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iTerm2

The long-standing free replacement for the macOS Terminal app, packed with power-user features.

Open sourceTerminal emulators
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About iTerm2

iTerm2 is a free, open-source terminal emulator for macOS and the most common upgrade from Apple's built-in Terminal. It has been developed for well over a decade, mostly by George Nachman, and has accumulated an enormous feature list: split panes, a hotkey window that drops down from anywhere, profiles that switch automatically by host or directory, search with regular expressions, triggers that react to output, instant replay of the screen, and shell integration that marks commands and lets you jump between them. Its tmux integration shows tmux windows and panes as native tabs and splits. There is a Python API for scripting, optional AI features that need your own API key, and extensive appearance settings. It is free and GPL licensed, funded by donations. The breadth of settings can be overwhelming, it is macOS only, and newer GPU-first terminals feel snappier with very large outputs.

Best for: Mac users who want a mature, highly configurable terminal with tmux integration.

Pros and cons

What works

  • Huge, mature feature set including triggers and shell integration
  • Native tmux integration with tabs and splits
  • Free and open source

Why people leave

  • macOS only
  • Settings are vast and hard to navigate
  • Slower than GPU-first terminals on heavy output

Top iTerm2 alternatives

See all 6
  1. 1Ghostty logo
    Ghostty

    Native macOS UI with GPU rendering and a much simpler config, for people who want speed.

    66.5
  2. 2Warp logo
    Warp

    Modern blocks-based terminal with built-in AI agents and command editing.

    62.6
  3. 3kitty logo
    kitty

    Fast GPU terminal with its own layouts, graphics protocol and Python extensions.

    59.6
  4. 4WezTerm logo
    WezTerm

    Cross-platform terminal with a built-in multiplexer, configured in Lua.

    57.2
  5. 5Alacritty logo
    Alacritty

    Minimal and very fast, for people who pair a terminal with tmux.

    55.3

Why people left iTerm2

In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.

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iTerm2: common questions

Is iTerm2 free?

Yes. iTerm2 is free, open-source software.

Is iTerm2 open source?

Yes. The source code is on GitHub at gnachman/iTerm2.

What platforms does iTerm2 run on?

iTerm2 is available for macOS.

What are the best alternatives to iTerm2?

The highest-ranked iTerm2 alternatives right now are Ghostty, Warp and kitty. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 6 iTerm2 alternatives