guake-alternatives

Purpose

This guide provides comprehensive options for setting up Guake-style dropdown terminals on macOS. Guake is a popular Linux dropdown terminal inspired by the Quake console, accessible via hotkey. While Guake itself doesn’t run on macOS, several excellent alternatives exist.

Quick Comparison

1. iTerm2 (Recommended for Most Users)

Best for: Easy setup with built-in hotkey window support

iTerm2 is the most popular terminal replacement for macOS and includes native Guake-style dropdown functionality through its “Dedicated Hotkey Window” feature.

Key Features

• Built-in hotkey window (no plugins needed)
• System-wide access with customizable shortcut
• Animations for show/hide behavior
• Can float over full-screen apps
• Extensive customization options
• Split panes, tabs, profiles
• Tmux integration

Installation

# Download from official website
# Visit https://iterm2.com

# Or use Homebrew
brew install --cask iterm2

Configuration Steps

1. Create Hotkey Window:

1. Open iTerm2 → Preferences (⌘,)
2. Go to Keys tab
3. Click Create a Dedicated Hotkey Window at bottom
4. Assign your hotkey (e.g., Ctrl+~ or ⌘+Backtick)

2. Customize Window Behavior:

Go to Profiles → Hotkey Window → Window:

• Style: Full-Width Top of Screen (Guake-style)
• Screen: Screen with Cursor
• Space: All Spaces (to work across virtual desktops)
• Transparency: Adjust to preference (recommend 10-20%)
• Blur: Enable for aesthetic background blur

3. Advanced Settings (Optional):

In Keys → Hotkey Window settings:

• Pin hotkey window: Enable to keep window open when focus changes
• Animate showing and hiding: Smooth slide animation
• Floating window: Float over full-screen apps (requires “All Spaces” setting)

4. Auto-Launch on Startup:

1. Open System Settings → General → Login Items
2. Click + and add iTerm2 from Applications
3. Optionally enable “Hide” checkbox

5. Hide from Dock (Optional):

iTerm2 → Preferences → Appearance → General:

• Check Exclude from Dock and ⌘-Tab Application Switcher

Usage

Press your configured hotkey (Ctrl+~) from anywhere to toggle the terminal.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• No additional software required
• Mature, well-supported project
• Rich feature set beyond dropdown
• Great documentation

Cons:

• Slower than GPU-accelerated alternatives (Alacritty, Ghostty)
• Higher resource usage than minimal terminals

2. QuakeNotch (MacBook Notch Integration)

Best for: MacBook Pro/Air users with notch, unique UX

QuakeNotch is a modern terminal that slides down from the MacBook notch, turning the controversial design element into a functional productivity feature.

Key Features

• Notch integration: Terminal slides from the notch
• Visual indicators: Real-time CLI progress monitoring
• Apple Music integration: Audio visualizer and controls
• AI-powered assistance: On-device command generation
• Theme customization: Colors, fonts, behaviors
• Lightning-fast access: Smooth animations

Installation

# Homebrew
brew install --cask quakenotch

# Or download from website
# Visit https://quakenotch.com

Pricing

• Free version available
• Pro license: $9.99 (currently 50% off with code HAPPYNEWVERSION20)
• Latest version: 2.1.1 (Dec 2025)

Configuration

1. Launch QuakeNotch
2. Grant terminal and Apple Music permissions (if using integrations)
3. Configure hotkey in preferences
4. Customize theme, colors, and behavior

System Requirements

• macOS (tested on macOS 26 Tahoe)
• MacBook with notch (for notch integration)
• Apple Music (optional, for visualizer)

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Unique notch integration
• Modern, polished UI
• AI command assistance
• Music visualization feature

Cons:

• Paid for Pro features
• Newer project (less mature than iTerm2)
• Requires MacBook with notch for full experience

3. Alacritty + Hammerspoon (Power Users)

Best for: Maximum speed, custom automation

Alacritty is the fastest GPU-accelerated terminal. Combined with Hammerspoon (macOS automation tool), it can achieve Guake-style dropdown behavior.

Key Features

• Blazing speed: Fastest terminal available (Rust + OpenGL)
• GPU acceleration: Smooth scrolling, low latency
• Lightweight: Minimal resource usage
• Cross-platform: Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD
• Highly customizable: TOML/YAML config

Installation

# Install Alacritty
brew install alacritty

# Install Hammerspoon
brew install --cask hammerspoon

# Install Hammerspoon spaces module (required)
# Clone: https://github.com/asmagill/hs._asm.spaces
# Follow installation instructions in repo

Configuration

1. Alacritty Config (~/.config/alacritty/alacritty.toml):

[window]
dimensions = { columns = 500, lines = 30 }
position = { x = 0, y = 0 }
decorations = "None"
opacity = 0.95

[font]
size = 14.0

[font.normal]
family = "JetBrains Mono"

[[keyboard.bindings]]
key = "Return"
mods = "Command"
action = "ToggleFullscreen"

2. Hammerspoon Config (~/.hammerspoon/init.lua):

local alacritty = "Alacritty"
local hotkey = {"alt", "shift", "ctrl"}
local hotkeyKey = "J"

hs.hotkey.bind(hotkey, hotkeyKey, function()
  local app = hs.application.find(alacritty)

  if app == nil then
    -- Launch Alacritty if not running
    hs.application.launchOrFocus(alacritty)
  elseif app:isFrontmost() then
    -- Hide if currently focused
    app:hide()
  else
    -- Show and focus if running but hidden
    local win = app:mainWindow()
    local space = hs.spaces.activeSpaceOnScreen()

    if win then
      hs.spaces.moveWindowToSpace(win, space)
      app:activate()
    end
  end
end)

3. Reload Hammerspoon:

Press the Hammerspoon menubar icon → Reload Config

Usage

Press Alt+Shift+Ctrl+J (or your configured hotkey) to toggle Alacritty.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Fastest terminal available
• Free and open source
• Maximum customization
• Active development

Cons:

• Complex setup (requires Hammerspoon scripting)
• No built-in tabs/splits (use tmux/Zellij)
• Requires maintenance (Hammerspoon updates)

4. Ghostty (Modern Alternative)

Best for: Modern features with competitive speed

Ghostty is a GPU-accelerated terminal by Mitchell Hashimoto (HashiCorp co-founder), released December 2024. While it doesn’t have built-in dropdown support, it can be configured similarly to Alacritty with Hammerspoon or other automation tools.

