Pick Ghostty if
macOS / Linux users who will stay on OSS $0 while they open a first native-tab split, not a Warp Build $20 seat.
Read the Ghostty pageGhostty vs Wave Terminal
Our take
Pick Ghostty if macOS / Linux users who will stay on OSS $0 while they open a first native-tab split, not a Warp Build $20 seat. Pick Wave Terminal if developers who will stay on Apache Wave at $0 — not Warp Build $20 first unless they want a hosted agent allowance.
Best for
Ghostty A local terminal you run at $0
Wave Terminal See the folder next to the prompt at $0
Free plan
Ghostty $0 · macOS (AppKit / SwiftUI) and Linux (GTK4) on About
Wave Terminal $0 · apache-2.0. Download from the site or GitHub releases
Lowest paid
Ghostty Not published by the vendor
Wave Terminal Not published by the vendor
Runs where
Ghostty Terminal; models hosted
Wave Terminal
Watch out
Ghostty No Windows build
Wave Terminal AI features still need a model key
Last checked
Ghostty 2026-10-23 · ghostty.org
Wave Terminal 2026-10-26 · waveterm.dev
Which one, then?
Pick Wave Terminal if
developers who will stay on Apache Wave at $0 — not Warp Build $20 first unless they want a hosted agent allowance.
Read the Wave Terminal page