Best terminal emulators for Linux in 2024

Manthan Ghasadiya
5 min readMay 27, 2024

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By default, every Linux distribution comes with a pre-installed terminal. According to the desktop environment, it looks different.

Linux distributions are open-source. In Linux, there are no restrictions. You can use any alternative application for your test. And terminal is not different. There are many different terminals emulators. Which have some amazing features. It will make the user experience better.

Here is the list of some terminal emulators. Which we are going to discuss here.

List of terminal Emulators

  1. Xterm
  2. Terminator
  3. Tilix Terminal
  4. Guake Terminal
  5. Hyper
  6. eDEX-UI
  7. Konsole
  8. GNOME Terminal
  9. Simple Terminal (ST)
  10. Kitty

[Note: Commands used for the installation of every terminal are only for Debian-based Linux distributions.]

1. Xterm

(Image source: Wikipedia)

XTerm is one of the oldest terminal emulators. And it’s also a very popular terminal out there. Even though it may appear to be a swollen choice when contrasted with st, it’s as yet a nice choice that you can pursue X Window System.

It’s been effectively produced for over twenty years now and is by all accounts continually developing. This isn’t outwardly engaging nor offers things like drop-down mode, yet you can give it a shot.

How to install XTerm?

sudo apt install xterm

2. Terminator

Terminator is one of the most used and many Linux user’s favorite terminal emulators. And personally one of my favorite terminal emulators from this list. Its split feature is one of the best features. It splits your terminal window into as many parts as you want. So that you can use multiple terminals in just one window. And that’s why many hackers use this terminal as their default terminal.

How to install Terminator?

sudo apt install terminator

3. Tilix Terminal

Tilix is an advanced GTK3 terminal for Linux distributions. It lets you use multiple terminals in one window.

It’ll be more helpful for those who don’t have tilling windows by default in their Linux and not a big screen to work with multiple terminal windows without switching workspaces.

How to install Tilix?

sudo apt install tilix

4. Guake Terminal

Guake terminal was originally inspired by a game named Quake. It works as an overlay on every other application on your screen. Whenever you open it, it will appear from the top. You will get customization options for width and height. But most of the users are satisfied with default settings.

It offers features like restore tabs, multiple tabs, and many more.

How to install Guake?

sudo apt install guake

5. Hyper

Hyper is another amazing terminal emulator and it is an Electron-based terminal. It looks different from other Linux distributions and provides lots of options for customization. You can install themes and plugins to customize them.

How to install Guake?

It’s available in .deb and .rpm packages for Linux users. And for Windows users, it’s already available in the .exe package. So, you can download it from here: it’s official website.

6. eDEX-UI

The main thing about eDEX-UI is its sci-fi look. It looks awesome. And it has many different themes. It supports multiple terminal tabs. If you are not looking for Linux, which will do your work faster, this is the best choice. It is inspired by form TRON Legacy movie. Not only look and interface, but it will also give you a unique user experience.

How to install eDEX-UI?

You can find it on its GitHub release page.

7. Konsole

Konsole is the default terminal emulator for the KDE desktop environment. It’s easy to use. If you are a newbie then probably you don’t need any introduction on how to use it. If you are using any other desktop environment and you want to use Konsole then you are free to use it. It’s really a very lightweight terminal. You can use, multiple tabs and multiple grouped windows also.

How to install Konsole?

sudo apt install konsole

8. GNOME Terminal

If you are using Ubuntu-based GNOME Linux distribution then GNOME Terminal comes pre-installed. It is not that customizable as Konsole but it is easy to configure most off aspect or terminal. It gives a very good user experience and the interface is easy to use.

How to install GNOME-Terminal?

sudo apt install gnome-terminal

9. Simple Terminal (ST)

Simple terminal is as simple as its name. It comes with essential features. Simple terminal or you can say st is for those users who don’t like Xterm and terminals like Xterm. It has some awesome features like 256 color support and many more.

How to install ST?

sudo apt install stterm

10. Kitty

Kitty is clearly an underestimated and well-known alternative among terminal emulator clients that I appeared to have missed in the main form of this article.

It offers a lot of valuable highlights while supporting the tiling window too. Additionally, it is a GPU-put-together emulator which depends on the GPU and takes the heap off the CPU when you work on it.

Particularly, if you are a force console client, this will be an energizing alternative for you to attempt!

How to install Kitty?

sudo apt install kitty

Conclusion

There are a few terminal emulators accessible out there. You can have a go at anything you like in case you’re searching for an alternate client experience. Be that as it may, in case you’re focusing on a steady and profitable experience, you need to test the terminal emulators before you can depend on them.

For a large portion of the clients, the default terminal emulators ought to be adequate. In any case, in case you’re searching for speedy access (Quake Mode), or Tiling highlight, or different windows in a terminal, vibe allowed to evaluate the alternatives referenced previously.

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Manthan Ghasadiya

Active CTF Player | MSCyber Student at Syracuse University