Byobu

Free plan LinuxMac

What Byobu is

Byobu is a free, text-based window manager and terminal multiplexer for Linux, BSD, and macOS. It runs on tmux or GNU Screen, adding function-key shortcuts, status notifications, profiles, and split-pane layouts. Shortcuts handle windows, panes, scrolling, and detaching without a prefix key. Sessions can be detached and resumed while their windows, processes, and history remain available; each window supports up to 10,000 lines of scrollback. The two-line status bar can display system details such as CPU, memory, disk, network, battery, and time, with indicators toggled individually. An interactive F9 menu provides controls for notifications, keybinding sets, profiles, and backend choice. Users can save and restore pane layouts, and define repeatable window sets in configuration files. Byobu defaults to tmux when available and also supports GNU Screen. It requires tmux version 1.5 or later and/or GNU Screen. The GPLv3-licensed project began as enhancements to GNU Screen for Ubuntu server users and describes itself as a terminal enhancement layer.

Who it suits

Byobu suits Linux, BSD, and macOS users who work in a terminal and want persistent sessions, pane controls, and system indicators. It requires tmux version 1.5 or later and/or GNU Screen.

What it does well

Sessions retain windows, processes, and history.
Each window supports up to 10,000 scrollback lines.
Status indicators can be toggled individually.
GPLv3-licensed and free.

What to know first

Requires tmux version 1.5 or later and/or GNU Screen.
Support is largely volunteer-led.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Byobu	GPLv3 open source · Requires tmux ≥ 1.5 and/or GNU Screen	Free

As byobu.org lists them, read 4 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Use Linux or macOS with tmux version 1.5 or later and/or GNU Screen available.
Install or obtain Byobu from its project website or GitHub repository.
Start Byobu in a terminal session.
Use the F9 menu to configure notifications, keybindings, profiles, or the backend.
Use byobu-select-backend to switch between tmux and GNU Screen.

Verdict

Byobu adds configurable shortcuts, status information, and persistent sessions over tmux or GNU Screen. It is a fit for terminal users comfortable with those backend requirements.

Questions

How much does Byobu cost?

Byobu is free, open-source software licensed under GPLv3.

Which platforms does it support?

The listed platforms are Linux and macOS. The project also says it works on most Linux, BSD, and macOS distributions.

Does Byobu require tmux?

It requires tmux version 1.5 or later and/or GNU Screen. It defaults to tmux when available and can switch backends with byobu-select-backend.

What does Byobu add to a terminal?

It adds function-key shortcuts, status notifications, profile management, and split-pane layouts over tmux or GNU Screen.

Can sessions continue after detaching?

Yes. Users can detach and reattach while windows, processes, and history survive.

Where can users get support?

Support is largely volunteer-led. Users can report bugs on GitHub Issues and ask questions on StackExchange.

Facts from Byobu's own pages

Audience: The project was originally created to add enhancements to GNU Screen for Ubuntu server users and now describes itself as a terminal enhancement layer for Linux, BSD, and macOS. · byobu.org, 4 Oct 2026
Backends: Byobu supports tmux and GNU Screen, defaults to tmux when available, and lets users switch backends with byobu-select-backend. · byobu.org, 4 Oct 2026
Configuration: An interactive F9 menu lets users toggle status notifications, change keybinding sets, select profiles, and switch backends. · byobu.org, 4 Oct 2026
Founded: 2008 · byobu.org, 28 Sept 2026
Integrations: Byobu integrates with tmux and GNU Screen as backends and can display system indicators including network, Wi-Fi, battery, updates, RAID status, and custom scripts. · byobu.org, 4 Oct 2026
Keybindings: Function-key shortcuts manage windows, split panes, scrolling, detaching, and other actions without requiring a prefix key. · byobu.org, 4 Oct 2026
Layouts: Users can save and restore split-pane layouts, and define repeatable window sets in configuration files. · byobu.org, 4 Oct 2026
License: Byobu is GPLv3-licensed open-source software hosted on GitHub. · byobu.org, 4 Oct 2026
Pane management: Users can create, rename, reorder, split, zoom, and synchronize windows and panes. · byobu.org, 4 Oct 2026
Platforms and dependencies: The site says Byobu works on most Linux, BSD, and macOS distributions and requires tmux version 1.5 or later and/or GNU Screen. · byobu.org, 4 Oct 2026
Purpose: Byobu is a text-based window manager and terminal multiplexer that wraps tmux or GNU Screen with keybindings, status notifications, profile management, and split-pane layouts. · byobu.org, 4 Oct 2026
Scrollback: Each window supports up to 10,000 lines of scrollback history. · byobu.org, 4 Oct 2026
Session persistence: Users can detach and reattach to sessions while their windows, processes, and history survive. · byobu.org, 4 Oct 2026
Status bar: Its two-line status bar can show CPU, memory, disk, network, battery, load, time, and other system information, with items independently toggleable. · byobu.org, 4 Oct 2026
Support: Support is largely volunteer-led; users can report bugs on GitHub Issues and ask questions on StackExchange. · byobu.org, 4 Oct 2026

Where Byobu stands on Freedom251

Terminal Multiplexers#4 of 29