RMUX vs Zellij

RMUX is a local terminal multiplexer that keeps shells under a daemon on the user’s machine. Version 0.10.0 provides 90 tmux-compatible commands for persistent sessions that can be detached and reattached. Its automation SDKs let programs work with typed session, window, and pane handles, send keyboard and mouse input, wait for output, capture structured snapshots, and receive pane events. Official SDKs are available for Rust, Python, and TypeScript; the Python and TypeScript SDKs require the RMUX binary to be installed first.

Web Share creates browser links to a pane or session while its shell stays local. Links can allow read-write operation or read-only viewing, with separate pairing PINs enabled by default. The browser decrypts terminal updates locally. Sharing can use private Tailscale access, public SSH tunnel presets, or a user-provided ingress URL. RMUX says tunnels can see handshake metadata and encrypted frames, but not keystrokes, PINs, raw tokens, or terminal cells. The Web Share frontend can be self-hosted. RMUX is dual-licensed under MIT or Apache-2.0 and is available through package managers, prebuilt installers, or Cargo.

Zellij is a terminal workspace for developers, operations-oriented users, and others who work in a terminal. It organizes work into tiled, floating, or stacked panes, which can be moved and resized with a mouse or keyboard. KDL layouts can define panes, tabs, commands, and plugins for repeatable workspace setups. Users can switch between named sessions and restore session structure and commands, including after reboots. A built-in web server enables browser access and remote session sharing over HTTPS; read-only tokens let observers view without interacting. The server is off by default, requires authentication, and its documentation recommends a reverse proxy on untrusted networks because it has no rate limiting. Plugins use WebAssembly and can be written in any language that compiles to WASM; Rust has an official SDK and scaffolding tools. Zellij works with existing terminal emulators, shells, and editors, but runs inside a terminal rather than replacing it. Zellij is free and open source at free, with no account required. Zellij.online is a paid hosted session-sharing service with a free tier and is described as being in closed beta.