Compare · Terminal workspace
Zentty vs Zellij
A terminal workspace, and a native Mac app with worklanes.
Overview
Zellij modernizes the multiplexer model with panes, layouts, plugins, and a polished TUI. Zentty starts from the native Mac app side. It gives local work a visual home and adds agent attention state without putting another workspace layer inside the terminal.
What each tool is
Zentty is a native macOS terminal, written in Swift and AppKit and built on libghostty. It runs your agents in real shells across worklanes and surfaces the moment an agent needs you: running, idle, needs input, needs approval, done. No telemetry. No editor, file tree, git diff UI, or cloud runtime. It stays a terminal.
Zellij is an open-source terminal workspace and multiplexer written in Rust. It offers panes, tabs, layouts, plugins, session features, and a terminal-native interface.
Who each tool is best for
Zentty is best for Mac developers who run CLI agents like Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, or OpenCode in parallel and want to stay in flow while those agents work in other panes and worklanes.
Zellij is best for developers who want a modern cross-platform terminal workspace and are comfortable living inside a TUI.
Capability comparison
| Dimension | Zentty | Zellij |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Native Mac terminal with worklanes and agent attention | Terminal workspace and multiplexer |
| Interface | Native macOS app | TUI inside a terminal |
| Layout model | Worklanes and panes | Tabs, panes, layouts, plugins |
| Agent attention | Running / idle / needs input / needs approval / done | Varies by tool |
| Built-in editor | No — keep your editor | Varies by tool |
| Cloud runtime | No — local only | Varies by tool |
| Platform | macOS only | Cross-platform |
How to choose
- You want native Mac UI around your terminal panes.
- You want agent attention state surfaced outside each pane.
- You prefer worklanes for local project context.
- You want a cross-platform terminal workspace.
- You like terminal-native layouts and plugins.
- You need something that runs headless or outside macOS.
Common questions
Only for local Mac workflow. Zellij remains a better fit when the workspace itself needs to run inside a terminal across platforms.
Yes. Zellij can run inside a Zentty pane like any other terminal program.
Keep comparing
Sources
Last reviewed: 2026-05-23
Run your agents in real panes, and see which one needs you.
Free Native macOS No telemetry