I recently came across this tweet post on Twitter/X that inspired me to write this discussion.

As a developer who practically lives on the command line, I've had my fair share of experiences with various terminal emulators. I have used different terminals, and I second the idea of this tier list of terminal emulators created by @typecraft!

S-Tier: Best-in-Class

• Wez's Terminal (WezTerm) WezTerm is a powerful, cross-platform terminal emulator and multiplexer. Its Lua-based configuration written in Rust offers unparalleled flexibility, allowing for deep customization. The built-in multiplexer functionality, GPU acceleration, and support for advanced features like ligatures and images in the terminal make it a top choice for power users.
• Kitty Kitty's GPU-accelerated rendering, extensive feature set, and excellent performance continue to make it a standout option. Its support for remote control, session management, and a wide array of customization options solidify its position in the S-tier.
• Ghostty As a relatively new entrant, Ghostty has quickly established itself as a top-tier terminal. Its focus on performance, modern features like multiple windows and tabs, and thoughtful design choices make it an excellent option for developers seeking a balance of speed and functionality.

A-Tier: Excellent Performers

• Warp Terminal Warp represents a significant leap forward in terminal technology. Its AI-assisted completions and command palette streamline workflow in ways that genuinely enhance productivity. The rich-text interface is more than just eye candy; it provides meaningful context and improves readability, especially during long coding sessions.
• Alacritty Alacritty's focus on performance yields real-world benefits. Its minimal resource footprint and rapid rendering capabilities make it ideal for both local development and remote server management. While it may lack some advanced features, its speed and reliability more than compensate.

B-Tier: Solid Contenders

• Windows Terminal Microsoft's modern take on the terminal is a vast improvement over its predecessors. Its seamless integration with Windows subsystems, including WSL, makes it an indispensable tool for developers working in mixed environments. The customization options and multi-tab support are well-implemented.
• Terminus Terminus strikes an excellent balance between functionality and user experience. Its cross-platform nature and extensive theming capabilities make it a versatile choice, especially for developers who frequently switch between operating systems.
• PowerShell While primarily a shell rather than a terminal emulator, PowerShell's integration with the Windows ecosystem and its powerful scripting capabilities make it a crucial tool for Windows-centric development and system administration.
• Hyper Hyper's extensibility is its strongest asset. The ability to enhance functionality through a vast plugin ecosystem allows for a highly tailored experience. However, its Electron-based architecture can lead to performance overhead, which may be noticeable on less powerful machines.
• iTerm2 is a terminal emulator for Mac OS X that does amazing things.

C-Tier: Functional but Limited

• Foot Foot's wayland-native implementation and low resource usage make it a viable option for Linux users, particularly on less powerful hardware. However, its feature set is limited compared to more advanced alternatives.
• st (Simple Terminal) The suckless philosophy behind st results in a lean, efficient terminal. Its minimalism can be an advantage in certain scenarios, but the lack of out-of-the-box features may require significant time investment for customization.

D-Tier: Niche Use Cases

• Cool Retro Term While not suitable for day-to-day development work, Cool Retro Term can be useful for creating visually interesting demonstrations or educational content about historical computing environments.

F-Tier: Not Recommended for Professional Use

• macOS Terminal The default macOS Terminal lacks many features that have become standard in modern development environments. Its limitations in customization and performance make it a suboptimal choice for professional development work.
• GNOME Terminal While functional, GNOME Terminal's feature set and performance characteristics have fallen behind more modern alternatives. Its tight integration with the GNOME desktop environment is its primary advantage.
• VSCode Integrated Terminal The integrated terminal in VSCode serves its purpose for quick tasks within the IDE, but it's not a replacement for a full-featured terminal emulator. Its limitations become apparent in more complex development scenarios.

Conclusion

The choice of a terminal emulator can greatly impact a developer's workflow and productivity. This tier list reflects the assessment based on extensive professional experience, but it's important to note that individual needs may vary depending on specific use cases and personal preferences. I prefer using Warp for AI use cases while VScode for demos.

For those new to development or looking to optimize their setup, I recommend starting with one of the S-tier options and customizing it to suit your workflow. Remember that the best terminal emulator is ultimately the one that allows you to work most efficiently and comfortably in your specific development environment.