Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

iTerm2 VS Hyper

Compare iTerm2 VS Hyper and see what are their differences

iTerm2 logo iTerm2

A terminal emulator for macOS that does amazing things.

Hyper logo Hyper

Extensible, cross-platform terminal built on open web standards.
  • iTerm2 Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-10-29
  • Hyper Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-22

iTerm2 features and specs

  • Versatility
    iTerm2 supports a wide range of features such as split panes, multiple tab management, and hotkey-activated terminal windows, making it highly versatile for different workflows.
  • Customization
    Offers extensive customization options, including themes, color schemes, and key bindings, allowing users to tailor the terminal to their preferences.
  • Advanced Features
    Includes advanced functionality like instant replay, which allows users to rewind their terminal session, and integration with automation tools like AppleScript.
  • Performance
    Designed to be efficient and responsive, ensuring it performs well even with multiple sessions and tabs open simultaneously.
  • Integrations
    Seamless integration with macOS features such as native notifications, fullscreen mode, and support for external editors.
  • Community Support
    Active community and comprehensive documentation, which can be very helpful for troubleshooting and learning advanced configurations.

Possible disadvantages of iTerm2

  • Mac-Only
    iTerm2 is exclusive to macOS, which means users on other operating systems cannot utilize its features.
  • Complexity
    The sheer number of features and customization options can be overwhelming for beginners, requiring a learning curve to utilize efficiently.
  • System Resource Usage
    iTerm2 may consume more system resources compared to simpler terminal emulators, which could be a concern on lower-end hardware.
  • Update Frequency
    Occasional updates can introduce bugs or unexpected behavior, requiring users to adjust settings or find workarounds.

Hyper features and specs

  • Cross-Platform
    Hyper is available for multiple operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it versatile for users on different platforms.
  • Extensibility
    Hyper is built on web technologies like JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, allowing users to customize and extend it with plugins and themes easily.
  • Modern UI
    It offers a sleek and modern user interface that is visually appealing and user-friendly.
  • Performance
    Despite being built on Electron, Hyper's performance is generally satisfactory for the majority of terminal tasks.
  • Ecosystem
    A rich ecosystem of plugins and themes is available, which enhances the terminal's functionality and customization options.

Possible disadvantages of Hyper

  • Resource Usage
    As an Electron-based application, Hyper can consume more memory and CPU compared to more lightweight terminal emulators.
  • Startup Time
    Hyper may have a slower startup time compared to native terminal applications because it initializes a lot of components at launch.
  • Complexity
    For users who are not familiar with web development technologies, customizing and extending Hyper might be challenging.
  • Stability
    Occasional bugs and crashes can occur, especially when using numerous plugins or custom configurations.
  • Native Feature Gaps
    Some of the features available in native terminal emulators might be missing or less optimized in Hyper.

Analysis of iTerm2

Overall verdict

  • iTerm2 is regarded as an excellent terminal emulator for macOS due to its robust feature set and usability, making it a top choice for power users.

Why this product is good

  • iTerm2 is often praised for its advanced features, customization options, and efficiency that enhance productivity for users who work with the command line frequently. It offers split panes, hotkey window, undo close, instant replay, and a highly configurable interface that caters to power users, making it a versatile tool for developers and system administrators.

Recommended for

  • Developers and programmers who need a highly customizable terminal.
  • System administrators who require powerful scripting and automation capabilities.
  • Users who frequently work with command-line interfaces and require multiple sessions handled efficiently.
  • Anyone seeking an enhanced, feature-rich alternative to the default macOS terminal.

Analysis of Hyper

Overall verdict

  • Hyper is a good choice for users who value customization and a visually appealing interface over performance. While it may not match the speed and efficiency of native terminal applications, its flexibility and design appeal to those who are comfortable with and prefer Electron-based applications.

Why this product is good

  • Hyper is an electron-based terminal that is highly customizable, allowing users to enhance its functionality through plugins and themes. It's built with web technologies, making it easy for developers familiar with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS to contribute and modify. This enables a rich ecosystem of community contributions, offering users a wide variety of enhancements to tailor the terminal experience to their needs.

