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tmux vs Zellij: catalog facts
tmux	Zellij
Free Free and open source under the ISC licence.	Free Free and open source under the MIT licence.
macOS, Linux, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
Sessions survive a dropped SSH connection Splits and windows without needing the terminal emulator to support them	On-screen key hints, so it is usable without memorising anything first Floating and stacked panes that tmux does not have
The prefix-key model takes a while to become automatic Configuration is terse and the manual page is dense	Fewer years of accumulated configuration and scripts than tmux The status bar uses screen space until you turn it off
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: ISC	License: MIT
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026

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