Hyper Alternatives
Hyper alternatives: WezTerm, Tabby, Kitty, Ghostty and Alacritty compared by config model, platform support and built-in features.
Updated
short verdict
WezTerm is the closest replacement if you want deep scripting on Linux, macOS and Windows without Electron. Tabby keeps the plugin model and adds SSH, SFTP and serial. Ghostty and Alacritty suit you if the main complaint is speed, and Kitty if you want scripting and image display in a GPU-rendered terminal.
Hyper is an Electron terminal themed with HTML, CSS and JS and extended through npm plugins. Its own overview says it is not the fastest, and people who leave usually want lower overhead, built-in splits or remote tooling instead of plugins. The options below differ mainly in how you configure them (Lua, TOML, plugins, kittens), which platforms they cover, and whether tabs and panes are built in.
this page is for
- Hyper users who want faster rendering without losing customization
- Developers who want built-in tabs and splits instead of adding plugins
- Users who SSH often and want a connection manager in the terminal
- Windows users who want a native terminal for PowerShell, CMD and WSL
Swaps Hyper's JS and npm plugins for a Lua config and adds a built-in multiplexer, in a GPU-accelerated Rust app on all three desktop OSes.
best for
- Hyper users who want scriptable config on Linux, macOS and Windows
- People who want tabs, panes and workspaces without a separate multiplexer
strengths
- Full Lua configuration instead of a plugin list
- Native tabs, panes and workspaces; the multiplexer works over SSH
- Supports ligatures and image display
weaknesses
- Lua replaces the web-technology theming Hyper uses, so existing CSS themes do not carry over
- Customization is done in code rather than by installing npm plugins
Closest to Hyper in spirit: an Electron-style TypeScript terminal with a plugin system, plus an SSH client, SFTP and serial support that Hyper does not list.
best for
- Sysadmins and developers who SSH into servers often
- Hyper users who want to keep a plugin-based terminal
strengths
- Built-in SSH client with a connection manager
- SFTP file transfer and serial device support
- Plugin system, on Linux, macOS and Windows
weaknesses
- Focus on remote tooling goes beyond what a local-only terminal user needs
- Not described as a speed-focused terminal, unlike the GPU-accelerated options
Replaces Hyper's Electron UI with platform-native UI and GPU rendering, written in Zig, but it runs only on Linux and macOS.
best for
- Hyper users tired of Electron who are on Linux or macOS
- People who care about correct VT handling
strengths
- Native UI elements instead of a web-based window
- GPU-accelerated rendering
- Focus on correct VT handling
weaknesses
- No Windows build, while Hyper runs on Windows
- No npm-style plugin ecosystem is described by the project
Trades Hyper's npm plugins for kittens, Python/C-based extensions, and adds an image protocol, ligatures and built-in tiling with GPU rendering.
best for
- Developers who want scripting and inline images
- Linux and macOS users who want built-in window and tab management
strengths
- Image protocol displays images directly in the terminal
- Kittens for scripting and custom keyboard shortcuts
- Built-in tiling and tab management, OpenGL rendering
weaknesses
- Platforms listed are Linux, macOS and BSD, with no Windows
- GPL-3.0 license, compared with Hyper's MIT
The opposite of Hyper's extensibility: an OpenGL terminal with a TOML config, no tabs or splits, and support for Linux, macOS, Windows and BSD.
best for
- Users who prioritize rendering speed over features
- People who already use a separate terminal multiplexer or a window manager
strengths
- OpenGL GPU acceleration aimed at speed
- Single TOML config file
- Vi mode for scrollback navigation
weaknesses
- No built-in tabs or splits
- No plugin ecosystem to replace Hyper's npm plugins
A Windows-only C++ terminal that hosts PowerShell, CMD, WSL and Azure Cloud Shell in tabs and panes, where Hyper is cross-platform.
best for
- Windows developers who switch between several shells
strengths
- Multiple shells in one app: PowerShell, CMD, WSL, Azure Cloud Shell
- GPU-accelerated rendering
- Themes, backgrounds and key bindings are customizable
weaknesses
- Windows only, so your setup does not follow you to macOS or Linux
- No plugin system is described by the project
Why look beyond Hyper
Hyper's own overview concedes it is not the fastest, and its scope is a local terminal extended by plugins.
- Electron base: the project says it is not the fastest, and the GPU-accelerated options target rendering speed
- Plugins are the main way to extend it; WezTerm and Kitty build tabs, panes or tiling into the terminal
- No SSH client, SFTP or serial support is listed; Tabby includes all three
- Theming is web-based; native-UI terminals like Ghostty avoid the Electron window entirely
Stay with Hyper if
- You already write HTML, CSS and JS and want to theme the terminal with them
- You depend on specific npm plugins that none of these tools replicate
- You want the same look on Linux, macOS and Windows and can accept slower rendering
When not to use these
- You need a terminal with no Electron or GPU requirements at all; none of these is described as such
- You want a terminal that keeps sessions alive on a remote host; that calls for a separate terminal multiplexer
Also worth a look
FAQ
- What is the closest alternative to Hyper?
- Tabby is closest: it is a TypeScript terminal with a plugin system on Linux, macOS and Windows. It adds an SSH client with a connection manager, SFTP and serial support.
- Is there a faster terminal than Hyper that runs on Windows?
- WezTerm and Alacritty both list GPU acceleration and support Windows, as does Windows Terminal on Windows only. Ghostty and Kitty do not list Windows support.
- Which Hyper alternative has built-in tabs and splits?
- WezTerm has native tabs, panes and workspaces, and Kitty has built-in window and tab management. Alacritty has no tabs or splits and expects a window manager or a separate multiplexer.
- Can I keep using plugins if I leave Hyper?
- Tabby has a plugin system. WezTerm is customized through Lua and Kitty through kittens, rather than npm plugins.