What is the main difference between Ghostty and Kitty?

Ghostty and Kitty are both terminal emulators but differ in their approach, features, and target audience. Compare their GitHub stats, technology stack, and community adoption to make the best choice.

Which is better: Ghostty or Kitty?

The choice between Ghostty and Kitty depends on your specific needs, technical requirements, and team preferences. Both are quality open source solutions with active communities.

Can I migrate from Ghostty to Kitty?

Migration between Ghostty and Kitty is possible but requires careful planning. Consider data export/import capabilities, feature parity, and potential workflow changes.

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Ghostty vs Kitty

Learn how Ghostty and Kitty differ in their key features, development activity, technology stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these terminal emulators is best for you.

Ghostty

Experience blazing-fast terminal performance with GPU acceleration and platform-native UI. Cross-platform compatibility meets modern design.

Visit Ghostty Read more

Stars
54,516
Forks
2,695
Last commit
2 hours ago
Repository age
4 years
License
MIT

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Kitty

High-performance terminal emulator with GPU acceleration, graphics support, and advanced scripting capabilities for developers and system administrators.

Visit Kitty Read more

Stars
32,941
Forks
1,367
Last commit
2 hours ago
Repository age
10 years
License
GPL-3.0

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Detailed Comparison

Both Ghostty and Kitty have their unique strengths and serve similar purposes effectively. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.

Ghostty wins

Community & Popularity

Ghostty leads in popularity with 54,516 stars vs 32,941 stars for Kitty. The 65% higher star count indicates stronger community adoption. In terms of developer contributions, Ghostty has 2,695 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

Comparable

Development Activity

Both projects show recent activity, with Ghostty last updated 2 hours ago and Kitty 2 hours ago.

Comparable

Technology Stack

Both tools share common technology foundations, being built with CSS, Bash, Python, C, Objective-C, MATLAB, GLSL. However, they differ in their additional technology choices: Ghostty uses C++, Swift, Zig while Kitty leverages JavaScript, Golang.

Kitty wins

Project Maturity

Kitty has been in development longer, starting 10 years ago, compared to Ghostty which began 4 years ago. This 5.5-year head start suggests Kitty may have more mature features and established processes.

Ghostty wins

Licensing

Ghostty uses the MIT license, which is more permissive than Kitty's GPL-3.0 license, potentially offering greater flexibility for commercial use and integration.

Comparable