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Ghostty

Free plan LinuxMac

Visit Ghostty Alternatives Pricing

Ghostty's own site

What Ghostty is

Ghostty is a free terminal emulator for macOS and Linux, with GPU-accelerated rendering and native interface components. It supports multiple windows, tabs, and split panes; rendering uses Metal on macOS and OpenGL on Linux. Its shared core, libghostty, handles terminal emulation, fonts, and rendering through a cross-platform C ABI. Ghostty supports the Kitty graphics protocol for displaying images in the terminal and provides automatic shell integration for bash, elvish, fish, nushell, and zsh. Its SSH integration can forward environment variables and install Ghostty terminfo entries on remote hosts. Hundreds of themes are included, with automatic switching to match system light and dark mode. On macOS, Secure Keyboard Entry helps protect passwords from other processes, and official binaries are signed and notarized. Ghostty is licensed under MIT and fiscally sponsored by Hack Club. It has no dedicated support team; community help is available through GitHub Discussions and Discord. The listed plan is free.

Who it suits

Ghostty suits macOS and Linux users who want a terminal with GPU rendering, native windows and splits, and shell or SSH integration. It may be less suited to readers who require dedicated support.

What it does well

  • GPU-accelerated rendering on macOS and Linux.
  • Supports multiple windows, tabs, and splits.
  • Includes hundreds of themes.
  • SSH integration can forward environment variables.

What to know first

  • No dedicated support team or resources.
  • Support is community-provided through GitHub Discussions and Discord.

Limits

The free plan is described as having no commercial backing and no dedicated support team. Community help is available through GitHub Discussions and Discord.

Plans

PlanBilled and limitsPrice
GhosttyFree and open source · No commercial backing · no dedicated support teamFree

As ghostty.org lists them, read 1 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

  1. Visit the Ghostty website.
  2. Choose the Linux or macOS platform.
  3. Use the free Ghostty plan.

Verdict

Ghostty brings GPU rendering, native interface components, and a broad set of terminal features to macOS and Linux. Its community support model is an important consideration for users who need dedicated assistance.

Questions

How much does Ghostty cost?

Its Ghostty plan is listed as free.

Does Ghostty have a free plan?

Yes. The plan is described as free and open source.

Which platforms does Ghostty support?

Ghostty supports Linux and macOS.

Is Ghostty open source?

Yes. It is licensed under MIT.

Who sponsors Ghostty?

Ghostty is fiscally sponsored by Hack Club, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Does Ghostty provide dedicated support?

No. Help is community-provided through GitHub Discussions and Discord.

Facts from Ghostty's own pages

Architecture
Its shared core, libghostty, provides terminal emulation, font handling, and rendering through a cross-platform C ABI. · ghostty.org, 1 Oct 2026
Distribution security
Official macOS binaries are signed and notarized by the Ghostty project. · ghostty.org, 1 Oct 2026
Free plan
Yes · github.com, 20 Sept 2026
GPU acceleration
Yes · github.com, 20 Sept 2026
Graphics protocol
Ghostty supports the Kitty graphics protocol for rendering images in the terminal. · ghostty.org, 1 Oct 2026
macOS security
Ghostty supports macOS Secure Keyboard Entry to protect passwords from other processes. · ghostty.org, 1 Oct 2026
Platforms
Ghostty runs on macOS and Linux; Windows support is planned for the future. · ghostty.org, 1 Oct 2026
Product
Ghostty is a fast, feature-rich, native terminal emulator. · ghostty.org, 1 Oct 2026
Project governance
Ghostty is fiscally sponsored by Hack Club, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and remains licensed under the MIT license. · ghostty.org, 1 Oct 2026
Rendering
Ghostty uses Metal on macOS and OpenGL on Linux for GPU-accelerated rendering. · ghostty.org, 1 Oct 2026
Scripting API
Yes · github.com, 20 Sept 2026
Shell integrations
Automatic shell integration is provided for bash, elvish, fish, nushell, and zsh. · ghostty.org, 1 Oct 2026
Split panes
Yes · github.com, 20 Sept 2026
SSH integration
Its SSH integration can forward environment variables and install Ghostty terminfo entries on remote hosts. · ghostty.org, 1 Oct 2026
SSH support
Yes · github.com, 20 Sept 2026
Support
Ghostty has no support team or dedicated support resources; help is community-provided through GitHub Discussions and Discord. · ghostty.org, 1 Oct 2026
Supported platforms
macOS,Linux · github.com, 20 Sept 2026
Terminal UI
It supports multiple windows, tabs, and splits using native UI components. · ghostty.org, 1 Oct 2026
Themes
Ghostty ships with hundreds of themes and can switch themes automatically with system light and dark mode. · ghostty.org, 1 Oct 2026

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