Key Features

• GPU rendering (Metal on macOS, OpenGL on Linux)
• Native tabs and splits
• 4x faster than iTerm2 for plain text
• Speed comparable to Alacritty
• Modern, clean design
• Cross-platform

Installation

# From source (requires Zig)
git clone https://github.com/ghostty-org/ghostty
cd ghostty
zig build -Doptimize=ReleaseFast

# Check releases for binaries:
# https://github.com/ghostty-org/ghostty/releases

Configuration

Config location: ~/.config/ghostty/config

font-family = "JetBrains Mono"
font-size = 12
theme = "catppuccin-mocha"
window-padding-x = 10
window-padding-y = 10

# Keybindings
keybind = ctrl+shift+minus=new_split:down
keybind = ctrl+shift+backslash=new_split:right

Dropdown Setup

Use Hammerspoon (similar to Alacritty setup above) or other macOS automation tools to create dropdown behavior.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Very fast (competitive with Alacritty)
• Modern codebase
• Built-in tabs and splits
• Active development

Cons:

• No built-in dropdown support (requires scripting)
• Newer project (less mature than iTerm2)
• Split functionality still evolving

5. Kitty (GPU-Accelerated with Features)

Best for: GPU speed with built-in features

Kitty offers GPU acceleration with rich features including tabs, splits, and image rendering. Like Alacritty and Ghostty, it requires external automation for dropdown behavior.

Key Features

• GPU rendering via OpenGL
• Built-in tabs and splits
• Image/graphics protocol support
• Font ligatures and emoji
• Keyboard-driven workflow
• Extensive theming

Installation

# Universal installer
curl -L https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/installer.sh | sh /dev/stdin

# Or Homebrew
brew install --cask kitty

Configuration

Config location: ~/.config/kitty/kitty.conf

# Font
font_family      JetBrains Mono
font_size        12.0

# Performance
repaint_delay    10
input_delay      3
sync_to_monitor  yes

# Window
background_opacity 0.95

# Splits
enabled_layouts  splits,stack
map ctrl+shift+- launch --location=hsplit
map ctrl+shift+\ launch --location=vsplit

Dropdown Setup

Use Hammerspoon or similar tools (like Alacritty setup) for dropdown functionality.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Fast GPU rendering
• Rich built-in features
• Great documentation
• Cross-platform

Cons:

• No built-in dropdown support
• Requires scripting for Guake-style behavior

Comparison: iTerm2 vs Alacritty vs QuakeNotch

Setup Time

Performance

Best Use Cases

Choose iTerm2 if:

• You want the easiest setup
• You value mature, well-documented software
• You need rich features (profiles, tmux integration)
• Performance is “good enough”

Choose QuakeNotch if:

• You have a MacBook with notch
• You want a unique, modern UX
• You value Apple Music integration
• You’re willing to pay for Pro features

Choose Alacritty + Hammerspoon if:

• You want absolute maximum speed
• You’re comfortable with scripting/automation
• You prefer minimalist tools
• You use tmux or Zellij for multiplexing

Choose Ghostty or Kitty if:

• You want GPU acceleration
• You need built-in tabs/splits
• You’re willing to script dropdown behavior
• You value modern features

Discontinued Alternatives

TotalTerminal / Visor

TotalTerminal (formerly Visor) was a popular plugin for Terminal.app that added Quake-style dropdown functionality. It’s no longer maintained and not compatible with modern macOS versions due to System Integrity Protection (SIP) restrictions.

Note: While it can be found on GitHub (binaryage/visor), it’s not recommended for production use.

Migration Tips from Guake

If you’re coming from Linux with Guake:

Muscle Memory Adjustments

Feature Parity

✅ Available on macOS:

• Dropdown toggle via hotkey
• Transparency/blur
• Custom themes
• Keyboard shortcuts

⚠️ Different implementation:

• Tabs/splits (use iTerm2 or tmux)
• System-wide hotkey (all solutions support this)

❌ Not available:

• Exact Guake keybindings (must remap)

Recommended Setup

For most users migrating from Guake or wanting a dropdown terminal on macOS:

1. Start with iTerm2: Easiest setup, most features
2. Try QuakeNotch: If you have a MacBook with notch and want something unique
3. Graduate to Alacritty: If you need maximum performance and are comfortable scripting

All three provide excellent Guake-style experiences on macOS.

Sources

1. Guake Alternatives for Mac - AlternativeTo
2. Guake-like dropdown terminal with iTerm2 - Prakash Sharma
3. Drop-down iTerm2 in macOS - DEV Community
4. Alacritty Dropdown Setup on macOS - Jonas Helgemo
5. QuakeNotch Official Website
6. iTerm2 Hotkey Documentation
7. Quake Applications for Mac - Luke S. Murray
8. Top Guake Alternatives 2025 - Slashdot