Recommended for

  • Developers who prefer a customizable terminal environment
  • Users who enjoy experimenting with plugins and themes
  • Individuals who prioritize design and aesthetics in their tooling

iTerm2 videos

Customizing iterm2 with ZSH and PowerLevel9k | Z shell Tutorial

Hyper videos

Motorola One Hyper Review

More videos:

  • Review - SKECHERS GOrun RAZOR 3 HYPER & GOrun 7 HYPER REVIEW | The Ginger Runner
  • Review - Motorola One Hyper "Real Review"

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to iTerm2 and Hyper)
Developer Tools
73 73%
27% 27
Terminal Tools
0 0%
100% 100
SSH
86 86%
14% 14
Terminal
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare iTerm2 and Hyper

iTerm2 Reviews

  1. Useful

    I've had so many problems with terminal in my Mac.. thanks for this tool. It's like really useful

    ๐Ÿ‘ Pros:    Fast|Convenience|Fastest, safest, and cheapest
    ๐Ÿ‘Ž Cons:    None

MobaXterm for Mac: Best Alternatives to MobaXterm for Mac
You can choose a Hotkey and register it as a shortcut to open the iTerm2. When you are using other application, just press the Hotkey and it will bring iTerm (terminal) to the foreground of your screen. So the iTerm2 is the best alternative to MobaXterm for Mac which will be always available for you.
30 best PuTTY alternatives for SSH clients for 2020
The iTerm2 system is available for Macs. Specifically, the program can run on Mac OS 10.10 and higher. This interface shows different terminal sessions through a split screen method, allowing you to tile sessions side by side. To lessen confusion, the active panel shows in full resolution, while the others dimmed. You can set up keyboard shortcuts to navigate through the...

Hyper Reviews

MobaXterm for Mac: Best Alternatives to MobaXterm for Mac
Hyper is an electron based terminal for Mac OS and other platforms. The Hyper is build on the HTML, CSS and JavaScript. It is designed to create a beautiful and extensible experience for command-line interface users. It is a simple still the best alternative to MobaXterm for Mac with speed, stability and development of the correct API for extension authors. In future, it...
Top 14 Terminal Emulators for Linux (With Extra Features or Amazing Looks)
Hyper is yet another interesting terminal emulator that is built on web technologies. It doesnโ€™t provide a unique user experience, but looks quite different and offers a ton of customization options.
Source: itsfoss.com
30 best PuTTY alternatives for SSH clients for 2020
Hyper is a free open source emulator written for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. It can be extended with add-ons, but has no encryption or file transfer option.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, iTerm2 should be more popular than Hyper. It has been mentiond 117 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

iTerm2 mentions (117)

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Hyper mentions (46)

  • Ratty โ€“ A terminal emulator with inline 3D graphics
    Or Terminal is already a full featured web browser? https://hyper.is/. - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • Show HN: Hyper โ€“ Standards first React alternative
    I wish open-source projects checked to see if other projects share the same name. Especially since there are packages in NPM already about hyper. https://hyper.is/ has been around for a while and is kind of big. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • How to make your terminal looks Splendid
    WARP First thing, we need to choose the best terminal app to do this, I usually use one called Hyper Term, but in the last months I've been using another one called Warp terminal, I started to use it because it is an AI powered terminal, basically we can use the terminal AI to get the best bash commands, and improve ours shell scripts and commands, that why I chose it for this tutorial. So we need to download it. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • Leveraging Wasp for full-stack development
    A modern terminal shell such as zsh, iTerm2 with oh-my-zsh for Mac, or Hyper for Windows. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • Terminal commands I use as a frontend developer
    I am using iTerm2 on my macOS. Other available options are Hyper and VS Codeโ€™s inbuilt terminal, which I sometimes use for quick tests. You can open a terminal in VS Code by using the keyboard shortcut CMD + J or CTRL + J on Windows, or View โ†’ Terminal. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing iTerm2 and Hyper, you can also consider the following products

MobaXterm - Enhanced terminal for Windows with X11 server, tabbed SSH client, network tools and much more

Tabby.sh - Tabby is a free and open source SSH, local and Telnet terminal with everything you'll ever need.

PuTTY - Popular free terminal application. Mostly used as an SSH client.

Windows Terminal - A new command line interface for Windows machines

KiTTY - KiTTY is a fork from version 0.70 of PuTTY. It adds extra features to PuTTY.

ConEmu - ConEmu-Maximus5 is a full-featured local terminal for Windows devs, admins and users. Get better console window with tabs, splits, Quake style, copy+paste, DosBox and PuTTY integration, and much more.