Ghostty

code Dev Tools · free tier

NOT REALLY

Fast, native, GPU-accelerated terminal emulator for macOS and Linux, free and open source.

NOT REALLY

why this verdict

Keep it — Anthropic has not replaced it

Anthropic's version overlaps, but does not finish the dev tools job, so this one is still worth keeping open.

A named launch, not a vibe named, unlinked: Agent-first terminals moving the interesting work above the emulator layer. Anthropic, February 24, 2025 — no announcement link recorded yet.
How much of the job it covers not the job editorial call: Parts of it. The job still needs the tool to get finished.
Is there a free way to do it? yes: 3 of 3 listed replacements have a usable free tier: WezTerm, Alacritty and Kitty.
What the call is worth nothing to cancel: No paid entry tier tracked, so there is no subscription to cancel.

Reason composed from the fields above announcement linked free replacement listed two or more escape hatches

how we decide challenge this verdict

Threatened by: Anthropic
Since: February 24, 2025
List price: free
Per year: —

The backstory

Ghostty is a GPU-accelerated terminal with native platform UI, built by Mitchell Hashimoto and released publicly at the end of 2024. AI terminals like Warp argue the command line should be an agent surface rather than a faster emulator. Claude Code went the other way and made the plain terminal the place agents run, which put a premium on a fast, standards-correct emulator. Being free, native and quick is a hard combination to beat.