tmux-resurrect vs tmuxinator
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
Saves your tmux sessions, windows and panes so you can restore them after a restart.
Open source · MIT
A Ruby command-line tool that defines tmux sessions, windows and panes in YAML config files.
The short answer
Choose tmux-resurrect if you need…
- Terminal users who keep many tmux sessions open and dislike rebuilding them after a reboot
- People who want restore without writing or maintaining a configuration file
- Vim and Neovim users who want their editor sessions brought back (optional feature)
Choose tmuxinator if you need…
- Developers who restart the same project setup (editor, server, logs) every day
- People who already use tmux and want repeatable session layouts
- Teams that want to share a standard terminal setup via a project config file
Side-by-side
| tmux-resurrect | tmuxinator | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Dev tool | CLI |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 13.1k | 13.7k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | Shell | Ruby |
| Last code update | 2 years ago | 27 days ago |
What each one is
tmux-resurrect
tmux is a terminal tool that keeps programs running in panes and windows. When the computer restarts, those layouts and running programs are lost. tmux-resurrect is a plugin that saves the details of your tmux setup, such as sessions, panes, working directories and layouts, and restores them on demand.
tmuxinator
Tmuxinator lets you describe a tmux terminal setup (windows, panes, layouts, commands to run) in a YAML file and start it with one command. It is useful for people who regularly open the same multi-pane terminal workspace for a project. The README assumes you already know basic tmux concepts such as windows and panes.
Best for
tmux-resurrect
- Terminal users who keep many tmux sessions open and dislike rebuilding them after a reboot
- People who want restore without writing or maintaining a configuration file
- Vim and Neovim users who want their editor sessions brought back (optional feature)
tmuxinator
- Developers who restart the same project setup (editor, server, logs) every day
- People who already use tmux and want repeatable session layouts
- Teams that want to share a standard terminal setup via a project config file
Strengths
tmux-resurrect
- No configuration is required to start using it, according to the README
- Saves exact pane layouts, working directories and active session and window state
- Long-established plugin with a large star count and an MIT license
tmuxinator
- Describes a whole terminal workspace in one readable YAML file
- Supports per-window root directories and tmux layouts
- Config can be stored locally in a project directory and shared
Not ideal for
tmux-resurrect
- People who do not use tmux, since it only works inside tmux
- Users who need automatic restore on a schedule, since the README points to the separate tmux-continuum plugin for that
- Users on Windows outside Cygwin, since the README only lists Linux, OSX and Cygwin as tested
tmuxinator
- People who do not use tmux; the README assumes working knowledge of tmux
- Users on very old tmux versions; the README says earlier versions may behave oddly and tmux 2.5 is not supported
Trade-offs
tmux-resurrect
- Only a short default list of programs is restored, so others need extra configuration
- Relies on bash and tmux 1.9 or higher, so it does not work everywhere
- Automatic saving and restoring needs a separate plugin (tmux-continuum)
tmuxinator
- YAML indentation is strict and errors are easy to make, as the README notes
- The README says the Homebrew install has reported issues, so RubyGems is preferred
- Project names cannot contain dots, and panes require this rule to be followed
Getting started
tmux-resurrect
Add the plugin to .tmux.conf for TPM, then press prefix + I to install
set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tmux-resurrect'Manual install: clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/tmux-plugins/tmux-resurrect ~/clone/pathtmuxinator
Install via RubyGems (preferred per README)
gem install tmuxinatorInstall via Homebrew (README notes reported issues)
brew install tmuxinatorFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between tmux-resurrect and tmuxinator?
tmux-resurrect: Saves your tmux sessions, windows and panes so you can restore them after a restart. tmuxinator: A Ruby command-line tool that defines tmux sessions, windows and panes in YAML config files. tmux-resurrect suits terminal users who keep many tmux sessions open and dislike rebuilding them after a reboot, while tmuxinator suits developers who restart the same project setup (editor, server, logs) every day.
Are tmux-resurrect and tmuxinator free?
tmux-resurrect: Free and open source. tmuxinator: Free and open source.
Is tmux-resurrect or tmuxinator more popular?
tmuxinator has more GitHub stars (13.7k) than tmux-resurrect (13.1k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.