iTerm2 vs WezTerm
iTerm2
iterm2.com
WezTerm
wezterm.orgSide by side
| Figure | iTerm2 | WezTerm |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Terminal apps | 8.3 (#9) | 8.2 (#14) |
| Spec score · Terminal Emulators | 8.0 (#20) | 7.8 (#27) |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| GPU acceleration | Yes | Yes |
| Purpose | iTerm2 is a replacement for Terminal and the successor to iTerm. | WezTerm is a cross-platform terminal emulator and multiplexer implemented in Rust. |
| Scripting API | Yes | Yes |
| Shell integration | Shell integration lets iTerm2 identify prompts, commands, hosts, and working directories, and supports navigation to previous prompts. | Shell integration supports OSC 7, OSC 133 and OSC 1337 escape sequences for working-directory, prompt-zone and user-variable features. |
| Split panes | A tab can be divided into vertically or horizontally arranged panes, each showing a different session. | Yes |
| SSH support | Yes | Yes |
| Supported platforms | macos | Windows,macOS,Linux |
| tmux integration | The documentation includes a dedicated tmux Integration feature. | Shell user variables can work through tmux when tmux passthrough is enabled. |
Plans
In their own words
WezTerm
WezTerm is a terminal emulator and multiplexer for Windows, macOS, and Linux, implemented in Rust. It organizes terminal panes, tabs, and windows across local and remote hosts, with mouse support and scrollback. Rendering features include ligatures, color emoji, font fallback, true color, and dynamic color schemes. Configuration is file-based and supports hot reloading. An embedded SSH client provides native tabs, and WezTerm can connect to remote multiplexer instances over SSH or TLS over TCP/IP. Ad-hoc SSH sessions are non-persistent: if the network connection is interrupted, their tabs end. It can also connect to serial ports for embedded and Arduino work. Shell integration supports escape sequences for working directories, prompt zones, and user variables; user variables can work through tmux when passthrough is enabled. Image support includes the iTerm2-compatible and Kitty graphics protocols, plus experimental Sixel graphics. Pre-built downloads are listed for Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, and NetBSD, and the code can be built from source. Windows requires 64-bit Windows 10.0.17763 or later. The MIT license permits use, modification, and distribution free of charge, with the software provided as-is without warranty.