Freedom251 › Terminal Emulators
Rio
What Rio is
Rio is an open source terminal emulator built for desktops and browsers, with GPU acceleration and split panes. It runs on macOS, Windows, Linux, FreeBSD and WebAssembly. Listed terminal features include multiple windows, Vi mode, adaptive themes, hyperlinks, hints and shell integration for zsh, fish and PowerShell. Split panels are enabled by default. Rio supports inline images through the Kitty graphics protocol and the iTerm2 protocol. Its Sugarloaf renderer includes native Metal and Vulkan backends; WebGPU requires a build using the wgpu Cargo feature. Settings live in a TOML file, and edits automatically trigger a new render. Windows support requires Windows 10 or later and includes MSI and portable options; macOS downloads are universal for Apple Silicon and Intel. Linux packages cover several distributions, with .deb and .rpm files on GitHub releases. Stable and daily nightly builds are available. Rio is free and pre-1.0, with security fixes aimed at the latest release.
Who it suits
Rio suits users seeking a free, open source terminal with GPU rendering across desktop systems or browsers. It also fits people who want split panels, image protocols and configurable shell integration.
What it does well
- Free and open source
- Runs across major desktop systems
- GPU acceleration with split panels
- Supports Kitty and iTerm2 images
- TOML configuration reloads automatically
What to know first
- Pre-1.0 project
- Security fixes target latest release
- WebGPU needs a special build
- Some Linux packages lack terminfo
Verdict
Rio offers a broad, free terminal feature set with GPU rendering and several platform targets. Its pre-1.0 status and release-focused security support are important considerations for users who need older-version fixes.
Facts from Rio's own pages
- Adaptive themes
- Rio can switch between light and dark themes based on system appearance on Web, macOS, Windows, and Linux. · rioterm.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Available systems
- Rio is available for Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, macOS, and WebAssembly. · rioterm.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Build status
- Rio offers stable builds and nightly builds, with nightly builds created daily. · rioterm.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Customization
- Rio allows users to configure settings in a TOML file, and changes to that file automatically trigger the terminal to render with the new configuration. · rioterm.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Desktop availability
- Rio is available for Windows, Linux distributions, FreeBSD, and macOS. · rioterm.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Free plan
- Yes · rioterm.com, 20 Sept 2026
- GPU acceleration
- Yes · rioterm.com, 20 Sept 2026
- GPU support
- Rio's Sugarloaf renderer has native Metal and Vulkan backends, while WebGPU requires building with the wgpu Cargo feature. · rioterm.com, 4 Oct 2026
- GPU terminal
- The project describes Rio as a hardware-accelerated GPU terminal emulator for desktops and browsers. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Image support
- Rio supports the iTerm2 inline image protocol. · rioterm.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Linux packages
- Prebuilt Linux packages are available for distributions including Arch, Alpine, Nix, openSUSE, Flathub, and Void, with .deb and .rpm packages on GitHub releases. · rioterm.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Linux packaging
- The project lists packages for Arch, Alpine, Nix, openSUSE, Flathub, and Void, plus .deb and .rpm packages on GitHub releases. · rioterm.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Linux terminfo note
- Rio's .deb packages do not include terminfo; Ubuntu 22.04 and older Debian or Ubuntu systems require manual installation. · rioterm.com, 4 Oct 2026
- macOS support
- The macOS download is a universal binary for Apple Silicon and Intel machines. · rioterm.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Maintenance
- The homepage invites users to sponsor the project to help keep it going. · rioterm.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Product
- Rio describes itself as an open source terminal for the 21st century. · rioterm.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Rio is a hardware-accelerated GPU terminal emulator designed to run on desktops and in browsers. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Release channels
- Rio offers stable builds, which are described as thoroughly tested, and nightly builds created daily. · rioterm.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Scripting API
- Yes · rioterm.com, 20 Sept 2026
- Security reporting
- The project asks users to report security issues privately through the repository's Security tab or by email, rather than in a public issue. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Shell integration
- Rio can inject shell integration for zsh, fish, and PowerShell to report the working directory, and the feature can be disabled in configuration. · rioterm.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Split panels
- Split panels are supported and enabled by default. · rioterm.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Split panes
- Yes · rioterm.com, 20 Sept 2026
- Supported platforms
- macOS,Windows,Linux · rioterm.com, 20 Sept 2026
Where Rio stands on Freedom251
- Terminal Emulators#27 of 40
- Terminal apps#29 of 41