What is the main difference between Alacritty and iTerm 2?

Alacritty and iTerm 2 are both terminal emulators but differ in their approach, features, and target audience. Compare their GitHub stats, technology stack, and community adoption to make the best choice.

Which is better: Alacritty or iTerm 2?

The choice between Alacritty and iTerm 2 depends on your specific needs, technical requirements, and team preferences. Both are quality open source solutions with active communities.

Can I migrate from Alacritty to iTerm 2?

Migration between Alacritty and iTerm 2 is possible but requires careful planning. Consider data export/import capabilities, feature parity, and potential workflow changes.

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Alacritty vs iTerm 2

Learn how Alacritty and iTerm 2 differ in their key features, development activity, technology stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these terminal emulators is best for you.

Alacritty

Modern cross-platform terminal emulator with OpenGL acceleration, extensive configuration options, and vi mode support for enhanced productivity.

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65,885stars+274(+0.4%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
1 month ago
Repository age
11 years
Version
v0.17.0
License
Apache-2.0
Repository
alacritty/alacritty

iTerm 2

Feature-rich terminal replacement for macOS with split panes, search, autocomplete, and extensive customization options for enhanced productivity.

Visit iTerm 2 Read more

18,113stars+106(+0.6%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
3 days ago
Repository age
16 years
License
GPL-2.0
Repository
gnachman/iterm2

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Detailed Comparison

Both Alacritty and iTerm 2 have their unique strengths and serve similar purposes effectively. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, growth, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.

Alacritty wins

Community & Popularity

Alacritty significantly outpaces iTerm 2 in community adoption with 65,885 stars compared to 18,113 stars on GitHub. This 3.6x difference suggests Alacritty has a much larger and more active community. In terms of developer contributions, Alacritty has 3,630 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

Comparable

Growth Momentum

Alacritty and iTerm 2 are moving at much the same rate, adding 274 stars and adding 106 stars respectively over the last 30 days (+0.4% vs +0.6%). Neither is pulling away from the other on momentum alone.

iTerm 2 wins

Development Activity

iTerm 2 shows more recent development activity with its last commit 3 days ago, while Alacritty was last updated 1 month ago. This suggests iTerm 2 is being more actively maintained.

Comparable

Technology Stack

Both tools share common technology foundations, being built with Bash. However, they differ in their additional technology choices: Alacritty uses Rust, GLSL while iTerm 2 leverages JavaScript, CSS, Python, C, Objective-C, Swift, Ruby, C++, MATLAB.

iTerm 2 wins

Project Maturity

iTerm 2 has been in development longer, starting 16 years ago, compared to Alacritty which began 11 years ago. This 4.9-year head start suggests iTerm 2 may have more mature features and established processes.

Comparable

Licensing

The projects use different licenses: Alacritty is licensed under Apache-2.0 while iTerm 2 uses GPL-2.0. Consider the licensing requirements when choosing for your project.

Comparable