Alternatives to tmux
Keeps terminal sessions alive on a server after you disconnect, and splits one window into many. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
tmux
Keeps terminal sessions alive on a server after you disconnect, and splits one window into many.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as tmux.
GNU Screen
A terminal multiplexer that runs several shell sessions in one window and keeps them alive after disconnecting.
GNU Screen offers the same detach and reattach sessions and is long established on Unix servers, with a keyboard-driven interface that also takes time to learn.
Zellij
A terminal multiplexer that tells you its own shortcuts on screen, so you can use it on day one.
Zellij shows its key hints on screen, adds floating and stacked panes and WebAssembly plugins, but is usually not preinstalled on servers the way tmux is.
Byobu
Friendly configuration layer over tmux or GNU Screen.
Byobu runs on top of tmux or GNU Screen and gives a status bar and function-key bindings from first launch, at the cost of an extra abstraction layer.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Alacritty
A deliberately minimal OpenGL terminal that leaves multiplexing and tabs to other programs and just draws text fast.
WezTerm
A GPU-accelerated terminal that is also a multiplexer, configured in Lua and the same on every platform.
Windows Terminal
Microsoft’s tabbed terminal for Windows, hosting Command Prompt, PowerShell and WSL in one GPU-rendered window.
tmux Plugin Manager
Installs and updates tmux plugins from a line in the config file.
iTerm2
macOS terminal replacement with split panes, search and session restore.
Ghostty
A GPU-accelerated terminal that uses the real native interface of the platform instead of drawing its own.
