What is iTerm2 used for?

iTerm2 is an open-source terminal emulator for macOS with tmux integration, shell integration, inline images and session restoration. It is a good fit for daily terminal work on a Mac and persistent remote sessions over SSH.

Is iTerm2 open source?

Yes. iTerm2 is open source under the GPL-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at gnachman/iTerm2 and is written mainly in Objective-C.

Yes. iTerm2 is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

What is iTerm2 an alternative to?

iTerm2 is an open-source alternative to Warp. Other open-source alternatives to Warp include Tabby, Ghostty and kitty.

Is iTerm2 actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to iTerm2 was on 1 October 2026. The project has 18k stars on GitHub.

iTerm2: open-source alternative to Warp

About iTerm2

iTerm2 is a terminal emulator for macOS intended as a replacement for the built-in Terminal app. It adds features aimed at people who spend much of their day in a shell, such as developers and system administrators. It is written in Objective-C and released under the GPL-2.0 license.

Its tmux integration turns tmux windows into native macOS windows and tabs when started in control mode, and sessions persist through crashes, SSH disconnects and app upgrades. Shell integration tracks commands, directories, hostnames and usernames, enabling click-to-download via SCP, drag-and-drop uploads and per-host command history. Inline image display, automatic profile switching by host, user, directory or command, and dedicated hotkey windows that slide in from a screen edge are also included.

Newer additions include a built-in chat window that can optionally interact with terminal contents using a language model, and a built-in web browser. Session restoration keeps shells running in long-lived server processes so they reconnect after the app restarts.

Key features

Native tmux integration with macOS windows
Shell integration tracking commands and directories
Inline image display in the terminal
Automatic profile switching by context
Hotkey windows over fullscreen apps
Session restoration after crashes or upgrades
Optional built-in AI chat window

Good fit for

→Daily terminal work on a Mac
→Persistent remote sessions over SSH

Built with: Objective-C
Tags: terminal; terminal-emulator; macos; tmux; shell; developer-tools; objective-c; productivity

iTerm2: questions and answers

What is iTerm2 used for?: iTerm2 is an open-source terminal emulator for macOS with tmux integration, shell integration, inline images and session restoration. It is a good fit for daily terminal work on a Mac and persistent remote sessions over SSH.
Is iTerm2 open source?: Yes. iTerm2 is open source under the GPL-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at gnachman/iTerm2 and is written mainly in Objective-C.
Is iTerm2 free?: Yes. iTerm2 is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
What is iTerm2 an alternative to?: iTerm2 is an open-source alternative to Warp. Other open-source alternatives to Warp include Tabby, Ghostty and kitty.
Is iTerm2 actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to iTerm2 was on 1 October 2026. The project has 18k stars on GitHub.