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.
Terminal emulators give you an interface for command-line sessions, with features that can affect how you organize work and connect to systems. Compare split panes and session sync, then check SSH support and supported platforms against your setup. GPU acceleration and a scripting API offer other distinctions, while free-plan availability and paid-from pricing help frame cost. Termalin, Contour, and Warp are among the options shown, with Tabby and Ghostty also represented. Consider which capabilities matter for your day-to-day terminal use and which platforms you need to support.
40 terminal emulators ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
Recognised 40% · Phone app 26% · Documented 20% · Free plan 14% of the score
- 1 Termalin iPhone only RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.8$8/mo Supported platforms: Windows, macOS, LinuxSession sync: Yes
- 2 Contour No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.4Free Supported platforms: Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, WindowsSplit panes: YesSession sync: Yes
- 3 Warp No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.4$20/mo Supported platforms: macOS, Windows, LinuxSplit panes: YesSession sync: Yes
- 4 Tabby No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.3Free Supported platforms: Windows, macOS, LinuxSplit panes: YesSession sync: Yes
- 5 Ghostty No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2Free Supported platforms: macOS, LinuxSplit panes: Yes
- 6 Hyper No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2Free Supported platforms: macos, windows, linuxSplit panes: Yes
- 7 iTerm2 No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2Free Supported platforms: macosSplit panes: Yes
- 8 MobaXterm No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2Free Supported platforms: Windows
- 9 WezTerm No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2Free Supported platforms: Windows, macOS, LinuxSplit panes: Yes
- 10 Windows Terminal No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2Free Supported platforms: WindowsSplit panes: Yes
- 11 GNOME Terminal No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.9Free Supported platforms: linux
- 12 gitsome No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.7 Supported platforms: macOS, Linux, Unix, WindowsSplit panes: NoSession sync: No
- 13 Rio No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.7 Supported platforms: macOS, Windows, LinuxSplit panes: Yes
- 14 agedu No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.4 Supported platforms: Windows and Unix
- 15 Alacritty No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.4 Supported platforms: Linux, macOS, Windows, BSDSplit panes: No
- 16 Cmder No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.4 Supported platforms: WindowsSplit panes: Yes
- 17 ConEmu No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.4 Supported platforms: WindowsSplit panes: Yes
- 18 foot No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.4 Supported platforms: linuxSplit panes: No
- 19 Guake No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.4 Supported platforms: linuxSplit panes: Yes
- 20 kitty No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.4 Supported platforms: Linux, macOSSplit panes: Yes
- 21 Konsole No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.4 Supported platforms: Linux, Windows, macOSSplit panes: Yes
- 22 Macterm No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.4 Supported platforms: macOSSplit panes: Yes
- 23 mintty No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.4 Supported platforms: WindowsSplit panes: No
- 24 Tera Term No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.4 Supported platforms: windows
- 25 Terminator No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.4 Supported platforms: LinuxSplit panes: Yes
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 Samsung Mobile US Press?
Termalin is ranked #1 of 40 with a score of 7.8. 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 mobile-first: a phone app alongside the web or desktop product, a free tier and the depth of its documentation. Paid placements never change a rank.