17.7
Termalin is an SSH client for people and AI agents, bringing terminal sessions, file tools, database access, and agent connections together.
Free planiOSWebAPI
Best Terminal Emulators in 2026
Termalin leads this chart of 40 (7.7/10, free plan). Warp is next (7.6/10, free plan), and MobaXterm is the next highest-placed with a free plan (7.4/10). Terminal emulators provide command-line access through a desktop app; your choice turns on supported platforms and features such as SSH, split panes, and session sync. Compare free-plan terms, paid pricing, platform support, and tools such as GPU acceleration or a scripting API. If you plan to use one on Android, check its Android support separately because the platform details here focus on desktop and hosted…
27.6
Free planLinuxmacOSSelf-hosted
37.4
MobaXterm combines remote-computing tools and Unix commands in a Windows application for people working with remote systems.
Free planWindows
- 4
Cool Retro Term
Free terminal for Linux and macOS styled after old cathode-ray screens.
Free planOpen sourceLinuxmacOSSelf-hosted7.1Free plan - 5
Contour
Contour is a free, modal terminal emulator for Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and Windows, designed for everyday use and aimed at advanced power users.
Free planLinuxmacOSWindows6.8Free plan - 6
gitsome
gitsome is a free Git and GitHub command-line interface for Linux, macOS, Unix, and Windows.
Free planLinuxmacOSSelf-hostedWindows6.8Free plan - 7
Konsole
Konsole is a free terminal emulator for running a command shell and controlling a computer through a text-based command line.
Free planLinuxmacOSWindows6.8Free plan - 8
Tabby
Tabby is a free, open-source terminal app for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Free planLinuxmacOSWindows6.7Free plan - 9
ZOC
macOSWindows6.7$79.99 one-time - 10
mintty
mintty is a free terminal emulator for Windows, intended for Cygwin, MSYS, MSYS2, related projects, and WSL.
Free planWindows6.6Free plan - 11
QTerminal
QTerminal is a lightweight Qt terminal emulator based on QTermWidget and maintained by the LXQt project.
Free planLinuxmacOS6.5Free plan - 12
WezTerm
WezTerm is a free, Rust-based terminal emulator and multiplexer for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Free planLinuxmacOSWindows6.5Free plan - 13
Alacritty
Alacritty is a cross-platform terminal emulator built with OpenGL for performance and extensive configuration.
Free planLinuxmacOSWindows6.4Free plan - 14
HyperACCESS
Windows6.4 - 15
Terminology
Free Linux terminal emulator made for Enlightenment, with panes and GPU acceleration.
Free planLinux6.4Free plan - 166.4Free plan
- 17
Ghostty
Ghostty is a free terminal emulator for macOS and Linux, with GPU-accelerated rendering and native interface components.
Free planLinuxmacOS6.3Free plan - 18
6.3Free plan - 19
Hyper
Hyper is a free terminal for people who work with a command-line interface.
Free planLinuxmacOSWindows6.3Free plan - 20
Tera Term
Tera Term is a free terminal emulator and communications program for Windows, with serial-port and TCP/IP connections.
Free planWindows6.3Free plan - 21
xterm
xterm is a terminal emulator for the X Window System, available for Linux, macOS, and Windows.
Free planLinuxmacOSWindows6.3Free plan - 22
Cmder
Cmder is a portable console emulator package for Windows, built on ConEmu with enhancements from Clink, a Monokai color scheme, and a custom prompt layout.
Free planWindows6.2Free plan - 23
ConEmu
ConEmu is a free terminal emulator for Windows that hosts console programs and simple GUI applications in a customizable window.
Free planWindows6.2Free plan - 246.2Free plan
- 25
iTerm2
iTerm2 is a macOS replacement for Terminal and the successor to iTerm, with tools for people who spend much of their time in a terminal.
Free planmacOS6.2Free plan
Choosing well
Which platforms does it need to run on?
Start with the operating systems or deployment model you need. The listed platform options include Linux, Windows, macOS, self-hosted setups, web access, and an API.
Check Android support separately if you want to use a terminal emulator on a Xiaomi, Redmi, or POCO phone or tablet.
Does it have a free plan or trial?
Check the free plan before comparing paid prices. Pricing models in this category include free and freemium plans, while a smaller set offers a free trial.
For example, Termalin has a free plan, costs $8 per user per month on annual billing, and offers a 14-day trial.
Which terminal features does it include?
Match the feature set to your workflow by checking split panes, session sync, GPU acceleration, scripting API support, and SSH support.
Tools such as Tabby, WezTerm, and Konsole appear among the products to compare on these capabilities.
Do you need an open-source terminal?
If licence access or code changes matter, check whether the tool is open source before choosing. The list identifies open-source status as a comparison point.
Read the licence details for the product you are considering rather than assuming a free plan means open source.
Questions people ask
Which terminal emulators have a free plan?
Check the pricing field for a free plan. Examples include Contour, gitsome, Cool Retro Term, Tabby, WezTerm, Alacritty, Hyper, and QTerminal.
Which terminal emulators support Linux?
Linux is one of the listed supported platforms. Confirm the individual product's platform details before installing.
Which terminal emulator offers a free trial?
Some products include a free trial in their pricing details. Termalin lists a 14-day trial alongside its free plan.
What features should I compare in a terminal emulator?
Compare free plan, paid pricing, supported platforms, split panes, session sync, GPU acceleration, scripting API support, and SSH support.