Contour vs Tabby (formerly Terminus)
Contour
contour-terminal.org
Tabby (formerly Terminus)
tabby.shSide by side
| Figure | Contour | Tabby (formerly Terminus) |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Terminal apps | 8.3 (#12) | 8.5 (#5) |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Scripting API | Yes | Yes |
| Session sync | Yes | Yes |
| Split panes | Yes | Yes |
| SSH support | Yes | Yes |
| Supported Platforms | Available for Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and Windows. | Windows,macOS,Linux |
| Terminal features | Features include tabs, font ligatures, Unicode emoji and grapheme clusters, and customizable key bindings. | Tabby offers nested split panes, progress notifications, persistent tabs, optional Quake mode, global hotkeys, and bracketed paste. |
Plans
In their own words
Contour
Contour is a free terminal emulator for everyday use, designed for people who want control over terminal workflows. It runs on Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and Windows. GPU-accelerated rendering and high-DPI support accompany text features such as font ligatures, Unicode grapheme clusters, and colored emoji. Users can split panes, use vi-like modes for navigation and selection, and jump through history with vertical markers. Sessions can persist beyond a terminal window and be reattached locally or over a network. Contour interoperates with tmux control mode in both directions, but not its -CC mode. It also supports clickable links, inline Sixel images, OSC 52 clipboard setting, and profiles for color schemes and login shells. TCP connections use TLS encryption and require a token. Daemon mode is experimental, and its command-line flags and wire protocol may change. The project website remains in draft mode. Contour is licensed under Apache License 2.0.
Tabby (formerly Terminus)
Tabby (formerly Terminus) has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.