UPDATE 2024-04-15: Windows Terminal 1.19 contains a fix that reduces latency by half! It’s now competitive with WSLtty on my machine. Details in the GitHub Issue.

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A comprehensive benchmark comparing terminal emulators on Windows, measuring input latency, throughput, CPU usage, and feature support. Tests include conhost.exe, MinTTY, Alacritty, WezTerm, and Windows Terminal across various scenarios. Results show conhost.exe and MinTTY consistently deliver the lowest latency (33-58ms), while MinTTY dominates throughput tests. Modern GPU-accelerated terminals like Windows Terminal and WezTerm exhibit higher latency (66-87ms) and significantly increased CPU usage when idle. The analysis includes detailed methodology using high-speed camera measurements and provides practical recommendations for developers prioritizing responsiveness.

Terminal Latency on Windows