Best Terminal Emulators in 2026
Updated
In short: Termalin is ranked #1 of 40 as of 7 October 2026, ahead of Contour and Warp. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Contour. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Termalin at $8/mo.
A terminal emulator provides an interface for command-line work, and the details can affect how you organize sessions or connect to other systems. Compared on split panes, session sync, SSH support, and supported platforms, these entries make it easier to assess practical fit for your setup. GPU acceleration and a scripting API are additional capabilities to weigh, while free-plan availability and paid-from pricing give cost context. Termalin, Contour, and Warp are among the listed options. Consider which features matter to your workflow and which supported platforms align with the devices you use.
40 terminal emulators ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
15 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TermalinWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · iPhone · API | Three bars | — | 5 of 6 | $8/mo | 6.7 | |
| 2 | ContourWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 3 | WarpWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | $20/mo | 6.6 | |
| 4 | AlacrittyWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 5 | HyperWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 6 | KonsoleWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 7 | TabbyWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 8 | WezTermWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 9 | GhosttyMac · Linux | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 10 | iTerm2Mac | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 11 | MobaXtermWindows | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 12 | stLinux | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 13 | TilixLinux | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 14 | Windows TerminalWindows | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 15 | GNOME TerminalLinux | One bar | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.2 | |
| 16 | RioWindows · Mac · Linux | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.6 |
| 17 | gitsomeWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 18 | xtermWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 19 | ageduWeb · Linux | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 20 | footLinux | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 21 | kittyMac · Linux | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 22 | QTerminalMac · Linux | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 23 | CmderWindows | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 24 | ConEmuWindows | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 25 | Cool Retro TermMac · Linux | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Supported platforms | Split panes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Termalin | 6.7 | Free plan | $8/mo | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, Linux | — |
| 2 | Contour | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Windows | Yes |
| 3 | Warp | 6.6 | Free plan | $20/mo | Yes | 18 /mo | macOS, Windows, Linux | Yes |
| 4 | Alacritty | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD | No |
| 5 | Hyper | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | macos, windows, linux | Yes |
| 6 | Konsole | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Linux, Windows, macOS | Yes |
| 7 | Tabby | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, Linux | Yes |
| 8 | WezTerm | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, Linux | Yes |
| 9 | Ghostty | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | macOS, Linux | Yes |
| 10 | iTerm2 | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | macos | Yes |
| 11 | MobaXterm | 6.3 | Free plan | — | Yes | — | Windows | — |
| 12 | st | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 13 | Tilix | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | linux | Yes |
| 14 | Windows Terminal | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Windows | Yes |
| 15 | GNOME Terminal | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | linux | — |
| 16 | Rio | 5.6 | No | — | Yes | — | macOS, Windows, Linux | Yes |
| 17 | gitsome | 5.5 | No | — | Yes | — | macOS, Linux, Unix, Windows | No |
| 18 | xterm | 5.4 | No | — | Yes | — | linux, macos, windows | No |
| 19 | agedu | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | Windows and Unix | — |
| 20 | foot | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | linux | No |
| 21 | kitty | 5.3 | No | — | — | — | Linux, macOS | Yes |
| 22 | QTerminal | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | linux, macos | Yes |
| 23 | Cmder | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | Windows | Yes |
| 24 | ConEmu | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | Windows | Yes |
| 25 | Cool Retro Term | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | linux, macos | — |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which terminal emulator is ranked first on Freedom251?
Termalin is ranked #1 of 40 with a score of 6.7. Contour is second and Warp third.
How many of these have a free plan?
15 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Termalin has the lowest first paid tier we found: $8/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.