Ghostty
Fast, native terminal emulator with GPU acceleration and free MIT license
- #3 of 10 in best terminal emulators
- Free and open source
- Free to use
- Open source
- macOSLinux
Ranked 3 of 10 in best terminal emulators
A fast, native terminal for macOS and Linux with GPU acceleration and search through scrollback, under the MIT license. Its download page lists no Windows build, and it is a younger project.
Best for Fast native terminal on macOS and Linux
About Ghostty
Ghostty is a terminal emulator that uses the native user interface of each platform and GPU acceleration for drawing text. The project publishes builds for macOS, as a universal binary for Apple Silicon and Intel, and for Linux through packages or source. Its release notes describe search through scrollback on both platforms.
Ghostty fits people who want a fast native terminal on macOS or Linux and a permissive license. Its download page lists only macOS and Linux, so Windows users need another option such as Windows Terminal or WezTerm. The project is young next to iTerm2, and its versions move quickly, so check the release notes before upgrading.
Key features
- Platform-native interface
- GPU acceleration
- MIT license
- Search through scrollback
Strengths
- Free and open source under the MIT license
- Uses native interfaces and GPU acceleration
Limits
- Download page lists only macOS and Linux
- Younger project than iTerm2 or kitty
Where Ghostty ranks
How Ghostty compares
| Product | Score | Price | Platforms | Built-in tabs and splits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
#1 WezTerm | 91.5 | Free and open source | WindowsmacOSLinux | Yes |
#2 iTerm2 | 89.5 | Free and open source | macOS | Yes |
| #3Ghostty | 88.0 | Free and open source | macOSLinux | Yes |
#4 Windows Terminal | 86.5 | Free and open source | Windows | Yes |
#5 kitty | 85.0 | Free and open source | LinuxmacOS | Yes |
The full comparison table for best terminal emulators has all 10 products.
Alternatives to Ghostty
All 9 alternatives
Questions about Ghostty
- Is Ghostty free?
- Ghostty can be used without paying: Free under the MIT license; source code published on GitHub. Check the vendor’s pricing page for current limits.
- Is Ghostty open source?
- Yes. Ghostty publishes its source code under the MIT license.
- Which platforms does Ghostty support?
- Ghostty is available on: macOS, Linux.
- What is Ghostty best for?
- Fast native terminal on macOS and Linux. In our ranking of terminal emulators it is number 3 of 10 with a score of 88.0.
- What are the best alternatives to Ghostty?
- The highest-ranked alternatives on listme.name are WezTerm, iTerm2, Windows Terminal, kitty.
Show this ranking on your site
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<a href="https://listme.name/software/ghostty"><img src="https://listme.name/badge/ghostty.svg" height="28" alt="Ranked #3 of 10 terminal emulators on listme.name"></a>