Zellij is a free, MIT-licensed open-source terminal workspace with batteries included for Linux and macOS. It multiplexes tabs and stacked, floating, and resizable panes inside your existing terminal emulator, adds layouts, persistent sessions, WASM plugins, and browser-based session sharing, and is designed to be productive out of the box without tmux-style configuration. The project is written in Rust at zellij-org/zellij, and its official docs are written with tmux and screen users in mind.[1][2][3]
Quick verdict
Developers who live in the terminal and want multiplexing without tmux configuration benefit most from Zellij: tabs, stacked and floating panes, layouts, persistent sessions, WASM plugins, and browser-based sharing cover the daily multiplexer loop in one free MIT-licensed Rust binary. The constraints are platform and scope: builds target Linux and macOS with Windows unofficial, and Zellij runs inside a terminal emulator rather than replacing it.[1][2][3][4]
Features and plans
Out-of-the-box defaults Out-of-the-box defaults: sensible defaults with discoverable shortcuts, aimed at users who want multiplexing without lengthy configuration.[1]
Panes and tabs Panes and tabs: floating, stacked, and resizable panes plus tabs for organizing terminal work in one workspace.[1][2]
Layouts and sessions Layouts and sessions: layouts define panes, tabs, and commands; sessions persist and resurrect across restarts.[1]
Plugin system WASM plugin system: bundled plugins include compact-bar, status-bar, and session-manager, with more available.[1]
Web-client sharing Web-client sharing: share a terminal session through the browser so guests need nothing installed.[1]
Configuration KDL configuration: plain-text config with shareable layouts and color themes.[1]
Multi-select Multi-select: select command output across the viewport and act on it in follow-up commands.[1]
tmux onboarding tmux onboarding: a dedicated welcome path for users arriving from tmux, with docs framed for tmux and screen users.[1][2]
Who it fits
Zero-config multiplexing Developers who want terminal multiplexing without tmux configuration benefit most: sane defaults and discoverable shortcuts cover tabs, panes, and sessions immediately.[1][2]
Persistent side-project workflows Side-project and remote workflows that need persistent layouts and resurrectable sessions fit layouts plus session persistence.[1]
Guest session sharing Session owners who share terminal access with guests fit the browser web client and the optional hosted sharing add-on.[1][2]
Limitations
Windows support Windows works with some exceptions but is neither officially supported nor tested, so Windows-first developers face an unsupported platform.[1]
Runs inside a terminal Zellij runs inside a terminal emulator rather than replacing it, so users still need and configure an emulator such as Alacritty, Ghostty, or WezTerm.[1][2]
No account-backed sync No account-backed sync or enterprise support tier is documented; sessions and layouts live on the user machine unless shared explicitly.[1][2]
Migration and platform support
Linux and macOS installs Linux and macOS installs via Cargo, Snap, Nix, Conda, Homebrew, prebuilt binaries, or a Docker image; Windows is unofficial and untested.[1][2]
MIT open source MIT-licensed open source at zellij-org/zellij, written in Rust, with corporate sponsorships and an optional paid hosted-sharing add-on.[1][2]
WezTerm substitutability Developers choosing between bundled-emulator multiplexing and an in-terminal workspace can compare Zellij against the published WezTerm multiplexer record; the two overlap on persistent tabs, panes, and sessions while differing in that Zellij runs inside any emulator.[1][2]
Questions worth asking
How does Zellij compare to tmux?
Zellij is oriented toward tmux users: the docs are written for people coming from tmux or screen, and the FAQ compares the two on out-of-the-box experience and extensibility. It runs inside your terminal emulator rather than replacing it.[1]
Is Zellij free?
Which platforms does Zellij support?
Can Zellij save and restore sessions?
Yes. Layouts define panes, tabs, and commands to run; sessions persist and can be resurrected, and plugins such as session-manager help organize them. A web client can also share a session through the browser.[1]
Sources and editorial review
Source research. Reviewed on October 13, 2026. Written by Sanjib Sah. AI assisted; reviewed by a human editor.
We have not run or tested this product.
- Zellij official homepage (official)
official · Observed October 13, 2026
Zellij official homepage (official)
- Zellij Features (official)
official · Observed October 13, 2026
Zellij Features (official)
- Zellij introduction (official docs)
official · Observed October 13, 2026
Zellij introduction (official docs)
- Zellij FAQ (official docs)
official · Observed October 13, 2026
Zellij FAQ (official docs)
- Zellij installation (official docs)
official · Observed October 13, 2026
Zellij installation (official docs)
- zellij-org/zellij repository (official)
official · Observed October 13, 2026
zellij-org/zellij repository (official)
Compared with these products
No explicit proprietary baseline is recorded.