Kitty

What is it?

Kitty is a GPU-accelerated terminal emulator that combines speed with features usually left to a window manager or multiplexer: tabs, splits, scrollback search, and even an image protocol. It is also scriptable — "kittens" are small programs that extend the terminal itself, handling everything from diff viewers to ssh sessions.

Why use it?

Kitty is the pragmatic choice when you want one terminal to do it all. It renders frames off the main thread, so the UI stays responsive under load, and its configuration file is simple enough to read in one sitting. Ligature support keeps fonts such as Fira Code looking right, and the graphics protocol lets tools display real images inside the terminal.

Key features

• GPU rendering with a separate render thread for low latency
• Tabs, splits, and layouts built in
• Ligature and variable-font support
• Kitty graphics protocol for inline images
• Scriptable kittens and remote control via kitten
• Scrollback buffer with searchable history

How it compares

Against Alacritty, Kitty includes tabs and splits but is a larger, more opinionated program. Against WezTerm it is less configurable but easier to pick up. Against GNOME Terminal it is faster and more flexible, at the cost of tighter desktop integration. If you want a terminal that needs no multiplexer, Kitty is an excellent default.