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Byobu vs tmux: catalog facts
Byobu	tmux
Free Free and open source under the GPL.	Free Free and open source under the ISC licence.
macOS, Linux, Command line	macOS, Linux, Command line
Usable multiplexer with a status bar from the first launch, no config needed Function-key bindings that are easier to learn than raw tmux prefixes	Sessions survive a dropped SSH connection Splits and windows without needing the terminal emulator to support them
Adds an abstraction layer that gets in the way once you know tmux well	The prefix-key model takes a while to become automatic Configuration is terse and the manual page is dense
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-3.0	License: ISC
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.