Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · Terminal Multiplexers

Zellij vs tmux

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score Zellij #1 in Terminal Multiplexers 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Zellij
tmux #2 in Terminal Multiplexers 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 4 features Visit tmux

Zellij leads on 0 checks, tmux on 0, and 5 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 5 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreZellij · 9.4/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresZellij · 4 of 4

Zellij scores higher on our rubric for terminal multiplexers: 9.4 against 9.2 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #2.

Zellij is the better fit for feature-rich cross-platform terminal multiplexing. tmux is the better fit for proven Unix terminal session management.

  • Zellij fits best

    Feature-rich cross-platform terminal multiplexing

  • tmux fits best

    Proven Unix terminal session management

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Zellij 9.4/10 Visit ↗ tmux 9.2/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.4 9.2
Ranking #1 in Terminal Multiplexers #2 in Terminal Multiplexers
Best for Feature-rich cross-platform terminal multiplexing Proven Unix terminal session management
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Self-hosted Self-hosted
Platforms Web, Windows, macOS, Linux Linux, macOS
Support Docs Community, Docs
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Zellij 4/4 · tmux 2/4
Session synchronization ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Collaboration features ✓ ✓
Custom pane layouts ✓ ✓
Plugins or extensions ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Specs
Persistence scope Local Local
Access platforms Linux, macOS, Windows terminals; browser web client OpenBSD, FreeBSD, NetBSD, Linux, macOS, and Solaris
Maximum sessions Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Runs across Linux, macOS, Windows, and the web
  • Combines panes, tabs, layouts, floating, and stacked panes
  • Adds plugins, session resurrection, and collaborative sharing
  • Persistent sessions continue running after detaching
  • Flexible sessions, windows, panes, layouts, and key bindings
  • Open-source, free, scriptable, and supports multiple clients
Cons
  • Session resurrection is local rather than a hosted persistence layer
  • Browser access requires an optional self-hosted web client
  • Does not include AI features
  • Persistence is local rather than synchronized across devices
  • Requires command-line familiarity and configuration
  • No formal plugin system is part of its documented model
Our verdict

Zellij is a free, open-source terminal workspace for developers, operations-focused users, and people who work primarily in terminals. Its core multiplexing features include panes, tabs, floating and stacked panes, configurable keybindings…

Read the review →

tmux is an open-source terminal multiplexer for command-line users on Unix-like operating systems. It creates and controls multiple terminals from one screen, organizing them into sessions, windows, and panes. Users can detach from a…

Read the review →
  1. ZellijTerminal Multiplexers 9.4Free plan
  2. tmuxTerminal Multiplexers 9.2Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Zellij — where it wins

    • Runs across Linux, macOS, Windows, and the web
    • Combines panes, tabs, layouts, floating, and stacked panes
    • Adds plugins, session resurrection, and collaborative sharing

    Where it doesn't

    • Session resurrection is local rather than a hosted persistence layer
    • Browser access requires an optional self-hosted web client
    • Does not include AI features

  • tmux — where it wins

    • Persistent sessions continue running after detaching
    • Flexible sessions, windows, panes, layouts, and key bindings
    • Open-source, free, scriptable, and supports multiple clients

    Where it doesn't

    • Persistence is local rather than synchronized across devices
    • Requires command-line familiarity and configuration
    • No formal plugin system is part of its documented model
  • Zellij9.4/10 · Free plan

    A free, open-source multiplexer with layouts, plugins, persistence, and collaboration.

    Visit ZellijFull verdict →
  • tmux9.2/10 · Free plan

    A free, scriptable way to manage persistent local terminal sessions across Unix platforms.

    Visit tmuxFull verdict →

More comparisons

All terminal multiplexers comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update