Uncovering the Best Extraterm Alternatives for Enhanced Terminal Productivity
Extraterm is a powerful and versatile terminal emulator, offering features like capturing and reusing command output, direct media previews, and in-place command output editing. It boasts xterm compatibility, tabs, split panes, drag-and-drop functionality, a command palette, and robust Unicode/emoji support. While Extraterm excels in many areas, users may seek Extraterm alternative solutions due to specific feature requirements, platform preferences, or a desire for a different user experience. This article explores some of the top contenders that can provide a comparable or even enhanced terminal environment.
Top Extraterm Alternatives
Looking for a terminal emulator that offers robust features, customization, or a different approach to your command-line workflow? These Extraterm alternatives offer a range of functionalities to suit diverse user needs, from highly configurable options to lightweight and speedy experiences.
Terminator
Terminator offers a powerful multi-terminal experience within a single window, making it an excellent Extraterm alternative for users who frequently manage multiple command-line tasks. It is free and open-source, available on Mac, Linux, and BSD, and features configurable layouts, function key shortcuts, support for multiple monitors, plugins, split-screen views, and themes.
Hyper
Hyper™ is a beautiful, extensible, and cross-platform terminal built on open web standards, making it a compelling Extraterm alternative for those who value aesthetics and customization. It's free and open-source, runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux, and is Electron-based. Key features include extensibility via plugins/extensions, split-screen views, tiling panes, a clean design, a customizable interface, and theme support.
GNOME Terminal
GNOME Terminal is a widely used and reliable terminal emulator for the GNOME desktop environment. As a free and open-source option available on Linux and BSD, it serves as a straightforward Extraterm alternative for users seeking a basic yet functional terminal experience tightly integrated with the GNOME ecosystem.
Terminal
The built-in Terminal on Mac OS offers a lean and efficient command-line interface. As a free, native Mac application, it's a solid Extraterm alternative for Apple users who prefer a non-bloated, highly integrated terminal emulator without additional installations.
Alacritty
Alacritty is a blazing-fast, GPU-accelerated terminal emulator written in Rust, making it an excellent Extraterm alternative for users prioritizing performance and low latency. It's free and open-source, available on Mac, Windows, and Linux, and boasts features like GPU support, lightweight design, and virtually no input delay.
Yakuake
Yakuake is a drop-down (Quake-style) terminal emulator built on KDE Konsole technology, offering a convenient and quick-access command line. As a free and open-source Extraterm alternative for Linux and BSD, it features a dropdown interface, split tabs, transparency options, a built-in search engine, and a tabbed interface.
Cool Retro Term
Cool Retro Term is a unique terminal emulator that mimics the look and feel of old cathode ray tube screens, designed for users who appreciate visual flair. This free and open-source Extraterm alternative is available on Mac and Linux, primarily focusing on eye-candy with numerous graphic options.
Tilix
Tilix is a tiling terminal emulator that utilizes the VTE GTK+ 3 widget, providing robust multi-session capabilities and flexible layouts. As a free and open-source Extraterm alternative for Linux, it allows users to arrange terminals in any fashion by splitting them horizontally or vertically, and also supports a dropdown terminal mode.
upterm
Upterm (formerly Black Screen) is a terminal emulator and interactive shell designed for the 21st century, offering features like auto-completion to streamline command-line work. It's a free and open-source Extraterm alternative available on Mac and Linux, built on Electron/Atom Shell, focusing on an enhanced command-line interface.
Terminus
Terminus is a cross-platform, Electron-based terminal emulator compatible with various shells like Bash, Powershell, and Cygwin. As a free and open-source Extraterm alternative, it runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux, providing a modern and versatile command-line experience with its Electron-based architecture.
With a wide array of terminal emulators available, finding the perfect Extraterm alternative depends largely on your individual workflow, platform, and feature priorities. We encourage you to explore these options further to discover the best fit for your command-line needs.