a web browser. TTerm Connect provides all the features that you would expect from a desktop emulator in a lightweight web app. TTerm Connect is centrally managed and configured. It can be deployed with your existing web client or integrated into your existing website. Any host, any device. Available for all modern web browsers and client devices, with options for Linux or Windows based servers. Flexible and capable of serving the terminal emulation requirements of thousands of concurrent users.