Warp vs Wave
Warp vs Wave: a Rust terminal with block output and built-in agents against an Electron terminal with previews, editor and AI blocks.
Updated
short verdict
Pick Warp if you want a single terminal with an editor-style command line, output grouped into Blocks, and a settings.toml you can keep in version control. Pick Wave if you work across remote hosts and want durable SSH sessions, a built-in editor, file previews and an AI assistant that runs on your own API keys or local models, with no account.
Warp and Wave are both GPU-accelerated terminal emulators for macOS, Linux and Windows, and both organize work into blocks. They differ in what a block is. In Warp, a block is one command with its output, and the rest of the app is built around the shell prompt. In Wave, a block is a pane that can hold a shell, an editor, a file preview, a web page or AI chat, laid out together in a tab.
this page is for
- Developers choosing between a prompt-centered terminal and a multi-pane workspace
- Readers who care about config format, account requirements and AI setup
- People who work over SSH and want remote files and previews in the same window
Warp is the better pick when you want an editor-like command line and per-command Blocks in a Rust terminal, with settings in a TOML file.
best for
- Developers who spend most of their time at a shell prompt
- Teams that keep dotfiles and settings in version control
strengths
- Blocks make each command and its output copyable, searchable, filterable and bookmarkable
- Command entry has syntax and error highlighting, autosuggestions, tab completions and YAML workflows
- settings.toml stays in sync with the Settings panel and reloads on save; themes are YAML files
- Supports bash, zsh, fish and PowerShell, plus WSL2 on Windows
weaknesses
- Needs an internet connection on first launch, and telemetry and crash reporting are on until you disable them under [privacy]
- Login shells other than bash, zsh, fish and PowerShell are not supported and fall back to a default shell
- No Sixel graphics, italic, dim or curly-underline support, per its own comparison table
Wave is the better pick when you work across local and remote machines and want shells, files, previews and AI chat in one window.
best for
- Developers who connect to remote hosts all day
- Users who want AI chat with their own keys or local models and no sign-up
strengths
- Durable SSH sessions reconnect automatically after network interruptions, network changes and Wave restarts
- Blocks hold an editor with syntax highlighting, plus previews for Markdown, images, video, PDFs, CSVs and directories
- The wsh helper provides wsh ai, wsh file and wsh editconfig from the command line
- Wave AI reads terminal output and edits files with backups and approval; no account is required
weaknesses
- Electron app with a Go backend, so it is a heavier install than a plain terminal emulator
- Needs macOS 11+, Windows 10 1809+ (x64) or Linux with glibc 2.28+
- Settings are a flat settings.json with colon-separated keys such as term:fontfamily, with no documented sync to a settings panel
Key differences
- Scope: Warp is a terminal with an editor-style input and agents; Wave is a workspace of shell, editor, preview and web blocks.
- Blocks: in Warp a block is one command plus its output; in Wave a block is a pane you drag, expand to full screen and restore.
- Config: Warp uses settings.toml and YAML themes; Wave uses ~/.config/waveterm/settings.json with colon-separated keys.
- Runtime: Warp is written in Rust (AGPL-3.0); Wave is an Electron app with a Go backend and WebGL terminal rendering.
- Remote work: Warp can enable its features over SSH (Warpify); Wave has one-click SSH, durable sessions and remote file editing.
- AI and accounts: Warp ships built-in agents and makes sign-up optional; Wave AI uses your own API keys or local models with no account.
Choose Warp when
- You want command entry with syntax highlighting, autosuggestions, alias expansion and optional modal-editor keybindings.
- You want to copy, filter or bookmark a single command's output as a Block.
- You want settings in a settings.toml that reloads on save and can live in version control.
- You want a lighter-weight native app, or the option of choosing a Vulkan or OpenGL backend and a Wayland mode on Linux.
Choose Wave when
- You connect to remote machines and need sessions that survive network drops and app restarts.
- You want to open remote files in a built-in editor or preview Markdown, PDFs, CSVs and images beside your shell.
- You want AI chat that works with your own provider keys or local OpenAI-compatible servers and needs no account.
- You want to script the workspace from the shell with wsh ai, wsh file and wsh editconfig.
When not to use these
- You want a minimal terminal emulator with no cloud features, built-in AI or bundled tools; both apps are larger than that.
- Your login shell is not bash, zsh, fish or PowerShell and you need Warp; Warp falls back to a default shell for others.
FAQ
- Which is faster, Warp or Wave?
- Neither project documents benchmarks against the other. Both are GPU-accelerated: Warp lets you pick a Vulkan or OpenGL backend, and Wave renders with WebGL by default, which term:disablewebgl turns off. Wave is an Electron app, which the project describes as a heavier install than a plain terminal emulator.
- Can I use Warp and Wave on the same machine?
- Both are separate desktop apps for macOS, Linux and Windows, and neither documents a conflict with the other. Warp reads settings.toml and Wave reads ~/.config/waveterm/settings.json, so their configuration is separate.
- Which is easier to configure?
- Warp has a graphical Settings panel that stays in sync with settings.toml, so you can use either. Wave uses a mostly flat settings.json, and wsh editconfig opens it from the command line.
- Do I need an account or an internet connection?
- Warp needs an internet connection the first time it opens, and account sign-up is optional. Wave AI requires no account and works with your own API keys or local models.