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Windows Terminal vs Hyper: catalog facts
Windows TerminalHyper
Free

Free and open source, published by Microsoft.

Free

Free and open source under the MIT licence.

Windows Windows, macOS, Linux
  • One window for Command Prompt, PowerShell, WSL distributions and Azure Cloud Shell
  • Tabs, split panes and tab tear-out into separate windows
  • Themes are CSS and plugins are npm packages, so customisation is familiar territory
  • The same appearance and configuration across Windows, macOS and Linux
  • Windows only, and it needs a reasonably current Windows 10 or 11
  • It is a terminal, not a shell: the shell you run inside it is still cmd, PowerShell or…
  • Electron, so startup time and memory use are well above a native terminal
  • Rendering performance on heavy output is noticeably worse than native terminals
Downloadable app Downloadable app
Open source Open source
License: MIT License: MIT
No account needed No account needed
Works offline Works offline

Checked September 20, 2026

Checked September 21, 2026

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