Best xterm Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from terminal emulators ranked against xterm on the same published basis.
- 1xterm vs Warp
- 2xterm vs Tabby
- 3xterm vs Contour
- 4xterm vs WezTerm
- 5xterm vs Windows Terminal
- 6xterm vs MobaXterm
- 7xterm vs iTerm2
- 8xterm vs Ghostty
- 9xterm vs Alacritty
- 10xterm vs Hyper
- 11xterm vs Tabby (formerly Terminus)
- 12xterm vs Rio
- 13xterm vs PuTTY
- 14xterm vs ZOC
- 15xterm vs ConEmu
- 16xterm vs Cmder
- 17xterm vs Terminator
- 18xterm vs Tilix
- 19xterm vs Konsole
- 20xterm vs Macterm
xterm alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warp | 8.2 | Free plan | $20/mo | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 2 | Tabby | 8.1 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 3 | Contour | 8.1 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 4 | WezTerm | 8.0 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 5 | Windows Terminal | 7.8 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 6 | MobaXterm | 7.7 | Free plan | — | Windows |
| 7 | iTerm2 | 7.6 | Free plan | Free | Mac |
| 8 | Ghostty | 7.5 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac |
| 9 | Alacritty | 7.5 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 10 | Hyper | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 11 | Tabby (formerly Terminus) | 6.9 | No | — | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 12 | Rio | 6.9 | No | — | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 13 | PuTTY | 6.4 | No | — | Windows |
| 14 | ZOC | 6.4 | No | $79.99/mo | Mac, Windows |
| 15 | ConEmu | 6.4 | No | — | Windows |
| 16 | Cmder | 6.4 | No | — | Windows |
| 17 | Terminator | 6.4 | No | — | Linux |
| 18 | Tilix | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 19 | Konsole | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 20 | Macterm | 6.1 | No | — | Mac |
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Questions about xterm alternatives
What is the best alternative to xterm?
Warp, number 1 in terminal emulators with a score of 8.2 out of 10. The others here: Tabby, Contour, WezTerm and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to xterm?
Warp is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 12 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked mobile-first: a phone app alongside the web or desktop product, a free tier and the depth of its documentation.