Terminator

Arrange multiple terminals in a grid in one window, with broadcast typing and plugins.

Verified facts: 3 of 3
Alternatives ranked: 4
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About Terminator

Terminator is a Linux terminal emulator built around putting many terminals in a single window. You split terminals horizontally and vertically into a grid, save the arrangement as a layout, and use groups to broadcast keystrokes to several terminals at once, which is handy for running the same commands on many servers. It is written in Python with GTK 3 on top of the VTE library, supports profiles, tabs, drag and drop of terminals and plugins for custom commands, URL handlers and logging. The project started in 2007 and is now maintained by a community team on GitHub. It is free under the GPL-2.0 and packaged by most distributions. Terminator is mature and dependable, but it looks dated next to newer GNOME terminals, is slower to start than native or GPU terminals and runs only on Linux and other Unix-like systems.

Best for: Sysadmins who want many terminals in a grid and broadcast typing.

What works

Grid layouts saved for reuse
Broadcast input to groups of terminals
Plugins for custom commands and logging

Why people leave

Dated look
Python and GTK 3 make startup slower
Linux and Unix only

Top Terminator alternatives

See all 4

1
Tilix
Similar tiling with a more GNOME-style interface and sessions.
66.5
2
tmux
Panes and synchronised input inside any terminal, including over SSH.
62.6
3
Zellij
Friendlier multiplexer with layouts and floating panes.
59.6
4
kitty
Fast GPU terminal with built-in layouts and broadcast.
57.2

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Terminator: common questions

Is Terminator free?

Yes. Terminator is free, open-source software.

Is Terminator open source?

Yes. The source code is on GitHub at gnome-terminator/terminator.

What platforms does Terminator run on?

Terminator is available for Linux.

What are the best alternatives to Terminator?

The highest-ranked Terminator alternatives right now are Tilix, tmux and Zellij. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 4 Terminator alternatives

Terminator facts

3 of 3 verified

License: GPL-2.0; Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab); “License: GPL-2.0 (GNU General Public License v2.0).”
Concept: Multiple terminals in one window; Checked Oct 25, 2026gnome-terminator.org(opens source in a new tab); “Multiple GNOME terminals in one window!”
Origin: Started by Chris Jones in 2007; Checked Oct 25, 2026gnome-terminator.org(opens source in a new tab); “Terminator was originally developed by Chris Jones in 2007 as a simple, 300-ish line python script.”