PATerminal vs Windows Terminal
Competitor column last checked:
Windows Terminal is the default choice on Windows for a reason: it is free, open source, fast, and it splits panes well. If you run one shell at a time, it is hard to beat.
PATerminal is for the moment you have three or four CLI agents working at once and stop being able to tell which one is waiting for you. Every session gets a status, a note, a colour, and a way back to its conversation after a restart.
| What you get | PATerminal | Windows Terminal |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $6/mo or $60/yr after a 30-day free trial. One license covers 3 devices. | Free, open source (MIT). |
| Platforms | Windows 10+ and macOS 11+. | Windows 10 and 11 only. |
| Split panes and tabs | Yes. Each session owns its own pane tree. | Yes. Panes and tabs with keyboard shortcuts. |
| Organising many sessions | Group, pin, colour-code, and attach a one-line note to each session. | Tabs can be renamed and coloured; no per-session notes or pinning. |
| Knowing what each agent is doing | Running / waiting for input / done per session, with desktop notifications for sessions you are not looking at. | No agent awareness; you check each pane yourself. |
| Resuming Claude Code / Codex after a restart | Detects the agent and reattaches the conversation with --resume. Scrollback comes back too. | Restores tab layout and buffer text, not the agent conversation. |
| Send one prompt to several sessions | Yes, to the sessions you choose, plus a snippet bar for saved prompts. | Yes, broadcast to every pane in the current tab. |
| Git | Built-in panel: commit, push, pull, branch, stash, worktrees, PRs, issues, diff viewer. | Not included; use the git CLI. |
| Two agents working together | Pair mode: implement × review, cross-review, brainstorm, co-implement. | Not included. |
| File explorer | Included, with search, quick edit, and drag-and-drop. | Not included. |
| Telemetry | None. License checks send only your key and a device name. | Optional diagnostic data, controlled by Windows settings. |
PATerminal's complete source code is public on GitHub. Read exactly what the app does, build it yourself, and confirm it sends no telemetry. View the source on GitHub
Windows Terminal is the better choice when
- You mostly run one shell and want the fastest free option.
- You need deep customisation through settings.json, profiles, and themes.
- You are on a machine where installing paid or third-party software is not allowed.
PATerminal is the better choice when
- You run several Claude Code, Codex, or other CLI agent sessions at the same time.
- You keep losing track of which session is waiting for approval.
- You want the same setup on Windows and macOS, with sessions that survive a restart.
Other comparisons
Sources checked for the competitor column
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