MUD Client vs CMUD and zMUD
zMUD, and CMUD after it, were for years the best-known MUD clients on Windows. Zugg Software counts over 70,000 customers since 1996, and a lot of players still have a library of zMUD scripts. The last public CMUD release listed on Zugg Software's site is version 3.34, from April 2011; the system requirements it lists are Windows 7, Vista or XP SP2, and its site says zMUD is not supported on Vista or any later Windows. CMUD is sold with a 30-day free trial.
MUD Client is free, current, and runs on Windows 10 and 11 and on macOS. It scripts triggers and aliases in JavaScript, reads GMCP and draws a map as you walk.
Choose CMUD if
- you have a large CMUD or zMUD script library that works and you do not want to rewrite it
- your game depends on MXP or ATCP
- you want to double-click a room on the map and have the client walk you there
Choose MUD Client if
- you want a client that is free and still being updated
- you play on a Mac, or on Windows 10 or 11, and want an app built for them
- you would rather write scripts in plain JavaScript than in zScript
- you want installs and updates handled by the Mac App Store or Microsoft Store
Side by side
| Feature | MUD Client | CMUD |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Paid licence, 30-day trial |
| Latest release | 2026 | 3.34, April 2011 |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows 10 and 11 | Windows (lists 7, Vista, XP SP2) |
| Scripting | JavaScript | zScript, Lua, Windows Script languages |
| Regular expression triggers | Yes | Yes |
| GMCP | Yes | Yes, since 3.34 |
| MXP | No | Yes |
| ATCP | No | Yes |
| MSP sounds | Yes | Yes |
| MCCP compression | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic mapper | Yes, from GMCP room data | Yes |
| Walk to a room picked on the map | No | Yes |
| Runs zMUD scripts | No | Most, per Zugg Software |
Is CMUD still maintained?
Zugg Software's news page lists CMUD 3.34, released 20 April 2011, as the latest public version, and its forums are still online. CMUD needs a licence key after the trial. Whether it runs well on Windows 10 or 11 for you is worth testing with the trial before you buy: the requirements on its site stop at Windows 7. MUD Client is updated through the Mac App Store and Microsoft Store and is built for current versions of both systems.
Scripting: zScript or JavaScript
CMUD scripts mainly in zScript, the #TRIGGER and #ALIAS language that came from zMUD, and also runs Lua and the Windows
Script languages. MUD Client uses JavaScript throughout. A trigger is a pattern, often a regular expression, and each capture
group is handed to the script, much as %1 and %2 are in zScript. Variables are kept with setVar and
getVar, timers with startTimer, and commands go out with command. The
script functions post lists them all, and console
commands such as #enable, #disable and #vars will look familiar.
Mapping
CMUD's automapper works on most MUDs without help from the game, lets you double-click a room to walk the shortest path there, and can attach scripts to rooms. MUD Client draws its map from the room data games send over GMCP (one short trigger turns it on; see the automapper guide), and clicking an exit walks that way; it does not yet plan a route to a distant room.
Protocols
CMUD lists ANSI, VT100, MXP, MSP, MCP, MCCP and ATCP, with GMCP added to its mapper in 3.34. MUD Client supports GMCP, MCCP2 compression, MSP sounds, MSSP, NAWS, TTYPE, CHARSET and full ANSI colour. It does not support MXP or ATCP, which GMCP has largely replaced.
Moving your zMUD or CMUD scripts
There is no importer, so scripts are rewritten rather than converted. Start with the triggers and aliases you use every session: copy each pattern across (zMUD patterns become regular expressions; the regular expression tips help), then turn the action into a line or two of JavaScript. MUD Client can run alongside CMUD while you move over.
MUD Client is made by Hankinsoft, so this page is written by one side of the comparison. What it says about CMUD comes from CMUD's own pages, last checked November 2026: zuggsoft.com. If something here is out of date, tell us on Twitter and it will be fixed.
Also compared: MUD Client vs Mudlet