Alacritty vs Ghostty
Alacritty (Rust, TOML, no tabs or splits) vs Ghostty (Zig, native UI, built-in tabs and splits): platforms, config and features compared.
Updated
short verdict
Pick Alacritty if you already run a terminal multiplexer or window manager for tabs and splits, or you need Windows or BSD support. Pick Ghostty if you want tabs, splits, ligatures and shell integration built in on macOS or Linux, with a native UI and a config that works without edits.
Both are GPU-accelerated terminal emulators, but they draw the scope differently. Alacritty is a Rust program that renders with OpenGL and leaves tabs and splits to other software. Ghostty is a Zig core with a native UI per platform (SwiftUI on macOS, GTK on Linux) and includes windows, tabs and splits itself. The choice mostly comes down to platform support and how much you want the terminal to do.
this page is for
- Developers deciding between a minimal terminal and a built-in-features terminal
- Users who already run a multiplexer or tiling window manager
- macOS and Linux users who want native tabs, splits and themes out of the box
Better pick when you already handle tabs and splits elsewhere, or you run on Windows or BSD.
best for
- Multiplexer or tiling window manager users
- Windows, BSD, Linux and macOS from one config
strengths
- Runs on Linux, BSD, macOS and Windows (Windows needs ConPTY, 10 version 1809 or later)
- Vi mode (Ctrl+Shift+Space) with motions, selections and / and ? search
- Regex hints pass visible matches to an external program or built-in action
- alacritty msg create-window opens windows from a running instance over IPC on Unix
weaknesses
- No tabs, splits or GUI settings editor; you need a separate multiplexer or window manager
- Font ligatures are not supported (open issue in the tracker)
- alacritty.toml is not created for you, and the README rates the software as beta
Better pick when you want built-in tabs, splits and ligatures with a native UI on macOS or Linux.
best for
- macOS users who want native tabs, Quick Terminal and AppleScript
- Linux GTK users who want shell integration without setup
strengths
- Windows, tabs and splits built in, drawn with native components including native macOS tabs
- Shell integration auto-injected for bash, elvish, fish, nushell and zsh, with prompt jumping
- Embeds JetBrains Mono and Nerd Font symbols, ships hundreds of themes that follow light or dark mode
- Supports the Kitty graphics and keyboard protocols, and ligatures with per-feature toggles
weaknesses
- No Windows or BSD support; Windows is planned but not yet available
- Only left-to-right text is supported
- Remote hosts without Ghostty's terminfo files cause problems; the ssh and sudo wrappers are off by default
Key differences
- Language: Alacritty is written in Rust; Ghostty has a Zig core with Swift (macOS) and GTK (Linux) UIs.
- License: Alacritty is Apache-2.0; Ghostty is MIT.
- Platforms: Alacritty covers Linux, BSD, macOS and Windows; Ghostty covers macOS and Linux only.
- Scope: Alacritty has no tabs or splits; Ghostty has windows, tabs and splits built in.
- Config format: Alacritty uses TOML in alacritty.toml; Ghostty uses key = value lines in config.ghostty.
- Rendering: Alacritty uses OpenGL; Ghostty uses Metal on macOS and OpenGL on Linux.
Choose Alacritty when
- You need Windows or BSD, which Ghostty does not support.
- You already use a terminal multiplexer or window manager for tabs and splits.
- You want vi mode and regex hints for keyboard-driven selection and search.
- You prefer a TOML config with live reload and an import option for splitting files.
Choose Ghostty when
- You want native tabs and splits without a separate multiplexer.
- You use ligatures or need the Kitty graphics and keyboard protocols.
- You want shell integration and bundled themes working without any config.
- You are on macOS and want the Quick Terminal or AppleScript control of windows and tabs.
When not to use these
- You need right-to-left text rendering, which Ghostty does not support and Alacritty does not document.
- You need a terminal with a GUI settings editor; neither provides one.
FAQ
- Which is faster, Alacritty or Ghostty?
- Neither project publishes a head-to-head result. Alacritty measures throughput with its own vtebench tool and suggests testing latency with your own workloads. Ghostty uses separate read, write and render threads per terminal and SIMD parsing.
- Can I use both Alacritty and Ghostty?
- Yes on macOS and Linux, since they are separate programs with separate config files (alacritty.toml and config.ghostty). Neither project documents any conflict between them.
- Which is easier to configure?
- Ghostty is meant to work without configuration, with an embedded font, themes and automatic shell integration. Alacritty does not create its alacritty.toml for you, but it documents it in man 5 alacritty and reloads changes live.
- Does either support Windows?
- Alacritty does, on Windows 10 version 1809 or later with ConPTY. Ghostty lists Windows support as planned but not yet available.