Best Terminal Multiplexers in 2026
Updated
In short: Okena is ranked #1 of 28 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Zellij and muxel. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Zellij.
Working across terminal sessions and panes can call for different layouts, persistence and ways to coordinate. These entries are compared on access platforms, maximum sessions, custom pane layouts and persistence scope, as well as session synchronization, collaboration features and plugins or extensions. Zellij, muxel and tmux appear first, with p2pmux and Okena among the next names. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing help frame the cost comparison. Think about whether resuming work, sharing sessions or adapting pane layouts matters most, and use the listed fields to compare those priorities.
28 terminal multiplexers ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
28ranked
8free plans on this page
4 Oct 2026last checked
Input list Terminal Multiplexers 25 channels on this page · 129 of 200 spec lines stated by the makers
Ch Tool Free planPaid fromPersistence scopeSession synchronizationCollaboration featuresCustom pane layoutsPlugins or extensionsAccess platforms Spec sheet Score
01 Okena Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPersistence scopelocalSession synchronizationnot statedCollaboration featuresnot statedCustom pane layoutsYesPlugins or extensionsnot statedAccess platformsmacOS, Linux, Windows; web, Android, and iOS companion access 4/8spec lines stated 7.7
02 Zellij Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPersistence scopelocalSession synchronizationYesCollaboration featuresYesCustom pane layoutsYesPlugins or extensionsYesAccess platformsLinux, macOS, Windows terminals; browser web client 7/8spec lines stated 7.7
03 muxel Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPersistence scopebothSession synchronizationYesCollaboration featuresNoCustom pane layoutsYesPlugins or extensionsnot statedAccess platformsLinux, macOS, Windows desktop app; remote SSH hosts 6/8spec lines stated 7.5
04 muxterm Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedPersistence scopelocalSession synchronizationnot statedCollaboration featuresnot statedCustom pane layoutsYesPlugins or extensionsnot statedAccess platformsmacOS, Linux, browser/PWA; Windows support is coming soon 3/8spec lines stated 7.3
05 p2pmux Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPersistence scopelocalSession synchronizationYesCollaboration featuresYesCustom pane layoutsYesPlugins or extensionsnot statedAccess platformsmacOS and Linux command-line terminals 6/8spec lines stated 7.3
06 Quil Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPersistence scopelocalSession synchronizationYesCollaboration featuresNoCustom pane layoutsYesPlugins or extensionsYesAccess platformsLinux, macOS, Windows; terminal CLI; SSH remote access 7/8spec lines stated 7.1
07 TermStation Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedPersistence scopelocalSession synchronizationnot statedCollaboration featuresYesCustom pane layoutsnot statedPlugins or extensionsnot statedAccess platformsWeb browser; Windows, macOS, and Linux desktop; Android mobile 3/8spec lines stated 7.0
08 tmux Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPersistence scopelocalSession synchronizationnot statedCollaboration featuresYesCustom pane layoutsYesPlugins or extensionsnot statedAccess platformsOpenBSD, FreeBSD, NetBSD, Linux, macOS, and Solaris 5/8spec lines stated 7.0
09 Byobu Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPersistence scopelocalSession synchronizationnot statedCollaboration featuresnot statedCustom pane layoutsYesPlugins or extensionsnot statedAccess platformsLinux, BSD, macOS, terminal/CLI 4/8spec lines stated 6.9
10 Terminalz Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedPersistence scopelocalSession synchronizationnot statedCollaboration featuresYesCustom pane layoutsnot statedPlugins or extensionsnot statedAccess platformsmacOS, Linux, web browsers, tmux and Herdr environments 3/8spec lines stated 6.9
11 Ferrix Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPersistence scopelocalSession synchronizationNoCollaboration featuresNoCustom pane layoutsYesPlugins or extensionsYesAccess platformsmacOS, Linux, and command-line environments installed with Cargo or from source 7/8spec lines stated 6.7
