Guake
Guake is a free, multilingual top-down terminal for GNOME on Linux, inspired by the terminal in Quake.
What Guake is
Guake is a free, multilingual top-down terminal for GNOME on Linux, inspired by the terminal in Quake. A predefined hotkey shows or hides it so users can run commands and return to their previous task. It supports split panes, multiple named tabs, and a scripting API. Tabs can be named automatically from the running command or customized. Guake can open on the monitor under the mouse or on a dedicated screen, start at login, and run a launch script to configure tabs. The homepage lists more than 130 predefined color palettes. Detected file names in terminal output can open in editors such as Visual Studio Code, Atom, or Sublime Text, including line and column targets when supported. URLs can open with Ctrl-click, while selected text can be searched from the context menu. D-Bus and command-line control support automation. On Wayland, the hotkey may need window-manager configuration.
Good
- Free Linux terminal
- Quick show-and-hide hotkey
- Supports split panes and named tabs
- More than 130 color palettes
- D-Bus and command-line control
Watch out
- Linux only
- Wayland may require window-manager hotkey setup
- No free trial listed
Who it suits
Guake suits Linux GNOME users who want quick terminal access, configurable tabs, pane splitting, and command-line automation. It is also useful for workflows that open files, links, or search terms from terminal output.
Verdict
Guake provides a free, keyboard-accessible GNOME terminal with tabs, panes, editor links, and automation controls. Wayland users may need extra hotkey configuration in their window manager.
Plans and prices
From Guake's own pricing page, checked 9 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Guake | Free | No paid plans stated |
The facts
Each one read from Guake's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Automation
- The documentation says Guake makes its major features available over D-Bus and supports command-line control.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Color palettes
- The homepage says Guake includes more than 130 predefined color palettes.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- Guake can open detected file names in editors such as Visual Studio Code, Atom, or Sublime Text, including parsing compiler and test output to locate a line.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Links and search
- Guake can detect URLs in terminal output for Ctrl-click opening and offers context-menu actions to open links or search selected text on the web.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Multi-monitor
- Guake can open on the monitor under the mouse or on a dedicated screen.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Notable limitation
- On Wayland, the documentation says the hotkey may need to be configured in the window manager’s global settings.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Product
- Guake is a multilingual, top-down terminal for GNOME, inspired by the terminal used in Quake.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Project history
- The homepage says Guake was originally written by Gabriel Falcão in 2007 and has since become an open source project with many contributors.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Quick access
- A predefined hotkey shows or hides the terminal so users can run commands and return to their previous task.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Quick Open
- Clicking a file name in terminal output can open it in a text editor, including at a specific line and column when the editor supports it.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Scripting API
- Yeschecked 20 Sep 2026
- Split panes
- Yeschecked 20 Sep 2026
- Startup configuration
- Guake can start automatically at login and run a script on launch to configure tabs.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Support
- The homepage directs users to the GitHub Issues page to report bugs and welcomes code and translation contributions.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Tabs
- It supports multiple named tabs, with names set automatically from the running command or customized by the user.checked 9 Oct 2026
The company
- Founded
- 2007checked 28 Sep 2026
Money
- Free plan
- Yeschecked 20 Sep 2026
Where it runs
- Platforms
- The project describes Guake as made for the GNOME desktop environment and lists installation instructions for Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch Linux, and Manjaro.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Supported platforms
- linuxchecked 20 Sep 2026
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