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Windows Terminal VS iTerm2

Compare Windows Terminal VS iTerm2 and see what are their differences

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Windows Terminal logo Windows Terminal

A new command line interface for Windows machines

iTerm2 logo iTerm2

A terminal emulator for macOS that does amazing things.
  • Windows Terminal Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-10
  • iTerm2 Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-10-29

Windows Terminal features and specs

  • Unified Interface
    Windows Terminal provides a single interface to access Command Prompt, PowerShell, and Azure Cloud Shell, making it easier to manage multiple command-line tools in one place.
  • Customizable
    The terminal supports a wide range of customization options including themes, colors, and font styles, which allows users to personalize their terminal environment.
  • Tabbed Interface
    The inclusion of tabs allows users to open multiple terminal sessions in a single window, significantly improving multitasking capabilities.
  • Performance
    Built using modern frameworks and technologies, Windows Terminal offers enhanced performance and responsiveness compared to older terminal applications.
  • Regular Updates
    Being an actively developed open-source project, Windows Terminal benefits from regular updates that introduce new features and fix issues.
  • Rich Text and Emoji Support
    The terminal supports rich text, Unicode, and emojis, enhancing the user experience when working with diverse content.
  • Integration with Modern Development Tools
    Seamless integration with modern development tools enhances workflows for developers and IT professionals.

Possible disadvantages of Windows Terminal

  • Learning Curve
    The extensive range of features and customization options can be overwhelming for new users, requiring time to learn and adapt.
  • Resource Usage
    Compared to traditional terminals, Windows Terminal can consume more system resources due to its advanced features and graphical interface.
  • Occasional Instability
    As an evolving project, users might encounter occasional bugs or stability issues, especially with new updates.
  • Limited Backward Compatibility
    Some older scripts and legacy applications might not be fully compatible with Windows Terminal, requiring adjustments.
  • Dependency on Modern Windows Versions
    Windows Terminal requires a modern version of Windows (Windows 10 or later), making it unavailable for users on older systems.
  • Configuration Complexity
    Advanced configuration might require editing JSON files, which can be complex and error-prone for less experienced users.

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.

Windows Terminal videos

+ Add

Windows Terminal Review and Customization Tricks

More videos:

  • Review - The NEW Windows Terminal is Finally Released! - Here's Why It's Awesome
  • Review - The New Windows Terminal ROCKS! Let's customize it!

iTerm2 videos

+ Add

Customizing iterm2 with ZSH and PowerLevel9k | Z shell Tutorial

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Windows Terminal and iTerm2)

Windows Terminal

iTerm2

SSH
24 24%
SSH
76% 76
Terminal Tools
35 35%
Terminal Tools
65% 65
Server Management
22 22%
Server Management
78% 78
Developer Tools
0 0%
Developer Tools
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

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

Windows Terminal Reviews

We have no reviews of Windows Terminal yet.
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iTerm2 Reviews

  1. KateBlanc
    Useful

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

    👍 Pros:    Fast|Convenience|Fastest, safest, and cheapest
    👎 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.
Source: www.macoszon.com
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...
Source: www.comparitech.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, iTerm2 seems to be a lot more popular than Windows Terminal. While we know about 111 links to iTerm2, we've tracked only 2 mentions of Windows Terminal. 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.

Windows Terminal mentions (2)

  • Blocking all Calculators with windows server GPOs
    Note that you'd need to block your users from Command Prompt (cmd.exe), PowerShell and the PowerShell ISE (32 and 64 flavours for both) PS> 7*12-9 returns 75, making sure it also blocks access via Windows Terminal (or Windows Terminal is disallowed from installation/execution). Source: about 3 years ago
  • Windows Terminal - What is it, and how can it make you productive with Azure?
    I'm amazed that as I'm writing this, that Windows Terminal is almost two years old now! Windows Terminal was first announced in May 2019 in an early release stage, and later available in preview that Summer through the Microsoft Store. Windows Terminal is a modern app, decoupling the concept of a terminal and a shell, allowing you to spin up the shell that you prefer to use in a friendly, fast and productive... - Source: dev.to / about 4 years ago

iTerm2 mentions (111)

  • Must-have apps and services in 2024
    iTerm + fish. I wrote a post explaining my environment settings. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • Unavoidable developer tools
    🍎 macOS: The default Terminal.app is widely used, but iTerm2 is often preferred for its rich feature set and customization options. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • Ask HN: How can I experiment with LLMs with a old machine?
    Make yourself comfortable with https://blogs.oracle.com/database/post/freedom-to-build-announcing-oracle-cloud-free-tier-with-new-always-free-services-and-always-free-oracle-autonomous-database https://gist.github.com/rssnyder/51e3cfedd730e7dd5f4a816143b25dbd https://www.reddit.com/r/oraclecloud/ or any other offer. Deploy some minimal Linux on them, or use what's offered. Plus optionally, if you don't want to... - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • Honukai Color Theme Goes IDE
    Honukai has long been my favorite iTerm, Oh My ZSH color theme, and I just assumed it existed for other use cases. But alas, I had to create them for myself. I adapted Oskar's work for Tabby terminal, ZED IDE and VS Code. You can get the files here. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • (Youtube blogpost) Building Tree Link app with Svelte and Tailwind CSS
    iTerm2 is a fast terminal emulator for macOS. Install one of Nerd Fonts for displaying fancy glyphs on your terminal. My current choice is Hack. And use it on your terminal app. For example, on iTerm2:. - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

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

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

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.

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.

GNOME Terminal - GNOME Terminal is a terminal emulator for GNOME desktop.

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