WezTerm

What it is for

WezTerm is a GPU terminal: you open src/main.rs in the window title, read a Rust get_shell pane, and watch 82% on the status bar, and the app is $0 (open source). Use it when the job is a local terminal you run at $0, not when you need a hosted $20 agent seat.

Soft-note: OSS $0. We do not invent a paid Cloud $. Distinct from Ghostty, Warp, and kitty.

What makes it unique: the cover is WezTerm’s official docs still (vi src/main.rs -- wez@wez-mbp:~/wez-personal/wezterm, portable_pty / FontConfiguration / get_shell, status src/main.rs 82 0x52 35,19 82%) from docs/screenshots/two.png — not a wordmark. The get_shell function itself is ops of the terminal.

Key features

• Window title — vi src/main.rs -- wez@wez-mbp:~/wez-personal/wezterm (cover still; screenshots). One desk.
• Traffic lights — native macOS close / minimize / zoom (cover). Chrome, not a Cloud tile.
• Editor pane — the Rust get_shell / portable_pty / FontConfiguration buffer (cover). A pane, not a $0 meter.
• Status bar — src/main.rs 82 0x52 35,19 82% (cover). A bar, not Get Started.
• GPU renderer — documented OpenGL / Metal / Vulkan path (docs). A renderer, not a seat.
• Lua config — wezterm.lua on disk (config). A file, not a Cloud SKU.

No cover control is a pricing CTA. There is no printed Cloud $ to keep in Pricing.

Who it's for

Best fit: developers who will stay on OSS at $0 while they open a first src/main.rs pane, then keep WezTerm beside Ghostty or kitty rather than paying Warp for a hosted prompt.

Pricing

Verified 2026-10-23 (Asia/Shanghai) from wezfurlong.org/wezterm + github.com/wezterm/wezterm. Soft-note: OSS $0.

• WezTerm — $0. Download / build from the docs and GitHub. No printed hosted seat.
• Paid Cloud — none printed. Do not invent a $.

Confirm the license on the repo before you ship a binary you did not build.

Limitations / costs

• There is no hosted team SKU. You run the binary.
• A GPU terminal, not Ghostty’s four-way macOS split. For that split see Ghostty. Distinct from kitty.
• You configure it in Lua. There is no visual theme store on the cover.

Alternatives

• Ghostty — a native GPU terminal when you want MIT $0 and a four-way fastfetch split, not WezTerm’s get_shell pane.
• Warp — a hosted prompt when you want that seat, not 82% on a local status bar.
• kitty — a GPU terminal when you want a vim + git split, not WezTerm’s title-bar path.

Official tutorial

We searched for an official WezTerm YouTube channel before writing this. Uploads we resolved are third-party setup videos — not first-party. We do not embed them as officialVideo. Use the written Quick Start and the two.png still.

Website

https://wezfurlong.org/wezterm/

Source

Catalog row curated for AI Tools Nav. Cover is WezTerm’s official docs two.png (vi src/main.rs + get_shell + status 82%). Dollars: OSS $0; no printed Cloud $. No official how-to YouTube at check.

Last verified

2026-10-23 (Asia/Shanghai) editorial check.