Side by side
Macterm vs st
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 Linux
st focuses on a straightforward graphical terminal with broad text and color support. Its deliberately narrow scope excludes tmux behavior and unlimited scrollback, so those needs require other software.
Visit stThe facts
| Macterm | st | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Mac, Self-hosted | Linux |
| Lowest paid plan | Not published | Free or on request |
| Plans published | None | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | macterm.thdxg.dev | st.suckless.org |
| On terminal emulators | #25 of 40 | #29 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
st: what it does well
- Free Linux terminal for X
- Supports UTF-8 and wide characters
- 256 colors and true colors
- Configurable shortcuts in config.h
- Actively developed Git repository
What to know first
- No unlimited scrollback buffer
- Not intended to reimplement tmux
- Configuration uses source headers
- Linux platform only