Side by side
Macterm vs mintty
Both stand on terminal emulators. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan MacSelf-hosted
Macterm combines persistent sessions, configurable panes, SSH workspaces, and a scriptable CLI in a focused macOS terminal. Remote-project setup and the local socket security model deserve attention before adoption.
Visit Macterm Free plan Windows
Choose mintty if you need a Windows terminal for Cygwin, MSYS, MSYS2, related projects, or WSL, with broad text, graphics, and window options. Look elsewhere if you need PuTTY-style networking built into the terminal or require a platform other than Windows.
Visit minttyThe facts
| Macterm | mintty | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Mac, Self-hosted | Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Not published | Free or on request |
| Plans published | None | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | macterm.thdxg.dev | mintty.github.io |
| On terminal emulators | #25 of 40 | #21 of 40 |
Macterm: what it does well
- Restores shells, scrollback, and running processes
- Supports flexible split panes
- Builds workspaces from YAML files
- Provides SSH remote projects
- Reads existing Ghostty configuration
What to know first
- Requires macOS 14 or later
- Remote projects need zmx preinstalled
- No zmx upload flow is available
- Control socket has no token authentication
mintty: what it does well
- Supports xterm-compatible emulation and DEC screen controls.
- Renders Unicode, bidirectional text, Arabic shaping, and emoji.
- Offers virtual tabs, session switching, fullscreen, and transparency.
- Settings can be stored in a text file without registry entries.
- Available by default in Cygwin and MSYS2, and included with Git for Windows.
What to know first
- Does not include PuTTY's networking functionality.
- Pseudo-terminal mode can have Windows console input/output interworking problems.
- Available for Windows only.
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