Terminator
Terminator is an open source terminal emulator for Linux/UNIX operating systems. It supports multiple terminal sessions in one window and features such as custom keyboard shortcuts, rearrangeable panels, and saving layouts.
Terminator: Open Source Terminal Emulator
Terminator is an open source terminal emulator for Linux/UNIX operating systems. It supports multiple terminal sessions in one window and features such as custom keyboard shortcuts, rearrangeable panels, and saving layouts.
What is Terminator?
Terminator is an open source terminal emulator application for Linux/UNIX operating systems. It provides a way to access the UNIX shell and run command-line programs and shell scripts. Some key features of Terminator include:
- Ability to split the window horizontally or vertically into multiple terminal panels. You can customize the arrangement of panels.
- Supports custom keyboard shortcuts for navigating between panels or opening new ones.
- Saves different window layouts and terminal sessions for easy access later.
- Searchable command history and auto-completion support.
- Integration with outside applications via DBus interface.
- Extensive configuration options for tweaking appearance, shortcuts, etc.
- Written in Python and licensed under GNU GPL v2, so completely free and open source.
Terminator aims to produce a usable and practical terminal for the Linux desktop. Its focus on multiple terminals in one window makes it efficient for multitasking and monitoring applications across several shell prompts or for keeping servers/services separate from an interactive shell. The large collection of shortcuts and configuration options allow heavy terminal users to customize it to their workflows.
Terminator Features
Features
- Supports multiple terminal sessions in one window
- Customizable keyboard shortcuts
- Rearrangeable panels
- Saves layouts
- Open source
Pricing
- Open Source
- Free
Pros
Lightweight and fast
Highly customizable
Supports many languages and encodings
Active development community
Cons
Less features than some commercial emulators
Steeper learning curve than simple terminals
Configuration can be complex for new users
Official Links
Reviews & Ratings
Login to Review3.7
★
★
★
★
★
30 reviews
Rating Breakdown
Ease of Use
★
★
★
★
★
3.2
Features
★
★
★
★
★
4.4
Value for Money
★
★
★
★
★
4.9
Customer Support
★
★
★
★
★
2.6
Overall Experience
★
★
★
★
★
3.6
Recent Reviews
E
Elena Hall
Apr 29, 2026
★
★
★
★
★
Powerful but a bit quirky for daily use
Terminator's ability to tile multiple terminals in a single window is fantastic for development work and has become essential to my workflow. However, I find its configuration and custom keyboard shortcuts a bit non-intuitive to set up compared to simpler …
S
Sophia Hill
Apr 27, 2026
★
★
★
★
★
Great concept, but too buggy for daily use
The idea of having multiple terminals in one window is fantastic, and the layout saving is a nice feature. However, it constantly crashes on my Ubuntu setup, particularly when rearranging panels or using custom shortcuts. For an open-source tool, it's …
A
Anna Chen
Apr 26, 2026
★
★
★
★
★
Essential Tool for Power Users
Terminator has completely transformed my workflow as a system administrator. Being able to arrange multiple SSH sessions in a single window with draggable splits saves me from desktop clutter. The customizable hotkeys and ability to save layouts make repetitive tasks …
J
Jordan Walker
Apr 26, 2026
★
★
★
★
★
Powerful but with a few rough edges
The ability to have multiple terminal sessions in one window and save my layouts is fantastic for managing servers. However, I've run into some stability issues where it crashes when dealing with a high number of panels, and the configuration …
J
Jordan Chen
Apr 26, 2026
★
★
★
★
★
Unreliable and Frustrating
Terminator constantly crashes on my Ubuntu system, especially when I try to use the rearrangeable panels feature. The custom keyboard shortcuts are glitchy, often executing the wrong commands. For an open-source tool, I expected more stability and a smoother user …
Rating Distribution
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