What is iTerm2?
iTerm2 replaces macOS Terminal with a terminal emulator that adds split panes, search across the scrollback buffer, saved profiles, triggers, and shell integration that lets the terminal understand what the shell is doing. It is free software under GPL v2 and has been developed in the open for more than fifteen years. It suits anyone who spends significant time in a shell and wants capabilities Terminal does not provide — with the caveat that the developer's own pages disagree about the minimum macOS version.
Verified product facts
- Type
- terminal emulatorEditorially reviewed
- Platform
- macOS
- Pricing
- Open sourceDeveloper-stated
- Open source
- Yes
- Developer
- George NachmanDeveloper-stated
- Relationship to Nuanyue
- Third-party product — not published by NuanyueEditorially reviewed
- Licence
- GPL-2.0
- Current version
- 3.7.3Developer-stated
- Official website
- iterm2.com/
Last updated . Facts marked developer-stated come from the developer and are not independently confirmed; editorially reviewed marks a Nuanyue judgement.
Key features
What iTerm2 does at a glance.
Split panes and tabs
Search
Across the scrollback buffer
Saved profiles
With per-host settings
Triggers
Run actions on matching terminal output
Shell integration
For prompt and directory tracking
Command history and autocomplete
In a separate window
What you can use iTerm2 for
- Running several shell sessions side by side in split panes
- Searching back through terminal output in the scrollback buffer
- Keeping per-host settings in saved profiles
- Running an action automatically when terminal output matches a pattern
Who is iTerm2 for?
- Developers and system administrators who spend significant time in a shell
- People who need more than macOS Terminal offers — split panes, profiles and triggers
Who is iTerm2 not for?
- Windows or Linux users — iTerm2 is macOS only
- Anyone who wants to install from the Mac App Store — iTerm2 has no App Store build
- Macs running macOS 12 or earlier — the downloads page labels the current build macOS 13+
Limitations
- The developer's pages disagree about the minimum macOS version: the downloads page says macOS 13+, the homepage says macOS 10.14+
- Apple Silicon support is not stated in the sources Nuanyue tracks
Strengths and trade-offs
What iTerm2 does well, and what to weigh before choosing it. Points marked developer-stated come from the developer’s own material and have not been independently confirmed.
Strengths
- Free software under GPL v2, with the source published on GitHub.
- Supports split panes, scrollback search, saved profiles and triggers.Developer-stated
- Shell integration lets the terminal track the shell's working directory, prompts and command history.Developer-stated
Trade-offs
- The developer's downloads page labels the stable build as requiring macOS 13 or newer, while the homepage still says macOS 10.14 or newer.
- There is no Mac App Store build, so installation and updates go through a manual download rather than a store listing.
First-use experience
What the app asks of you when you set it up. Only established facts appear here; anything we could not confirm is left out rather than guessed at.
- Installation
- Download a .zip from iterm2.com and move iTerm2.app to Applications; there is no Mac App Store listing.
- First launch Developer-stated
- The app opens with a default profile and a built-in settings browser rather than a separate preferences file.
- System integration Developer-stated
- Optional shell integration installs a script into the shell so the terminal can follow the session; it is enabled from the app's own menu.
What it does
iTerm2 replaces macOS Terminal. On top of the basics it adds split panes, search across the scrollback buffer, saved profiles with per-host settings, triggers that run actions on matching output, and shell integration — a script installed into your shell that lets the terminal know the current working directory, prompt boundaries and command history.
It is free software under GPL v2, and the source has been public on GitHub throughout the project’s life.
Which macOS version?
The developer’s own pages contradict each other, which is worth knowing before you download:
- The downloads page labels the current stable build, 3.7.3, as macOS 13+.
- The homepage states “It works on Macs with macOS 10.14 or newer.”
Both are the developer’s own words. The downloads page is the more reliable
of the two because it describes the artefact you actually receive — so this
entry records macOS 13 as the minimum and flags the homepage claim as
stale rather than repeating it.
Distribution
There is no Mac App Store build. iTerm2 is distributed as a direct download, so updates arrive through the app’s own updater rather than through the App Store.
Apple Silicon
Apple Silicon support is recorded as unknown. No page Nuanyue checked states the build’s architecture, and “we found no source confirming this” is not the same claim as “this is not supported”.
Release history
Dated releases recorded for iTerm2, newest first, each with the source it was read from.
3.7.3
Stable release; the downloads page labels it macOS 13+.
Source: Official website
Questions about iTerm2
Is iTerm2 free?
Yes. iTerm2 is free software licensed under GPL v2, with no paid tier, and its source is published on GitHub.
Which macOS version does iTerm2 require?
The developer's pages disagree. The downloads page labels the current stable build, 3.7.3, as macOS 13+, while the homepage states iTerm2 works on macOS 10.14 or newer. Trust the downloads page — it describes the build you are actually downloading.
What is the latest iTerm2 version?
3.7.3 is the current stable release, built on 22 September 2026. A 3.7.4 beta was built on 30 September 2026.
Is iTerm2 available on the Mac App Store?
No. iTerm2 is distributed as a direct download from iterm2.com.
Alternatives to iTerm2
Apps that could replace this one — the same job, a different trade-off.
Alacritty
Minimal GPU-accelerated terminal emulator, still in beta.
Both are GPU-accelerated terminal emulators; Alacritty is deliberately minimal with almost no configuration UI, where iTerm2 offers extensive settings.
kitty
GPU-accelerated terminal emulator that pioneered the graphics protocol.
Both are feature-rich terminal emulators released as free software, differing mainly in configuration model and scripting.
Ghostty
Native, GPU-accelerated terminal emulator built on a shared Zig core.
Both are native macOS terminals with GPU rendering; Ghostty is the newer project with a config-file-only approach.
Compared with
Head-to-head comparisons Nuanyue has published.
Warp
Warp is a blazingly fast, rust-based terminal reimagined from the ground up to work like a modern app.
Both are modern macOS terminal replacements, but Warp is a closed-source, account-based product while iTerm2 is GPL software with no sign-in.
Similar apps
Related in purpose, but not a straight swap.
Hyper
JavaScript-configurable terminal emulator built on Electron.
Both are extensible terminal emulators for macOS, but Hyper is built on web technology and configured in JavaScript.
Links
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the sources below. Last updated .
- iTerm2 — official websiteGrade B
- George Nachman — developer websiteGrade B
- iTerm2 — documentationGrade C
- iTerm2 — source repositoryGrade D
