fish shell
Focus: shell and autocomplete. Shares terminal and command line with iTerm2. A desktop app, not a Mac app. Adds Linux. Rated 4.6 (iTerm2: 4.7).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.6Visit
Mac App
iTerm2
A powerful terminal replacement for Mac.
Rating
4.7 / 5
Pricing
Free
Difficulty
Intermediate
Works on
macOS
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
What is iTerm2?
iTerm2 is a terminal emulator for macOS. Its README lists tmux windows shown as native Mac windows, shell integration that tracks commands and directories, inline images, hotkey windows, session restoration, triggers, a status bar, instant replay and a Python scripting API. It also lists an optional built-in AI chat window.
Third-party open-source projects. We are not affiliated with their authors; repositories are provided as-is by their maintainers. Review each project's license, code and security before installing. See our Disclaimer.
Pros: what iTerm2 does well
- Split panes, hotkey window and instant replay
- Sessions survive crashes and upgrades
- Python scripting for automation
Cons: where it falls short
- Mac only
- Many options can feel overwhelming
Who iTerm2 is for
Mac users who spend a lot of time in the terminal.
Who can skip it
People who rarely open a terminal.
iTerm2 alternatives
Not sold on iTerm2? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.
Nushell
Focus: shell and data pipelines. Shares command line and open source with iTerm2. A desktop app, not a Mac app. Adds Windows, Linux and Offline. Rated 4.6 (iTerm2: 4.7).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit
Oh My Zsh
Focus: zsh, shell and plugins. Shares terminal and open source with iTerm2. A desktop app, not a Mac app. Adds Linux. Rated 4.6 (iTerm2: 4.7).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.6Visit
Task
Focus: task runner, automation and build tool. Shares command line and open source with iTerm2. A desktop app, not a Mac app. Adds Windows and Linux. Rated 4.6 (iTerm2: 4.7).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit
topgrade
Focus: updates, package manager and automation. Shares terminal and open source with iTerm2. A desktop app, not a Mac app. Adds Windows and Linux. Rated 4.6 (iTerm2: 4.7).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit
Atuin
Focus: shell history and sync. Shares terminal and command line with iTerm2. A desktop app, not a Mac app. Adds Linux and Windows. Same 4.7 rating.
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.7Visit
Free alternatives to iTerm2
Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.
htop
Focus: process viewer and system monitor. Shares terminal and command line with iTerm2. A desktop app, not a Mac app. Adds Linux. Same 4.7 rating.
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.7Visit
Karabiner-Elements
Focus: keyboard remapping, shortcuts and hyper key. Shares open source and github with iTerm2. Same 4.7 rating.
Mac AppFreemacOS
4.7Visit
zoxide
Focus: navigation and shell. Shares terminal and command line with iTerm2. A desktop app, not a Mac app. Adds Linux and Windows. Same 4.7 rating.
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.7Visit
Alacritty
Focus: gpu and minimal. Shares terminal and command line with iTerm2. A desktop app, not a Mac app. Adds Windows and Linux. Rated 4.6 (iTerm2: 4.7).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit
Hammerspoon
Focus: mac automation, window management and lua scripting. Shares open source and github with iTerm2. Adds Offline. Rated 4.6 (iTerm2: 4.7).
Mac AppFreemacOS, Offline
4.6Visit
kitty
Focus: gpu. Shares terminal and command line with iTerm2. A desktop app, not a Mac app. Adds Linux. Rated 4.6 (iTerm2: 4.7).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.6Visit
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