4 reasons I use screen instead of tmux on Linux
4 reasons I use screen instead of tmux on Linux
https://www.howtogeek.com/reasons-use-screen-instead-of-tmux-on-linux/
Publish Date: 2026-04-04 08:30:00
Source Domain: www.howtogeek.com
Terminal multiplexers like screen or tmux are invaluable if you’re working on a PC over SSH or sitting in front of one that only has a command-line interface. Despite its age, screen is always my first choice. This is why.
Screen is included in almost every distro
You don’t have to worry about downloading another app
Credit: Lucas Gouveia/How-To Geek
The biggest advantage of screen over other terminal multiplexers is its ubiquity. Every Linux PC I’ve used in the last 15 years has come with screen pre-installed, whether it was the most barebone version of Debian for a headless server or a fully-fledged desktop operating system like Kubuntu.
This has been especially handy when I’m working with headless servers that I don’t intend to ever put on the internet. I don’t need to worry about whether my SSH session is going to crash the long job I just queued because I don’t have the right program. Screen is going to be available.
On the other hand, tmux is far from universal. There is no guarantee that I’ll always have the required permissions to install a different terminal multiplexer.
Legacy systems support screen
Old systems run important services
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