Overview
Ghostty vs Alacritty (Terminal Emulators Explained)
Both Ghostty and Alacritty are terminal emulators. They do the same basic job:
Show the terminal where you run commands.
But they are built with different goals.
Alacritty
Alacritty is a fast, minimal terminal emulator.
Why Engineers Use Alacritty
- Extremely fast
- Very stable
- Simple and minimal
- Great for low-end or older systems
How It Feels
- No extra UI
- Just the terminal
- You configure everything yourself
Best For
- Beginners
- Students
- Anyone who wants a reliable terminal
Mental model:
“A clean, fast terminal that just works.”
Ghostty
Ghostty is a modern, feature-rich terminal.
Why Engineers Use Ghostty
- Built-in tabs and splits
- GPU-accelerated
- Beautiful default design
- More features out of the box
How It Feels
- More polished
- More visual
- Less manual setup needed
Best For
- Power users
- Developers who want advanced features
- People who live in the terminal all day
Mental model:
“A modern terminal with smart defaults.”
Key Differences (Quick Table)
| Feature | Alacritty | Ghostty |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Very fast | Very fast |
| Features | Minimal | Rich |
| Setup | Manual config | Good defaults |
| UI | Simple | Polished |
| Beginner-friendly | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Slightly advanced |