Oh my tmux! 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
A ready-made, pretty tmux configuration file you drop in and customize.
Open source · MIT
A Ruby command-line tool that defines tmux sessions, windows and panes in YAML config files.
The short answer
Choose Oh my tmux! if you need…
- Developers who already use tmux and want a better-looking, feature-rich starting config
- People new to tmux who want a sensible default setup without writing their own
- Users who work over SSH or Mosh and want hostname and username shown in the status line
- Vim users who want vi-style key bindings in tmux
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
| Oh my tmux! | tmuxinator | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Dev tool | CLI |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 25.5k | 13.7k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Clone and build from source | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | Shell | Ruby |
| Last code update | 16 days ago | 27 days ago |
What each one is
Oh my tmux!
Oh my tmux! is a configuration for tmux, a terminal tool that lets you split one terminal window into multiple panes and keep sessions running in the background. It gives tmux a polished look with a Powerline-inspired status bar, and adds conveniences such as a secondary C-a prefix, mouse mode toggling, and maximizing a pane to its own window. Customizations go in a separate .local file so the main config can be left alone.
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
Oh my tmux!
- Developers who already use tmux and want a better-looking, feature-rich starting config
- People new to tmux who want a sensible default setup without writing their own
- Users who work over SSH or Mosh and want hostname and username shown in the status line
- Vim users who want vi-style key bindings in tmux
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
Oh my tmux!
- Installs as plain tmux config files with a documented manual and automatic option
- Customizations are kept in a separate .local file, making updates easier to manage
- Large community following with 25k+ stars 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
Oh my tmux!
- People who do not use tmux or the terminal, since it only configures tmux
- Windows users without WSL or Cygwin, because native Windows is not supported by the README
- Users who want a minimal config with no visual theme, since the default look is a large part of the project
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
Oh my tmux!
- Requires tmux 2.6 or newer plus awk, perl, grep, and sed on the system
- The README warns that editing the main config file leaves you on your own, so customization must follow its structure
- Some Unicode and emoji characters can display incorrectly depending on terminal and font setup
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
Oh my tmux!
Automatic installation
curl -fsSL "https://github.com/gpakosz/.tmux/raw/refs/heads/master/install.sh#$(date +%s)" | bashManual installation in ~
cd && git clone --single-branch https://github.com/gpakosz/.tmux.git && ln -s -f .tmux/.tmux.conf && cp .tmux/.tmux.conf.local .tmuxinator
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 Oh my tmux! and tmuxinator?
Oh my tmux!: A ready-made, pretty tmux configuration file you drop in and customize. tmuxinator: A Ruby command-line tool that defines tmux sessions, windows and panes in YAML config files. Oh my tmux! suits developers who already use tmux and want a better-looking, feature-rich starting config, while tmuxinator suits developers who restart the same project setup (editor, server, logs) every day.
Are Oh my tmux! and tmuxinator free?
Oh my tmux!: Free and open source. tmuxinator: Free and open source.
Is Oh my tmux! or tmuxinator more popular?
Oh my tmux! has more GitHub stars (25.5k) than tmuxinator (13.7k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Oh my tmux! and tmuxinator?
Other options people compare them with include chezmoi, dotfiles, fzf, ccstatusline, Home Manager.
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.