Best Terminal Emulators in 2026
Updated
In short: Termalin is ranked #1 of 40 as of 4 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.
For command-line work, a terminal emulator can shape how you organize sessions and connect to other systems. Compare split panes and session sync, then check SSH support and supported platforms against your setup. GPU acceleration and a scripting API offer further features to weigh; free-plan availability and the paid starting price help with cost comparisons. Warp, Tabby and Contour are among the first entries, followed by WezTerm and Windows Terminal. Consider which of these listed capabilities matter to your workflow, whether you prioritize managing several sessions, remote access or a particular platform.
40 terminal emulators ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
#1 Termalin Top pick · 7.4 Free plan · $8/mo
#2 Contour Runner-up · 7.3 Free plan · Free
#3 Warp Also great · 7.2 Free plan · $20/mo
- Free planFree trial apiiOSLinuxmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- Session sync
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$8/mofirst paid tier About TermalinVisit site - Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Windows
- Split panes
- Yes
- Session sync
- Yes
- GPU acceleration
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan LinuxmacOSself-hostedWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 18 /mo
- Supported platforms
- macOS, Windows, Linux
- Split panes
- Yes
- Session sync
- Yes
- GPU acceleration
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$20/mofirst paid tier About WarpVisit site - Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- Split panes
- Yes
- Session sync
- Yes
- GPU acceleration
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- macos, windows, linux
- Split panes
- Yes
- GPU acceleration
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- Split panes
- Yes
- GPU acceleration
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan LinuxmacOS
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- macOS, Linux
- Split panes
- Yes
- GPU acceleration
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan macOS
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- macos
- Split panes
- Yes
- GPU acceleration
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free planFree trial Windows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- Windows
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan Windows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- Windows
- Split panes
- Yes
- GPU acceleration
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - LinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- macOS, Windows, Linux
- Split panes
- Yes
- GPU acceleration
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - LinuxmacOSself-hostedWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- macOS, Linux, Unix, Windows
- Split panes
- No
- Session sync
- No
- GPU acceleration
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan Linux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- linux
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - LinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD
- Split panes
- No
- GPU acceleration
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - LinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- Linux, Windows, macOS
- Split panes
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - LinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- linux, macos, windows
- Split panes
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - LinuxWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- Windows and Unix
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Linux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- linux
- Split panes
- No
- GPU acceleration
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - LinuxmacOS
- Supported platforms
- Linux, macOS
- Split panes
- Yes
- GPU acceleration
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - LinuxmacOS
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- linux, macos
- Split panes
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Linux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- linux
- Split panes
- Yes
- Session sync
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Windows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- Windows
- Split panes
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Windows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- Windows
- Split panes
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Linux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- linux
- Split panes
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - macOS
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- macOS
- Split panes
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which terminal emulator is ranked first on Everything Xiaomi?
Termalin is ranked #1 of 40 with a score of 7.4. Contour is second and Warp third.
How many of these have a free plan?
11 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 on what each maker publishes: documentation depth, a free tier and the platforms it runs on. Paid placements never change a rank.