MXterm vs cmux: two terminal workspaces for coding agents on a Mac
cmux is a native macOS terminal for coding agents. MXterm Pro is a native desktop app for macOS and Windows that puts your real terminals, your AI coding agents and your SSH servers in one workspace. Split panes run real shells. The page puts cmux's own words alongside MXterm's and shows when to stay with cmux.
What cmux says it is
This page compares cmux's local terminal workspaces; cmux also offers cloud machines (early access), which we do not compare. Its docs say: "cmux Cloud gives you persistent Linux machines in the cloud that open as normal cmux workspaces." (cmux.com/docs/cloud, read 28 October 2026.)
cmux's homepage calls it a "native macOS terminal built on Ghostty" and says it is open source. (cmux.com, read 28 October 2026.) Its getting-started guide says: "cmux is a lightweight, native macOS terminal built on Ghostty for managing multiple AI coding agents." It lists "macOS 14.0 or later" and "Apple Silicon or Intel Mac" as requirements (cmux.com/docs/getting-started, read 28 October 2026).
The README describes "A Ghostty-based macOS terminal with vertical tabs and notifications for AI coding agents" (github.com/manaflow-ai/cmux, read 28 October 2026). Its documentation describes workspaces, split panes, a browser pane, and control through a CLI and a Unix socket: "cmux provides both a CLI tool and a Unix socket for programmatic control." (cmux.com/docs/api, read 28 October 2026.)
On running several agents, cmux's docs describe specific integrations. For Claude Code Teams they say: "When Claude spawns teammate agents, they appear as native cmux splits" (cmux.com/docs/agent-integrations/claude-code-teams, read 28 October 2026). For remote machines, the SSH docs say: "cmux ssh creates a workspace for a remote machine." (cmux.com/docs/ssh, read 28 October 2026.) The documentation pages read describe workspaces and panes; they do not describe a Git worktree feature.
What MXterm is
MXterm Pro is a native desktop app for macOS and Windows that puts your real terminals, your AI coding agents and your SSH servers in one workspace. It runs the CLIs you install, such as Claude Code and Codex. Each agent can work on its own branch in its own worktree. For a walkthrough, see running Claude Code in MXterm and isolating AI agents with git worktrees.
Side by side
| cmux (its own words, read 28 Oct 2026) | MXterm | |
|---|---|---|
| What it calls itself | "native macOS terminal built on Ghostty" (homepage) | "One command center for terminals, agents and servers." |
| Platforms | "macOS 14.0 or later" (getting started) | A native desktop app for macOS and Windows (Windows support is new); Linux is an early build (a .deb for Ubuntu 22.04 or later). We have not run this build on a real Linux desktop. |
| Agents | "any agent that runs in a terminal works out of the box" (homepage), with documented integrations such as Claude Code Teams (docs) | Runs the CLIs you install, such as Claude Code and Codex. |
| Panes and tabs | "vertical tabs", splits and a browser pane (README and docs) | Split panes run real shells. |
| Keeping agents apart | Not covered in the docs pages read | Each agent can work on its own branch in its own worktree. |
| Remote machines | Compared here: local workspaces and SSH. "cmux ssh creates a workspace for a remote machine." (SSH docs) cmux also offers cloud machines, which this page does not compare. | SSH and an SFTP panel in the same window as your agents. |
| Around the terminal | Notifications for coding-agent activity (README) | With Claude Code and Codex, see which agent is working, waiting or done, and a question from either appears on a card on your desktop. Put your agents in one room and stay in charge. |
| Licence | The LICENSE puts material under the project licence under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later, and says "The cmux server software is not licensed under the GPL." Named server directories carry a separate BUSL-1.1 licence (LICENSE) | See the note under the table. |
On the licence row: MXterm's own licence terms are on its pages and are not covered here; this page makes no claim about them. The two columns describe different things, so they are not feature-for-feature. A blank or short cell in one column does not mean the other tool lacks the thing; it means that page of that tool was not read for it.
Stay with cmux if
- You work only on a Mac with macOS 14 or later and want a native macOS terminal built on Ghostty, as its docs describe.
- You want an open source terminal, with the licence terms its LICENSE file sets out.
- You want vertical tabs, split panes and a browser pane in the terminal, as its README describes.
- You want to script the terminal from a CLI or a Unix socket, as its API docs describe.
- You want Claude Code teammates to appear as cmux splits, as its integration docs describe.
Choose MXterm if
- You use Windows as well as macOS.
- You want SSH hosts and an SFTP panel in the same window as your agents (cmux's docs also describe SSH workspaces).
- You want to see, for Claude Code and Codex, which agent is working, waiting or done, and to answer their questions from a card on your desktop.
- You want agents in one room: in the Control Room they message each other and you are the Moderator. Messages wait while you type.
- You want each agent to be able to work on its own branch in its own worktree.
To try MXterm, use the download page. To compare with another tool, see MXterm vs Claude Squad and MXterm vs Gas Town.
Multi-pane SSH, Command Recipes (Cmd+J), and a multi-agent Control Room (formerly War Room): free to start.
Already have MXterm Pro? Read the setup guide →
New to MXterm Pro? See pricing →
Frequently Asked Questions
Its getting-started guide says: "cmux is a lightweight, native macOS terminal built on Ghostty for managing multiple AI coding agents." (cmux.com/docs/getting-started, read 28 October 2026.)
Both cmux and MXterm are terminals first: a pane is a real shell. cmux adds tabs, notifications and a browser pane for agent work, and its docs describe SSH workspaces; MXterm adds, for Claude Code and Codex, status and a question card, plus a Control Room and an SSH and SFTP panel in the same window. This page does not rank them.
cmux's docs describe integrations such as Claude Code Teams, where teammate agents "appear as native cmux splits". In MXterm you run the CLIs you install, such as Claude Code and Codex, in separate panes, and each agent can work on its own branch in its own worktree. A worktree reduces collisions; agents can still edit the same file.
The pages read list macOS 14.0 or later and do not describe a Windows app. MXterm is a native desktop app for macOS and Windows.
If you work only on a Mac and want a native macOS terminal built on Ghostty, start with cmux. If you also use Windows, or want SSH and an SFTP panel next to your agents and a Control Room where agents message each other, try MXterm.