Ghostty vs Windows Terminal: Which is Better in 2026?
Choosing between Ghostty and Windows Terminal? Both are popular terminals & cli tools tools. Below we compare them on pricing, free tiers, features, and pros & cons so you can pick the right fit for your stack.
Quick verdict
Both Ghostty and Windows Terminal are strong terminals & cli tools choices. The right pick comes down to your specific feature needs, existing stack, and team preferences. In our catalog, Ghostty rates slightly higher (4.8 vs 4.6 out of 5).
Ghostty vs Windows Terminal — Side by Side
| Ghostty | Windows Terminal | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Terminals & CLI Tools | Terminals & CLI Tools |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starting price | Free tier available | Free tier available |
| Free tier | ||
| Rating | 4.8 | 4.6 |
| Best for | Terminals & CLI Tools — terminal, gpu | Terminals & CLI Tools — terminal, windows |
Pros & Cons
- Very fast, with low input latency
- Feels native on each platform
- Sensible defaults with little configuration needed
- Fewer power-user features than iTerm2
- No built-in AI
- Younger project, so plugins and themes are still growing
- Default and well-integrated on Windows 11
- One window for PowerShell, CMD and every WSL distro
- Open source and actively maintained
- Windows only
- Fewer advanced features than iTerm2 or WezTerm
- Settings UI still falls back to JSON for some options
Key Features Compared
Ghostty
- GPU-accelerated rendering
- Native UI on macOS (SwiftUI) and Linux (GTK)
- Tabs, splits and multi-window
- Embeddable libghostty core
Windows Terminal
- Tabs and panes across PowerShell, CMD and WSL
- GPU-accelerated text rendering
- JSON profiles, themes and key bindings
Choose Ghostty if…
- You want a free tier to validate before paying.
- Very fast, with low input latency
- Feels native on each platform
- Sensible defaults with little configuration needed
Choose Windows Terminal if…
- You want a free tier to validate before paying.
- Default and well-integrated on Windows 11
- One window for PowerShell, CMD and every WSL distro
- Open source and actively maintained
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ghostty better than Windows Terminal?⌄
Both Ghostty and Windows Terminal are strong terminals & cli tools choices. The right pick comes down to your specific feature needs, existing stack, and team preferences. In our catalog, Ghostty rates slightly higher (4.8 vs 4.6 out of 5).
What is the difference between Ghostty and Windows Terminal?⌄
Ghostty — A fast, GPU-accelerated terminal with a fully native UI, from HashiCorp co-founder Mitchell Hashimoto. It is free and MIT-licensed. Windows Terminal — Microsoft's open-source, tabbed terminal for PowerShell, Command Prompt and WSL. It is the default on Windows 11 and free. Both are terminals & cli tools tools; the comparison table above breaks down pricing, free tiers, and what each is best for.
Ghostty vs Windows Terminal: which is cheaper?⌄
Ghostty pricing: Free. Windows Terminal pricing: Free. Confirm current pricing on each tool's official site, as plans change.
Which is rated higher, Ghostty or Windows Terminal?⌄
In our catalog, Ghostty rates 4.8 out of 5 and Windows Terminal rates 4.6 out of 5, so Ghostty has a slight edge on reviews.
See more options in our guide to the best terminals & cli tools tools for startups.
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