12 RMUX Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedPersistence scopelocalSession synchronizationnot statedCollaboration featuresYesCustom pane layoutsYesPlugins or extensionsNoAccess platformsLinux, macOS, Windows, local CLI, browser via Web Share, Rust/Python/TypeScript SDKs 5/8spec lines stated 6.3
13 Herdr Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedPersistence scopelocalSession synchronizationYesCollaboration featuresYesCustom pane layoutsYesPlugins or extensionsYesAccess platformsLinux, macOS, Windows, and SSH-accessible remote machines 6/8spec lines stated 6.2
14 Plux Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPersistence scopelocalSession synchronizationNoCollaboration featuresNoCustom pane layoutsYesPlugins or extensionsNoAccess platformsUnix systems with a native PTY and UTF-8 terminal; Windows unsupported 7/8spec lines stated 6.2
15 Shpool Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedPersistence scopelocalSession synchronizationNoCollaboration featuresNoCustom pane layoutsNoPlugins or extensionsnot statedAccess platformsLinux, macOS, SSH and command-line shells 5/8spec lines stated 6.0
16 TermDock Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedPersistence scopelocalSession synchronizationNoCollaboration featuresYesCustom pane layoutsYesPlugins or extensionsNoAccess platformsLinux, macOS, POSIX systems, and WSL 6/8spec lines stated 6.0
17 TUIOS Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPersistence scopelocalSession synchronizationnot statedCollaboration featuresnot statedCustom pane layoutsYesPlugins or extensionsnot statedAccess platformsmacOS, Linux, terminal environments, and browser-based web terminal 4/8spec lines stated 6.0
18 WMUX Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPersistence scopelocalSession synchronizationnot statedCollaboration featuresnot statedCustom pane layoutsYesPlugins or extensionsnot statedAccess platformsWindows, Linux, macOS 4/8spec lines stated 6.0
19 openmux Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPersistence scopelocalSession synchronizationnot statedCollaboration featuresnot statedCustom pane layoutsYesPlugins or extensionsnot statedAccess platformsmacOS (Apple Silicon), Linux (x64 / arm64), terminal CLI 4/8spec lines stated 5.9
20 qmux Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPersistence scopelocalSession synchronizationNoCollaboration featuresNoCustom pane layoutsYesPlugins or extensionsYesAccess platformsmacOS desktop app; local shells; remote SSH/tmux groups 7/8spec lines stated 5.9
21 Séance Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPersistence scopelocalSession synchronizationNoCollaboration featuresNoCustom pane layoutsnot statedPlugins or extensionsYesAccess platformsLinux desktop; X11; Wayland; command line 6/8spec lines stated 5.9
22 Conmux Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPersistence scopelocalSession synchronizationNoCollaboration featuresnot statedCustom pane layoutsnot statedPlugins or extensionsYesAccess platformsWindows native, PowerShell, WSL, CLI, and Tauri desktop GUI 5/8spec lines stated 5.8
23 psmux Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPersistence scopelocalSession synchronizationnot statedCollaboration featuresnot statedCustom pane layoutsYesPlugins or extensionsYesAccess platformsWindows 10/11; PowerShell 7+; cmd.exe; Bash; WSL; Nushell; Windows Terminal 5/8spec lines stated 5.8
24 amux Free planYesPaid fromnot statedPersistence scopelocalSession synchronizationYesCollaboration featuresYesCustom pane layoutsYesPlugins or extensionsnot statedAccess platformsTerminal CLI/TUI; operating-system support is not explicitly stated on the reviewed official pages. 6/8spec lines stated 5.7
25 wtmux Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedPersistence scopelocalSession synchronizationnot statedCollaboration featuresnot statedCustom pane layoutsYesPlugins or extensionsYesAccess platformsWindows 10 version 2004+; command-line interface; Windows Terminal 4/8spec lines stated 5.7
Is your tool on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which terminal multiplexer is ranked first on Specifiction?
Okena is ranked #1 of 28 with a score of 7.7. Zellij is second and muxel third.
How many of these have a free plan?
8 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, the fullest spec sheet first: how deeply the product is documented, the platforms it runs on, a free tier or trial to test it, and its standing. Paid placements never change a rank.
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