# Ghostty vs iTerm2 for Mac

> Both are free, open-source terminals that go far beyond Terminal.app. Ghostty is new, GPU-accelerated and uses native macOS interface parts, configured with a plain text file. iTerm2 is the long-standing favourite, with profiles, triggers, tmux integration, shell integration and a settings window for everything. Facts checked 2026-10-19 by MacWorthy; nobody pays to be listed or compared.

## Choose Ghostty if

- You want the fastest rendering and a native feel.
- You're happy to configure a text file.
- You want something minimal by default.

## Choose iTerm2 if

- You use tmux integration, triggers or many profiles.
- You'd rather change settings in a window than a file.
- You depend on features built up over many years.

## Facts

| | [Ghostty](https://macworthy.com/apps/ghostty.md) | [iTerm2](https://macworthy.com/apps/iterm2.md) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Developer | Mitchell Hashimoto | George Nachman |
| Mac App Store | No | No |
| Homebrew cask | ghostty | iterm2 |
| Open source | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Last commit | October 2026 | October 2026 |
| GitHub stars | 62k | 18k |

## Questions

### Is Ghostty better than iTerm2?

Neither is better for everyone. Both are free, open-source terminals that go far beyond Terminal.app. Ghostty is new, GPU-accelerated and uses native macOS interface parts, configured with a plain text file. iTerm2 is the long-standing favourite, with profiles, triggers, tmux integration, shell integration and a settings window for everything.

### Is Ghostty free?

Yes. Ghostty is free and open source under the MIT license. The source code is on GitHub at ghostty-org/ghostty.

### Is iTerm2 free?

Yes. iTerm2 is free and open source under the GPL-2.0 license. The source code is on GitHub at gnachman/iTerm2.

### What else is like Ghostty and iTerm2?

Other developer tools apps on MacWorthy worth a look are Zed (open source), Warp (free + pro) and Sequel Ace (open source).

HTML version: https://macworthy.com/compare/ghostty-vs-iterm2/