iTerm2
iTerm2 is a macOS replacement for Terminal and the successor to iTerm, with tools for people who spend much of their time in a terminal.
What iTerm2 is
iTerm2 is a macOS replacement for Terminal and the successor to iTerm, with tools for people who spend much of their time in a terminal. It offers split panes, GPU acceleration, SSH support, and scripting through a documented Python API. Its find-on-page tool highlights matches and accepts regular expressions; Global Search can search across all tabs. Shell integration identifies prompts, commands, hosts, and working directories, and supports moving between earlier prompts. Documentation also covers tmux integration and connections with shells, Claude Code, and the iTerm2 Buddy companion app. A built-in password manager stores encrypted information in macOS Keychain and can enter passwords only when it detects a password prompt. iTerm2 is free software under GPL v2, with source code on GitHub. It runs only on macOS, and the recommended stable release is for macOS 13 or newer. Its listed price is free.
Good
- Split panes and GPU acceleration
- Global Search covers all tabs
- Python API is documented
- Password data is encrypted in macOS Keychain
- Free software under GPL v2
Watch out
- Available only for macOS
- Recommended stable release requires macOS 13 or newer
- AppleScript scripting is marked deprecated
Who it suits
It suits macOS users who spend a lot of time in a terminal and want features such as split panes, search, SSH, or scripting. Users should note that the recommended stable release is for macOS 13 or newer.
Verdict
iTerm2 combines terminal search, shell integration, scripting, and SSH support in a free macOS application. Check the macOS version requirement and note that AppleScript scripting is deprecated.
Plans and prices
From iTerm2's own pricing page, checked 2 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| iTerm2 | Free | macOS only · free software |
The facts
Each one read from iTerm2's own pages, with the date it was checked.
Where it runs
- Companion app security
- The download page says iTerm2 Buddy connects through an encrypted Noise channel and relay, with end-to-end encryption so data is visible only to the user.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Supported OS
- iTerm2 is for macOS only; the current recommended stable release is for macOS 13 or newer.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Supported platforms
- macoschecked 20 Sep 2026
Money
- Free plan
- Yeschecked 20 Sep 2026
What it does
- GPU acceleration
- Yeschecked 20 Sep 2026
- Integrations
- The documentation lists integrations for tmux, shells, Claude Code, and the iTerm2 Buddy companion app.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- The site says people who spend a lot of time in a terminal may appreciate iTerm2's features.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Licensing and source
- iTerm2 is free software, its source code is on GitHub, and it is licensed under GPL v2.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Password manager
- The built-in password manager stores data encrypted in macOS Keychain and has a mechanism to enter passwords only at a password prompt.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- iTerm2 is a replacement for Terminal and the successor to iTerm.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Release verification
- The download page provides a signed SHA256 message and instructions to verify the zip file using Keybase Verify.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Scripting
- iTerm2 documents a Python API and scripting fundamentals; AppleScript scripting is marked deprecated.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Scripting API
- Yeschecked 20 Sep 2026
- Search
- Its find-on-page feature highlights matches and supports regular expressions, and Global Search searches all tabs at once.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Shell integration
- Shell integration lets iTerm2 identify prompts, commands, hosts, and working directories, and supports navigation to previous prompts.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Split panes
- A tab can be divided into vertically or horizontally arranged panes, each showing a different session.checked 2 Oct 2026
- SSH support
- Yeschecked 20 Sep 2026
- Support
- The site directs users with problems or ideas to its bug tracker, forum, or the maintainer by email.checked 2 Oct 2026
- tmux integration
- The documentation includes a dedicated tmux Integration feature.checked 2 Oct 2026
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