Tabby vs Contour

Tabby9.4Visit Contour7.1Visit

Higher score Tabby #1 in Terminal Emulators 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Tabby

vs

Contour #24 in Terminal Emulators 7.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Contour

• Tabby fits best

  Power users needing SSH and extensive automation

• Contour fits best

  Users needing persistent sessions across platforms

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Side by side

Feature	Tabby 9.4/10 Visit ↗	Contour 7.1/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	7.1
Ranking	#1 in Terminal Emulators	#24 in Terminal Emulators
Best for	Power users needing SSH and extensive automation	Users needing persistent sessions across platforms
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop, Self-hosted	Desktop
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Linux, macOS, Windows
Integrations	10 integrations	1 integrations
Features Tabby 5/5 · Contour 5/5
Split panes	✓	✓
Session sync	✓	✓
GPU acceleration	✓	✓
Scripting API	✓	✓
SSH support	✓	✓
Specs
Supported platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Windows
Our review
Pros	Integrated SSH includes jump hosts, forwarding, and connection management Nested split panes, GPU rendering, and extensive customization Documented TypeScript plugin API supports automation-focused extensions	Persistent sessions can reattach locally or over an encrypted network connection GPU rendering, tabs, split panes, and configurable terminal profiles Broad Linux, macOS, Windows, and BSD support with SSH and tmux interoperability
Cons	Session sync depends on a plugin using Gist or Gitee Its broad feature set may exceed simple local-shell needs The web application is available through self-hosting	Daemon mode, central to persistent sessions, is experimental Powerful configuration and command-line controls favor experienced users Focused on terminal workflows rather than a broader remote-development suite
Our verdict	Tabby is an open-source terminal emulator for developers and system administrators who work across local shells, remote servers, serial connections, and Telnet. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and also offers a self-hosted web… Read the review →	Contour is an open-source terminal emulator for developers and other power users. It combines GPU-accelerated rendering with tabs, split panes, configurable profiles, Unicode support, image protocols, vi-like input modes, runtime… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Tabby — where it wins

  • Integrated SSH includes jump hosts, forwarding, and connection management
  • Nested split panes, GPU rendering, and extensive customization
  • Documented TypeScript plugin API supports automation-focused extensions

  Where it doesn't

  • Session sync depends on a plugin using Gist or Gitee
  • Its broad feature set may exceed simple local-shell needs
  • The web application is available through self-hosting

• Contour — where it wins

  • Persistent sessions can reattach locally or over an encrypted network connection
  • GPU rendering, tabs, split panes, and configurable terminal profiles
  • Broad Linux, macOS, Windows, and BSD support with SSH and tmux interoperability

  Where it doesn't

  • Daemon mode, central to persistent sessions, is experimental
  • Powerful configuration and command-line controls favor experienced users
  • Focused on terminal workflows rather than a broader remote-development suite

• Tabby9.4/10 · Free plan

  A versatile open-source terminal for power users who automate across systems.

  Visit TabbyFull verdict →
• Contour7.1/10 · Free plan

  A cross-platform terminal with strong persistent-session and tmux support.

  Visit ContourFull verdict →