Comparison
Cross Platform Terminal vs WezTerm
A GPU-accelerated cross-platform terminal emulator and multiplexer written in Rust. WezTerm’s own site →
| Feature | Cross Platform Terminal | WezTerm |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Linux, Windows (macOS in progress) | Linux, macOS, Windows 10, FreeBSD, NetBSD |
| Windows | Native, identical to the Linux build | Native, and a first-class target |
| Licence | Proprietary | MIT, open source |
| Price | €7.49/month or €67.41/year, no free tier | Free |
| Rendering | GPU, whole grid in one draw call | GPU-accelerated, with WebGPU front-end options |
| Configuration | In-app settings, per-profile | Lua, with a large scripting API |
| Session persistence | Opt-in detachable sessions, no multiplexer needed | Built-in multiplexer over unix domain sockets, SSH or TLS — panes survive the window, and reach remote hosts |
| Agent awareness | Detects 8 agent CLIs and reports five states per pane | None specifically — a pane is a pane |
Where WezTerm is the better choice
- Free, open source and mature, with an unusually deep Lua config surface.
- Runs on macOS, FreeBSD and NetBSD today. CPT does not.
- Its multiplexer reaches remote hosts over SSH and TLS. CPT's detachable sessions are local to the machine and profile.
Where CPT is the better choice
- Agent awareness: CPT names the agent in a pane and distinguishes idle, working, waiting-for-input, finished and failed. WezTerm shows you a running process.
- A dockable workspace — edge rails, pinned panes, per-view layouts — rather than terminal panes alone.
- Persistence with nothing to configure: one settings toggle, no multiplexer concepts, no Lua.
The short version
WezTerm is the stronger choice if you want free software, macOS or BSD, or a config you script in Lua. CPT is the stronger choice if you live in AI CLIs and want the terminal to understand them, or want a workspace rather than an emulator.
WezTerm details checked against Features, Repository and LICENSE.md on 10 September 2026. Projects move; if something here is out of date or wrong, tell us and it gets fixed.